Reaching over, Trace ran a hand down Jade’s back. “Rikki’s a fighter, Jade. She will make it.” With a small shake of her head, Jade continued looking out the window, not responding.
Chapter 17
Angel picked up her pace as she saw Rikki on the ground below the tree she’d been hiding in. She was lying in a pool of blood, and Storm was nowhere to be found.
Rikki had a tight hold on the side of her neck, her eyes wide with fear. Kneeling beside her, Angel took hold of her free hand. It was bad. It was obvious a bullet had grazed her neck and nicked an artery, causing Rikki to lose a lot of blood. If she were a shifter with the ability to heal more quickly, she would have a fighting chance. But as a human, Angel wasn’t sure she would make it.
Nico crouched down beside Rikki, opening the first aid kit he’d brought from the SUV. Grabbing some dressing from the kit, he gently removed Rikki’s hand and applied pressure himself. “We need to get her to Doc Josie now,” he said as he softly brushed Rikki’s hair out of her face.
“Angel,” Rikki stuttered as she tried to talk. When Angel tried to tell her not to speak, Rikki frantically started shaking her head.
“Stop,” Nico ordered roughly, “You have to stop Rikki. We’ll listen.”
Eyeing him gratefully, she rasped, “General’s men...took Storm.” Squeezing her hand tightly, Angel motioned for Ryker and Phoenix to case the area. Unfortunately there was no sign of the General’s men or Storm. The burning house was causing a commotion in the neighborhood, and Angel could hear the sound of fire engines getting close. “We have to go,” she said as she knelt back down by Rikki.
“What about Storm?” Ryker growled, his bear evident in his voice. Storm was Ryker’s best friend. If she was hurt, there would be hell to pay.
“She’s gone, Ryker,” Angel said. “Right now we need to concentrate on Rikki. We will find Storm. I promise.” Looking to Nico she asked, “Can Rikki be moved?”
“Do we have a choice?” Nico shot back. Phoenix stepped forward and gently lifted Rikki in his arms while Nico held tightly to the bandage on her neck. “Why didn’t I see this?” Nico asked in despair. “Why didn’t I fucking see this?”
Laying a hand on his back, Angel whispered, “It doesn’t work like that, Nico. You don’t always see everything, and even when you do, it doesn’t mean we can change it.”
“You can change this,” they heard a voice say from the darkness. Angel froze as Jinx stepped out of the shadows. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time,” he said as he moved closer to Rikki. “I didn’t know the General’s plans until it was too late.” Glancing around, he said, “We need to get out of here before someone sees us.”
Motioning for them to follow, Jinx moved swiftly to where they’d left the SUV. Slipping behind the wheel, he waited for the rest of them to get in. Angel slid in the passenger seat while Phoenix and Nico sat in the second row holding Rikki and Ryker climbed in back. “How did you know where our truck was?” Phoenix asked suspiciously.
Turning to him, eyebrows raised Jinx asked, “Seriously? You have a team member bleeding out and you want to know how I found your vehicle?” Shaking his head in disgust, Jinx turned around and stepped on the gas pedal. “How about we worry about Rikki now and your useless excuse for an interrogation later.”
Angel glanced back at Rikki, “How’s she holding up?”
“She’s in bad shape, boss,” Nico responded quietly. “She’s lost a lot of blood.” Angel swore softly, the idea of losing one of her own breaking her heart.
“Jeremiah,” Rikki whispered weakly. Oh shit, Angel thought. Jeremiah. He was going to go ape shit crazy if they lost Rikki. “Jeremiah,” Rikki whispered again, a tear slipping down her cheek.
Jinx turned the SUV down a long dirt road heading away from the highway. Within a mile, they reached an abandoned barn. “What are we doing here, Jinx?” Angel asked in confusion. “We need to get to the plane. We have to get Rikki to Doc Josie now.”
“She isn’t going to make it to your doctor,” Jinx replied as he opened the door. “Bring her in here.” Not waiting for a response, Jinx left them and went to the barn. A small light shone through a window a few moments later.
“Let’s go,” Angel said as she slipped out of the vehicle, Nico and Phoenix following with Rikki.
“I’m staying outside,” Ryker said as he pulled out his Glock. “I’ll patrol the grounds until we leave.” He was gone without a backward glance.
“What the hell are we doing here, Angel?” Phoenix demanded. “Rikki is going to die if we don’t get her home now!”
“She will be dead before your plane touches the ground,” Jinx said from the doorway. “She isn’t strong enough to fight this kind of injury. She doesn’t have the healing capabilities as a human to fight the way she needs to fight if she wants to live.”
“So why the hell did you bring us to a barn?” Phoenix growled.
Jinx took a long, thin box from his coat pocket. When he opened it, Angel got a quick glance of what looked like a small surgery kit containing clamps, a scalpel, and a needle, among other things. “I’m going to do some minor surgery and then we’re going to change her,” was Jinx’s calm reply. “We are going to give her that edge she needs to fight and win.”
“We can’t change her, Jinx,” Angel cut in quietly. “Only mates can change humans, and her mate isn’t here.”
“Not true,” Jinx responded as he led them to a place in the back of the barn. Motioning for them to place Rikki on the hay piled in a corner, he lowered himself beside her. Glancing back at them, he said, “Mates can change humans, but so can Alphas if they are strong enough.”
“Her mate will fucking gut you if you have sex with her,” Nico snarled from where he crouched in front of Rikki, still holding the bandage to her neck.
Shaking his head in exasperation, Jinx leaned back on his heels and looked at them. “First of all, Alphas do not have to have sex with someone to change them. Second of all, what makes you think I’m changing her? Angel is her Alpha, she will do it.”
Angel froze. She’d never changed anyone in her life. Hell, she hadn’t even known she could. And there was no way she was going to kill Rikki trying. Locking eyes with her, Jinx said, “She’s dead if you don’t try, Angel. I can do the surgery, but she won’t make it if she isn’t turned. I can’t do it. If I did, she would always be connected to me in some way, and her mate could reject her. I’m not saying he would, but there is always that possibility. It has to be you.”
Falling to her knees on the other side of Rikki, Angel clasped Rikki’s hand with her own. Staring into her terrified gaze, Angel asked, “Is this what you want, Rikki? Do you want me to try and change you? It may not work. It may end up killing you instead.”
“Already dying,” Rikki gasped. “Can feel it. Trust you, Angel. Want to live. Want Jeremiah.”
“You know Jeremiah’s your mate?” Angel asked in surprise.
Closing her eyes weakly, Rikki rasped, “Yes.” As she slowly slid into unconsciousness, Angel made the only decision she could. “Do it,” she said.
After injecting Rikki with something to help with the pain, Jinx slowly removed the gauze on her neck. Angel watched in awe as her son painstakingly performed surgery in the back of an old abandoned barn.
Close to an hour later, Jinx leaned back wiping beads of sweat from his brow. “Ok,” he said softly, “it’s your turn now, Angel.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Angel admitted as she reached out and softly stroked a hand down Rikki’s pale cheek. Glancing at Jinx, she said, “I’ve never done anything like this before. How do you know this is even possible? Have you done it?
“No,” Jinx said shaking his head. “But I know someone who has.”
“And it worked?” Phoenix questioned from his seat on a hay bale near them. “The person that was changed lived and didn’t go mad?”
“Yes, it worked,” Jinx said as he checked Rikki’s pulse. “You need to do this now
, Angel,” he told her. “I will guide you, but if you want to save your friend, you can’t wait any longer.”
Taking a deep breath, Angel leaned closer to Rikki. “Just tell me what to do.”
“I will show you,” Jinx said. As Angel was bombarded by images in her head, she unconsciously reached out to Chase needing his courage and support. She sighed when she felt it given freely, no questions asked. Surrounded by her mate’s strength, Angel opened her mouth, letting her fangs drop. Hovering over Rikki’s bare shoulder, she tightened her hold on the hand she still held, and bit down.
~
“I have to go,” Jinx said over three hours later after checking Rikki one more time. “Get her home and watch her closely. She will be out for a few days. Don’t be alarmed. That’s what happened to the other person, too.” Standing, Jinx slipped into his coat. “She’s going to make it.”
“Thank you,” Angel said as she gazed down at Rikki. She would have lost her tonight if it hadn’t been for Jinx. Hating to ask more of him, she said, “I need your help with something else, Jinx.” At his questioning look, she went on, “One of my team was stolen tonight by the General. Her name’s Storm. Can you let Jade know if you hear anything at all about where that bastard might be keeping her? I want her back.”
Nodding, he said, “Yeah, I’ll see what I can find out and get in touch with Jade.”
“Jinx,” Angel called as he went to leave. Stopping, he waited. “Who taught you that?” she asked. “I had no idea it was even possible.”
Looking back, Jinx seemed to be debating something before he finally said, “The same person who has taught me almost everything I know. My father.” Then he vanished before Angel could respond.
“Angel,” Nico said as he walked up beside her. “Angel, we need to go.” Angel couldn’t move, couldn’t respond. Jinx said his father taught him everything he knew. No, that couldn’t be right. His father was dead. The General had killed him years ago. Hadn’t he?
Chapter 18
Jade sat in a seat in the back of the plane waiting for Angel to arrive. She’d tried several times to connect with Rikki, but was unable to, and it scared the hell out of her. “We need to call Jeremiah,” she said as Trace sat down next to her. “He needs to know what’s going on.”
“Shit,” Trace swore as he ran a hand tiredly over his head. “That’s not a phone call I want to make.”
“She cares for him,” Jade whispered. “She will want him there when we get home.”
Covering her hand with his, Trace promised, “We’ll call him as soon as we know how she is, baby.” Bringing her hand up and kissing her knuckles, he asked, “You ready to meet my family yet?”
Shaking her head, Jade leaned her head back and turned to gaze out the window. “Not right now, Trace.”
As they sat there in silence, Jade thought about Rikki and everything she’d been through lately. From what Jade knew, Rikki had a rough life growing up. She’d never asked for specifics, but sometimes when she was near Rikki, she projected her thoughts loudly and it was hard to block them out. But over the past year, Jade had gotten to know Rikki better than anyone else on the team. She loved her snarky, sarcastic attitude. She admired her courage and fortitude. And Jade considered Rikki a friend. She was really the first and only friend Jade had ever had, unless you considered Flame. But Flame was too dead set on revenge to really become a good friend to anyone.
Hearing the sound of a vehicle, Jade jumped to her feet and stumbled over Trace. Running down the aisle on the plane, she raced out the door and down the stairs, stopping at the bottom to wait for the SUV to get there. When they pulled up, Nico slid out of the passenger seat, opening the door behind him. Reaching in, he guided a stunned looking Angel to the plane, shaking his head when anyone would have asked questions.
Pain squeezing her heart, Jade swung her gaze to where Phoenix opened the driver’s side door and stepped out. Opening the door behind the driver’s seat, he gathered Rikki in his arms and carried her to the plane. Quickly following them up the stairs, Jade paused in confusion. “You were with Jinx?” she asked, catching her brother’s scent on Rikki.
“Your brother saved Rikki’s life,” Angel said from her seat at the front of the plane. “If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t be here now.”
“She’s different,” Jade whispered. “You changed her.”
“I had to. It was the only way to save her.” Angel responded. “Although, I didn’t even know that was possible. I thought only mates could change humans.”
Shaking her head, Jade said, “Alphas can, too. Strong Alphas.”
‘So I learned,” Angel muttered. Jade stiffened when Angel’s angry eyes met hers. “So, tell me Jade. Did you learn that from Jinx or from your father?”
When Jade didn’t respond, Angel continued, “Because from what Jinx told me, he learned it from your father. A father that I presumed was not only dead, but had been dead for the past 24 years.”
Jade’s breath caught in her throat. Seeing the anguish on Angel’s face, Jade was unsure how to respond. Shaking her head, Angel turned away. “You know what? Keep your damn secrets. I don’t fucking care anymore.”
“Angel,” Jade said hesitantly. When she refused to respond, Jade slowly walked over to her. Reaching out, Jade rested a hand on her mother’s shoulder. Pulling away from her, Angel told her coldly, “Go find a seat, Jade. We need to get Rikki home.”
Fighting tears at the sting of her mother’s rejection, Jade whispered, “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. I’ve never met my father. All I know is the General didn’t kill him. He keeps him locked up somewhere like he did me, except the General does experiments on him. Jinx won’t tell me anymore than that.”
Ignoring everyone else on the plane, Jade slowly made her way back to Rikki. She’d just lost her mother, which meant she’d probably lost the support of the whole team. What did that mean with Trace? Did she lose her mate too? Huddling up on the floor next to Rikki, Jade pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms tightly around them. Resting her head on her knees, she let her tears flow freely.
Hearing a growl, Jade looked up to see a very pissed off Trace. He’d shifted to his panther form, and letting out a huge roar, he let everyone know how angry he was. Baring his teeth in Angels direction, he roared again. Starr stood up and went to his side, standing in front of Angel.
“You told me earlier that I should stop and think before I opened my mouth when I was upset with Trace. Maybe you should do the same thing,” Starr told Angel. “Just hours before you were prepared to defend your daughter, now you are mean and cruel to her? Why don’t you ask her why she didn’t tell you about her father instead of pushing her away?” Shaking her head, Starr turned from Angel and went to sit back down.
Letting out another threatening growl, Trace made his way back to Jade, curling up next to her. Sliding down, Jade rested her head on Trace’s side and slowly fell asleep, letting go of the emotional misery for now.
Chapter 19
As soon as the plane touched down in Denver, Nico came to the back and squatted down next to Jade. Keeping an eye on Trace, he said quietly, “Give her time, Jade. She just found you not too long ago, then she finds out that the son she thought died at birth is really alive. And now she finds out a man she used to care deeply for, the father of her children, is being held by the General and being experimented on. She just needs time. She’ll come around.” Lifting Rikki into his arms, Nico stood up and walked down the aisle and out the door.
Jade waited until everyone was off the plane before standing up. Running a hand through her hair, she tiredly looked down at Trace. “I suppose you are upset with me, too?” she asked softly.
In moments, Trace was shifted and tugging her into his arms. “No, sweetheart, I’m not upset with you.” Slipping a finger under her chin, he tilted her head back so he could look in her eyes. “Jade, I have spent my entire life holding secrets inside to protect others. Believe me when I say, I wil
l never be upset with your for withholding information that could get someone else killed.”
Smiling at Trace, Jade let her love for him shine through for him to see. She couldn’t believe she’d found a mate as kind and understanding as he was fiercely protective. Slipping her arms around his neck she touched her lips softly to his. Pulling back at his low groan, she whispered, “We need to go with Rikki to the hospital, Trace. And we need to see how Gypsy and Sari are.”
“Yeah,” Trace grunted as he tugged on her hair with a grimace. “We also need to figure out if I still have an apartment. And what we are going to do with my mother and sister.” Reaching up, he opened the compartment above the seat and pulled out some clothes. “Good thing we keep this plane well stocked,” he chuckled. “I seem to be going through a lot of clothes lately.”
“You’re moving around easier,” Jade observed as she followed him down the aisle after he dressed.
“The shifting helps,” he said, “but it tires me out. And my legs are killing me.”
“The doctor said they would for a while, but eventually you will be fine,” Jade commented as her eyes strayed to his ass. Damn, it was a nice ass. Her hands itched to touch it, to caress it. Feeling a blush steal over her face as he stopped and looked at her, she shrugged. “What?”
“I don’t know, you tell me,” he growled. “I can smell your lust and it’s driving me crazy. I don’t know if we’re going to make it off this plane without me taking you.”
“We have to,” Jade squeaked, taking a small step back. “They’re waiting for us.”
“Let them wait,” Trace spit out right before he grabbed her and yanked her up against him. Jade gasped as she felt his hard length push against her thigh. Moaning, she pulled his lips down to hers, quickly opening her mouth to allow him access.
“Can you at least wait until we get to the White River Wolves’ compound?” Jaxson asked dryly from the doorway. When Trace turned a dangerous look his way letting a low rumble work its way up his chest, Jaxson held up his hands with a smirk and backed slowly away. “We’ll wait in the SUV for you,” he said on a laugh.
Trace's Temptation (RARE Series, #3) Page 11
