Claimed Mate Page 16

  A chill ran over her sun-warmed skin.

  “Vince, what are you going to do? You have to take me back. You have to.”

  “Shut up!” He swung her down and threw her down. With no way to catch herself, she landed hard. Her head bounced off the ground, small rocks and sticks grinding into her arms and legs. She leveraged herself on her hands to get up, but through the pillowcase she saw his foot swing out. She tucked her head to her knees, just in time, protecting her vulnerable stomach, wrapping her hands around her head. His foot slammed into her side, and he kicked her over and over again in her ribs and back screaming, “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

  Finally, he stopped and walked away to a tree, hunching over it and muttering. Serena lay on the ground, aching from head to toe, unable to move and struggling to pull breath into her lungs. Could this be it? Were these her last moments? Would she ever see her family again?

  And Gabe?

  She gasped for breath, curled up in despair.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Winded and struggling, Gabe topped a rise that marked the edge of the state park and caught a familiar whiff of vanilla from across the narrow valley. Serena. New energy surged at the smell, and he went on alert. Even from half a football field’s distance behind him, he felt his twin do the same. She was close, but the sweet scent of his potential mate was mixed with blood.

  Gabe choked down a howl. There would be no warning for their prey.

  Sam drew closer and their years of hunting together clicked in. They took off running. Now that Serena’s scent was in his nose, and the scent of Vince Ethelwulf with it, Gabe no longer wanted to attack his twin. His wolf and he both needed the same thing—to find her, to protect her. And to kill the one who dared to hurt her.

  The scent of Serena’s blood on the air sent the Fever throbbing in and out of Gabe’s system. He was deeper in than he’d thought, maybe so far in he couldn’t climb out. He had no idea of what would happen between him and Sam when they found Serena. He only knew that they had to find her. And fast.

  The smell of old gasoline, faded wood, and fresh exhaust filled his nose. He slowed, and Sam slowed with him. They were here. In sync, they dropped low to the ground, belly crawling behind the high summer grass until they saw the sagging roof of the cabin. A pockmarked sedan was parked out front and the smell of Serena was everywhere, but there was no movement.

  Taking point, Gabe eased out from the grass first, Sam just behind him and to the side. Using his eyes and ears, but mostly his super-sensitive nose, he confirmed. They were gone.

  He lifted his nose and sniffed—the trail was hot leading up the hill and into the woods. She was seconds away, her scent warm on the breeze.

  “Vince, no!” It was Serena. And she sounded scared.

  He didn’t even have to look at Sam. They moved out, racing up the hill, breaking formation as instinct took over and training fell by the side of the trail. They ran side by side, the fur of their shoulders brushing on the narrow trail. Neither one giving lead to the other, they burst out into the sunlit space.

  Tumbled-down rocks covered in overgrowth covered the steep slope on both sides of the entrance to an old mine shaft. The entryway was only partially revealed; the rest of the dark hole covered in a patchwork of jagged old boards. A stooped man held a crowbar, and there was the screech of metal as he pulled a board off, rusty nails sticking out of the sides. Vince Ethelwulf. Gabe barely knew the guy, and hadn’t put the name to the face until he caught his scent, which now smelled sick and wrong.

  Serena lay on the ground next to Vince’s pile of discarded boards. Her head was covered in a bloodstained piece of fabric. Her hands were tied, and so were her feet. She moaned. His mate was hurt.

  A red haze rose, and his vision tunneled down to only Serena. He lunged, not seeing the crowbar until it slammed into his head.

  His vision went in and out, from red to blinding white, then back again. He stumbled and fell. Shaking his head, he got back on his feet. He turned with a snarl pulling his lips back, but Sam was already there, stealthily leaping for the guy’s throat. Vince raised the crowbar, smashing it down onto Sam’s side. The sharp points dug in, and Vince twisted, jerking the crowbar back. Vince ripped the heavy iron weapon out of Sam’s side.

  A horrible tearing sound emitted from Sam, and he fell—a jagged hole carved into the side of his belly. Blood pooled on the ground, the scent of it filling the air.

  “What the hell is happening? What’s going on?” Serena’s bound form wiggled and Gabe barked at her to stay there.

  “Who’s that? Is someone there?” He barked again. “Thank God.” Her movements increased. “Let me go, Vince. It’s over.”

  Whatever she was trying to do, he didn’t have time to help. Vince raised the crowbar again, this time aiming for Sam’s head. Sam drew his lips back and snapped at Vince, the front of his body lurching up and back down, hampered by his wound.

  Gabe’s adrenaline kicked in, carrying him forward. His jaws closed on the back of Vince’s thigh. He dug deeper, sinking his teeth in, and ripped, feeling the satisfying tear of the hamstring. Hot blood gushed in his mouth, and his wolf howled in success.

  Their victim screamed. And didn’t stop screaming.

  Sam was up, but moving slow. The two of them kept a wary eye on their prey. Gabe didn’t have to look at his twin for confirmation—they both knew Vince wasn’t getting up again.

  “Gabe.” Serena sat up. She’d managed to get the fabric off her face. She wiggled closer to Gabe. “Shift and untie me.”

  Gabe sat back on his haunches and let out a real howl of victory, Sam joined him, their voices ripping to the sky as Vince’s blood poured out on the ground.

  Together they trotted over to Serena. Gabe leaned over and licked her face. Sam growled. Suddenly, the fever scent was back in the air. His twin no longer looked like his partner. Instead, he looked like his rival.

  With the scent of Vince’s lifeblood pumping away and the smell of Serena rising between them, the red haze rose again—only this time, the person he needed to kill was his brother.

  Gabe growled, his lip pulling back. Sam growled too. Gabe’s entire body ached. He struggled for air, but the Fever pulsed, pushing him to the breaking point. It wouldn’t let him stop. He’d fight for his mate with his last breath. He circled his rival.

  Everything fell away except his wolf and the pain. Both pushed at him to take out the one who wanted his mate for his own. Sam dropped low, his teeth aimed straight at Gabe’s jugular.

  Gabe dropped his chin and twisted away. He gathered his strength and got his hindquarters under him, pushing off and aiming for the vulnerable tear already dripping blood down the other wolf’s side.

  “Stop, Gabe, stop!” The fear in Serena’s voice pierced through the Fever throbbing in his head. “It’s your brother. It’s Sam.”

  Sam. His twin.

  He swerved, missing the gaping wound and instead getting a mouthful of the fur on Sam’s flank. Because of his awkward move, he’d left his belly vulnerable.

  Sam didn’t stop. He turned and dove for Gabe, white teeth flashing in the sun, and Gabe rose to his rival’s challenge, the Fever pushing all thoughts of stopping from his mind.

  Serena struggled with her ropes, finally getting the ones on her wrists loose enough she was able to push them off. Her skin was raw and bleeding, and she could barely breathe from the fire in her lungs. She was sure at least some of her ribs were broken, but none of that mattered. If she didn’t do something, Sam and Gabe were going to kill each other.

  “Help me.” Vince’s words were nearly a whisper. He lay on the ground in a spreading pool of blood, his face white.

  She tore her attention from Sam and Gabe. She should help him. It was what civilized people did. But right now she didn’t feel civilized. She felt like tearing him apart with her own teeth.

  “You want me to help you?” She growled deep in her throat, her wolf wanting to tear him limb from limb. “You were
going to kill me.”

  “I’m sorry. Help me, Serena.” Vince’s voice grew weaker. “Did you ever care anything for me?”

  “Care anything for you?” She finished untying her legs and forced her throbbing body up off the ground. Everything hurt, and her vision was blurred, but she couldn’t stop now. If she stopped now, she might never get moving again. “You’re a worthless cur and you should be put down.” She hobbled over to Vince. “But I’m not going to be the one to do it.”

  A quick glance at his leg showed her there was little to do. Through the gaping hole in his pants, the savagery of Gabe’s bite was evident. It was a killing wound and a huge part of her was glad. But the dreamwalker part, the part that meant she took care of everyone in the pack whether she liked them or not, was still there. “Hold still, Vince.”

  She took the ropes that he’d so recently tied her own legs with and cinched one around his thigh. Blood made everything slippery, and by the time she gave the tourniquet knot a final tightening, she was covered.

  “I can’t get it tight enough, Vince.” She glanced over at Sam and Gabe. “I don’t have time for this. I’ve done what I can.” The two men he’d helped push to the breaking point were about to kill each other, and one of them was her mate. You’re on your own.”

  “How can you ignore me and go to them? The fucking shifters? They never help us. We’re less than nothing to them.”

  She gave him a last pitying look. “You’re wrong Vince. You’re less than nothing to me. Gabe and Sam came to help me. Now I’m going to help them.” She turned away from Vince’s weakening cries and staggered toward the fighting wolves.

  They were the same height, same weight, with the same bright-blue eyes, but in this form, they weren’t quite identical. She already knew Gabe’s gray-brown fur, and she’d met the lighter one, Sam, on the dreamscape. Blood dripped from the wound in Sam’s belly, and from multiple slashes on Gabe’s fur. Sam lunged for his brother, murder in his eyes.

  Fear for both brothers rose up to choke Serena, cutting off what little breath she had.

  She forced air into her lungs, ignoring the pain and the spots dancing in front of her eyes. “Sam, stop! It’s Gabe. Your brother.”

  Sam cut off his attack and whirled around.

  “You can’t kill him, Sam. He’s my mate, not you.”

  The light-gray wolf snarled, showing sharp white teeth. He shook his head, his eyes reflecting confusion. Gabe snarled back.

  “I don’t love you, Sam.” She reached out a hand. “If you hurt him, that’s still not going to change. But you love him. He’s your brother. And he loves you too. Don’t lose him for nothing.”

  For a second she saw the man struggling behind the wolf. He was still in there; she could still reach him.

  “I know you want to kill him. I get it, but it’s the virus. It’s distorting your feelings. And it isn’t even you. Vince did this, Sam. He entered your dreams and manipulated and used you until you burned with the Fever. It’s not real.” Sam cocked his head as if she were getting through. “You’ve got to stop.” She gave Gabe a stern look. “Both of you.”

  Gabe whined and backed up from his brother.

  Sam let out a long mournful howl. Gabe howled back at his twin, their voices rising in shared misery.

  “We can fix this. Let’s go home. We’ll get you some help, Sam.”

  Sam snarled again, backed away, turned, and ran into the woods, his grey form disappearing like mist.

  “Sam!” He was gone.

  She had to push aside her fears for Sam. There was no time to worry about his wounds or whether or not he’d come back, or if he’d give himself over to the wolf and stay wild forever. Gabe was bleeding, and she could barely see. The fire in her ribs made every breath torture and the black spots obscuring her vision were getting worse.

  Serena blinked back the spots and moved as fast as she could manage over to Gabe. He whined and butted his head against her leg. She wobbled, pain shooting through her entire body.

  “Hey, stop that.” She knelt down next to him, relieved to be closer to the ground. “Let me take a look at you.”

  She ran her hands over his fur, checking for damage. There was a gash over his eye, swelling fast, and blood dripped down his face in a slow steady stream. He was covered in blood and dirt—a dark-red, muddy mess matted into his fur. Multiple wounds raked his sides, but nothing went too deep. He seemed fine, but his mouth and neck were stained dark with blood, and he winced at her touch.

  She sat on the ground and pulled his head into her lap, stroking his fur. Inside, her wolf was calm. This was where she was meant to be, with this man, this wolf.

  But Gabe was anything but tranquil. His eyes were still hot, and he panted as if running a marathon.

  “Gabe, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

  He shuddered and shifted under her hands. Suddenly, she held his naked body, covered with green-and-purple bruises from his earlier accident and the muddy slashes from today.

  “Serena.” His voice was harsh. Blood leaked into his eye from the injury to his head. “I love you and I’m sorry. Please tell me—can you give me the chance to show you that I understand you and your wolf? Or if I don’t, can you at least give me a chance? Let me learn what your dreamwolf is like.”

  Her wolf pushed at her, making her head pound. If it could get out, it would have at this moment. She fought the urgent needs of her wolf. “What are you talking about?”

  The sounds of sirens came up the mountain.

  “We don’t have much time. The enforcers will be here soon.” He clutched her to him. His eyes were wild, and his nostrils flared. “I have to know now. When they get here, they’ll lock me up.”

  She glanced at Vince’s body. “You were defending me. He was going to kill me.”

  “Not for that. For the Fever. It’s taking me over. Like Sam.” His voice broke on his brother’s name. From below she heard the sound of engines and men and women shouting. “Don’t let them take me away without telling me.”

  “I won’t.”

  “I’m not leaving you. I’m never leaving you.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and whispered into his hair. “I’m never leaving you either, Gabe. You are my mate.”

  His arms came up around her and squeezed. “I love you, Serena Lowell.”

  Everything went gray. “I love you too,” she hissed out. “But I think I need a hospital.” And then it all went black.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Serena woke up in the infirmary, a warm lump settled in the bed beside her, pressing her firmly into the rail. She blinked at Gabe’s long body sharing the bed with her, taking up more than half of the large hospital bed. He was wearing a blue hospital gown, and he was panting hard, his rib cage heaving. His body burned through their hospital gowns as if on fire.

  “Gabe?” Her voice was raspy.

  Maria came up to the bedside and gently shushed her. “He’s finally asleep. He’s been awake for hours. He won’t leave you.” She handed Serena a cup with a straw. “Here, have some water.”

  Serena drank greedily, the cool liquid easing the desert of her throat. She gazed at Gabe. His skin was flushed, and his body throbbed with tension. “They didn’t lock him up.”

  “He’s too far gone for that.” Maria’s smile seemed a little wistful. “If they’d taken him away he would have clawed through every wall in the building to get to you. How do you feel?”

  “Like a train hit me.” She thought for a moment, taking inventory. Chest, stomach, legs—it all ached. But on the plus side she was alive and sitting up. “Better than I expected.”

  “That’s the drugs. Nothing broken, just lots of major bruises. You got lucky, chica.”

  Gabe stirred, lifting his head and opening his eyes. He looked at Maria and growled.

  Maria made a tsk sound. “She’s awake. I’m leaving. No need to take that tone.” She shook her head at him. “You be good or I’ll be back sooner than you might like.
” And she went out, closing the door.

  “Gabe, you’re so hot. What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

  “It’s the virus. It’s taking over.” His eyes burned at her. “You said you’d be my mate. I don’t have long before the wolf takes over, and if that happens, there’s no way we can mate. I’ll be too far gone. Did you mean it?”

  “I meant it.” She stroked the side of his face, and he groaned, his body trembling against hers. “But before we do, I need you to understand who I am. My wolf is every bit as big a part of me as yours is to you. Can you respect that?”

  “Honey, I respect it. I honor it. I can feel my wolf responding to yours. It knows your wolf is real. And so do I.”

  Gabe wasn’t perfect. He was stubborn and as macho as they came. But he was a big enough man to admit when he was wrong. And she couldn’t ask any more than that of an alpha wolf. She pressed her face to his neck, pulling in his scent as if she’d never get enough. He smelled of antiseptic and hospital, but underneath, he was her mate.

  His chest heaved with the air he was taking in. “Serena, I can’t wait anymore. I know you’re injured. I’ll be as careful as possible, but we need to do the Bite now.”

  “I don’t care about the pain. That’s what the drugs are for.” She grinned at him. Then the grin faded away as she saw the need in his eyes and desire kicked in. “Kiss me, Gabe Wulfric. Give me the Bite. Make me your mate.”

  He gently touched her lips with his. Electricity jumped between them. She pressed her mouth to his, but he held back.

  Frustration ran through her. She wanted more. Needed more.

  “You’re being too careful,” she whispered into the kiss.

  He groaned. “You asked for it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to him. Pain flared. His mouth ground down on hers. She kissed him harder and the pain receded, her world filling with everything Gabe.

  The heat from his fever washed over her, catching her on fire.