“Happy Christmas, Penny. Have a safe flight and tell Frank I said hello.”
“Will do.” Penny shut the door with an auspicious click. Julie felt like her life clicked into place. In that moment of clarity, she decided she would allow herself to love Nicholai. She couldn’t wait to get back to him and tell him.
She whipped the car into traffic, humming along to the classical CD that played in the stereo system. Her mind consumed with thoughts of Nicholai, the ride back to her love flew by quickly. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she told him she loved him. Julie decided to run into his arms as soon as she got home and declare her love.
It’s getting dark, Julie observed, flicking on the headlights. The road was bare, with no streetlights or houses to provide any lighting. She had exited the highway thirty minutes ago, and the shaking in the car had gotten steadily worse.
Julie glanced down at the map in her hand. She thought she had followed it, but perhaps she’d taken a wrong turn. She certainly didn’t remember any deserted streets on the way to the airport.
Squinting her eyes, Jules tried to make out her surroundings. The night, black as pitch, kept her from getting her bearing. Nothing appeared familiar about this place, only a long endless road surrounded by a dense forest. Anxiety knotted her stomach.
She hit a button to lower the window and stuck out her head, trying to get a better look. Desperation to find anything familiar drove the bite from the cold air. Only the purr of the car’s engine disturbed the eerie quiet of the night.
She did a K-turn and pushed down hard on the accelerator. Fear and unease spurred her on. Suddenly, the car shook violently. Julie instinctively withdrew her foot from the gas when the car pulled hard to the right. The steering wheel came alive in her hand. Jerked from her grasp. Julie fought the car for control and lost. A scream tore from her throat.
The car careened into the forest, one tire running up on a fallen log before the axle dug into a trench and sent the car tumbling. Julie’s hair dangled up away from her head briefly before it fell down to her shoulders as the car righted itself. Paper, cell phone, items from her purse flew about the passenger cabin, bumping into her as the car continued flipping through the forest.
It came to rest against a tree, passenger side down.
Julie groaned. Everything hurt, her stomach, her arms and legs, even her eyelashes. Julie moved her sore limbs, testing each to see if they functioned. They did.
The tang of gasoline and oil burned her wounded nose. She sneezed. An intense wave of pain exploded through her body. She moaned in anguish.
Knowing she needed to find help, Julie placed her hands out the open window and pulled with all her might. Her foot caught purchase on the gearshift and helped her ease from the car.
I’ve got to get back to the road. No one will ever find me here.
She tried to make her way through the small opening, but her arms collapsed, and she fell against the door.
Gotta keep going.
With the self-encouragement, she braced her hands on the crumbled metal and tried to give another push. Her muscles screamed in protest, refused to obey. She lay on the cold door, lightheaded. Her lungs struggled for air, each breath excruciating. Her stomach burned like fire.
She fought through the pain to remain lucid, but her last thought as the icy blackness of unconsciousness closed in on her was of Nicholai.
Chapter 33
Nicholai stoked the fire, then glanced down at his watch. Noting the time, a haunting dread crawled over his skin. “She should have been back an hour ago,” he murmured as he returned the poker to its holder and paced the drawing room in agitation.
He had planned a special evening for Juliette, a part of which included the chilled champagne that now awaited her return. The ice bucket, covered with perspiration, sat on the table, reflecting the fire burning heartily in the fireplace.
Nicholai rubbed the palms of his hands against his thighs. Where was she? Why wasn’t she home yet?
As the thoughts crossed his mind for the hundredth time that evening, pain overwhelmed him. His knees went weak. When he grabbed the ornately carved mantel for support, his fingers dug into the wood, leaving their marks. Another wave of pain racked his body.
He realized instantly something was very wrong with Juliette. Her agony flowed over their mindlink. Perspiration wet his brow, but he forced the torment aside to think. His heartmate needed help. Every instinct within him demanded he go to her.
Suddenly the suffering stopped. He tried reaching out to her with his mind. Juliette! Can you hear me, lastochka? Answer me!
He found only blankness. For the first time since he’d created the mindlink, he could not sense his mate. The thought sickened him. Only two things could keep that from happening. She was either unconscious or…
No! He would not allow his thoughts to go there. She must be alive. The Fates would not be so cruel as to take his heartmate from him when he had finally found her. Desperation to find her raced up his spine, and a shiver tore through his body.
Instinct drove his desperate need. He could materialize beside her if only he knew her location. The airport perhaps? No, she would have dropped Penny off long ago. Somewhere on the highway then? Did she stop off for a bite to eat and run into trouble?
A deep growl of frustration escaped his lips. There were too many possibilities. Dematerializing to her was out.
He paced the floor, filtering through the options. He had tried using their mindlink, that hadn’t worked. Calling her to him wasn’t possible if he could not reach her mind. She might be too injured to respond to the call. The realization ripped another aggravated growl from his throat.
“Wait.” He stopped. “The mindlink! She’s had my blood. I can track her using that.”
He had watched his fellow Alpha, Stephan, do such a thing to locate his female. It must be instinctual. Stephan had known exactly where to find his Katrina. Surely he could do the same.
With hope giving him strength, Nicholai used his preternatural speed and raced through his home, grabbed his car keys, then ran to the car. With a squeal of the tires, the Alpha backed the SUV out of his garage. He tore down the paved drive, the snow arcing behind him.
The SUV turned onto the road with more speed than it could handle. The vehicle’s rear wheels flew sideways, throwing Nicholai against the seat. He fought the car for control when it fishtailed along the slippery road.
A string of vile curses spewed until he brought the SUV back under control. The roads were slick, icy this time of year. Why hadn’t he thought to warn Juliette?
He pounded his fist on the steering wheel. If something happened to her, it would be his fault.
****
Demetri beat a dozen eggs as the bacon sizzled in the cast-iron frying pan. The aroma of breakfast brought both Stephan and Alexander to the kitchen. Demetri had just poured the eggs into a skillet when it hit. An overwhelming mixture of grief and anger drove him to one knee.
His fellow Alphas rushed to his side and helped him stand.
“What’s wrong?” asked Stephan. A look of concern drew his dark brows down over his eyes.
“It’s Nicholai. Something is terribly wrong.” His cousin’s heart-wrenching pain flowed over Demetri, and he quickly tamped it down.
The large Alpha straightened and shook off his friend’s hands. “I’m fine. It just hit me before I could put up a mental block.”
Nicholai, what is amiss?
It’s Juliette. Something is horribly wrong. I can’t reach her mind.
Nicholai relayed all he knew of the situation as Demetri ran a hand through his shoulder-length black hair and pulled it away from his face.
“What is it?” Alex moved around Demetri and turned off the stove.
“It’s Juliette. Something has happened. She didn’t return after taking her friend to the airport. Nicholai can’t reach her mind through their mindlink. He believes she may have been in an accident, but he can’
t find her.”
Stephan placed his large hand on Demetri’s thick forearm. “Tell him to use his blood. If they have formed a mindlink, she will have had enough of his blood to permeate her cells. His blood is a part of her now, forevermore. Tell him to use the call of his blood to find her.”
Nicholai, your mate has your blood coursing through her veins. Sense its call. Use it to find her.
Don’t you think I have thought of that, Demetri? It isn’t working.
You are too upset. Demetri closed his eyes in concentration and sent his cousin waves of calm reassurance through their link. Now, try again. You can do this, cousin. Still your mind, feel the draw. Your blood calls to you, hear it.
****
Faith and hope flowed through Nicholai’s body. It lessened the tension in his muscles. His rapid heartbeat slowed. Nicholai’s breathing eased in time to his heart.
A vibration, a hum nudged his brain. It was slight but enough to let him know he needed to turn the car to the right. The vibration increased moving into his body with each meter of road he crossed. Instinct told him he headed in the correct direction.
He drove on, following the hum, turning left, then right, then right again. The vibration increased until at last he thought his body would shake like a nine point two on the Richter scale.
He slammed the SUV into park and jumped from the car. Leaving the deserted road behind, he ran into the woods. His vision took in the sights of the forest though no moon lit his way. He leapt over a fallen tree and landed in a trench. A dark object near his foot drew his stare.
He stopped to fetch the red plastic from the forest floor. Flipping it over in his hand, his heart seemed to sink to his stomach as he realized it belonged on a car.
A tail light cover!
Throwing the cover aside with careless abandonment, Nicholai’s only thought was getting to the woman he loved. With a burst of preternatural speed, he jumped from the trench and ran through the trees until he came upon a car.
It no longer resembled his vehicle. It appeared smaller, shaped like a “U” because it hugged the tree. The stench of oily gas and transmission fluid mixed with the woodsy scent of the forest, turning his stomach with each breath. His eyes traveled up the undercarriage of the car and rested on the limp form lying on top.
“Juliette! Juliette, my love.”
He ran to her unresponsive body. His feet crunched on the broken glass that lay scattered over the ground.
Nicholai carefully pulled her from the wreckage. Cradling her in his arms, he scanned her over. Bruises darkened her face, and she had a laceration. Contusions covered her arms. Her stomach appeared distended, firm to the touch, so unlike her usual supple form. He used his free hand to raise her pant legs above her knees until they could go no further. More welts, one of which looked especially bad.
Nicholai placed his hand reverently over her weak heartbeat. It stuttered under the pads of his fingers. She lay dying in his arms. He threw back his head, his hair flung behind his shoulders as a mighty bellow ripped from his throat. His animalistic roar echoed throughout the surrounding land, the sound of which sent animals scurrying through the forest in fear.
Unshed tears blurred his vision as he cradled his heartmate in his arms. He covered one of her wounds with his hand, trying to stanch the bleeding. Her rich blood flowed between his fingers as it dripped to the ground.
Too much blood. The tears ran down Nicholai’s cheeks.
She would die, here in the cold—in his arms.
****
Nicholai, we are coming to help, offered Demetri. We will be there in minutes.
Stephan and Demetri were the first to materialize on the lawn of Nicholai’s estate. Stephan turned toward Demetri as Alex coalesced next to him. “How do you propose we find them?”
“Using my mindlink. Nicholai can feed me the directions.” After a brief pause, during which he contacted his cousin, he continued. “He said they are close. This way.”
The three Alphas took off at blurring speed while Nicholai and Demetri communicated the directions.
The sight greeting the three males when they came upon the wreckage was heartrending. Nicholai sat on the cold hard ground, his mate clutched to his chest. Her head lulled back over his arm. Juliette’s hair swung in time to the rocking motion of their bodies. Dark stains coated the white shirt Nicholai wore, no doubt her blood. Her arms hung limply away from her body, dangling toward the snowy forest floor. Demetri sent his senses out, hoping to discover they had made it in time, hoping she wasn’t dead.
Chapter 34
Cold sweat dampened Nicholai’s brow. He stared down at Julie, willed her to move. The withdrawal of her from his mind, being unable to reach her, felt so painfully wrong to him.
Movement in front of them brought a snarl to his lips. A feral sound rumbled from deep within his throat. His mate lay injured, dying. No one should be near. He must protect what was his. Protect her at all costs.
Nicholai bared his fangs and hissed as the males approached. A growl of warning followed when his protective instincts took rational thought from his mind.
Demetri approached first. His arms up in surrender, head bowed in submission. “We are not here to hurt her, Nicholai. We are here to help. Let Stephan heal her.”
Another fierce growl escaped Nicholai’s lips as Demetri continued. “Do you want your woman to live, cousin?”
Nicholai’s head snapped up. He stabbed Demetri with his fiery eyes. “Of course, I want her to live. How dare you ask me that!”
“Then put your fangs back in your gums, and allow Stephan to heal her.”
Nicholai’s body slumped over Julie’s limp form in capitulation. Stephan approached cautiously, his hands behind his back. The movement drew Nicholai’s attention. He repressed the reflex to attack, his rational mind finally winning the war with his instinct.
Stephan presented no threat. He had a heartmate to whom he would always be faithful. Nicholai realized he could trust his longtime friend and compatriot to heal his female.
A heavy sigh clouded before his face as he spoke. “I would be eternally grateful to you, Stephan, if you would help her.”
Stephan knelt before the couple on one knee. “I’ll need to touch her to assess her injuries. Will you permit that?”
Their eyes met over her lifeless body. “Yes. Do what you must to save her.”
“Very well, please place her on the ground.”
“It’s too cold,” Nicholai protested, tilting his head in the direction of the road. “My SUV is not far. I’ll put her in the backseat.”
Stephan nodded and rose to his full height. He backed away from the couple, giving Nicholai room to stand.
“Hurry,” the Alpha leader said softly.
The three Alphas followed behind the pair as Nicholai ran to the SUV with Juliette in his arms. Alex held open the back door so the distraught warrior could climb in and lay Juliette on the leather seat. He smoothed a lock of her hair away from her face, then folded her hands over her stomach. His mate looked like a sleeping angel. In stark contrast to the dark upholstery of the car, her skin appeared ghostly pale.
Unshed tears clouded his vision again as Nicholai found Stephan waiting in the open door. “May I assess her now?” he asked patiently, giving Nicholai time to process what he said.
Nicholai could only nod, afraid to speak for fear it would cause the tears to flow. He spun around as the opposite door opened behind him.
Alex held one hand on the open door, the other raised in deference. “Whoa there, big fella. I’m simply wondering if you want to come take a walk with me while Stephan examines your mate. You know, get some fresh air?”
Demetri stepped up behind Alexander. “That would be a good idea, Nicholai.”
“Absolutely not. I can’t leave her.”
Stephan crawled into the back of the SUV, taking up what little room was left. “It’s a tight fit back here, Nicholai. If you get out, I’ll have more room to work.”
“But—” Nicholai started to protest, however, Stephan cut him off.
“Plus, I need to concentrate when I’m healing, and having an overprotective male breathing on my neck won’t help.”
Nicholai’s shoulders slumped. The thought of relinquishing Juliette’s care to another male seemed abhorrent to him, but the concern for her safety defeated everything else. He unfolded from the vehicle without further protest and took one last look at the woman he loved.
Alex hooked an arm over his tired shoulders. “Come on, let’s you and me take a stroll. The night air will do you good.”
****
Demetri watched his cousin be led down the road and silently thanked Alex for sufficiently distracting Nicholai. He peered into the open door. His massive frame filled the doorway. “How is she?”
Stephan met his gaze, and concern etched lines across his forehead. “It’s bad, Demetri. She has a bruised brain and is bleeding internally.”
“Can you heal her?”
“Yes, but it will take a lot of energy, and I did not feed yet today.”
Without hesitation, Demetri pulled his coat and shirt sleeve up to his elbow and thrust his arm toward Stephan. “Take from me. My blood is powerful. It should give you what you need.”
Stephan bowed his head reverently. “Thank you, my old friend.”
When Stephan took Demetri’s wrist with a firm hand, his fangs lengthened and sank into the flesh. Demetri waited patiently as Stephan drank his fill, knowing his power would flow through the healer, nourish his cells with each draw.
“Thank you.” Stephan turned his attention back to the woman who lay motionless on the seat before him. He rubbed his hands together briskly above her still body until a faint yellow glow appeared. Its intensity increased until it illuminated the entire passenger cabin, bathing Stephan and Juliette in its warmth.
The brightness too powerful for his eyes, Demetri took a step back and averted his gaze. Nicholai and Alex turned in unison when the night brightened. The SUV looked like a nuclear bomb exploded within.
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