He covered her hands. “Of course. Did you have any doubt? We make a great te—”
Smashing glass drew his gaze across the street. A man went flying through the window of a rental store. Alarms sounded, followed by a siren. A cop car skidded to a stop in front of the building. Two officers leapt out.
Trevor stepped in front of Rowan, blocking her from the sight of the cops. With the blood covering her, she’d draw the wrong kind of attention.
A man peered over the broken shards of the window and waved a gun. The officers hunkered down, using the doors of their cruiser to cover them. They shouted for the guy to give himself up. The armed robber aimed at the cops. Fired.
Trevor’s body jerked. White hot pain exploded in his chest. He fell backward, unable to stop himself, and collided with Rowan.
She wrapped her arms around him. “Trevor!”
He wanted to tell her he was okay. No words came out of his mouth. The darkness took everything away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Blood covered Rowan’s hands. The sight triggered a memory she’d relived countless times. Kai had died in her arms the same way. She’d held him while he’d bled to death. Rocked his lifeless body while she’d cried. Her brothers had pulled her away from Kai. She’d fought them. She hadn’t wanted to let him go. Kai had died because of her. She’d left him vulnerable, then hadn’t been able to help him when he’d needed her. The light had faded from his eyes. While she watched. She hadn’t been able to follow him. He’d met death alone.
Because of me. I should’ve let Kai ride in the Hunt. Tears filled her eyes. Blinking made them worse. Past and present merged. Failure choked her. I should’ve insisted that Trevor accept the mark. How could I think I could protect him? I’ve already failed him twice.
Her stubbornness had caused Kai’s death. Her memories had triggered Trevor’s suffering in the fairy realm. And her slow response was the reason Trevor was lying on the ground, bleeding. She should’ve shoved him out of the way. Taken the bullet for him. No. She’d misjudged the situation. Didn’t understand that bullets could ricochet like that. She’d heard the cops talking. They’d said Trevor was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Because of her. He’d stepped in front of her. She could guess why too. Not only did Craig’s blood cover her, but so did her own.
Trevor had been trying to protect her.
She pressed her palms more firmly to Trevor’s chest, but blood still seeped between her fingers. She leaned close to him. “Trevor! Don’t die on me!”
She wanted to shake him, to make him wake up and respond to her. Fear stopped her from doing so. She didn’t want to hurt him more. She’d done so once already. The night she’d tugged him out of the fairy ring, she’d aggravated his injuries. The human doctors had told her that. They’d had to repair those wounds surgically.
“They’ll save you.” Tears distorted her words. She choked on the tightness in her throat. “Just hold on. Okay? Just hold on.”
“An ambulance is on its way.” Rhys draped his jacket over her back. “They’re going to rush him to the hospital.”
She nodded absently and kept pressure on the wound in Trevor’s chest, the one that was inches from his heart. Each beat seemed to push more blood out of the hole left behind by the bullet. She yanked her gaze to Rhys. His blurred face came into focus. “The shooter?”
“Police have him.” Rhys’s features hardened. “But we will soon, and once Arawn gets his hands on him, he’ll suffer.”
As much as Kai’s killers did. They still paid the price for their sin.
The blaring of the ambulance’s siren grew louder. The sound of doors slamming and people shouting orders reached her. She blocked it out and watched Trevor. Listened to him. Each breath he took reassured her. He was strong, a fighter. He wouldn’t give up on life or her.
Somebody rested a hand on her arm. “You need to move, ma’am.”
She glanced from Trevor’s too-still face to the human who’d spoken. A man in his early twenties stared back at her. He looked too young to be saving lives, but confidence and a sense of calm determination hovered in his hazel eyes.
“I can’t stop the bleeding.” Her voice cracked on a sob. The helplessness gripping her was too intense to hide.
He swept his gaze over Trevor, then met her eyes. “We’ll do everything we can.”
Another human grasped her arms and pulled her back. Four males in matching medic uniforms descended around Trevor. They moved quickly, cutting Trevor’s shirt and packing the wound. One of them stuck a needle in his arm, another in his hand. They hooked stuff up to him. She couldn’t tell what. Their backs blocked him from her view.
She stepped closer, needing to see what they were doing. Rhys stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Give them room, sister. We are powerless here.”
They took lives. They didn’t save them. At least not directly. Their actions prevented tragedies. She understood that. She did. But… “I couldn’t stop the bleeding.”
Rhys took a towel another human held out to him and rubbed at her hands, wiping the blood from them. “I know.”
She stood there helpless while Rhys tended to her and the humans worked at saving Trevor’s life. It was as if she were watching the world from behind the veil of her tears, unable to intervene. Pain squeezed her chest. Ice chilled her blood. She wanted to do something. Her tears weren’t helping.
“Why, Rhys?” She lowered her voice. “For all our abilities, why can’t we save them?”
Rhys folded the towel and wiped at her cheeks. “Because we were never meant to be all-powerful.”
No. They were warriors. Weapons in the fight against the Unseelie Fairy Court. Protectors of the innocent.
“We were created to save them.”
“No.” Rhys eased her arms into his jacket that he’d draped over her shoulders, then rolled the cuffs, exposing her gloveless hands. “We were created to seek retaliation against those who hurt them. That is all.”
She glanced at Trevor. He lay motionless while the humans slid a thin board under his body. “It’s not enough.”
“I know.”
A stretcher was brought in. They lifted Trevor onto the rolling table, then rushed him to the ambulance. She followed and grabbed the arm of the hazel-eyed human who’d spoken to her. “Let me go with him.”
“Are you his wife?”
A sob escaped. Trevor had wanted to marry her tomorrow. They were supposed to be planning a spur-of-the-moment wedding, not rushing to the hospital. “He’s my fiancé.”
“I’m sorry. You’ll have to ride with the police. We need to work on stabilizing him.”
“Trevor. His name’s Trevor.”
The human nodded. “We’ll do everything we can for Trevor, ma’am.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
“The doctors will be able to tell you more. I—” Somebody from inside the ambulance shouted that they were ready to roll. The medic focused on her. “Does Trevor have a living will?”
A living will? She didn’t know what that was exactly, but a will implied Trevor was going to die. He couldn’t. He’d promised her.
“We don’t know.” Rhys answered for her.
The medic nodded. The ambulance door closed. The siren turned on. Then they were gone.
Rhys ushered her to a waiting police car. “Come on, sister. Let’s get to the hospital.”
The ride across the city left her numb. Rhys texted on his phone. No doubt informing their Teulu of what had happened. The officers’ radio offered a background roar of sound—humans spouting codes and locations. Crimes happening across the city, she supposed. She didn’t focus on the details to figure it out. Didn’t care.
One thought kept repeating in her head—Trevor couldn’t die. The humans would save him exactly as they had the last time. She refused to allow any other thought to take root. The alternative was unbearable. The consequences tugged at her mind, though, demanding she acknowledge them. She shoved at the dark thoughts.
> No. Trevor will be fine. He’ll recover exactly as he had from the stabbing he’d suffered in the fairy realm.
She fisted her hands and took slow, controlled breaths. Trevor would need her to remain composed for when he got out of surgery.
This time, I’ll hold him while he recovers, not let a wall separate us.
The cop car pulled in front of the hospital. She was out of the vehicle the moment it stopped. An Emergency sign marked the entrance. With Rhys on her heels, she rushed through the opening.
The punch of disinfectants hit her the moment she entered the waiting room. She scanned the open space, looking for a nurse or doctor, someone to tell her where Trevor was, if he was okay. Humans waited in the room. Some were injured, holding temporary dressings to their wounds. Some looked sick, as if they were seconds away from throwing up. None were being attended to. Why? This place was where humans went for help. Were the nurses and doctors ignoring Trevor too? Letting him bleed to death?
Rage pulsed within her. She stormed toward a desk. A woman sat behind it, typing on a computer as if she didn’t see the people suffering in the same room, as if she didn’t know Trevor was here, fighting for his life.
“Where is he?”
The woman looked up. Her brows pinched. “Excuse me? Where is who? Are you looking for a patient?”
“I’m looking for my—”
Tegan shoved Rowan back. “Trevor’s with the doctors. They’re prepping him for emergency surgery.”
Ian stepped next to her. “We came right here as soon as we heard.”
Rowan glanced from Tegan to Ian. “Did you see him? Is he okay?”
“No.” Tegan shook her head, sympathy sliding into her eyes. “We didn’t see him. They must’ve brought him in through a different door.”
Ian gripped her shoulder and led Rowan to the far end of the room, where a large fish tank stood. Chairs were lined against the wall behind it. Tegan’s coat was draped over one of the hard plastic chairs. That was why Rowan hadn’t seen them when she’d scanned the room. They were hidden. Probably so as not to draw attention to themselves. Although Ian didn’t suffer the hungers of being an incubus, he still drew too many looks from humans, men and women alike.
“What happened?” Tegan asked the moment they sat.
“Trevor was trying to shield me so the cops wouldn’t see me covered in blood.” Rowan motioned to her thighs. Only a couple of inches showed from where Rhys’s jacket ended and her socks began, but dark spots dotted her skin.
Rhys tugged on one of her socks, pulling it higher and hiding the blood. She should’ve done so earlier. She hadn’t thought about it. Couldn’t think of anything besides Trevor.
“There was an armed robbery going on across the street.” Rhys fixed her other sock so no skin showed. “The cops arrived, and the robber fired.”
“I should’ve shoved Trevor back. Stood in front of him.” Rowan squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to cry in front of Tegan and Ian. It was bad enough Rhys had seen her tears. “I didn’t think we were in danger. We were too far away.”
“The bullet ricocheted. Fate put Trevor in the wrong spot at the wrong time.”
Fate was against them. Rowan had overheard Tegan say something similar months ago. She’d been talking about Kai then.
“Trevor is Kai’s reincarnation.” Rowan stated the truth in case the rest of her Teulu didn’t know. “He asked me to marry him.”
“Oh, Rowan.”
Tegan wrapped her arms around Rowan and held her close. More tears threatened. Rowan fought them, and eased from her sister’s comforting embrace. She wasn’t going to grieve. Trevor was going to be fine.
A flash of black and gold caught her eye. Rowan turned her head in time to see Harley rushing toward them, her long platinum and black curls streaming behind her. Calan and Allie followed close behind.
Harley wrapped her arms around Rowan. “We just got home. Allie told us what happened. I’m so sorry.”
Calan laid his hand on Rowan’s shoulder the moment Harley released her. “We should’ve come home sooner.”
Regret tightened her elder brother’s features. Rowan forced a smile that probably looked as fake as it felt. “Don’t blame yourself. I told you not to. Trevor wanted to wait.”
Calan shifted his jaw. His eyes took on a soft glow. “No. I should’ve—”
“Did you find the female you sought? The one with special powers?” Rowan cut off her brother. The only blame cast would be on her. She should’ve known better.
“Yes. She’s at the estate.” Harley looked from Allie to Rowan. “Under guard.”
“They think Jade might be dangerous which is why I’m here.” Allie crouched in front of Rowan and took her hands. “But I’m glad I am. Trevor is like a brother to me.”
Rhys urged Allie to face him. His normally stoic features softened. He brushed a few strands of hair from her cheek, then just stared at her for a few moments.
“What?” Allie finally prompted, concern in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Allie.” Rhys dropped his hand. “Alana is de—”
“Alana sacrificed herself for her soul mate.” Rowan softened the blow Rhys had been about to deliver.
Allie’s eyes widened. Color drained from her face. “What?”
Rowan moved to the next chair, offering a spot for Allie between her and Tegan, and recounted the encounter with Craig. It wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have, not while waiting on word about Trevor, but Allie needed to hear the details, and Rowan was the one who had them.
“Do you think they’ll get another chance?” Allie met Rowan’s gaze, demanding the truth.
Instead of answering, she gave a half shrug as she’d seen Trevor do. She didn’t want to lie to Allie. Despite Craig’s certainty that Alana’s gift, whatever that had been, would save him, he still needed to convince Arawn of his worth. With the growing hardness of Arawn’s soul, it’d be a tough sell.
“Well…” Allie’s shoulders drooped, obviously guessing at the reason behind Rowan’s silence. “Any chance is better than none.”
“Yes.” Rowan rubbed at her upper chest where Trevor’s ring would soon be resting. “It is.”
Silence descended. Hours passed. The first rays of sunlight brightened the room. She kept her gaze on the door where nurses and doctors had been emerging from all night to talk to other people waiting in the room. None of the hospital staff walked to them.
Finally, the door opened. A haggard, white-haired human in a lab coat pushed the door open. He scanned the room and settled his gaze on her. With his clipboard under his arm, he approached them. Rowan stood and hurried to meet him.
“Is Trevor okay?”
“The bullet that hit your fiancé caused significant damage to his heart. Two of the chambers were affected.”
She gripped the doctor’s hand. “But you were able to fix him, right? He’s going to be okay?”
“I’m sorry. We did everything possible.”
Dead. Trevor was dead. That was what the human meant.
No!
She fisted the doctor’s shirt. “You’re wrong! Trevor’s not dead.”
The human didn’t try to pry her hands off him. He softened his voice. “I’m truly sorry. The injuries were too severe. He never made it through surgery.”
She shook the doctor. “Why are you lying to me? Trevor promised he wouldn’t die. He promised!”
Rhys pulled her into his arms and enclosed her in his familiar embrace. The tears started. She couldn’t stop them.
Trevor had died alone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Rowan sat in the middle of her room and cried. Two full days had passed since Trevor had died. Her siblings had visited her, held her, offered her words of comfort. She’d blocked them out. Refused to respond to them. Nothing they said or did could bring Trevor back. He was gone. So too was her connection to him. Minerva wouldn’t be able to cry for them, offering them another chance to reconnect.
&
nbsp; She’d never see Trevor again. Never get to fall in love with his future self. Never feel his arms around her.
A rough sob tore from her throat. She pulled her knees against her chest and rocked. Her body ached, and her eyes burned. Sorrow as she’d never known gripped her. Losing Trevor hurt worse than Kai’s death. She hadn’t known that was possible. It was, though. Trevor had fit her. Completely. He’d been her equal. The man she’d wanted at her side—as a lover, a partner, and a friend.
Her heart bled for the chance that had been ripped away from her, but life continued. She couldn’t end it. Forever, she’d walk alone.
Rhys and the others had gone hunting the night before. No matter what pain she endured, she had an obligation to join them, but she hadn’t been able to rise above her grief to move. She’d have to force herself to do so soon. Her mare’s summons demanded it.
Grief waited for her at the Huntsmen’s sanctuary in the Underworld. Craig’s soul needed to be delivered to Arawn. She hadn’t wanted to face her father or risk stepping into Hell. Lucas’s offer had been repeating in her head for the past two days.
“When you’re tired of mourning your mate’s death, come to me. I can make you forget him. My angelic powers aren’t gone, just hidden. You can unleash them. You’ll free me from my living hell, and I, in turn, will free you.”
The promise of oblivion tempted her. She wanted to forget, to stop the tears. Her grief left her too weak to function. How was she supposed to hunt the Unseelie when she couldn’t even drag herself out of her room?
After Kai’s death, she’d embraced her need to seek out criminals and show them glimpses of their fate. She’d enjoyed seeing them afraid, knowing what awaited them in Hell, knowing that her small acts of intervention prevented tragedies. How could she do that without Trevor? She’d promised him she wouldn’t go without him. It didn’t matter if he were no longer here to accompany her. Her vow was one she refused to break.
She pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes. She felt weak. Broken. Half of what she should have been.
She wanted to forget and move on. Was that so wrong?
Hunter Mourned (Wild Hunt Book 3) Page 24
