by Unknown
Taylor whistled, amazed that technology had come so far. “That's amazing.”
“You haven't seen anything, yet,” she quipped back. “Wait until you discover the support
lingerie available now. If a woman wants to, she can perk her breasts up to her chin, and her stomach to her rear, with the right lingerie.”
Taylor shook her head in bemusement. It sounded painful.
The waitress returned with their drinks. Her mouth was extremely dry, her entire head
pounding. Maybe she wasn't drinking enough fluids. She grabbed her glass with a trembling hand, latching onto the straw.
Carole Anne watched her with a worried expression as she finished it all. “You know, Taylor,
you are kind of pale today. Maybe you should let Doctor Sanders take a look at you.”
“I'll be okay. I think I've just had too many late nights, lately.” Forcing a smile, she asked,
“Have the guardians had any luck establishing who is behind the facilities?”
“The New Mexico pack found a database on one of the hard drives they were able to save from
the fires. They believe that only the ones on the list really know about the facility, or at least, what's really happening inside of them. Alexander mentioned something about it being privately funded. At that point, he lost me.”
Carole Anne's expression grew ruthless as she continued, “I just want it stopped. Anything that endangers my husband is going too far. I never really lived until I met that man, and I couldn't imagine trying to without him. Alexander is my entire life. I fully support his efforts, and all that he's doing to put a stop to it. The sooner the better.”
Taylor nodded in agreement, fighting a new wave of dizziness. The room spun as the restaurant
closed in on her. Not wanting to concern the other woman, she fought it, sipping the refill the waitress laid down on the table.
Carole Anne waved through the window at Alexander, who was standing across the street
speaking with a group of guardians. He stared back at her for a long moment, his expression filled with so much love and heat that even Taylor felt it. Carole Anne finally broke away, turning back to Taylor with a dreamy sigh.
“Where was I?” she asked Taylor, sipping at her drink. Her brow furrowed. “Oh, I remember
now. The guardians also found out that something similar has been going on since the early 1900's. One of the biggest arguments against the existence of supernaturals has always been that nobody provided a body. That hasn't been by accident.”
Taylor blinked, before asking woozily, “What do you mean?”
“The same organization responsible for these abductions of our people have monitored society
vigilantly for any supernatural sightings. Somehow, they have always managed to find and remove any bodies before the general public learned about it it. This has held true for every creature, from aliens to Bigfoot. A network has to have a pretty wide reach to accomplish something like that.”
A sharp pain shot through Taylor's chest, powerful enough to take her breath away. It was
immediately followed by a rapid gallop, preventing her from taking in any air. The world spun
viciously as fear shot through her. Struggling to stand up, she managed to make it to her feet, right before a thick, black cloud descended upon her.
“Help me,” she gasped out, a split second before losing consciousness. Her forehead hit the
wooden surface of the table, with enough force to crack it. Unaware of anything more, Taylor collapsed on the tile floor.
Another patron screamed, the sound ear-splitting in the silence. Carole Anne jumped up,
knocking her chair to the ground. “Get Doctor Sanders, fast,” she ordered the guardian behind her. He quickly took off.
Alexander heard the scream, seeing the panicked look on his wife's face from across the street.
Immediately, he ran to the restaurant, the group of guardians following him.
The werwolves in the restaurant were horrified to see Marrok's mate lying on the ground. All of them liked the easygoing female, and respected her for the years she'd spent in captivity. She was strong but kind, always looking to help others.
Carole Anne dropped to her knees next to her, rolling her over easily with the strength of her wolf. Taylor's face was completely blanched of all color, with the exception of the blood gushing from her wound. She checked her pulse, her expression frightened when she realized Taylor didn't even have one.
“One of you light a fire under Doctor Sander's ass, now,” she demanded, starting CPR on Taylor. “I don't care if you have to drag him out. Get him over here.” It was lucky that Carole Anne knew how to perform it. None of the other werewolves in the building did. They didn't have any need for it.
Alexander ran in, his blue eyes wild as he summed up the situation. “Somebody find Marrok,”
he shouted, dropping to his knees, next to Carole Anne. His expression was filled with horror and shock at the scene in front of him, worried that Taylor could possibly be dying. “And make it damned fast, unless you want to be the one to face him and tell him his mate is dead.” Half the room ran for the door.
Tears ran down Carole Anne's face. “Put the heel of your hand over her forehead, Alexander,
and use your other hand under her chin to keep her head tilted back. I'm going to try to blow some air into her.”
Leaning over Taylor's prone body, Carole Anne gently pinched her nose shut with her thumb
and forefinger. She sealed her mouth to hers, releasing two slow breaths into Taylor's body with enough gentle force to make her chest rise.
Without hesitation, Carole Anne began the chest compressions again. “I'm losing her,
Alexander,” she sobbed out, bitterly. “She survived all those years of captivity just to have her mate for such a short time and die in our fucking restaurant.”
Doctor Sanders ran into the restaurant, followed by two of his assistants. They carried a
stretcher between them. The crowd parted immediately, allowing him through. His face paled when he saw Taylor's condition. He dropped down on the floor next to them, quickly checking her pulse as he asked, “What happened to her?”
“I'm not sure,” Carole Anne replied. “She came in and acted like she wasn't feeling well. She
drank a lot of tea, and the next thing I know she collapsed, hitting her head on the table as she went down.”
“She's got a pulse right now, but it's thready. I need to get her back to my office, and on
advanced life support immediately, if she's to have a chance of surviving.” Carole Anne and Alexander stood up and moved out of the way, letting his assistants in.
Within seconds, Taylor was on the stretcher and secured to prevent her from rolling off. She
remained motionless, a large knot swelling on her forehead. Blood from the cut dripped off of her face, into her hair and on the sheet beneath her. Moving quickly, they set off for the door, with Doctor Sanders following.
Carole Anne and Alexander moved behind them, meeting Marrok at the door. His eyes were
wild and red, his face as pale as Taylor's. He looked at her before throwing his head back and howling, the sound filled with enough pain to bring tears to all that heard it. “What's happened to my mate?” he roared, caressing her face gently.
Doctor Sanders nodded at the attendants to keep moving. “Listen to me, Marrok. I know you're
upset, but if Taylor is going to live past the next few minutes, I have to give her proper treatment.”
Alexander moved up next to Marrok. “We're coming with you.”
Grim faced, Marrok nodded. The attendants took off at a fast clip, while the rest of them
followed. Carole Anne filled Marrok in on her last moments, her expression devastated.
Marrok was silent as he followed the doctor into the treatment room. He felt helpless, knowing his mate was moments, if not seconds, away from death. His voi
ce was grim when he said, “Whatever it takes, Doctor. I refuse to live without her.”
“We will do what we can,” Doctor Sanders replied. The look of sympathy in his eyes was
completely at odds with his normally brisk manner. “We need to get to work on her, now. You're going to have to wait outside in the hallway.”
Alexander pulled him to the door while Carole Anne followed them, sobbing quietly. She pulled
the door shut behind her. Marrok immediately moved to the window to stare in, but one of the
assistants closed the curtains, blocking his view.
He raked a hand over his face, sinking down into a seat located by the door. “I left her this
morning, not realizing it could be the last time I ever saw her alive.” His voice was filled with agony.
“I've never known happiness, not like I have with her. Nothing could ever compare to Taylor. Nothing.”
His voice cracked at the end.
Alexander pulled Carole Anne close. His eyes watered at the raw pain and desperation in
Marrok's voice. They sat silently for the next hour, barely acknowledging Ivan and Elena, when they came through the door to sit with them. The attendants came and went several times, but didn't speak to the devastated group.
Marrok jumped up when Doctor Sanders opened the door. He shut it gently behind him, his
expression resigned. Marrok watched him in horror, as he forced out, “How is she?”
Doctor Sanders got right to the point. “Taylor has been poisoned.” He held up his hand as gasps of outrage filled the room. “It's not a recent poisoning, at least, it's not a recently administered one. It is tied into the drugs she was given in the research facility. Unfortunately, there is no known antidote for it. The scientists never intended for her to come off of it. Ever.”
Marrok growled, settling a lethal glare on the doctor. “I'll not accept this. There has to be
something that can be done.”
“How do you know this?” Alexander interrupted, standing up to put a calming hand on
Marrok's broad shoulder. “How do you know she was poisoned?”
“We ran extended tests on Taylor's blood, beyond those you already know about. Due to the
sheer amount of patients we had coming in, I never had a chance to review the full results, until now.”
Marrok stood up, his hands clenched into fists. “Could this have been avoided if you would
have known sooner?”
Doctor Sanders shook his head. “Absolutely not. Like I mentioned before, there are no known
cures for this. The withdrawal from the poison has thrown her heart into failure. If Carole Anne wouldn't have known CPR, she would have already been dead. As it stands now, she is stable, but it won't last. There is zero chance for her to recuperate from this.”
Tears ran out of the corners of Marrok's eyes, unnoticed. The rest of them were deeply grieved, as well. Taylor had managed to touch all of them since her arrival into Wolf Town, in one way or another. It was hard to imagine that the healthy woman they all knew was facing imminent death.
“What if I were to turn her? Is there anyway to wake her up enough to get her to agree?” It was possible to turn someone without their agreement, but the process was unbearable for the human, if they even survived.
Doctor Sanders was quiet for a long moment. Finally he said, “I think there is a possibility that could work, Marrok. The poison would be ineffective against a werewolf. Theoretically speaking, converting her would make it pass through her system, harmlessly. It won't be as simple as waking her up and changing her, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are still a few hours left until the moon rises. We have to keep her alive until then, which might be impossible. If she does make it, there isn't any surefire way for us to make her regain consciousness. I'd recommend talking to her constantly. Hopefully, that will be enough. If not, you are going to have to decide if you want to change Taylor without her permission, or let her go.”
Marrok shook his head, his dark eyes flashing. “Letting her go is not an option.”
“Make sure you're prepared to turn her then, even without her permission. I don't want any
indecision about this, Marrok,” he warned, his eyebrows arched. “Decide this now, before the moon hits the skyline. Indecision is cruel to the patient. You don't want to stand there at that last critical moment, unsure of what your next move will be.”
“I won't,” he reassured him firmly, in a determined tone of voice. “There isn't any choice to
make. Whether this is done with or without her permission, Taylor is getting changed tonight. I meant what I said earlier, Doctor. Whatever it takes.”
“All right, then,” Doctor Sanders replied. “I'll let the assistants know that you'll be in shortly.”
He turned and walked into the room, leaving Marrok praying that his plan would work.
Chapter 9
The door to the stairwell banged open as Nicole rushed into the room, Alonzo following closely at her heels. “Marrok, we just heard the news,” she cried out, anxiously. “How is Taylor?”
Marrok stared at her, his expression grim. His voice was low, grieved, when he replied, “She's dying.”
Nicole sank down into the seat by Elena as the other woman tried to comfort her. “I'm sorry to hear this news,” Alonzo told him, his dark eyes grave. “Is there nothing that can be done?”
Marrok's tone was flat when he replied, “I'm going to change her and pray it works.”
“Taylor has been my best friend since our school days. Without her, I would have never
survived Hell's Pit. You're werewolves for God's sake. I don't care what you have to do, Marrok. Please save her.” Nicole looked up at him, her eyes wide and pleading.
Alonzo grasped his shoulder. The two men were nearly identical in height. “What can we do to
help?”
“Pray,” Marrok replied, immediately. “Pray that she will wake up long enough to agree to the
conversion, and then, pray it works. I'm not sure being supernatural is enough to save her. There are too many things that can go wrong.”
Alonzo briefly closed his eyes in pain and sympathy for Marrok. “We will, in fact, the whole
pack is. Outside, the majority of the pack is camped out, waiting for news of your mate. The New Mexico pack is praying, and our medicine man is having a ceremony.”
Hearing this comforted Marrok. He'd seen a lot of miracles from prayer in his long life. He
looked at Alonzo with gratitude. “Thank you,” he responded, feeling encouraged.
“You're welcome. If there is anything else I can do, let me know.” He sat down next to Nicole.
She laid her face on his chest while he wrapped an arm around her. “We are going to be here until the bitter end, one way or another.”
Doctor Sanders walked out. “You can go in, now. I'll be monitoring her personally from the
office. If anything changes at all, let me know. Otherwise, I'll be back hourly to check on her.”
“Thank you doctor,” Elena replied, as Marrok walked to the door. His gait was unsteady. The
unbreakable man had finally been broken. She stared at his back, her dark eyes full of compassion. “Go with him,” she urged the men. “He doesn't need to be alone at a time like this.”
The men followed him, stopping at the doorway to allow him a few moments alone with his
mate. Taylor was so still and so pale, she appeared to have already departed from this world. Marrok pulled the chair next to the bed and gently took her lifeless hand. There was no response, her hand cold to the touch. Resting his face next to her, he started to cry.
The men exchanged sad looks. They knew there was nothing that could be said to ease Marrok's
pain, and all were relieved to not be in the other man's shoes. He raised his tear-stained face, staring at her as he spoke in a low tone of voice. The men mo
ved closer to hear what he was saying.
“Taylor, I'm so sorry for all that you have had to go through since the night you met me. I
should have done what my body was urging me to do that night, which was take you off somewhere alone and mate you. I wanted to give you time to come to love me, though. Instead, all I gave you was thirty-one years of pain and torment.”
Marrok stopped, staring at each detail of her face. She was nasally intubated, the blood cleaned from her face. A huge cut and bruise marred the smooth perfection of her forehead. The doctor had ran an IV line in both arms, and she was hooked up to several monitors. From where he lay, he could hear the distress of her heart, struggling to pump to keep her alive.
Gently, he smoothed the hair back from her face. “I'm too selfish to ever let you go, my love.
The last month has been the best of my life. You didn't just save the lives of the people in the research facility. You saved my life, too, and I could never live without you again. I was just barely surviving when you were gone. I won't go back to that again. Wake up, baby. Just wake up.”
She didn't move. He leaned back in the chair, still holding her hand and willing her to wake up.
He'd never changed anyone before, but it was instinct. Could her body hold up to the extra stress in its already weakened state? Despite the coolness of the room, he began to sweat as anxiety filled his body.
Ivan moved behind him, laying a hand on his shoulder in comfort. The elder man could imagine
the thoughts running through his head, and he wanted to offer him some reassurance. “Marrok, in all these years, you've grown to be like a grandson to me. I believe you can do this. Have faith in your wolf, son. Where you're weak, he's strong. It's his mate, too, and I can guarantee he won't let her go without a fight.”
A longing for his parents shot through his body. Marrok was surprised to realize how much he
wished they could have been here. He hadn't thought of them in a long time. After they'd died, life had moved on, leaving him self-reliant and used to depending on nobody but himself. All that changed in the face of his mate's impending death. It was a long, hard road to walk, when you had nobody to walk with you.
