“What?” Cole yelled. “What the fuck are you saying?”
“She’s my mate,” he cried, tears building in his eyes as he urged her to drink more of his blood. “Come on, sweetheart.”
The healer was there, silently watching the exchange. He was so calm as he worked on preparing something on the side table. Dane wanted nothing more than to push the male away from his mate, but he knew better. The healer had to assist, because he had no idea if what he was doing was going to work or not.
“Give her more,” Harold urged, donning a pair of his special gloves. He opened her one good eye and looked up at the monitors.
Dane was about to ask him what the hell was going on when Olivia bubbled out a scream worthy of a siren. He fell back as Harold grabbed her by the shoulders. His mate’s broken leg flopped on the table as her body began to convulse. The pain of her change seeped into his veins, the need to stop her pain an overwhelming urge. His eyes flashed amber as they narrowed on the healer. He’s hurting her.
“Release…my…mate,” he growled, baring his fangs.
“Guardians!” Harold yelled as Dane made a leap across his mate’s body to knock the male away. Olivia’s screams were tearing at his heart as if she was clawing the muscle from his body.
Strong arms wrapped around his chest and his legs as he was taken to the floor. His beast pushed to be released, but a calming presence fell over him, leaving him pinned but panting heavily. His leader, Talon, was trying to calm him with his powers.
“Sedate him,” Harold barked.
There was some shuffling around behind him, but he fought them. His mate was in pain and he wanted to cover her body to keep anyone else from harming her. “I need her.”
“You’re going to be okay, brother,” Noah’s voice registered in his ear. “We’ll watch over her for you.”
“No…don’t sedate…fuuuuuucckkkk,” he cried out when the needle pinched the spot on the back of his arm.
As the sedative began to work, he searched the faces of the men around him. Each one blurred as he looked for the male he needed by his side. As his body began to slump from the sedative, he saw the man he needed. “Cole…stay with her…”
“Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on right now!” Cole bellowed when Dane passed out from a sedative they’d injected into his arm. Booth and Storm picked him up and carried his prone body from the room. A woman rushed past him, avoiding any contact with him. Cole assumed this was Harold’s mate. She came to the healer’s side and placed a calming hand on his shoulder, confirming his suspicions.
Olivia was calming from her own injection as Harold hurried to clean her face. The sight before him was utter destruction. He hadn’t seen a body in that bad of shape since he’d been at war. He closed his eyes and tried to shake the images, but couldn’t.
“Take him outside,” Talon said to his brother, Noah. The male touched his arm, but Cole couldn’t look away from Olivia. There was a slight burn in his arm where Noah’s hold tightened, but he didn’t let it register as he jerked his arm away.
“She’s going to be okay,” Noah promised.
“Are you sure?” Cole asked, standing his ground. He didn’t want to take his eyes off her for fear she would quit breathing again. As of that moment, she was panting, but no longer thrashing around.
“We need you to leave the room,” Harold said, looking over at Cole. “I’m going to have to reset her leg and hand before she starts healing from the change. You don’t need to be in here when I do.”
“Fuck,” Cole said, slamming out of the room. He immediately went over to where they’d taken Dane to the living room couch. Booth and Storm were arranging him so he was comfortable. “Is he going to be okay?”
“He will be in a few days,” Noah announced. “Let’s go outside.”
It was nearing dark when they stepped off the healer’s porch. Cole kicked at an exposed root on the ground before resting his back against the large oak tree in the middle of the yard. He bent over at the waist, resting his hands on the tops of his knees. “Give it to me straight, Noah.”
“When Olivia’s heart stopped, Dane took it upon himself to feed her his blood to save her life,” Noah began, running a hand over his face. “As you know, we find our mates with one touch.”
“So, Liv is Dane’s mate?” Cole asked, his voice cracking with his question. He waited for the pain of rejection to hit him, but it never came. Deep down somewhere inside him, he was relieved Dane was Liv’s mate.
“Yes,” Noah said, taking a protective stance in front of Cole.
“I’m not going to fight him, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he explained. “I love her, but I understand your ways.”
“Obviously, Dane, even in his insanity from seeing Olivia in pain, wants you to be the male to watch over his mate. In our world, allowing another male to care for your mate is an honor.”
“From what I’ve learned about you guys, I figured it was,” he admitted, pushing away from the tree. “Tell me what’s going to happen now. I need to know what I’m dealing with.”
“Olivia will be in and out of pain for the next three days,” Noah said, looking over his shoulder. “Dane’s going to need to be sedated for most of that. I’m sure Talon will be out here in a moment to regroup and get another game plan together for finding your brother.”
“I can have the sheriff help me.” Cole shook his head. “Your pride is going through enough with what happened today.”
“You are a part of this pride, Cole,” Talon announced as he came out of the house. “We take care of our own. The sheriff is on his way now that the wreckage is cleaned up. He wants to talk to you.”
“I need to stay close to Olivia,” he reminded the pride’s alpha.
“We can wait for Garrett here,” he promised, reaching out for Cole when Olivia screamed in pain. He didn’t even realize he had tried to run toward the house until Talon’s hand tightened on his arm. “You can’t go in there. Harold is working on fixing her bones so they will heal during the change.”
“Is she going to be okay, Talon?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “She’s going to be just fine.”
“Where’s Hope and Evie?” he asked, remembering Liv wasn’t the only one in the car. “Are they okay?”
“Their mates took them to the woods to shift and heal,” Noah offered. “They weren’t in as bad of shape. Hope broke her arm and received a huge gash on her head. Evie had some more severe injuries, but nothing they can’t heal from on their own.”
“Thank god,” Cole breathed out, leaning over at the waist to take a deep breath. This is so fucked up. “I want these men found, and I want to deal out justice on them myself.”
“Shifter law will allow that,” Talon agreed. “They harmed two of our females. One human will be turned because of their actions. You, Dane, Kye, and Ranger will have your revenge, this I promise you.” The alpha placed his fist over his heart and bowed slightly.
Headlights illuminated the house as the sheriff pulled up to Harold’s home. Garrett looked pissed as he climbed out of the car. “How is she?”
“She had to be changed,” Talon said, shaking the lawman’s hand. “What did you find out?”
“Well, Evie’s car is totaled,” Garrett said. “The car that hit hers was red and has to have some severe damage to the front end. Other than that, we have no other leads.”
“Were there any witnesses?” Cole hoped there was something, anything, they could do to find these men who took his brother and almost killed Olivia.
“None,” Sheriff Lynch sighed. “They wrecked not far from Olivia’s house over on Woolsey Road. I also have deputies checking the area, and I’ve reached out to the Memphis Police Department to keep an eye out for the vehicle. I need you to contact the men you served with to see if they’ve had any contact from the cartel.”
“I can do that now,” Cole offered, removing his phone from his back pocket.
With each call to his cr
ew, Cole became more and more distraught. Smith, Jones, Moss, and Palmer were currently cleaning up messes where they lived. Smith and Jones had break-ins at their homes. Moss and Palmer were dealing with two car accidents; one was a hit and run with only damage to the car, the other one similar to what happened to Olivia. Palmer was in the hospital with a broken leg and had required surgery.
“You need to protect your family with any means possible,” Cole said to Palmer.
“Already on it,” Palmer replied. “Lay low and keep me informed on your brother. I am of no use to you, but the others will come if necessary.”
“I have a good team behind me, and the local law enforcement is on alert,” Cole explained, looking up at the sheriff, who nodded.
“Be safe, my man,” Palmer said as they hung up the phone.
Cole relayed the information to Talon and Sheriff Lynch. Talon had already sent out Guardians to search the town again to help the deputies. At that moment, Cole felt lost and unsure. He had to find his brother.
Chapter Five
Landon spit blood on the cold concrete beneath his cheek. Three men who only spoke broken English kept saying how they were holding him as punishment for his brother, Cole. They’d thrown him in this darkened abyss after beating him almost to the point of death. He was cold and hungry, and he was sure he wouldn’t survive unless his brother showed up soon.
It was blatantly clear these men had something to do with his brother’s time in the military. He knew Cole had taken down a large cartel in Columbia many years ago, but he never knew there was still a danger of them coming for revenge.
Light peeked through a crack in the door that had happened when they’d tossed him down a flight of stairs. He knew he was in a basement somewhere, and he also knew he was still in the area. After they’d ambushed him, tied his arms and legs, and tossed him in the trunk of a sedan, they only drove for half an hour before the car stopped and he was pulled out under the cover of darkness.
The basement reeked of mold and dirt. He could hear mice scurrying along the floor around him. They weren’t brave enough to approach. He was hungry enough that the thought of catching one and eating it alive was better than starving to death.
The door opened and three men came down the steps. One was dressed in a suit. He couldn’t make out their faces with the light from above at their backs. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his ribs kept him from being able. He wrapped his arms around himself for protection as the two goons beside the man in the suit came toward him.
“What do you want?” he growled.
“We want your brother’s head,” the man in the suit said gruffly. “You are our hostage until we make contact with him. If he doesn’t comply, you will die a painful death.”
Landon chuckled into the darkness. “Well, you don’t know my brother. He’ll kill you before you even know he’s here.”
A foot slammed into the side of his head as the man in the suit turned to leave. As blood trickled down into his right eye, he prayed Cole would be able to find him.
Dane roared as he struggled to wake. Olivia’s screams were lapping over themselves during her change, and every time he heard them, his fellow Guardians would hold him down as he fought the insanity within him at the sound of her pain. He tried to shove at his brothers as they held on to his body, but with four of them holding him down, he was too weak to push them off. Talon had stopped his shift several times with his magic, forcing his beast to calm.
“Dane, she’s doing fine,” Cole said from somewhere to his left.
His face was pressed into the cushion, but he could see the dark-haired bartender who’d weaved himself into Dane’s dreams over the past year. Cole’s sapphire blue eyes locked on his, and Dane saw his pain reflected back at him as someone injected him again.
“Don’t sedate me,” he begged. “I need her, Cole.”
“You are not yourself right now,” Savage snarled in his ear. “Believe me, brother. You want to be asleep for the next twenty-four hours.”
“How long?” He paused to yawn. The medicine was quickly moving through his bloodstream, and his panther pushed at his skin to help him fight it off. He wanted to be with her…he needed to be with her while she changed. No one would let Dane be close to her during her transition into what he was, because it was obvious he was slowly going insane hearing her scream. “How long has it been?”
“Thirty-six hours,” Cole said, coming closer. The male dropped to one knee and leaned in close despite Dane’s canines being bared. Cole had no fear of him, and he was thankful the male hadn’t left the pride during Olivia’s change. Not that Cole would leave that female when she was in pain. No, there was something about Cole that told Dane, and his panther, Cole would be a part of their lives after all this was said and done. Dane’s panther whined inside his head at the thought of Cole leaving. “She’s healing, changing.”
“I need to see her,” Dane begged, a lone tear falling from the inside corner of his eye. He felt the wetness trail down until it soaked into the couch cushion below his head. “I have to touch her. Please?”
“If you can stay calm the next time you wake, we will take you in there,” Savage offered.
“Cole, stay with her…protect her…” Dane yawned as his eyes began to drop. “Please. I only trust you.”
“I will make sure she is safe.”
Cole sat heavily on his ass when Dane’s amber eyes closed. Savage, Noah, Ranger, and Kye eased away from him and grabbed their beers from the table by the door. Everyone had been on edge since the accident, and with Dane’s discovery of his mate, things were even worse. Dane’s panther couldn’t handle hearing her screams, and no one would remove him from the healer’s home. Talon said it would make things worse.
How much worse could it get? Dane was going insane. His claws were extended, his eyes were glowing amber, and his nose had recessed into his human face. He was half-shifted and begging for Olivia.
Cole walked over to the exam room and saw Olivia laying on her back, panting in her sleep. The sound had changed two hours ago. She was sounding less human, and her canines were growing with each passing minute.
The small lamp by the bed was lit, casting an orange glow across her body. He moved closer and sat on the rolling stool Harold kept beside the bed. He lowered it so he was at eye level with her. The pride had explained the process to him, and he trusted Olivia wouldn’t wake up and attack him.
“I’m so sorry I brought this down on you,” he whispered, reaching up to push a strand of hair away from her face. She didn’t move, and he worried when he noticed her skin was hot to the touch. Someone had already undressed her, anticipating her change over the next several hours. The sheet was pulled up to her chin to protect her modesty.
“C…Cole…D…Dane,” she whimpered in her sleep.
“Shhh, Liv,” he cooed, lightly tracing her brow with the back of his knuckle. “You are halfway through your change. I’m not leaving your side.”
“H…hold me,” she cried, her eyes fluttering open. They were bright blue like the other shifters. Amber flecks filled the right side of each eye, and he was mesmerized by the sight as she rolled to her side to face him. Her hand that had been broken was healed, and she used it to reach out at nothing. “C…Cole.”
“I’m right here,” he began, but jumped from his seat when she started to thrash.
“Nooooooo,” she wailed, throwing her body to the other side of the bed. One leg slipped off the side, and Cole rushed around to grab her, calling out for the healer.
“Come on, Liv,” he grunted as he struggled to get her body back on the bed with the sheet intact to keep her flesh from being exposed. God, she felt amazing. Her body molded to his and he felt comfort in knowing she trusted him to keep her safe even though she wasn’t coherent. “You can’t get up yet.”
“My…mmmm…mates,” she mumbled. An electric pulse rolled through his body, and he swore right then and there that he’d do anything for her despite the
fact she was Dane’s mate. He wanted her happy, even if it wasn’t with him. His cock hardened slightly when she rubbed her face against his chest as she slid down to rest her head in his lap. He arranged her long, blonde hair so it was out of her face.
“Holy hell,” a male voice gasped from the doorway. Cole huffed out a breath as he looked up at Harold, Talon, and Kye standing there looking at him with wide eyes.
“Someone help me,” he cursed when she began to squirm again. She moaned out a painful sound and bucked against his hold. “She’s fucking strong!”
“You’re touching her,” Harold said, jumping into action. “She’s not screaming.”
By this time, Cole had wrangled her back into a comfortable position, but Liv had wrapped her body around his so that he was sitting on the bed with her head tucked into the crook of his neck, her ass sitting on his lap and her legs hanging off the side of the bed. She calmed immediately when he stroked her hair, and her breathing evened out as if she was actually sleeping.
“Well, yeah…oh, shit!” Cole’s eyes widened when he realized he wasn’t supposed to touch Olivia since she was mated to Dane. The pain of being touched by another male would be as bad as the change. “Why isn’t she in pain, Harold?”
“I have no idea.”
“Why did she say ‘my mates’?” Kye asked from the door.
“Impossible,” Talon breathed. “There’s no way.”
“Anything is possible, Talon,” Harold said, shaking his head. “I don’t think I believe what I’m hearing though.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Cole asked, his voice turning deathly as if he was like them.
“Did you feel anything when you touched Olivia?” Talon asked.
“Just…I don’t know, some weird electric current.”
“I want to try something,” Harold said, filling a syringe with a sedative. He removed his gloves and looked at Talon. “Is Dane still out cold?”
“Yes, why?” Talon asked, stepping closer to the bed. “Harold, what are you going to do?”
Dane (Rise of the Pride, Book 8) Page 5
