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When I picked it up, I began running. I would not lose another mate. I couldn’t survive it.

  Then I heard the sound of another shotgun blast and I ran faster, the taste of uncontrollable fear on my tongue.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chloe

  I could hear Brayden breathing as I followed him. I was grateful for those days that Lachlan tracked me. I’d learned a few tricks that were serving me well right now. Only this time I was the hunter rather than the prey.

  I stopped moving when Brayden paused and looked behind him. He was panting and I could smell the fear from where I squatted behind underbrush. The idiot was so concerned about looking behind him that he never noticed me to his left, just out of range of his peripheral vision. I’d been hiding the best I could, but the trees weren’t as dense as the forest around Darrell’s cabin. If he turned his head at just the right time, he would spot me.

  Brayden started moving again. He was trying to be quiet, but he sucked at it. I shook my head as I took another step, moving behind a tree.

  A shotgun blast made us both pause. Brayden looked behind him again, turning his back completely to me. Now was my opportunity.

  I crept closer, using the sound of the next shot to cover my movements. I was almost on top of him when the third blast sounded. He must have sensed me because just as I pounced, he turned.

  His eyes widened and he lifted the shotgun, but I was too close. I knocked the gun to the side, free of his hands. My ears rang and I smelled the powder when the gun went off so close to my head, but there was no time to worry about it.

  He recovered quickly, shoving me back and making a dive for the weapon. But he underestimated the strength of my fury. The strength of me.

  I grabbed his shoulders, jerked him back, and kicked the shotgun as hard as I could toward the trees. It disappeared into the underbrush ten feet away.

  Brayden whirled on me, his teeth snapping. When my fist crashed into his nose, annihilating the bones and cartilage, I felt fierce satisfaction. I followed that blow with two more, one to his gut and the other to his jaw.

  Shaking his head, Brayden stumbled back. He clutched his abdomen where my fist had sunk into his belly. Then he reached for his knife.

  I bared my teeth at him. “Coward,” I snarled. “You’re too weak and spineless to fight me claw and tooth the way a true alpha would. How you thought you were strong enough to be my mate, I’ll never know. I would have chewed you up and spit you out the moment you let your guard down.”

  He screamed at me, lunging forward. He might have been a coward and an idiot, but it quickly became clear that he knew how to use the knife he wielded. I evaded his slices and thrusts, looking for my opening.

  He was a decent fighter, fast and strong, but he lacked the ability to observe his opponent dispassionately. He also wasn’t as fast as me. Though my blood burned with rage and the desire to kill him, I controlled it. Then I watched and took note of his movements as he attacked.

  My father had drilled that into me from childhood—always fight with your head first. Emotions could easily blind you and make you sloppy.

  Finally, I saw my opening. Brayden lunged again, swinging the knife in an arc. Instead of evading, I stepped into it, my hand lifting to grip his wrist. Then I used his own momentum to throw him to the ground, his wrist still in my grasp.

  I heard the bone snap just before he screamed in agony. I smiled as I took the knife from his limp hand and threw it toward a tree. It pierced the bark, the blade sinking into the wood halfway to the hilt.

  Brayden scrambled away from me on his back before jumping to his feet.

  “There, now we’re evenly matched,” I told him with a triumphant smile.

  His face turned red. “You bitch,” he growled, cradling his broken wrist. “I’m going to kill you. You could have been my mate, my everything, but instead you acted like a whore,” he spat. “You fucked Lachlan. You let him mark what is mine!”

  An unholy light came into his eyes and I realized that Brayden Kirkpatrick had lost his grip on reality a long time ago. I couldn’t believe that I never noticed.

  When he mentioned the mark, I lifted my hand to my now smooth shoulder. His eyes followed the motion, widening in shock. “It’s gone. How?” His red face turned purple as he charged me. “What did you do to my mark, you cunt?”

  I planted my feet, letting him run toward me in his rage. Just before he reached me, I stepped to the side and jabbed my hand into his throat. His feet flew up and I slammed him onto the ground, holding onto his neck with rigid fingers.

  His eyes rolled when his head hit the hard earth and I heard the air leave his lungs. Winded, he twitched and flailed.

  “I got rid of your mark, Brayden,” I murmured, leaning closer. “Because you had no right to claim me. So I’m going to tell you one last time—I’m not your goddamn mate and I never will be.”

  I must have missed the knife sticking out of his boot earlier. I gasped when it slipped too easily between my ribs. I knew immediately it hit something vital by the agony and the strange tingling sensation that encased my body.

  “If I die, I’m taking you with me,” he sneered. “Either way you’ll be mine, whether it’s in life or in death.”

  When he pulled the knife free I felt the rush of blood and cried out, but I didn’t loosen my hold on his neck. He tried to stab me again, but I was ready this time. I grabbed his hand. His eyes flared with victory when I released his throat.

  Until the blade sank into the soft flesh beneath his chin. I ignored the fiery pain that speared through me as I shoved with all my might, never taking my eyes from his shocked gaze.

  “Then I’ll have an eternity to torture you,” I whispered. “I’m almost looking forward to it.”

  He gurgled around the blade, his hands weakly tugging at the hilt. Then I watched the light go out of his eyes.

  I didn’t like killing. I never had.

  But in this case, I felt none of my usual pity for the wolf that lay before me. He didn’t deserve my pity.

  I pressed my hand to the wound on my side, unsurprised by the amount of blood. Still, it gushed far more than I thought it would. Shit, I knew it was bad.

  I ripped the bottom of my shirt and packed it against the wound. I reached into my pocket, looking for my phone. Maybe I could call for help.

  My hands were sticky from the blood and the touch screen refused to work. I wiped both my hand and the phone on the only clean spot on my jeans and only then would the phone work properly.

  I saw that Calder had called. With shaky hands, I tapped the screen with my thumb to automatically call him back.

  He answered on the second ring. “Where are you?”

  “In the…woods,” I answered, suddenly breathless.

  “Where?”

  I glanced around. “Southeast of town. I don’t know exactly where.” My voice was soft, weak, and I hated it.

  “We’re coming for you. Are you hurt?”

  I glanced down at the blood seeping around the edges of the soaked piece of my shirt. “Yeah. I, uh, I don’t know if I’m going to make it until you get here,” I replied.

  “Goddammit!” Calder snarled. “I don’t wanna fucking hear you say that again. You hold on. Finn is with me. He can heal you.”

  “He can’t heal the dead, Calder,” I muttered, my vision dimming. I blinked, wondering if a cloud had covered the sun, but realized it was my eyes. I was losing too much blood too quickly and the world was going in and out of focus.

  “Shut up, Chloe. You hang on.” I heard him say something to Finn, but my ears were buzzing. “Finn is coming for you. Once he’s locked on to your location, he’s going to cast a spell to take him there.”

  “Calder,” I whispered. “Tell I-I-Ian that I’m sorry,” I stuttered over Lach’s first name as a shiver wracked my body.

  “Tell him yourself,” he replied sharply.

  I couldn’t argue with him because I fell into oblivion.

  Chapter Thi
rty-Four

  Lachlan

  The sound of the shotgun going off in the distance made my blood run cold in my veins. I ran faster, not bothering with stealth any longer. I knew in my bones that something was wrong.

  The minutes it took me to reach Chloe stretched into hours. Time was elastic, my fear making each step seem to last an eternity.

  When I reached the clearing, I knew immediately that Brayden was dead. The knife sticking out of his chin was a clear indication. I skidded to a halt next to Chloe’s prone body, my throat closing at the sight of so much blood.

  Falling to my knees, I pressed my hand to her neck. The pulse was there, but it was so weak. I covered the wound on her side with my hand, trying in vain to staunch the flow of blood.

  I could hear Calder’s voice in the distance, but my focus was solely on Chloe. At the sound of a light step behind me, I whirled with a growl. Finn lifted his hands in a gesture of peace and it took me a moment to recognize him.

  “Help us,” I demanded.

  He moved to Chloe’s side, his strange eyes already glowing. “Lift your hand.”

  I did as he directed, watching as he placed his palm over the wound.

  “I will do what I can,” he said. “But she is hovering near the edge.”

  “Whatever it takes,” I snarled. “I don’t care if you have to suck the life out of me to save her. You do it.”

  He nodded, closing his eyes. “Kerry, I need you,” he whispered.

  The wind around us picked up and I caught the scent of his mate, but she never appeared.

  A light appeared beneath Finn’s hand. I watched as Chloe’s body twitched. With the depth of the wound, I knew that it hurt, but her body was too weak to do more than jerk slightly at the pain.

  Reaching down, I took her hand, leaning over her head. “You listen to me, Chloe MacArthur. You will not die. You will live and you will be my mate. I need you and you need me. You hear me. You will not die.”

  “Keep talking,” Finn murmured. “I can feel her. She’s on the brink.”

  “I love you, Chloe,” I whispered. “I won’t be able to live without you.”

  Her shaking body arched as she gasped, but her eyes remained closed. I glanced at Finn, but his eyes were still shut with a look of fierce concentration on his face.

  “Dammit, Chloe, you can’t give up,” I commanded, squeezing her hand. “You have to fight for me. And for yourself.”

  The uncontrollable shivers that shook her limbs began to slow. This close to her neck, I could hear her heartbeat grow stronger, though it was still sluggish.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the light radiating from Finn’s palm fade and his head fell forward. The wound on her side was still open, but the blood was no longer flowing from it.

  “Don’t stop, Finn,” I demanded. “She’s not completely healed.”

  His eyes lifted to mine, no longer glowing with his power. “I can’t do anymore, Lachlan. But she will be able to heal herself and she will live.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked, looking back down at her pale face.

  “I am,” he replied. “The wound was too deep for me to heal it completely, but she will live.”

  The tension filling my body flowed out and I stroked the matted hair away from Chloe’s forehead.

  “Your mate will be fine in a few days, Lachlan,” Finn reassured me. “I swear.”

  It seemed my debt to a vampire had just grown larger. I met his eyes. “Thank you,” I murmured. “I owe you more than I could ever repay.”

  He looked down at Chloe, his mouth curving into a tired smile. “If you take care of your mate, that will be payment enough. Kerry has a soft spot for the both of you.”

  I didn’t argue with him, knowing that I would owe him for the rest of my life. This was the second time he’d healed Chloe. Until the day I died, I would give my aid to the vampire and his witch mate whenever it was needed.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chloe

  I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

  Gram appeared in the doorway before I’d taken more than a single step. “You need to stay in bed,” she stated.

  “It’s been three days, Gram. I’m healed, just a little weak. Exercise and food will be the best things for me.”

  Her brows lifted. “What did I say?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the doorjamb.

  I met her stare with a level one of my own. “I’m not going back to bed. Darrell is in a holding cell, waiting to be interrogated, and Brian Kirkpatrick is being held by the Tribunal. I need to be up and taking care of business.”

  “I said I would wait until you were better before dealing with Darrell. And the Tribunal will wait for your testimony against Brian as well.”

  I sighed as I slipped on a pair of leggings beneath my t-shirt. “Look, the only way you’re getting me back into that bed is if you knock me unconscious. I know my limitations and I won’t overdo it, but I need answers. I’ve waited two years, don’t make me wait another day.”

  “What’s one more day after two years?” she tossed back to me. But she echoed my sigh, sounding just like me, and moved away from the door. “Fine, I’m not going to force you, but only because I don’t want to have to explain to Lachlan how his m—” she paused. “How you were injured again. I don’t think even his respect for me would keep him from trying to tear me a new one if I did.”

  I gave her a confused look when she stumbled over her words. She was right though. Lachlan had been a protective shadow, always hovering over me, since I’d been injured. When I awoke in Carter’s farmhouse the night after Brayden stabbed me, he’d been sitting in a chair next to the bed. That was where he stayed the next night as well.

  Last night, he’d climbed into bed next to me after I was already asleep.

  We hadn’t talked much. I had slept a lot, only waking to eat, shower, and use the bathroom. Now, I was feeling more like my old self. The wound on my side had closed, leaving behind a small pink scar where the blade entered my body. I was still sore, but considering I’d been at death’s door three days ago, I would take the slight ache in my abdomen.

  “Fine. We’ll go to the police department.” My grandmother paused by the door as I slipped shoes onto my feet. “The Tribunal sent a representative. We gave him all the photos and videos. Darrell was removed as alpha of the pack and we were given permission to deal with him as we saw fit as long as Carter agreed.”

  “Why Carter?” I asked.

  Gram shrugged. “Because he’s the new alpha.”

  “They’re not conducting a Call?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “The representative offered, but the pack refused. They requested that Carter lead them. I think this is the first time that an alpha has been put in charge by vote rather than battle.” Her eyes darkened. “I worry that other wolves will hear about this and try to challenge him.”

  I smiled at her. “I don’t think Carter will have any problems taking care of any and all challenges that come his way.”

  Her mouth curved up at the corner. “Yes, you’re probably right. That wolf is more than he seems, isn’t he?”

  “That he is,” I said, running a brush through my hair and pulling it into a ponytail. “Let’s go.”

  “Only if you eat something first,” she argued.

  Knowing that I would get what I wanted more quickly if I followed her directives, I went downstairs and plowed through several rashers of bacon leftover from breakfast that morning and a banana.

  “There, I had a snack,” I told her as I rinsed the grease from my hands in the sink.

  “Did you even chew?” she asked. At my level look, she sighed. “God, now I understand why my mother laughed when I told her I had a granddaughter. You’re just like I was at your age.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It wasn’t a compliment,” she muttered beneath her breath.

  “Considering I respect you more than any other sh
e-wolf I know, I’d beg to differ,” I retorted.

  She smiled at me.

  “Now, stop stalling and let’s go,” I stated firmly.

  Gram grabbed the car keys and Nicholas appeared at her elbow. “Where are you going?” he asked me.

  “To the police department,” I replied.

  He glanced at Gram, his eyes clearly stating he thought this was a mistake. “Does Lachlan know?”

  Gram shook her head.

  “Sophia, you know that—”

  Gram lifted a hand, silencing him. “That’s between Ian and Chloe. I refuse to get involved.”

  Nicholas’ mouth pressed into a thin line but he stopped arguing.

  What the fuck was going on here? Why was everyone acting so strangely? I pondered my questions as we walked outside to the driveway.

  I climbed into the SUV, gingerly buckling the belt across my lap. “Since when do you call Lachlan Ian?” I asked.

  Gram shrugged, backing up and turning the car around to head down the drive. “Since he asked me to.”

  She left it at that. Accustomed to Gram’s tendency to be closemouthed, I didn’t ask anything else. We drove in silence into town, not speaking again until I’d stepped out of the car and walked toward the front door of the building.

  “I want you to stay outside of the cell,” she stated, taking my elbow in her hand.

  I frowned at her. “Why?”

  “You’re still recovering, Chloe, whether you admit it or not. Darrell knows what he’s facing now that the Tribunal has given us permission to deal with him as we see fit. I wouldn’t put it past him to attack you in hopes that we’ll kill him to protect you.” Her face darkened. “I don’t want him to get away so easily.”

  I nodded. “Fine. I can do that.”

  I followed Gram inside, waving at Tom, Miss Emma’s husband. He was helping Carter get the office back in order. Carter wanted to make him an officer, but Tom refused, stating he didn’t have the temperament for it.

  I could see Carter in his father’s office, talking on the phone. The expensive, heavy furniture it once held was gone. In it’s place were utilitarian pieces, mostly made of metal. They were also old. It was clear that Carter intended to take his job seriously and that he wasn’t planning to waste pack money.