Page 22 of Healer’s Reckoning (The Healer’s #3)

Bryce

“This way to the stairs,” Sherese shouts, joining our group suddenly. We race after her and up the steps and down the hallway. We burst through the door. Cade spins around but relaxes when he sees it’s us. I see the carnage that’s happened out here but race past it, taking the lead. I push my wolf. We need to get to the barrier and get out of here before they come after us out here. We run all-out towards the barrier, taking down two vampires on the way that try to stop us. Hunter and I take down the first one; Max and Garrett claim the second. I keep an eye on Brandon, but so far, his eyes have stayed clear. He’s been able to keep up with us easily. We run past the house where Ava stayed and towards the edge of the vampire property where the invisible barrier is. We get close to the barrier, and I feel a surge of relief that we’re going to make it. I can see Rose and Maverick waiting. Maverick is in wolf form, waiting for us.

There are no vampires guarding the border; they must have all stayed in the basement. I take a moment to glance back and make sure everyone is accounted for. Hunter, Sherese, Cade, Garrett, Max, and Brandon. Cade moves up next to me and shifts. I shift as well. “Lead them through!” I shout to Cade and then fall back to make sure everybody gets through. Suddenly, the barrier opens. Dozens of vampires appear out of nowhere. Time seems to slow down. In a moment I will remember for the rest of my life, a group of vampires take Cade down. I shift and run at them, but there are too many between me and him. The others around me spread out, but we’re outnumbered. There’s at least two vampires for every one of us. My wolf and I charge the vampire in front of us and throw him to the ground and go for the throat. It's not a killing blow, but it will at least immobilize him for a minute or two. A vampire tries to take us down from behind, but we whirl around and attack. Another approaches from the other side. We fight him as well, but there are too many. Another one lands on my wolf’s back and bites into his back with its fangs. We can’t shake it off, and my wolf thrashes under the onslaught. Then suddenly, there’s a roar. The vampires were overpowering us one moment, and then, suddenly, they began to fall back. We start to get the advantage. When I see the opening, I take it and shift. “Brandon, go!”

Brandon, who’s currently fighting a vampire, shoves him off and races after me. “Get through the barrier!” I shout at him. I make sure he’s through before turning back. “Hunter! Sherese! Let’s go!” They both race towards me. Sherese grabs Rose and they disappear through the barrier with Hunter right behind them. I finally see the reason for our sudden advantage against the vampires. Maverick’s wolf is in a frenzy, absolutely demolishing the vampires around him. My heart stutters, but I push every ounce of emotion deep down. Garrett and Max finish with the vampires they were fighting and then race towards the barrier. Garrett shifts and stops beside me. “Go!” I tell him, but he stays next to me. “Cade?” I ask without looking at him.

“Gone.”

I squeeze my fists. I turn to Garrett for a brief moment. “The body.” He nods, and then we’re both racing over to where I saw Cade fall beneath the onslaught. When we get to him, I don’t stop to really look at him, and I don’t allow myself to feel anything. I throw his body over my shoulder and race towards the barrier, and Garrett clears the way for me. When we get to the barrier, I pass Cade’s body to Garrett. “I have to get Maverick.”

Garrett’s eyes darken for just a moment before he gives me a short nod and disappears through the barrier carrying our fallen friend. When I turn back to help Maverick, I stare. There is nobody left to fight. “Maverick!” I say in as calm a voice as I can but one filled with authority. “We have to go now.”

His wolf doesn’t even respond. He’s simply looking for his next target, and I know his wolf is in a rage. I use the only thing I know that can pull him back. “Rose needs you.” His wolf slows and turns towards me. “We have to go. Rose is waiting on the other side.” His wolf turns in a circle slowly and then runs towards the area where Cade went down. “He’s already on the other side of the barrier,” I tell him. His wolf pauses for a moment and lifts its head and lets out a mournful howl. I feel the urge to respond, even in my human form, but I don’t. There will be time to mourn later. Now is the time to get everyone to safety. A vampire begins to rise behind Maverick. I shift and race over to the vampire and take its head from its neck. Then I run over to Maverick’s wolf and push against him, nudging him in the direction of the barrier. He finally gets moving and runs towards the barrier. We slam into the barrier and push our way through. When we finally break through, adrenaline keeps me moving. I breathe through the agonizing pain and shift into my human form.

He shifts next to me, a dark thundercloud at my side. Maverick and I are coming. Is everybody else accounted for? I ask Hunter.

Yes.

His terse reply is all I get. We shift once again into our wolves and run to the site where the plane is prepped and ready for take-off. I reach the plane and jump on board, and Maverick clears the door right behind me. Max shoves it closed and waves the pilot on. My eyes take in the group, double-checking to make sure everybody’s accounted for. Somebody shoves into me, and I brace myself.

“Knock it off!” Hunter growls.

“I’m not leaving,” Sherese shouts and pushes past me or tries to. Instinct has me grabbing her arms and keeping her from touching the door. “Let go of me!” she shouts at me.

“You’re not going back there, Sherese,” I tell her in a low, calm voice. “They know you helped us. If you go back, they will kill you.” I believe that with every part of my being. “Besides, we’re too far off the ground now.”

“I’d survive the fall,” she says, looking like she’s actually contemplating it.

“Don’t,” I say quietly. “You can’t.” I look her dead in the eye. “You’re with us now.”

She yanks her arms away. “I don’t want to be with you.”

“You made your choice when you went with us against your people. Now you’re with us.” I leave no room for arguing. She stares at me a moment, her eyes filled with contempt, and then she drops into a chair and faces out the window. Hunter takes the seat nearest the door without saying a word. Max sits in a seat near the front, and Garrett finds the seat across from him. I hear a soft sob and look at the back of the plane where Maverick sits with a distraught Rose. Brandon sits in a seat about halfway back with his head against the seat and his eyes closed. I grind my teeth and force myself to look at the body on the floor. There hasn’t been a moment to do anything more than get his body onto the plane. I search through the contents on the plane until I find something to cover him with. It’s a towel, but that’s all I have to work with. I drape it carefully over his face and the tops of his shoulders. Then I take the seat across the aisle from Brandon.

Maverick appears in front of me a moment later. “We have to go to Orlando first.”

I stand to my feet. “I’ll tell the pilot.” He doesn’t say anything as he goes back to his seat. I stop at Garrett’s seat. “Maverick is requesting to go to Orlando first.” He nods, and I take that as his okay. I head up to the pilot and tell him about the change of plans. He’s one of Garrett’s guys, so I’m assuming Garrett already informed him before I even got up there.

It’s a silent flight to Orlando. Silent except for the sounds of Rose’s hushed crying. It takes a little over two hours to get there. When we land, I’m the first to stand. I open the door and stay out of the way as Maverick escorts Rose off the plane. I say nothing as they pass me, because what is there to say? Once they’ve stepped down, I duck out the door and down the steps. I recognize several members of Cade’s pack that have gathered around the stairs. His mate, Amber, isn’t present. She would have fallen when he did. Bile rises in my throat at the thought of their little girl now parentless. One of the female shifters folds Rose into her arms, and they cry together. Eli, their head enforcer, steps away from the group and walks over to me. I don’t say a word as he approaches.

“You let our alpha die.” His words are low and without any emotion. I don’t look away from his dark gaze. “You deserve to die.” I nod, agreeing with him. His jaw ticks, the only sign of emotion I get from him. “Better watch your back.” After that threat, he walks back to his group.

Hunter steps up next to me. Want me to take him out?

No. He's hurting. They all are.

It wasn’t your fault, he returns.

I don’t say anything because this mission was mine. The loss of Cade lies squarely on my shoulders. It’s something I will have to carry with me for the rest of my life. I should have known they’d be waiting at the barrier. I should have been the first to cross the barrier .

Don’t take the responsibility of something that you couldn’t control, Hunter says.

Where’s Sherese? I ask.

Inside the plane along with the brother. Figured it would be safer. They’re going to want an enemy right now.

I nod. He’s not wrong. Bringing a vampire out right now would be the absolute worst thing we could do to a grieving pack. I watch as Maverick makes his rounds. It hits me now how Maverick was able to take down so many vampires. He would have received a huge blast of alpha power when Cade passed. He’s now the pack’s alpha. He’ll make a good one, I know. I’m grateful to know he’ll have Rose at his side. I watch the two of them and wonder if they realize yet that they’ve just become parents of a little girl. My heart is heavy as I watch the grieving pack. After a few minutes, I walk over to the group of them gathered. “I am so sorry for your loss. Cade was a good man and a great alpha. More than that, he was a friend.” I meet each of their eyes. “I’m sorry he died on my watch.” I look back at the plane. “I’m going to bring his body to you. Prepare for it.” I turn away before they can say anything. I hear Garrett’s low voice behind me offering his condolences as well. Somebody falls into step next to me, and I know without looking that it’s Hunter. I’m grateful I don’t have to do this part by myself. We step onto the plane, past a somber Sherese and a sleeping Brandon, and stop at the back. Together, we lift our fallen friend and comrade and carry him outside and over to the Orlando Pack. Maverick and Eli take his body from us and slide it into the backseat of one of their cars. The small group of them begin to load into the waiting vehicles. I watch as they climb in. Rose is the only one who looks back. She just watches me for a moment and then climbs into the waiting car. We stand in silence as we watch them leave.

Then Hunter, Max, Garrett, and I climb into the plane where Sherese, Brandon, and the pilot wait and begin the flight to Wisconsin to the Northwoods Pack. I close my eyes and wish this nightmare wasn’t real and that it wasn’t squarely on my shoulders.