Beastly Beautiful (25 page)

On noticing her presence, the cat stiffened, became absolutely still. And then his broad nose twitched, testing the scent of her on the evening air. Teagan searched for some sign of recognition in the depths of those glowing golden eyes. Some hint that Sir’s darker, human gaze lurked behind them. For a brief instant she thought she sensed it, some wordless connection passing between them. She stepped forward, extending her hand.

And the spell was broken. Immediately, the yellow-eyed panther became just a wild creature again, retreating from her approach. Without another glance in her direction, he bounded off, disappearing through the gloom of the wood.

Teagan hesitated, glancing down at the dead grizzly bear at her feet. Nearby, the black Rottweiler was sitting up again and cautiously testing its legs. Teagan promised herself she would get the dog to a vet as soon as possible. She owed it that. But for now, there was a human life at stake.

Abandoning the clearing, she took off. Moving swiftly, she followed the path the puma had taken back out of the trees. She knew where he was headed.

Chapter 35

“Sir?” Teagan called softly, stepping into the dim interior of the building.

In the distance she heard a faint rustle and the sound of a door creaking. There was no other response. Teagan followed the noises, climbing over and around the debris scattering the room. Stacks of crates loomed out of the darkness, stark shadows in the pale moonlight filtering in through overhead skylights.

Unfamiliar shapes and objects littered her path, making silent passage difficult, but she continued doggedly on, even when a blind stumble or a clumsy nudge sent a piece of debris rolling noisily across the floor or a stack of boxes collapsing with a
thud
. He had to know she was here. Even had she not announced her approach so loudly, he must surely guess that, at some point, he would be followed.

Suddenly, she heard a low groan. The sound was pained, weary—and very human. Had the transformation passed already? Could Sir be a man once more? She glanced toward the night sky, visible in patches through the overhead openings. Stars still twinkled above. It was still night. Too early for the transformation to pass. Then she remembered he apparently had some control over it now.

Again the groan. Her heart melted at the sound. He was hurt. Sir was hurt. Besides that, all other thoughts dissolved. She had to get to him. Scrambling over the mountain of obstacles in her way, she half ran, half stumbled in the direction of the noise.

There, just through the narrow doorway up ahead. The room the argument had occurred in. The sounds were coming from there. Heart hammering inside her breast, Teagan approached the cracked door. The heavy silence was interrupted only by the harshness of her rough breathing.

Crash
. The sudden noise coming from beyond the door made her jump. Without thinking, she threw the door open and rushed into the room. Pale moonlight bathed the floor, filtering through the broken window in the far wall. The silver beam slanted across Sir’s prone body collapsed across the floor. All traces of the puma were gone. In its place was simply a man—the man she loved—lying with deathlike stillness on the cold concrete.

Teagan swallowed and a harsh whisper escaped her lips, “No.”

Rushing to his side, she dropped to her knees and gently rolled him over. Relief was like a douse of water smothering the burning fear inside her. He lived. His chest rose and fell rhythmically in the moonlight.

Teagan’s joy was short lived. Blood stained Sir’s clothing, and his face was fixed in a mask of pain. He had brought his injuries back with him, upon reentering his human form. Having witnessed the duel of the werebeasts, Teagan knew his injuries were serious. Had she come all this way only to arrive in time to see him die? Hot tears burned in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

“Sir? Can you hear me? It’s Teagan,” she said.

At the sound of her voice, his eyelids shot open unexpectedly. “Get away from me.” It was more of a pained gasp than a command but that made the words hit her all the more forcefully.

“What? No, I don’t want to go. I came back to help you.”

“Like you’ve helped me all along? Secretly plotting behind my back ever since—” His words cut off, interrupted by a spurt of coughing.

Teagan wondered fearfully about the extent of any internal damage. There was more going on here than just the cuts visible on his flesh. “Please. You mustn’t talk right now. Least of all about this.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to make your apologies, ease your conscience a little before I die?” His tone bore a semblance of the old sarcasm she knew so well.

“I didn’t race to your side for petty apologies,” she said, swallowing hard. “I followed you out here to tell you that I’d made a mistake and that I…that I…”

“Let me guess. You’ve fallen in love with me.” He looked like if he hadn’t been suffering he would have laughed. “A bit late to go down that road, honey. I won’t be hanging on long enough to add you to my will.”

“I don’t care about the money!”

“Since when?”

The question pulled her up short. He was right. When had she cared about anything but gaining advantages in life however she could? “People can change,” she offered weakly.

He looked at her and, for the first time, seemed to register her emotions. He coughed again. “You’re serious?”

“Of course I am. Dr. Green is dead and you’re not much better off. Why would I be playing games at such a time?”

He seemed to consider her words for an instant. Then a sudden, sharp pain must have washed over him, for clinching his jaw, he fell silent, apparently concentrating all his strength on the inward agony.

Teagan didn’t know how much longer she could stand this. “What’s taking so long?” she wailed. “Help should’ve been here by now.” She slipped her scarf from around her neck.

“Help?” he gritted. “Don’t tell me you were silly enough to call in the police? Of all the fluff brained—Ow!” His lecture was interrupted by a howl as Teagan pressed the wadded scarf over the bleeding wound on his chest.

“No one called any police,” she told him. “I left a message for your grandfather yesterday. He should be catching up to us anytime now, and when he does, hopefully, he’ll have brought a little help. I didn’t think I could do this on my own. Now keep still,” she added, because a firm tone seemed to be the only way of getting through to him. “You’re as stubborn in your death throes as you are in good health.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he snorted, through gritted teeth. “Nobody’s dying.”

“That’s not what you said a minute ago.”

“A minute ago I was ready to give up. Now that I’ve wrung some sincerity out of you, I might have a reason to hang around awhile yet.”

Teagan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Do you mean that? That you believe me? That I’m forgiven?”

The corner of his mouth twitched upward for a second. “Maybe…”

She sensed he was fading.

His next words confirmed it. “No more time for talk…I need…I just…” His voice trailed off and his eyes rolled closed. He was losing his battle to hang onto consciousness.

“Just need what?” Teagan asked urgently. “If there’s something that can help, tell me what it is. Quickly.”

His eyelids fluttered. “What I came for.” He coughed. “Dr. Green invented a reversal serum. He told me but refused to give it to me. That’s when—”

“That’s when he transformed and you fought him. I know,” she said. “What happened to the serum?”

“Desk.” He pointed vaguely toward the metal counter beneath the window. “Still there.”

Teagan reluctantly left his side and scrambled to the desk. There was an array of tubes and implements scattered across the workspace. But right away her eye fell on a long silver needle lying amid the clutter. It looked just like the ones they used in the doctor’s office to draw blood, only, rather than blood, this one was filled with a clear, bubbly liquid.

“You’re sure this is what you need?” she asked, kneeling, syringe in hand, at Sir’s side.

“That’s the one. He taunted me with the cure so close, and yet—”

“And yet he wouldn’t give it to you,” she finished. “What an evil man.” Her thoughts were interrupted as outside, she heard the roar of a car’s engine. Maybe several cars.

She wasn’t the only one to have heard. “My grandfather,” Sir observed. “Quick. Give me the shot before he gets here. He doesn’t need to know all the details.”

“Okay.” Against her better judgment, Teagan complied, moving the needle to hover over his bicep, where the doctors always did it.

He shook his head, grabbing her wrist. “No,” he gritted. “Heart. Faster that way.” He weakly guided her hand to his chest.

Teagan poised the needle just over the skin. And then she hesitated, a sudden thought striking her. “What if this reversal serum saps the last life out of you? What if the strength of the cat is all that keeps you holding on?”

The corner of his mouth tugged up in a half smile. “Don’t worry. I’ve got something much more powerful than that to hold me up.” His dark eyes were unexpectedly soft. “I’ve got you, haven’t I?” He lifted a tender hand to stroke her cheek.

Despite the uncertainty of their situation, a ray of warmth and hope shot through Teagan. “You meant what you said in your note, didn’t you?” she asked quietly. “About us? A life together and all that.”

He raised a brow. “I see I wrote too much of my heart into that letter. I should’ve saved it for a more romantic moment. A man doesn’t like to make such proposals lying on his back in a pool of his own blood.”

“You couldn’t have chosen a better time or place,” Teagan said truthfully, knowing that until this very instant, she would have been unprepared.

“I guess that says something about our strange relationship to date, doesn’t it?” He tried to laugh and, instead, gave a groan at the pain the effort cost him.

“Oh no.” Teagan bent over him. “Is it growing worse?”

He looked up into her eyes. “Much worse,” he said softly. And then he raised a hand to the back of her head and pulled her face gently down to his. It was a slow kiss, a tender one. This was a touch Teagan could respond to with her whole heart.

“I think I like you this way,” she said softly when it was over.

“What way? Bleeding to death?”

She gasped, starting upright. “Oh my gosh! You almost made me forget! We’ve got to get help in here and do something about these wounds.”

“All in good time. The shot first,” he reminded her.

“All right then.” With shaking hands, Teagan raised the needle and poised it above his chest. She wasn’t sure if she could do this.

In the distance she heard a sharp
bang
, the sound of one of the metal doors to the warehouse being thrown open. Instantly, the ring of several pairs of footsteps echoed hollowly through the building.

“Javen?” someone called loudly. “Answer me, boy. I’m here to help.” Teagan recognized the worried voice of the elder Mr. Rotham. Still, she didn’t move.

“Come on,” Sir whispered soothingly. “You’re a strong woman. Do this for me, Teagan.”

And she did.

Sir flinched a little when the long needle punctured his skin, but Teagan’s resolve held and she didn’t remove the syringe until the last of the serum had been injected. Then she cast the empty needle aside. Pressing a palm to his chest, she found his heart still beat strongly. His breathing stayed steady. All this while, his eyes had followed her movements, and there was a light in them that said he was feeling stronger already.

The echoing voices and footsteps were coming closer to their little room.

Teagan ignored the intrusion on their privacy. “What happens now?” she asked, hovering anxiously by Sir’s side.

“Now?” He smiled. “Now we keep no more secrets.”