Chapter Seventeen
Today was day three of getting his ass back in gear. Tyson had let Sadie pamper him for the first day or so but he started to get twitchy being cooped up so long inside. During his first run outside. He had barely made it to the tree line and back. Five minutes and he was already in a sweat ready for a break. The following day he lasted 15 minutes but the muscles in his leg burned more than ached. He could handle a burn. Today he was already half way around the small loop trail he’d created around Sadie’s house.
She had watched him the first two days. Sat on her porch with a book while he pushed himself. When he was done, he’d collapse next to her chair and nap for awhile. Being the ever watchful goddess that she was, she never said anything to him encouraging or otherwise. She had to have known that looking weak in front of anyone, including her, was unacceptable. Babying him would only make him mad. So she discreetly watched him with a book in her hand.
She didn’t watch him today. Tyson was a bit upset about that. He liked her there waiting for him to return. Liked when she asked how his run was and were there anything squirrels breaching the perimeter. He only wished he could answer her with more than a lopsided grin and a wagging tail. How would she react to his secret? Telling humans was typically forbidden. There were always exceptions and he wanted her to be his.
He just plain wanted her.
Nothing could be done before Jack was handled. Tyson wouldn’t want him to ruin her impression of his kind. Telling someone, worse yet, showing someone could be tricky. He’d only known of one other wolf to do so and that was back in his parent’s pack. He was too young to remember the how and why of it but her terrified screams had stuck with him.
Would Sadie scream? Would she give him enough time to explain before running away?
He damn well hoped so.
Lee would help him out if need be. But then he’d have to change to ask for her help. That wouldn’t fly for him. Tyson paused on his slow trot and stretched his back leg out. Changing for Sadie was one thing. Changing for a pack member was not something he was ready for. And he might not be ready for something like that for a very long time.
Lee had come by after Owen and by that point he was too tired to protest. Her presence, the presence of the pack, was comforting though. He never felt like he had to play the enforcer card with her or act the part when she was around. It was very easy to just hang with her. If he had to change for someone she would be a good choice. Owen was always an option but he’d try to talk to him and have him “share what’s on his mind.” Fuck that. The Alpha tended to think he was also a psychiatrist and he alone could solve all his pack’s problems.
So if he needed help Owen was out, Lee was in.
If being the operative word.
He doubted he’d do it but he liked to have the backup plan. First, he had to butter up Sadie and change at some point. It had been awhile and he’d like to be able to walk straight without tripping over his feet when he did it for her. His stomach was already in knots just thinking about the change. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t feel like anything really. He had just never planned to walk on two legs ever again.
Plans change.
He decided to cut his run short. His leg was doing fine but this was the longest he’d been by himself in days. If it made him a pussy, then so be it, but Tyson missed being near her. He missed her intoxicating aroma of fresh baked cookies and the way her long fingers threaded through his fur to find the spots to scratch that drove him nuts. Later he’d do another short run. The slow trot he had going was just slightly faster than walking but not quite a jog. For his injured leg, it was more than enough of a workout.
A scream, shrill and full of terror tore through the trees. Tyson stopped his path and listened. Everything quieted. Everything ceased moving. Everything listened. The wildlife had gone silent. All of them waiting to see what came next. He stood still with them. The hair on his back began to rise in the silence. When it came again he turned from the trail and bound into the woods with only one thought on his mind.
Sadie.
PART THREE
Chapter Eighteen
He ran, his paws dug into the dirt propelling him on, and still he urged himself to go faster. He pushed himself past his limits and then pushed some more. Even when his already tender muscles threatened to give out, he didn’t stop. Her screams sounded off every few seconds and they fueled his speed. The screams full of fear and terror had quickly turned to moans. Whatever Jack was doing, Tyson would hand right back to him before he killed him.
The growling and barking echoing through the trees were not aggressive sounds. He had expected aggressive. But when Tyson ran into them Jack was anything but aggressive. He was happy. Deliriously exuberant to be biting and nipping at Sadie’s arms, legs, whatever he could grab. His bushy tail was held high and proud as it wagged steadily back and forth. He’d jump forward, bite her, jump back all with his behind in the air and his front paws lowered toward the ground. It was how they played, but not with humans. Never with humans. It was always with another wolf. Jumping around, nipping and biting, wrestling each other to the ground was a familiar sight within a pack.
But Sadie wasn’t pack.
She was human.
She was bleeding.
The relief in her eyes when she spotted Tyson was staggering. She was backed up against a tree with her clothing torn and bloodied. She almost called out to him. Almost. Brutal awareness fell over her face. Like a curtain, her features fell into fear and mistrust. She was questioning him.
Jack, you fucking asshole. What did you do?
But he already knew. Jack showed her what he was. For some insane reason the fuckup known as Jack had showed the woman who was bringing him back from the brink their true nature and now she was lost to him. Her gray eyes held more than fear, more than pain. They held betrayal, and that was all on him.
Jack was still jumping around like a pup. Tyson’s world was being demolished, again, and all he could do was hop around like a fucking rabbit on steroids. He wasn’t going to take any more of this bullshit. Jack launched himself at her again. His teeth sunk into the flesh of her upper thigh but instead of jumping back and going in for another nip, he held tight digging his teeth in further. Sadie’s body trembled as she tried and failed to knock him away. The muscles in her legs visibly shook. Had the tree not been there she wouldn’t be standing.
Tyson charged forward and threw all his weight into Jack. Together they hit the ground. This time Tyson didn’t hold back. He snapped his teeth at Jack, nipping him a few times in the process. Both rolled to their feet. Tyson making sure he was between Sadie and Jack. She had sunk to the ground, her head lulling to the side as she fought for consciousness.
They circled. Jack kept trying to get closer to Sadie but Tyson wouldn’t give him the opening. He’d done a piss ass job of protecting her thus far. At every turn he promised he’d do better and failed every single time. No more. He wasn’t going to fail her again. When Jack stepped in for a bite, he countered with a swipe of his paw. As long as he wasn’t moving much, Tyson could conserve his energy and eventually outlast the overactive, bouncing Jack. His leg ached like it had after he had been shot. All the healing he had done over the past few days was quickly being destroyed.
Sadie was wheezing behind him. “Fred?” her soft voiced called to him. He took a chance and looked behind him. She was bleeding out. Jack’s last bite was close to her femoral artery. Blood stained her pants and the ground beneath her. He couldn’t tell from there the damage that was done and just how fast she was bleeding. Weak with blood loss, she tried to put pressure on the wound but all it did was push the blood around.
Hang on, Sadie.
As if she heard him, her eyes jerked up and met his. They were no longer gray but a steel blue. They were too bright against the pale canvass that was her skin. They stared at each other until her eyes began to flutter.
No! You are not allowed to die. Hold it together wom
an.
Her hand pushed harder against the wound on her thigh. It wasn’t enough but hopefully would slow the bleeding enough for him to-
Jack took the distraction to his advantage. He jumped and landed on Tyson’s back with his jaws clamping shut around his neck. With a fierce shake, Tyson threw him off and switched positions. He struggled and squirmed under Tyson’s hold but Jack wasn’t getting free. Not this time. Not ever again. The wolf went limp in his mouth like the submissive bitch he was. Honor told him to let go and take the murderous traitor to Owen. Honor wouldn’t get his sister back, his sanity secured, or Sadie’s blood to stop flowing.
Had he been pack, honor would dictate his next move.
Good thing he wasn’t pack anymore.
Tyson clamped down harder allowing his teeth to pierce the skin. Blood rushed into his mouth but he didn’t let go to spit it out. He bit down harder. Jack struggled, his legs flailing around madly. And then they stopped. Slowly at first and then all at once he was still. Gone.
He let go of his enemy and let his body collapse to the ground. Dead. After all this time it was finally done. Tyson closed his eyes and bowed his head. Pack mourned pack, even when they deserved it. Lifting his head, he let out a mournful howl into the air. No other wolves joined his song. Just a single lone wolf putting his past to rest.
*****
He nudged her hand with his nose. The limp limb fell back into place. He nudged it again. Nothing happened. No twitch of the fingers or groan for him to stop came from Sadie. She was unconscious. The dirt below her was soaking up her blood. Tyson pushed her hand again but all he did was move it across the ground. He sniffed down her body. Bites and scratches marred her skin. Every few inches he found something.
She didn’t flinch when he pressed his nose into a bite that was already bruising. He whined. She was bleeding out, slowly but enough that her options were running low. At her thigh he saw just how deep Jack had been biting her. This one wasn’t like the others. Perfect indentations of each of his teeth surrounded her leg. Every single one of them had punctured the skin.
Jack was trying to change her.
How could he have not seen it? Jenny was gone, he needed someone else to do his dirty work for him. But Jack couldn’t change someone. It was a myth that wolves can be changed with a bite. Only the Alpha of a pack knows the true way to do it but it was not a guarantee. In fact, no human had been successfully changed in years. Wolves were born not made. It was as simple as that.
But Jack’s deed was done and now she was slipping away. Tyson had to finish what he had started and pray to Gaia it worked, or he had to say goodbye. He walked back up her body and licked her cheek. He wished he could ask her what she would want. If she had a say in all this would she really want to be a wolf. He couldn’t imagine life without his wolf side but he’d never been a human before either.
If he did this, he’d have to leave once and for all. She wouldn’t want anything to do with the man who tried to save her by turning her into another species. Hell, there was a chance it might now work. A very large chance actually. Owen had let the process slip one night after he had become Alpha. Tyson remembered there had been whiskey involved. His recollection of it was fuzzy, which meant he could be missing a vital piece.
By the amount of blood that was seeping out of her leg, he didn’t have much time. Tyson closed his eyes and for the first time in the better part of a year, he changed. It wasn’t a swift change like he had been able to do before but more like his first time—clumsy and awkward. Naked and panting, his head hung low between his arms. Still on all fours, only this time hands and knees instead of paws, he lifted his head. Long hair fell in his eyes and he pushed it back with his hand. The silky strands felt alien to him. Even his tingling fingers didn’t feel like his own. He fisted his hand and stretched his long fingers back out. They looked the same, they just felt…odd.
Between his fingers he saw Sadie’s eyes twitch. He crawled to her, ignoring the unfamiliar sensations as his hands and bare knees scuttled across sticks and leaves.
“Sadie?” Shit, his voice was dry. Being mute for a year would probably do that. He swallowed and tried again. “Sadie. Wake up, Sweetheart.”
Those hands of his cupped her face and there was nothing odd or strange about what he felt beneath them. That one touch felt more real than anything had in months. He brushed the pad of his thumb over her cheek bone. Pale and ghostly white skin followed the line he drew. The first time he touched her should have brought a flush to her skin as ripe as strawberries. Not this. Not death.
“Sadie, you have to trust me,” he sighed, “and try not to hate me when it's over.” He let her go and sat back on his heels. He’d pray now. He’d pray, and then he’d bite her, and then he’d wait.
Dearest Mother Gaia, you have guided me here for a purpose. As always, I have followed even when I didn’t understand…still don’t most of the time. Now I sit before this woman and I ask you to gift her. I know asking for such a precious favor is more than I deserve but she means something to me. I do not know what that is yet but I know I cannot have her blood on my conscious. Let her live. Let her flourish as one of your own. I ask that you do this for me. Save her for me.
Tyson opened his eyes to the bright blue sky. There was no sound from Gaia. No sense that she heard him. Only a deafening silence. He rolled his shoulders and looked back to Sadie. Now he’d either save her or kill her. Please don’t let me kill her. I don’t think I could…I’d…I couldn’t…fuck.
The change back to wolf was simple and fast and felt like he was grabbing his safety blanket. Quickly he visibly searched her body for a place to bite that wasn’t already tarnished with Jack’s teeth marks. At the base of her neck he found his spot. He bit quick and held on hard not giving himself time to back out.
Tyson thought about every moment they shared from the time they met until then. He thought about running with her in the forests as wolves, laughing with her as he stole cookies from the sheet she just pulled out of the oven. As he punctured her skin he thought about the future he wanted her to have…them to have. He imagined what her wolf would look like. Would she complement his colors? For some reason he kept seeing her mostly white with a tail that looked dipped in a can of brown paint.
When he saw her pregnant with his pups he let go and stumbled back. That was a future he wouldn’t have. No sense in lying to himself about it. Before he thought better of it Tyson had changed back to human. His deep breath was probably heard for miles. Sadie didn’t look any better. Didn’t look any worse though either and that was a small miracle in itself. Now he just had to keep her alive long enough to carry her back home and call Owen. He’d know what to do from here.
He picked her up and allowed himself a moment to treasure her in his arms. Sadie’s head rested on his shoulder and from his angle he could see his bite mark in the crook of her neck and felt an immense swelling of pride. He liked his mark on her body. He’d like her mark even more on his.
Shut up you stupid bastard and get her home.
Goddammit he hated when he was right. This was no time for harboring squishy lovey feelings about this woman. Get her home. Keep her alive. Get the hell out of there. That was his objective. And that was his hell.
*****
“Hello? Sadie I hear the message. Are you—”
“Owen.” Tyson’s voice was still scratchy and unfamiliar. “I need…I need your help.”
“Tyson?” It took a lot to surprise Owen. Tyson allowed himself a quick smile at his small victory. “Fuck man. Where are you?”
“Sadie’s house. She’s hurt…I mean, she’s dying.” He glanced over at her on the bed. Her skin was almost transparent after so much blood loss. Her blond hair lay in dull limp tangles around her head. “You need to hurry.”
“I’m already on my way. Just keep her alive till I get there. What are we dealing with?”
“Blood loss.”
“Fuck. Ok. Keep pressure on the wounds and I’
ll be there as fast as I can.”
Tyson hung up and went to her. The bleeding has all but stopped. He wasn’t so sure it was because of his amazing triage skills or because she was that low on blood. From the bathroom he had grabbed a washcloth and a basin of warm water. With little else to do, he took up the job of cleaning her up. It would keep his hands busy and ease his mind until Owen came.
The warm water was a slight shock to his foreign senses. It’s not like he couldn’t feel hot and cold as a wolf. The sensations were just different. He rung out the excess water and ran the cloth over Sadie’s face, wiping away whatever sweat and dried blood he found. He paid special attention to her mouth. There was a cut on the bottom left side. The line of red was bold against the starkness of her skin. Her normally dusty pink lips were merely dusty, void of color and the happiness that her smile held.
They were still enticing though. Her injuries didn’t take away from the fact that her bottom lip was plump and made for suckling. Without thinking, Tyson leaned forward and tasted her lips with a light kiss. He opened his eyes, his face inches from hers and had hoped to see gray eyes peering back at him. They weren’t. Sadie’s eyes stayed closed and her breath shallow.
Tyson sighed.
What did you think would happen? You are not her prince. This is not a fairy tale. She won’t even remember it. Now remember the plan. Keep her alive and leave at the soonest available moment. She is going to hate you when she wakes up…if she wakes up. Leave before that hatred taints you even more.
“Tyson? Sadie?” Owen called from the front of the house.
“Back here.”
Seconds pass while Tyson followed Owen’s path through the house by his footsteps on the hardwood. He looked up right as Owen filled out the doorway. His best friend smiled at him, smug with the knowledge that Tyson seemed to be returning to the land of the sane. That look quickly subsided when he spotted Sadie just behind him. And the Doctor is in.
Too Far Gone (Adirondack Pack Book 1) Page 12
