by Lisa Kessler
The vision that had been tormenting me for days flashed again, and this time I was able to see part of a green fender. With my heart pounding in my ears, I scanned the cars. Three rows up, a green sedan was parked in the end space. I didn’t have time to explain myself to the men. Jason might be dead by then.
I searched ahead, but I didn’t see or smell anyone.
Then I looked up at the four-story long-term parking structure next door to the lot. Someone stood up on the top floor. I tried to get a better look and something glinted in the sun.
“Kilani? What’s wrong?”
No time. We were five paces from the green car. I didn’t have time to think or speak. Tugging Grandma Nani behind me, I bolted toward Jason, hitting his hip with my shoulder and all the force of my new stronger body. He fell just as something burned into my side, but I didn’t go down.
The man on the parking structure screamed, dropping his weapon and clutching his hand moments before another shot hit his leg, and he fell back from the ledge. He was bleeding up there someplace, but I couldn’t see him.
My eyesight wavered. Was it over?
“What the hell?” Adam ran to Jason and helped him up. “You hit?”
Jason shook his head. “Kilani must’ve had a new vision. She knocked me out of the way…”
They both turned toward me, frowning. Jason was all right. I’d done it. My vision saved his life. And for the first time in mine, I risked everything for someone else.
I looked down at my hand covering my side. Blood seeped between my fingers. Oh shit.
My legs trembled and I sank to the pavement.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
JASON
“No!” I left the bags on the ground and ran to her side, lifting her shirt to inspect the wound. “No, no, no.”
“Adam, bring me my duffel.”
He put it down beside me and unzipped it. I pulled out a clean T-shirt and pressed it to the bullet hole. Kilani’s eyes fluttered open as she winced.
“Sorry. We need to slow the bleeding until we can get you to the hospital.”
“Jason, no.” Her voice was breathy, weak. “You can do this. We both know I can’t go to the hospital. They’ll take a blood draw first thing.”
“I’m not going to lose you.” Rage tightened like a knot around my heart until my entire chest burned. No goddamn way. She would not bleed out from a bullet wound. I was taking her to the fucking hospital. “I can’t tell if the bullet nicked an artery or an organ. You need to go to the ER where we can open the wound and keep the area sterile in case you need surgery.”
“You know we can’t risk it, Jason.” Adam’s hand was heavy on my shoulder. “She’s a werewolf now. They’d want her blood type and God knows what else. We can’t let the lab get any samples of her DNA, and they’re not going to let you use an operating room without it.”
“I don’t give a crap about DNA. I’m not sitting on the sidelines this time and watching her fade away like Malcolm did. This doesn’t have to be a mortal wound.”
“Time to get out of here. Now.” I recognized Sasha’s voice without looking up. “The police are already responding to the report of gunshots.” She stopped beside me. “How bad is it?”
“She’s still conscious, but she won’t be for long if I can’t figure out where the bleeding is coming from.” I put Kilani’s hand over the shirt that covered her wound. “Keep pressure on it for me. This is going to hurt.”
She nodded and I lifted her into my arms. Her teeth dug into her lower lip, but she didn’t make a sound. I kissed her forehead. “Stay strong for me. I’m not letting you go.”
Her grandmother took her other hand as Nadya and Chloe ran up.
“Get her in Chloe’s Jeep. It’s already running.” Nadya had a death grip on the keys and met my eyes. She was a strong empath, and probably the only one here who recognized the depth of my anguish.
The Pack would have to kill me to keep me from taking my mate to the hospital and saving her life.
“Your office is closed right now, right?” Nadya asked. “We could take you there, and you could save her without the risk of the emergency room getting her blood samples, right?”
“I’m the doctor here, and I’m telling all of you, she’s going to the hospital. I can’t probe a wound and repair any damage without her being sedated.”
“I think I know a way.”
We all looked at Gareth’s godmother. Chloe’s long silver hair was pulled back in a braid, her face a mask of calm. “No time to explain; get her in the Jeep.” She glanced at Gareth. “Osa, you need to come with us.”
Gareth and I exchanged doubtful expressions, but we hustled to the Jeep as the distant sirens grew louder. He popped the latch on the front seat for me so I could climb in back while still cradling Kilani in my arms.
Nadya helped Nani into the backseat beside us and told Gareth she’d meet us at my medical office while Chloe got in the passenger side.
This was growing into a huge clusterfuck of epic proportions.
Although my office was technically closed right now, hired security still watched the building. They’d probably notice me carrying in a woman with a bullet wound, not to mention a gang from my Pack following behind.
But I didn’t say anything. The medical center was right next door through an atrium connecting our buildings. Somehow, I’d get her over there, and she’d be able to get the attention she needed to survive.
With Chloe riding shotgun, Gareth backed the Jeep out of the space and gunned the engine. We made it out to the main street as the line of black-and-whites passed by, headed for the airport with lights blazing.
Kilani blinked, staring up at me. Sweat beaded on her forehead and upper lip, physical evidence of pain, but she didn’t voice any. “Jason.”
I leaned down closer to her, the wind whipping through my hair. “You’re going to be all right.”
“I know.” She nodded. “I have the best doctor in the world.”
My gut twisted, my vision blurring. “You need a real surgeon.”
Her breath hitched. So did my heart. She opened her eyes again. “Didn’t you have a surgical rotation in med school?”
“Yes. Years ago.” I shook my head. “Please, Kilani. I can’t do this. I won’t risk your life.”
Her gaze held mine. In spite of the pain from her injury, her voice stayed level and even, that same no-nonsense nurse who helped me start my father’s heart again. “When my vision flashed, I saw the green car. I didn’t stop to think about the consequences because in that moment, I knew no matter what happened, you’d never let me go.”
“All I wanted was for you to be safe.” I shook my head. “There had to be another way.”
“If you got shot, I would’ve lost you. I don’t know how to repair a gunshot wound.” Her eyes narrowed. “We can argue about this later. We both know if the bullet hit an artery I’d already be dead by now. You can fix this.”
“And if I open this wound, find the bullet, and repair the damage, you could get a staph infection and the result would be the same.”
“I trust you. Your Pack trusts you…” A weak smile curved on her lips. “Trust yourself.”
Gareth pulled into the parking structure under the medical office building and glanced back at me. “Got a plan to get her inside?”
None of this was ever part of my plan. “Yeah, through the emergency room door of the hospital.”
Nani placed a hand on my knee. Looking at her was like seeing a reflection of my mate in the future. I wanted that future with her more than anything in the world.
“Jason, the ancestors are watching over her, and if my mynah bird believes in you, I do, too.”
“Enough,” I growled. “It’s really easy for you all to toss your trust at me, but this isn’t a game. She could die. We can heal this injury with the proper care. My office isn’t equipped for surgery. I don’t have anesthesia, I don’t have resuscitation equipment or recovery, or…”
&n
bsp; Chloe twisted around in her seat. “Maybe not, but Gareth is a dream walker. He can hold Kilani’s spirit and keep her safe. She will not cross over.”
Gareth frowned. “I’ve never tried to reach anyone other than Nadya, and she’s my mate. This might be completely different. I don’t know how to make it work on command.”
Chloe waved him off. “Dream walkers are healers, Osa. This is part of your soul, and now it’s awakened inside of you. You do not need an instruction manual to do what the Great Spirit put you on earth to do.”
Nani squeezed my knee. “We waste time fighting. Let’s help my granddaughter.”
I clutched Kilani a little tighter. “We can’t save her with hocus pocus. She needs a surgical team.” I stood up in the back of the Jeep. This was a jump I could make in my sleep, but I didn’t want to jar her. “Get out of my way.”
My mate touched my cheek with a cool hand. “You didn’t believe in mates, either. Remember?” Her words slowed, her eyelids drifting closed. “…scientifically impossible…to recognize…your soul mate with a single touch.” She opened her eyes and whispered, “Do this for me. Trust yourself.”
A guttural sob choked my throat as I lifted her closer, brushing my lips to hers. “Please. If I lose you…”
“I’m not going anywhere…”
“I can’t do this.” The bowels of bitterness in my soul wheezed out of my mouth. “I’m afraid.”
“I know.” She kissed me. “But you’re not alone. Not anymore.”
Her eyes closed again. “Kilani?” No response. “You need to stay awake.” Nothing.
My pulse rate skyrocketed, but gradually the fear in my gut twisted into anger and I grabbed it with both hands. “We have to stop the bleeding, so get the hell out of the Jeep. Now.”
Everyone scrambled out, and Gareth helped me with Kilani to keep her as still as possible. Chloe yanked a blanket from the back and tucked it over Kilani, hiding the bloody wound from the security cameras. We took the elevator from the parking structure. Hopefully we wouldn’t run into a security guard.
Once we were safe in my office, I laid her down on a paper-covered exam table and rushed around grabbing a disposable scalpel and a retractor from the sealed sterilized tools. These would have to do. I scrubbed my hands and pulled on a new pair of latex gloves.
“Where’s Gareth?”
Chloe pointed to the door. “He’s in the next room. He has to meditate or sleep to be able to find her spirit.”
“So how do I know he’s got her?”
“Faith.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”
Chloe shook her head slowly. “Science can only go so far.”
Nani sat in the corner, her eyes closed, lips moving silently. No doubt chatting with her ancestors.
When did my life become every doctor’s worst goddamn nightmare? I ground my teeth and rolled the table closer. “It looks like you’re going to need to assist me. Wash your hands, and grab a pair of latex gloves by the sink.”
Chloe followed my directions while I lifted the blanket. I unfastened Kilani’s jeans, tugging them lower so I could get a better view of her injury. I grabbed a few clean towels and laid them around the wound, framing my surgical work area.
And the more I focused, the more the fear faded. I pushed aside worries that my anesthesiologist was sleeping in the next room holding Kilani’s spirit in his dreams, that her Hawaiian ancestors were monitoring her vitals instead of high-tech machines, and that the woman on the table was the other half of my soul.
I was a healer. This was my calling. And death wasn’t taking this woman away from me.
Not today.
Chapter Thirty
KILANI
Jason’s voice was distant, random words poking through the fog in my mind. The pain faded along with the rest of the world. It was dark here, so I guessed I wasn’t dead. No one guiding me toward the light. Yet.
But I also wasn’t conscious.
Gravity didn’t seem to exist in this in-between space. I hopped, unsure if my feet ever really touched the ground. Did the ground even exist here? I spun around in the void. Was I lost? I gave Jason my word I wouldn’t leave him.
What if I couldn’t find my way back?
Finally a blue spark caught my eye. I walked closer, my pace increasing as I recognized the shape. My honu had come to guide me.
Where?
I tried to speak, to tell him I couldn’t go. I needed to stay with Jason. His wise eyes held mine, calming my jumbled thoughts. Slowly he turned, waiting for me to accompany him. I hesitated. What if he was trying to take me to Jason? His shell brightened, illuminating the darkness around me until another orange light flickered in the distance.
I pointed at the dancing brightness, and my honu swam forward, toward it. Worrying my lower lip, I remained rooted to my spot in the vast wasteland of this purgatory.
“Kilani? Are you out here?”
Unlike Jason’s voice, this one wasn’t in another world. This one was close. And I recognized it.
“Gareth?”
“Yes. I’ve got a fire going. Can you come closer?”
Heat, light, and a familiar face sounded like heaven.
“I can’t.” I wrapped my arms around my middle. Was it getting colder?
“I’ll come to you.”
“I have to be strong. I can’t just float away.” I swallowed a ball of emotion, unsure if I was talking to Gareth or myself. “Jason needs me.”
“Yes, he does.” Gareth was suddenly beside me.
“Why are you here?”
The corners of his stern mouth softened, almost a smile. “I’m going to keep you here, safe, until Jason gets your body repaired.”
“Wait, this is actually you?” I frowned. “Impossible.”
He shrugged. “I have no idea how it works, but I can walk through the shadows. Chloe calls it dream walking. When Nadya was sick, I almost lost her a couple of times, but I met her here and kept her on this side of the veil.”
My worry eased up a few notches. The cold did not. “Did you say you had a fire?”
He nodded. “Follow me.”
I did, and close behind, my sea turtle shadowed me. Not that a turtle could protect me from whatever lurked in the darkness, but I accepted the comfort he brought.
We sat by the fire, and I put my palms out toward the flame. “It’s warm.” I shook my head. “How is any of this possible?”
“Hell if I know.” He reached back, and another log appeared. He stoked the fire, staring at the sparks. “Jason and I haven’t always been close, but he’s a strong person. Good man.”
I nodded, pulling my knees into my chest and wrapping my arms around them. “Yeah. I didn’t want to like him at first. I thought he was just another doctor with a god complex, but he surprised me.”
“I think you surprised him, too.” Gareth finally smiled. It looked good on him. “As each of us found our mates, he still thought it was all bullshit. I wish I had been there when he touched you for the first time.”
I thought back to that night and chuckled. “Actually, I touched him. He’d been in that damned fight club again. I’d never seen a doctor take such bad care of his hands before. I lifted his hand for a closer look and he freaked out. He jumped back so fast he almost fell over. I had no clue what had him so spooked.”
Gareth chuckled. “Sometimes fate has a really twisted sense of humor.”
“If something happens and I don’t wake up, I need you to tell him something for me.”
Gareth sobered, his shoulders tensing. “You’re going to be fine. Jason’s a little insecure after Malcolm’s death, and Nadya’s and his dad’s close calls made it worse, but there’s no way he’ll let you go.”
“As I used to remind him, he’s not god. He doesn’t get to decide.” Before Gareth could respond, I went on. “If I don’t make it back, please tell him that the day you grabbed me from the hospital to help him with his father, I thought he was amazing. I didn�
�t want it to show because I’d had my fill of being treated like shit by doctors. But…I just want him to know…that I’m so thankful fate brought us together.” I blinked back a wave of tears and shook my head. “Love has always made me vulnerable, but his love…makes me strong.”
Gareth nodded and poked at the fire again before meeting my eyes. “I remember that day with Wyatt on the floor, Jason fighting to get his heart beating again, and you got in there and took charge. You didn’t cut Jason any slack. You were this tiny lady with a huge-ass spirit. You need that now. Dig deep and use it.”
“You’re right.” I stood up. “What I told you before? Never mind.” I grinned. “I’m going to tell him myself.”
Gareth got to his feet, towering over me, and took my hand. “You are going to fit right in with our Pack.” He squeezed my hand. “You’re not going to stay in these shadows. There’s a great life ahead of you.” He smiled, nudging my shoulder. “Now tilt your head back, and let your wolf howl.”
Chapter Thirty-One
JASON
“My brow, Chloe.”
She dabbed the towel on my forehead, drying the sweat before it could get in my eyes and keeping my hands sterile while I worked. Thankfully, Chloe had been a fast learner so far, and the blood didn’t seem to faze her, either. I never would’ve guessed Gareth’s godmother would be so calm under pressure.
The bullet had hit Kilani’s pelvis, but after I plucked it out, I didn’t find any bone fragments. We got lucky. She lost a lot of blood, but as long as we could keep her from getting any infections, she’d heal up just fine.
I cleaned up the wound, stitching her tendons, muscle, and finally closing her skin. Without having surgical staples, and my constant pauses to check her pulse, it took forever to hand stich everything. Not having her vitals displayed throughout the procedure was making me insane. I needed to be sure she was all right.
And then I heard something. I froze, frowning.
Chloe cleared her throat. “Need me to get something?”
I tilted my head. “You don’t hear that?”
