Mindy arrived in the doorway. A wary expression shadowed her soft features. “I thought I heard movement,” she said. “Glad you’re finally awake.”
Nic shifted to sit up, but with his wide shoulders and large frame he couldn’t move much. “What happened? How long have I been in here?” It was obvious that whatever occurred was bad—really bad, if he was locked inside a dog cage.
Mindy’s eyes widened. “You don’t remember?”
He shook his head and groaned again, clutching his temple. “No,” he said. “How did I end up in here?”
She bit her lower lip. Despite his weakness and confusion, his body responded to the innocent act.
“I put you in there,” she murmured. “Four hours ago.”
The effect of her words was like being doused with cold water. Everything in him deflated. Four hours? A lot could happen in that time period.
“Why would you...” Memories of a garden hose and a fight came rushing back. “Mindy, I’m not sure what you think you saw—”
“Save your breath, Nic,” she said. “I know what I saw.”
The conviction in her voice cleared the last of the cobwebs out of his head. He had to do damage control. “I can explain,” he said.
“No need,” Mindy replied.
Nic’s heart sank. “Let me out of here and I’ll get my clothes and leave.”
“Is it safe?” Her voice cracked. “I mean are you going to go all furry again?”
“You were never in any danger from me,” he said softly. “I was serious when I said I’d protect you with my life.”
Mindy unlocked the cage and opened the door. The second it swung wide, she stepped back out of reach.
Nic crawled and scooted, feeling every kink in his body start to relax. He was still in pain, but at least he was no longer cramping. He stood and stretched, unconcerned by his nudity. Nic inhaled, expecting to smell Mindy’s fear, but there was none. Only quiet resolve. The kind of resolve one got when they had decided to cut their losses.
He had lost her. The one woman who meant everything to him. “Why didn’t you run when you had the chance?” he asked.
Mindy scowled at him. “I couldn’t.”
“Why?” Nic needed to know. Her answer was vitally important to him.
“You needed my help,” she said, and turned away.
He grabbed her hand to keep her from going. “You saw what I became. What made you think I needed your help?”
Mindy shrugged, but didn’t try to pull away when he ran his thumb across her knuckles.
That is a good sign, isn’t it?
“You were bleeding, Nic,” she said. “Bad. It took me thirty minutes to get you stitched. You bled through two of the bandages.”
He sensed her fear for the first time. Nic tasted it on the air, drew it into his lungs. Mindy hadn’t been scared of him, at least after she got over the initial shock. She’d been scared for him. Hope glimmered inside him.
“I heal quickly,” he said.
Their eyes met and clashed.
“He was going to kill you,” she said softly. “I couldn’t let that happen.” Her confession ripped a hole in his gut.
“Neither could I,” he whispered, willing her to understand.
Tears shimmered in Mindy’s eyes. “Just because I saved you doesn’t mean that I’m okay with any of this,” she said. “I don’t see how this can work. How we can work. We’re two different species.”
“It can and it will, if you just give us a chance,” he said, believing it for the first time. Nic yanked Mindy into his arms and kissed her gently, tenderly. Her body softened, while his grew rigid.
Mindy pushed out of the embrace. “You’re hurt,” she said breathlessly.
Nic glanced down at the hard evidence of his desire. “Not that part of me.”
“Nic, I can’t do this right now,” Mindy said. “I need time to process what’s happened. To make sense of it all. It’s not every day you find out that mon—”
“Monsters are real,” he finished for her.
Mindy wasn’t able to face him. “You understand. Don’t you?”
He did, which was why it hurt so much. “I’ll get my things,” he said. Nic had to report to Aidan now that he had confirmation of the Darkling. “You take as much time as you need.” He prayed she wouldn’t take long, wouldn’t take forever.
* * * * *
Watching him go was one of the hardest things Mindy had ever had to do. Nic looked so lost, so confused. Twice she found herself opening her mouth to call out and ask him to come back. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Not until she sorted through her feelings.
As Nic drove away, Mindy picked up the phone and dialed Celina’s number. She had a feeling this was what her friend had been trying to tell her last night when she called. If she knew Nic was different, why hadn’t she just said so?
The phone rang and rang. Once more, the voicemail answered. “Celina, it’s me again. I’m coming over.”
The truth didn’t hit Mindy until she was almost to Celina’s apartment. Nic had said the hybrid was dangerous. Did he mean it was like him?
She’d never seen it look like anything but a canine. Celina had taken the hybrid home with her. Had she known what it was all along? Or had Celina been clueless like her?
Fear had her accelerating. Mindy couldn’t believe that Celina would keep something so important from her. What did that say about their friendship?
The parking lot was full of emergency vehicles when Mindy arrived at the run-down apartment complex. It could be anything, she told herself, but she knew that it wasn’t. She threw her car into park and jumped out as Celina came down the stairs on a gurney.
Mindy rushed forward, only to be cut off by the police. “That’s my friend,” she said. “You have to let me through.”
“We can’t,” the officer said. “The medics think she’s contagious.”
“With what?” she demanded.
“Miss, I need you to take a step back,” he said.
“Can you at least tell me where they’re taking her?” she asked.
“Forest Mercy General,” the officer said.
As the stretcher rolled by, Mindy got a close look at Celina’s face. It was pale and streaked with makeup. Red blisters ringed her mouth and pink foam bubbled from her lips. Celina’s body thrashed. If she hadn’t been strapped in, she would’ve fallen off.
“Werewolves are everywhere!” she shouted. “Can’t you see them? You’re one of them,” she blurted at the paramedic. “You don’t love me! You just want to bite and scratch me!” Celina struggled some more. “I’m not a chew toy! Ahwoo! Ahwoo!” Her words faded into unintelligible growls and screams.
Mindy’s stomach clenched. What happened to Celina? Was she going to be all right? Had the hybrid done that to her? How could it possibly have done this to Celina, when it had been around her house?
“Does she have rabies?” she asked the paramedic before he shut the ambulance door.
“We don’t know,” he said. “Do you know her?”
“Yes,” she said. “She’s a close friend and I work with her.”
“Do you know if she’s been bitten or scratched by anything in the past few days?” he asked.
Mindy opened her mouth, but no words would come out. She wanted to help Celina, but she couldn’t tell them the truth. They’d think she was insane.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly, but she knew someone who might. “We work at the animal clinic, so it’s possible.”
Mindy’s hand covered the mark on her neck and her head swam, as the reality of what Nic was came crashing down upon her.
The officer reached for her. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m-I’m...” She clutched her chest and nausea swamped her. Mindy ran to the back of her car and threw up. Was the same thing that was happening to Celina going to happen to her, too?
“Miss, do you need me to call another ambulance?”
Mindy
hadn’t heard the officer approach. She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve, then righted herself with the help of her car. “No, I’m okay now,” she lied.
She climbed into her car and started the engine. Mindy pulled around the corner out of sight and stopped. She hugged herself as the ambulance drove by, sirens screeching. She needed to get to the hospital to find out what happened to Celina. Only then would she be able to say for certain that she’d be okay.
* * * * *
Chapter Twenty-Two
By the time Mindy reached the hospital and parked, she’d calmed down enough to think. She’d wanted time to process everything before she called Nic, but Celina’s grave condition changed everything. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Nic’s number.
He answered on the first ring. “Mindy, now’s not a good time.” He sounded stressed.
“An ambulance took Celina away as I got to her apartment. She was foaming at the mouth and babbling about werewolves. They think she’s contagious.” She sniffled. “I thought you should know.”
“Where are you?” he asked.
“I’m outside of Forest Mercy General,” she said. “I’m going in now to see how she’s doing.”
“I’ll get there as soon as I can.” Nic disconnected the call.
* * * * *
“We have a problem,” Nic said to Aidan.
“I heard,” Aidan said. “Go! We’ll deal with the Darkling later.”
“Thanks.” Nic bolted for the door.
“Nic!” Aidan’s stern voice stopped him in his tracks.
He turned back to look at his Alpha.
“She’ll be dead within two weeks,” Aidan said.
His heart dropped. How could he tell Mindy that her friend was dying? If she connected the illness to the Darkling, she’d never let him near her again.
“You’re certain that nothing can be done?” Nic asked. “Human medicine has advanced over the years.”
Aidan’s amber eyes softened. “Only Sighted-Ones can survive being marked by a Darkling,” he said. “As you learned today, their magic is powerful—and lethal.”
“Do you think there’s a chance she’s a Sighted-One?” Nic asked.
Aidan shook his head. “He wouldn’t have left her if she was.”
“What about Mindy?” Nic asked. “She’s not a Sighted-One, yet the Darkling continued to pursue her. He showed up at her home repeatedly.” He still couldn’t believe that Darklings were real or how close to death Mindy had come. It left Nic shaken to his core.
Aidan shrugged and sat back in his seat. “Hard to say what its motives are. Darklings are nothing if not unpredictable. Perhaps it was drawn to her kindness or to something in her house?”
Blood drained from Nic’s face. “Isabel,” he said.
Aidan’s brow furrowed. “Who’s Isabel?”
“Mindy’s sister,” Nic said. “She told me that Izzy was Sighted. I didn’t press her for more information at the time because it wasn’t important.”
Aidan came to his feet. “Where is Isabel now?”
“New Orleans,” Nic said. “She should be safe, since the Darkling is here.”
“We haven’t been able to locate it,” Aidan said. “It can hide its scent if it chooses to. We need a special tool to track it. One that can detect its magic. Until we have that in hand, we won’t know where it is for sure.”
“I doubt it would leave Mindy. It’s stayed by her this whole time,” Nic said. His wolf grumbled and struggled to break free. Even with the wounds inflicted upon it, it was ready to take the Darkling on again.
“I hope you’re right,” Aidan said. “For our sake and for Isabel’s.”
* * * * *
Nic arrived at the hospital. The second Mindy saw him, she rushed into his arms. He didn’t care that a temporary need for solace was what drove her to him. Nic would accept any excuse to hold her.
“What did the doctors say?” he asked.
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “They won’t let me see her. There’s a big hazard sign outside her door.” She pointed down the hall to the closed doors at the end.
“The hybrid had to have done this to her,” Nic said.
Mindy shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said. “I got the impression that Celina hadn’t seen the hybrid in a while.”
A doctor came out of the restricted hallway. Mindy rushed him. “How is Celina doing? Does she have rabies? Was she bitten?”
Rabies was lethal if it wasn’t treated in time. Nic wanted to tell Mindy that Celina didn’t have rabies, but he didn’t think she’d listen to reason right now.
The doctor’s pale brow lowered. “There’s no sign of a bite, but we have located a scratch that appears to be infected.”
“With rabies?” Mindy asked.
“No,” the doctor said. “We haven’t been able to identify the pathogen.” His expression turned grave. “We’re doing everything we can for her. Is there anything you can tell us? Anything at all that might help us narrow down the possibilities?”
Mindy stared at Nic accusingly and her lip quivered. “Sorry, I wish I could help,” she said. “Is she going to make it?”
“It’s too early to tell,” the doctor said noncommittally. “But you may want to contact her family.”
“She doesn’t have any.” Mindy turned to Nic after the doctor walked away. “I don’t understand. If it’s not rabies, then how could a scratch make Celina so sick?” She took a step back and touched the mark on her neck. “I have more than a scratch. You need to tell me if you think I’m going to get sick, too.”
How could she think he’d be so careless with her life? “You’re not going to get sick. Not from me.”
Myriad emotions played across her face. In the end, Mindy didn’t look entirely convinced that he was telling the truth. “You called the hybrid a Darkling. If it’s something different than what you are, surely your people have cures or treatments against it.”
“We are not the same species, though we do resemble one another,” Nic said softly. “I would give anything to be able to help your friend, but there is nothing we can do for her.”
* * * * *
Blood roared in Mindy’s ears. What did Nic mean by that? “Are you saying Celina’s going to die?”
Shadows filled his blue eyes and his face pinched with pain. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Nothing can be done now.”
Mindy shook her head. “I don’t accept that. You may have given up on Celina, but I haven’t.” She grabbed her purse and walked down the sterile hall toward the elevators.
“Where are you going?” Nic asked. His long legs ate up the distance between them.
“I’m going to find the hybrid,” she said. “If your people can’t help her, then maybe he can.”
Nic grabbed her arm and swung her around. “Are you insane? Did you see what that thing did to your friend?”
Mindy glared at his hand until he released her. “Yes,” she said. “That’s why I’m going.”
“We haven’t been able to find it,” Nic said.
She pressed the button to call the elevator. “Maybe you’ve been looking in the wrong place.”
The doors open and she stepped inside. Nic followed.
“Where do you plan to look?” he asked.
“I’m going to start with Celina’s apartment,” she said.
* * * * *
Celina’s apartment had been sealed by the police. Mindy stared at the crime-scene tape.
“What now?” Nic asked.
She reached into her purse and pulled out a scalpel. “Now we go inside,” Mindy said.
“That’s illegal,” he said.
Mindy glared at him. “I’m aware of that. You don’t have to come in.”
“You don’t know what you’re looking for,” he said.
“Neither do you,” she said.
She cut through the tape and opened the door. The scent of Darkling smacked Nic in the face and made his hackles
rise.
“It was here,” he said.
“Of course it was.” Mindy stepped into the apartment. “Celina brought him home with her, before turning him over to the sanctuary.”
“She lied about that,” Nic said, glancing around the small space.
“I know,” Mindy said quietly. “He’s been coming around my house for a few days now.”
“The scent is really strong,” Nic said. “Like he was here recently. I’d say within the last few hours.”
Mindy shook her head as she opened a cupboard. “That’s impossible. I was here a few hours ago and so were the police. There was no one around. Not even her boyfriend, Slade.”
“Slade?” Nic slowly turned to look at her. “Have you seen him?”
“No,” Mindy said. “I expected him to show up at the hospital, but it’s possible I missed him.”
“What does he look like?” Nic asked.
“Dark hair, amber eyes, good-looking.” She shrugged. “Celina’s usual type.” Mindy’s eyes widened. “Do you think that Slade did this to her? Are he and the hybrid the same creature?”
“I can’t say for certain,” Nic said. “But it stands to reason.”
Mindy clutched her stomach. “That makes no sense. Celina loved Slade. He knew that. She put up with all his crap.”
“Darklings cannot feel human emotions,” he said.
Mindy stiffened. “Are you telling me that you feel nothing for me? That all that tenderness was just an act?”
Nic rushed to her side. “No!” he barked. “I’m not a Darkling.”
“I know you keep saying that,” she said. “But I don’t understand the difference.”
Nic brushed her cheek. “The difference is that I love you.”
Her eyes grew to the size of saucers and her breath seemed to stop. “I can’t deal with that right now.”
He did his best to hide the pain her rejection brought. “Let’s check the bedroom, but I think he’s gone.”
They searched Celina’s bedroom, but couldn’t find any male clothes.
“Where do you think he went?” Mindy asked.
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