Page 4

“No! No! No!” She grabbed his arm and felt a piercing pain and heat in her hand as his lines went crimson with an edge of sapphire blue, but she squeezed tighter.

“She can’t die. You must do something. Somehow, you and however many others have survived in the Unknown while people are dying by droves in the contained areas within the Wall.

There must be a cure or protection for this virus.

Dammit, you are going to give it to her ,” she commanded.

Everything in her told her not to trifle with this man. That people didn’t demand things from such a scary and imposing individual, but she didn’t care. Couldn’t care. Kai would sacrifice everything to save her younger sister, even if it cost her life.

The rumbling sound was incredible, louder this time, as he leaned down and set his face before hers.

“No one orders, Aodh Brandr, the McKenna.” Heated sulfuric cinnamon perfumed the space in a puff of smoke that clouded the air between them.

Kai coughed. She exhaled as hard as she could to keep it from her lungs.

As it dissipated, he continued, “You have a lot of spirit, little flame. I need this.”

Her brows pinched as she removed her hand. Aodh was already too close, and touching him was doing peculiar things to her. She wasn’t sure how she could help him. But everything in her told her this man could assist her sister and that’s all that mattered.

“I need to ensure my sister gets help before it’s too late. Will you help her?” she implored, purposely softening her tone. Directing this man wasn’t moving him along fast enough, she tried another tactic.

“Yes.” He took her by the waist and moved her with ease behind him. Shut off your vehicle. We won’t need it.”

Her bones became liquid with relief. “Thank you.”

“No thanks are necessary since you will be mine.” His upper body was inside of the truck cab, and it was unclear if he said more.

She ran to do his bidding and shut off the ignition, then hustled back to the other side. “Yours. Your what?” Domestic. Aide. Employee. Scrap collector, she’d done plenty of that.

He unbuckled Morlie, scooped her into his arms, and then turned back and faced Kai. “My everything.”

~YH~

“What?”

Ignoring the question of the beautiful woman with the unruly mane of curls and the thick curves that made the beast within him roar, he started toward the path that took them back toward the center of his Thunder’s territory.

It would have been faster if he had allowed his beast to take over, but while it may have permitted him to transport the ill one, it was doubtful it would accept the other so quickly without a legitimate meeting.

He lengthened his stride down the overgrown, narrow path.

His broad shoulders broke branches and limbs, forging a clearance for the human in his wake.

Rarely was this route used. The slight form in his arms reeked of the decay settling into her organs.

The foul stench wasn’t foreign to him. The odor often accompanied the humans they interacted with shortly after the humans began to move about above ground again; however, they still clung to the ones the council received at the meeting grounds.

It wasn’t the only scent emitting from her.

However, it was the most paramount at this time.

She wouldn’t make it if he didn’t get her to the chamber.

He was sure this would break the heart of the woman breathing hard and running behind him.

Kai. The thought of her in pain sent fire into his blood. She was his. He had no clue how she had come to be roaming through his thunder’s territory. However, the reason was of no consequence.

She was his. The connection was undeniable.

“Wait.” She panted. “Can you stop for a moment? I need you to explain your words back there.”

He halted.

“Oof.” Her shapely form ran into his back.

Glancing over his shoulder, he looked down at her. “Kai, do you want to talk or get help for the dying one?”

“Her name is Morlie. And stop calling her ‘dying!’” she raged.

There she went, ordering him about again. One corner of his mouth curved. He enjoyed her fierceness and would look forward to all that energy in his bed soon.

“Morlie is dying.” He turned so that he could see her. The sun would crest soon, but the land was still dark, and he doubted the woman behind him could see much.

“No. You said you could save my sister.”

“Then we must go, Kai.” He enjoyed the play of her name over his tongue. Fuck, even his beast had unfurled the first time he spoke it in the language of his people.

She sighed.

He continued making his way. His strides were still long but not as fast so his woman could keep up better.

It was unsafe for her to end up lost in the forest, which separated his territory from others who may be out hunting.

Hell, if an unmated male in his Thunder came upon her, he could claim her first, even if their scents didn’t match. He’d be incensed.

However, if other entities captured her and mated with her...

Aodh didn’t feel like killing anyone today.

The decision to circumvent the front and head to a back entrance of the vast edifice that sat before them as he finally led the way out of the foliage staved off the multitude of questions from his kind.

It was early still, but men of the sentries would be breaking fast in the great hall before they started their daily assignments.

Few lived in the main building, but all in the thunder could eat in the gallery.

Also, the back entrance was closer to the healing chamber, which was rarely used, especially since battles over territories had ceased in the last ten years.

It would allow him time to set up the dying—Morlie—before he needed to call a meeting and inform the preternatural council’s magistrates of the situation.

“Gracious...” Kai gasped behind him, her breath coming out heavy. She stopped at the forest edge and stared at the massive stone structure.

His chest swelled with pride at her response. He knew the sight of their buildings was impressive. Hell, it was in their nature to collect and design beautiful things. But there would be time enough later for him to show her everything about his territory.

“This way.” He was thankful that there was more stone than glass on the first two floors of this side of the building. That and the time of day concealed his movements unless someone was gazing out of the upper floor. At the back door, he shifted the weight in his arms to open the heavy door.

“We’re here.” He entered first and headed through the antechamber to the glass enclosure.

“What is this place?” Kai stepped in and began looking around. She frowned as her gaze landed on the white walls and wide space. She stared at a corner area where a few chairs sat facing the glass room, then looked at him. “Where’s all the medicine and the medical staff?”

He understood what she was asking because he’d had interactions with those in the human profession of healing. “We don’t have those sorts of people. My people don’t need them. Just this space.”

It was true. With most injuries, their beast could heal them.

Anything greater where someone couldn’t shift, they used this glass enclosure.

A group of them would create the smog and call in Apophis, their spiritual leader—who had Mage blood—to help bring forth the injured person’s dragon.

In the center of the enclosure was a bed with security measures to keep them stable and where he laid Morlie.

“What?” Kai was beside him now, stroking her sister’s limp, messy hair from her face. “You said you could save her. If there isn’t medical personnel or medicine here, we should have kept going—” her voice broke.

“We have an herbalist. He won’t be needed.” He faced Kai. “Trust me when I say your sister will recover. We are here in time.”

He saw the tears flooding her eyes, and the sight intrigued him. His kind showed their emotions differently. In the light, the moisture sparkled like diamonds. Her fear was palpable in her energy, and it soured her usual wild, sweet-vanilla scent—dragon flowers. His heart constricted in response.

“I need you to step out of the enclosure, “ he said, pointing to the other side of the glass door.

Her gaze shifted from him to her sister. “What do you plan to do?”

“First, I will strap her to the bed. This is important because her body will naturally fight the healing.” He was honest with Kai. “However, the technique will work. Because she will eventually succumb to it.”

The tension around her eyes showed her confusion. Kai seemed intelligent, but some things of his kind would take her time to understand. He wasn’t worried. They had a lifetime before them.

She still seemed unsure, but she nodded. “Just help her.”

“I will.”

He watched her lean down, kiss her sister’s cheek, and whisper, “Hang on, Morlie. You’ll be better soon.”

Done, she walked out. Instead of going to one of the chairs, she took a position directly behind the glass wall, giving her the most advantageous angle to see her sister.

Aodh understood. If it had been one of his siblings here, he would not have gone further than was required.

Moving quickly, he applied the heavy straps to the young, still girl’s wrists and ankles. The bindings were heavier than she needed and were too large to buckle securely, so he had to puncture a hole closer to her body to make sure it held. Finished, he walked to the door, closed it, and locked it.

“Aodh?”

He chose not to look at Kai or respond to her question.

Time was of the essence, and he had a task to perform that would take his full concentration.

With his back to her, he stepped to the foot of the bed and then closed his eyes.

Next, he released every muscle in his torso and forced tendons to release bones to allow maximum capacity.

Mentally, he awakened his beast but didn’t call him forth as he inhaled deep and slow.

His lungs began to fill with oxygen until his diaphragm stretched to Its limits and beyond. Both man and beast consumed the cool sweetness. Knowing what he needed, his beast set a fire inside him and stoked it higher.

As he felt the burn, Aodh started to exhale with great force.

First, the room became hazy from the white smoke he had released from his lungs.

It quickly became thicker, denser, and dark gray until it appeared more coal in color.

Aodh didn’t need his eyes open to see the room’s darkness, and he could feel the heat of the smog caressing his skin as it swirled around him—taking over the space.

The markings on his skin began to tingle and sting as heat filled his blood. His beast wanted out, wanted to bask and writhe in the hot fog it had created. Aodh held it back.

Aodh continued even as his sensitive ears picked up on the banging and screaming of the woman trapped and helpless on the other side of the enclosure.

“Aodh, what are you doing?” she called out. “Stop! Stop!” Bang, bang. “You’re killing her!” she screamed. “Aooodh!”

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

The glass was thick, too solid for the weak strength of a human to affect it. Even if she could throw one of the heavy chairs at it, it would not even crack.

He opened his eyes. His glowing gaze allowed him to penetrate the smog and see the female on the bed. Her body was now twitching and jerking against the restraints.

Morlie began to wheeze as her lungs tried to fight against the smoke saturating them. A racking cough shook her frail form as she started to choke on the clouds filling and consuming her on the inside.

After a time, Kai’s strikes against the glass walls ceased, but her screaming continued.

“Please let her go, Aodh.”

It wasn’t until Morlie’s body went still and quiet that the tension in his shoulders eased. For a moment, when it took too long for her to begin to attempt to fight off the smoke, he had concerns that the sick one would pass into the afterlife before the healing smog could reach her bloodstream.

He blinked, clearing his eyes. Now, there was only dark smoke in his view. Still, he turned, and with sure steps, he walked to the door. He unlocked the handle and exited quickly, not allowing a cloud to escape. On the other side, he engaged a code to keep the door locked.

“I hadn’t realized there had been a council meeting.”

Aodh glanced across the room to see his brother leaning casually against the wall by the door. “Liekki, what are you doing here?”