Page 29

Chapter Twenty-Four

The sickening sound of Niko’s body hitting the ground seemed to fill the world.

Jade’s heart leapt into her throat. She kneeled on the ground beside him, the uneven pavement of the alley biting into her knees. Instantly, her hands came to his shoulders to steady him and search for signs of the wound.

His eyes terrified her. Unfocused and lethargic, her mate blinked sluggishly up at her as if unseeing. Niko was struggling to breathe through the blood pouring from his mouth, the drain punctuated by deep, staggering coughs.

Overwhelmed by panic, she tore at his suit coat buttons, pulling it back to reveal he was bleeding through a small hole in the starchy white dress shirt.

Rage made her fingers shake. Every adrenaline-enhanced instinct was screaming at her to protect him, to ensure Niko made it out of this alive. Whether or not he wanted her or their bond, she couldn’t abandon him.

Niko was hers.

The words were so faint she could barely pick them up. “Damn shifters.”

Another shot pinged off the brick wall behind her, then another.

Mind turning a thousand miles a minute, Jade ran through her choices.

She could shield Niko with her own body, risking them both being severely injured.

Leave him unattended while she attempted to locate the marksmen and prevent them from firing again.

Or three, phase them both to safety regardless of the risk of aggravating his wounds.

“Niko.”

The warning in her voice served dual purpose: to prepare him and apologize.

Her hands pressed to the wound, locking eyes with him as he, too, realized there was no alternative.

Wrapping her magical energy around them, she concentrated on the closest safe location.

The phase took seconds, and by the time they solidified on the other side—safe in her apartment—Niko’s consciousness blinked out.

In the labyrinth, the wave of agony that poured off him was immense. Time was of the essence. Too damaged to heal himself, her mate had no chance for survival if he remained in her sole care. She lacked the necessary medical training.

She refused to lose him.

Jade reached out telepathically to the only person she could trust with this. Quinn, I need you now!

The response was immediate. The mender phased in so quickly that it made the air around them waver with undiluted magic.

“What’s wrong?”

He saw the dying man at their feet before she could form an answer, and swiftly jumped into action. The senior mender put two fingers on Niko’s shirt and suit coat and phased them off.

Blood continued to flow through the wound. Quinn sent a pulse of raw power through Niko so strong that it pressed against her senses.

The mender snapped a frustrated snarl. “This is a silver bullet. His tissues have suffered extensive damage.”

“Hunters.”

“You are unharmed?” At her soft hum of response, Quinn nodded, but his gaze didn’t stray from Niko. “And you phased afterward? Apply pressure here.”

Jade’s fingers trembled as she obeyed the instructions. “We had no choice, Quinn. They were still shooting.”

Quinn made no response, the entirety of his attention focusing on the man dying beneath their hands. Niko’s features, once so playful, were utterly blank. It was a poignant reminder of everything she’d nearly rejected.

“Let go now, Jade.” Quinn’s voice was kinder this time. “I need to extract the bullet.”

Her teeth chattered as she watched, in shock from overstimulation. The skin on the backs of her hands and up over her wrists itched with Niko’s drying blood. A hysterical sob escaped her at the macabre sensation.

He’d protected her at any cost to himself. Even after he’d been shot, his only thought had been for her and her safety. Now that the adrenaline had finally receded, she could let the tears flow freely.

Energy iced up her spine as Quinn continued to work on Niko’s wound. Despite having been drained the day before from regrowing Kinnick’s arm, he didn’t utter a word of complaint.

“Jade.” Quinn’s soft voice was a comfort now. “Is this man your mate?”

Biting her lip, she nodded. “Please heal him.”

For the first time since he arrived, he met her eyes. “I’m trying. The silver bullet perforated a major artery in his lung and came extremely close to his heart. The phase—even though it was necessary—made the perforation worse. I’ll do everything I can.”

And then, as an aside, he added, “Your secret is safe with me.”

Deep, keening emotion fisted around her throat and prevented her from replying. Quinn would know. Their friendship was too deep for him to ignore what poured out. He’d always been her rock-solid protector, the older brother she’d never had.

A new presence phased into her apartment. Oppressive, the male’s energy scraped against hers, an unholy force that seemed to push at her like gravity.

The entrance was so swift that Jade didn’t even have time to gasp before a blade appeared under Quinn’s jaw. “Back. Away.”

Little more than a growl, the aggressive words made her leopard bristle and submit near instantly. The intruder was a shifter, without a doubt. No one commanded that type of dominance without an inner beast pulling the primal power strings below the surface.

It didn’t matter to Jade.

She was on her feet within moments, her own blade firmly in hand. “Quinn stays where he is. You’ve come into my house, my territory, and threatened us. I don’t care who you are—you don’t give orders here.”

Intensity skewered her to the spot; his earthy brown eyes pinned her with a savage look. Tattoos decorated the arm holding the katana—both arms, in fact. Even more distinctive were the scars that tried to hide underneath them.

That’s when she realized the man had to be Roman, Niko’s prime. Yelena’s killer, and the very same Sagani who’d saved her mate’s life when Niko was just a child. He was also her prime’s bitter enemy—regardless of the fact that they maintained their pleasantries in public.

As she’d anticipated, Quinn didn’t acquiesce to the threat. She knew his mender principles would never allow him to back away from a patient who desperately needed his care.

“Why is Niko bleeding on your floor?”

“Hunters. They shot him in an alleyway, from the rooftops, and we came here when I realized we had no choice but to flee,” she explained, holding her ground. “Staying wasn’t an option. They were still shooting.”

“And neither of you realized they were there?”

The blade, crystalline silver, hovered for half a second longer before slowly retreating from Quinn’s neck.

Roman shifted on his feet before his gaze dropped to his second.

He assessed Niko’s unconscious state with deep concern.

The prime hovered above them while he took stock of the situation, apparently unwilling to kneel and put himself in a vulnerable position.

Jade swallowed. “We were arguing. They were hidden above us somewhere, waiting for us. We didn’t sense them until it was too late. Niko must’ve heard them; he turned just as the gun discharged.”

“How did they find you?” A clipped question as the blade disappeared into thin air.

Now that the weapon was gone, Jade’s tension slowly began to ebb—but she didn’t loosen her grip on her own dagger. She allowed herself to glance at Niko’s still form.

“I don’t know.”

Frowning, she searched her memories to determine what could’ve tipped the hunters off. They’d both entered the restaurant together, had left together, but nothing they’d done besides the barrier was noteworthy.

Roman scoffed, the sound so similar to Niko’s it made Jade cringe. “And I’m sure your blessed prime had nothing to do with it.”

“Julian?”

A hard glare was her only response, Roman’s gaze becoming almost malevolent. “I’ll be taking Niko back to my legion territory.” His attention swung over to Quinn. “Is he healthy enough to phase?”

The mender slowly shook his head, still concentrating on the wound. “He’s hemorrhaging internally and if I stop healing the broken vessel, he’ll bleed out. Give me five more minutes. If you phase him back now, it might kill him.”

Roman nodded, then turned his attention back to Jade. Her snow leopard cringed as his cat peered at her through his eyes. Instead of the earthy brown it’d been when Roman had made his entrance, it showed now as a light green surrounded by startling amber.

Bengal tiger .

“Snow leopard.”

Felines were solitary by nature. If they had met in the wild, Jade would’ve either completely avoided the larger predator, or staked her claim on the territory. Most likely to her death, because she could barely support the force of his gaze.

When Roman spoke again, his voice was empathetic. “Little sister, why is your cat in chains?”

Regardless of the situation they found themselves in, his empathy told her he’d never use her secret to cause harm. Unlike Julian, the Second Legion prime seemed focused on her wellbeing—cat and woman alike.

“My leopard is … argumentative.” Her features pinched. “I can’t allow her free reign.”

A curious expression crossed his handsome features, but thankfully, he dropped the subject when he saw the pain it caused her. Instead, he asked a second question. “What were you arguing about?”

“What?”

The first hint of amusement entered his eyes, as he cocked his head lazily to the side. “What were you and Niko arguing about? Lover’s quarrel?”

“Niko wanted me to reject the bond.” Her chin came up defiantly. “I didn’t want to.”

And then Roman did something she hadn’t expected. He dipped his chin in approval, and said, “Good for you.”

Fueled by the approval, Jade looked back at her mate. Now that Roman had decided they weren’t a threat to his kinsmen, he took a knee beside the trio and gently grasped hold of Niko’s shoulder.

“I’ve asked Amadeo, our senior mender, to funnel energy into him,” Roman said. “Let me know how I can help, Quinn. If he needs blood, he can have mine.”

Melancholy stole through her as she processed the truth of Roman’s words. Not once in all of her years had she seen Julian weaken himself for another’s benefit. The realization settled heavily in her stomach, a touch of nausea making her shift uncomfortably.

Perhaps her prime wasn’t the saint she believed him.

“He’s ready, sire,” came Quinn’s easy pronouncement a few minutes later.

The sign of respect was easily given and easily taken, but suddenly, Jade’s unease grew. Now that Quinn had released Niko to Roman’s care, he’d be taken from her.

Roman noticed her reservation. “He’ll be well taken care of, Jade; I give you my word.”

Despite her abilities confirming the truth of his words, she needed something more. Letting Roman take her mate without explicit proof of his goodwill was unacceptable. Jade reached out, as if to offer her hand in thanks.

The moment he accepted her handshake, she purposefully activated her magic. It exploded outward, searching for the truth not only of his words, but his actions. The vision appeared instantaneously.

His attention was focused on Niko. The younger man was barely out of his teenage years, sitting on the floor with his head in his hands.

He subtly rocked back and forth, eyes wide in terror.

Roman didn’t know what had triggered it this time, but he knew the deeper cause: the events Niko had barely survived only a decade and a half earlier.

He crouched, careful not to scare the teenager further. Unfortunately, these episodes had happened multiple times over the last few years, and he knew how to help.

“You’re alright, Niko. You’re safe.” Gripping Niko’s shoulder, the prime inhaled slowly, then let his breath out. “Deep breath. Listen to my voice. You’re here. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

The vision cleared.

Though she couldn’t remember ever purposefully activating her gift before, it had worked as intended. Jade was satisfied with the answer.

She knelt beside Niko and finally looked at the wound that marred the perfection of his chest. A small hole, scabbed over now, was all that was left, except the drying blood that flaked off his skin. Though she longed to keep him close, Roman was waiting, and Niko still needed medical attention.

Jade lowered herself to press her lips to his chilled cheek. Everything inside pulled at her to protect him while he was wounded and vulnerable, but she knew he couldn’t stay.

“Come back to me,” she whispered.

And then she let him go.