Ever After (32 page)

Steeling every bit of courage she had, she sprinted into the circle and leapt straight at Dalton. The two werewolves let go, and he toppled to the ground, with her on top of him. An idea came to mind. If she sounded like she was trying to hurt him, maybe they’d be confused enough not to kill her straight away.

Growling, she clamped the band between her teeth and pulled, hard. She winced at the pain she was causing him. Blood oozed down his arm as the device bent then finally snapped off. A moment later, he broke through his cuffs and yanked off his hood.

Fire exploded into her side, and she let out a painful howl. The smell of singed fur permeated the air. She stumbled, and her legs gave way under the pain. It felt like she’d been hit by lightning. An orange ball of light struck the ground next to her paw, and dirt exploded around her. She tried to scurry away from another blast that came from the other side.

Dalton tossed her a worried look then shoved her behind him. She fell over and couldn’t find the strength to get back up. Then Dalton disappeared. His human body exploded into a towering beast with thick brown fur and claws bigger than her head. He wasn’t just a bear—he was a grizzly. And fucking mad as hell.

Blood pooled under her body, comforting in its warmth. The world started to go black. She didn’t have the energy to panic. All she could see before her vision went completely was Dalton flinging body parts in the air. She hoped she’d wake, if only to see him one last time.

Chapter Six

Protect. Protect what’s mine.

Dalton’s mind blanked except for the chant repeating in his head and the powerful urge to kill. Which he did. Over and over.

When the bodies piled up and nothing had moved for several minutes, he shifted back to human form and ran to Eden. Her body had shifted, too.

A nasty burn covered most of her ribs on one side. Blood made a sticky puddle under her body.

“Shit,” he mumbled.

The wounds weren’t fatal, especially not to a werewolf. Even so, a lump lodged in his throat. What the hell was she doing here?

Gently he lifted her into his arms. It was a long walk back to Cristian’s camp—plenty of time to worry a horrible knot in his chest. He hoped the betrayers weren’t friends of Christian. Dalton was normally a good judge of character, and Cristian had passed his scans earlier, so he gave him the benefit of the doubt.

A woman and two men approached as he walked between two cabins and into the circle, bloody and naked.

“Rafe!” someone yelled.

“Medical is over there.” A woman pointed toward a cabin on the far left.

As he headed there, a dark man flew out of the cabin and to Dalton’s side. “What happened?” He started to look Eden over, and Dalton figured he was the camp doctor.

“Sorcerer’s Bolt,” he answered.

“Inside.” He held open the door to the medical building, and Dalton stepped inside. “First room on the right.”

A bed occupied the room, along with a cabinet, sink, and medical equipment he didn’t recognize. Dalton laid her on the bed carefully. It was hard to let her go. That she hadn’t woken didn’t seem like a good sign.

“I’m Rafe,” the man said. “I’m a doctor. I’ll take care of her.”

Dalton nodded and stepped back but watched his every move and stayed as close to her as he could without being in the way.

The door to the medical cabin slammed shut. Cristian walked into the room. “What happened?”

“Someone in your pack decided to trade me to the sorcerers for money,” he grated out.

Cristian shook his head. “No one in my pack would do that.”

“They were werewolves.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t mean anything. The sorcerers have many rogues working for them. They could’ve been hunting you before you even got here.”

He didn’t sense a lie. Still he remained guarded. “Doesn’t matter. They’re dead.”

“What happened to her?” He nodded toward the unconscious girl on the bed.

His girl. She looked pale and so small. His throat closed up. “Fucking sorcerers.”

Rafe worked on bandaging her side. “Her vitals are fine. She just lost a lot of blood. She’ll regenerate soon. I’ll put an IV in with fluid. I’m betting she’ll be up in a few hours.” At Dalton’s worried expression, he added, “Werewolves are tough. Even the small ones.” He smiled.

Cristian put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry this happened.”

Dalton nodded. He seemed sincere. And Rafe was being gentle with Eden. He couldn’t blame the pack for this.

“Did they take you both?” Cristian asked.

“No.” He kept his eyes on Eden as Rafe pressed a needle into her limp arm. “She found me.” She’d risked her life to save his. He’d never seen courage like that. A tiny thing with almost no fighting skill had hunted down a group of mercenary werewolves and two sorcerers. She’d taken a Bolt for him. Her quick thinking and courage had saved them both.

“How’d you get away?” Cristian asked.

“She’s a smart girl.” He realized the truth as he said it. “Instead of trying to fight them, she ripped off the cuff that kept me from shifting.” Other women might’ve tried to play hero and taken on the enemies by themselves. She knew she’d have gotten them both killed that way, so she’d gone for the safer bet.

“Looks like she saved your life,” Rafe said.

He wanted to hold her, stroke her hair, kiss her from head to toe.

Rafe walked to Dalton, his gaze set on his arm. He looked at it, too, seeing it from the doctor’s point of view. It was pretty torn up.

“You need medical care,” Rafe said.

Dalton started to shake his head.

“You’ll be of no help to her if you’re not in good condition.”

He had a point. With a sigh, he sat on the end of Eden’s bed, careful not to touch her.

Cristian took a cell phone out of his pocket. “Where are the bodies? I’ll have them cleaned up.”

Dalton answered as Rafe cleaned his wound. He barely felt the pain. A numb haze had settled over him since he’d brought Eden here. Though he knew she was safe, and she’d heal, he was still filled with fear. He was only able to ignore the fear because he’d had so much training turning it off.

When he’d been cleaned and bandaged, Rafe pointed toward the hallway. “It’s best if you get some rest. There’s an empty bed in the room across the hall.”

“No.” His tone didn’t invite argument.

Rafe nodded. “Well, tell me when she wakes, and I’ll check her for a concussion.”

A wave of exhaustion hit him when Rafe left the room. He looked at Eden. At least she seemed at peace. The doctor had wiped the blood from the uninjured parts of her body. She was still naked under the sheet, which made him feel a sense of possessiveness. When she woke, they’d be putting clothing on her straight away. For now, he’d leave her be.

Feeling dizzy, he looked for somewhere in the room to lie down. The only option was the bed. She was so small she took up less than half of it.

Ever so gently, he scooted up the bed and stretched his long body out next to hers. He laid his head on the pillow and stared at her delicate face. Tiny ears, long lashes, pink lips… She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, even injured and unconscious. Carefully, he laid his arm across her chest, avoiding the bandaged injury, and then he buried his face in her neck. Even with all the ointments and medicine, she still smelled like her. Like perfection. Like his woman.

****

Eden woke to an achy body and someone snoring in her ear. She cracked open her eyes to see a head full of black hair under her chin. A familiar scent surrounded her.

Dalton. She smiled. Her neck was currently his pillow, and his arm draped across her chest as if he were protecting her from some invisible threat. She looked around the room. They were in a hospital of some sort. Medical equipment filled the sterile-smelling room. Where had he taken her? Back to Cristian’s camp? Under the scent of Dalton and medicine, the scent of werewolf lingered.

Her body felt stiff, and lying on her back was getting uncomfortable. She shifted a bit, trying not to jostle Dalton. His soft snores sounded so peaceful. And that he’d practically wrapped himself around her made tears form in her eyes. Maybe he’d rejected her on a surface level, but deep down inside, she was his.

Dalton stirred. Wincing, she turned to her side to face him. He lifted his head. Upon seeing her grinning at him, he jumped up.

“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

She chuckled then groaned when a sharp pain stabbed her ribs. “No. I’m okay.”

He started at her, seeming conflicted about whether to believe her.

“Lie back down,” she said. “Please?”

She must’ve sounded pitiful enough because he did. Faces only inches apart, they gazed at each other. She couldn’t stop smiling. After being hit by the Bolt, she’d thought she might never see him again. Not only was he right in front of her, but he also looked healthy. And she was feeling better by the minute.

Unable to stop herself, she smoothed her hand over his hair then giggled. “You have bed head.”

He scowled. “You’re one to talk.” Then his scowl turned to a grin. “You should’ve seen your hair the day I first met you.”

When she’d run from the forest, panicked about being late? “Shut up,” she teased. “I can’t always be beautiful.”

Soft fingers traced her lips. “You’re always beautiful to me.”

Though the words made her want to jump with glee, she didn’t think she could handle flattery when he was just going to leave her in a few days. Her heart sank at the thought. “Don’t say things like that.”

He sighed and moved his hand to cup her cheek. “I thought I’d lost you. It felt like my world was about to end.” His voice broke. “I can’t ignore my feelings for you. Not even to spare myself.”

Her stomach fluttered. Was it too much to hope? “Feelings?”

He nodded and swallowed hard. “Love.” It was barely a whisper, as if he was having trouble speaking.

“You…love me?”

“I do.” He smiled. “I adore you. I’m humbled by you. I want to make you happy.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she was pretty sure she was grinning stupidly. “Really? Like, you want to be with me in a real relationship? One where you take me home to meet your parents?”

He chuckled. “Yes.” A frown appeared, and his brow creased. “
If
you’ll have me. I’d understand if you said no. I haven’t exactly been good to you since we met. You have no idea how sorry I am.”

A sob escaped her. He wanted her. He loved her. Nothing else mattered. “It’s in the past.”

“It wasn’t right.”

“Just shhh.” She pressed her finger over his lips. “You’re ruining the moment.” She snorted a half giggle.

“I’m trying to apologize.”

“You don’t have to.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but a new voice came from the doorway. “She’s up,” a smiling man said. “How are you feeling?”

Dalton jolted off the bed and took a protective stance in front of her.

“I’m okay,” she answered, giving Dalton a push so she could see the man. “Just a little sore.”

“Let’s get you checked out.” The man came toward the bed, and Dalton reluctantly moved away. “I’m Rafe. The pack doctor.”

She smiled. “Eden.”

After donning a pair of rubber gloves, he checked her pulse then her eyes and asked her a few questions. When it was clear she wasn’t concussed, he slowly unwrapped the bandage around her ribs. Dalton frowned then he took off his T-shirt and threw it over her bare breasts.

“Look at that,” Rafe said, studying her injury.

She looked down. The burn marks were gone. Just some angry bruising remained.

“Told you she was tough,” he said to Dalton.

“Does that mean I can get up? I gotta pee like a motherfucker, and I’m starving.”

Rafe laughed but nodded. “Let me take the IV out first.”

There was a little pinch coming out, and then she was free. She looked up at Dalton. “Clothes?”

“Oh! Right.” He grabbed his bag from the corner of the room and fished out her spare T-shirt and shorts. Then he glared at the doctor. “Can we get some privacy?”

“Of course. Go slow getting up, Eden. Cafeteria is the big cabin to the right. There’ll be food there. Just follow your nose.” With that, he winked and then left the room.

After they both dressed in clean clothing and she had used the bathroom, they headed toward the cafeteria. A whiff of delicious-scented air caught her as they walked through the door. Eggs, bacon, fruit. Her stomach growled.

They loaded up their plates and took seats at one of the long tables. The room was mostly empty. A few women sat to one side, speaking in low murmurs. They only glanced at them once then went back to talking.

Cristian walked in as they were finishing up, accompanied by a tall redhead with pale skin, violet eyes, and toned body wrapped in tight leather. Then her scent hit Eden. Blood.

Eden flew out of her seat. “Vampire,” she whispered.

Dalton stood, turning toward the stranger, and then he pulled Eden behind his back, almost knocking the table over in the process.

“Easy,” Cristian said, his hands out in a peaceful gesture. “This is my mate, Natalia.”

Mate? He’d mated with a vampire? Dalton didn’t back down, but his shoulders relaxed a little. Eden peeked out from behind him. Natalia’s lips stayed set in a firm line. She didn’t seem offended at least. In fact, she looked rather bored.

“I’ll leave you to deal with this,” she said to Cristian.

He grabbed her around the waist before she’d made it two steps then kissed her. Immediately, Eden saw a shift in Natalia. Her hard body softened and melted against Cristian’s.

A moment later, he smiled at her then whispered, “I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

Natalia left, and Cristian turned to her and Dalton. “Please. Sit. You’re not in any danger.”

Dalton nodded at Eden, and they both sat down. Cristian did the same on the other side of the table. “The pack counsel decided to help you. I’ll send a team of some of my best to Wales as soon as possible.”

“Really?” Eden beamed. “You’ll help us? Oh that would be awesome!”

He chuckled then added, in a serious tone, “But if it starts looking like a suicide mission, we reserve the right to reconsider.”