Mates in Life and Death (12 page)

It reached out to Linden’s very soul, and he cried out, uncaring if

others heard. He forgot any sense of time and space, just clinging to

his lovers, unwilling to let this moment pass.

But as much as he tried, the fragile perfection tore and the haze of

orgasm began to dwindle. Linden recovered from the afterglow,

exhausted and sore in all the right places, still between his lovers’

hard bodies.

There were no words for what they’d just experienced, so none of

them spoke. They reveled in each other’s warmth, until at last, the

weight of the world settled on Linden’s shoulders again. How long

would this last? Would he lose his mates, just like the Magistrate

predicted?

Sighing, Linden began to clean himself up and put on his clothes.

His mates did the same. The last thing Linden wanted was to return to

the real world, but he didn’t have much choice.

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As they headed toward the house, Linden’s eyes fell on a slim

figure standing just a few feet from it. He recognized it as Jocelyn and

gaped. How long had she been there? How come they hadn’t felt her?

Even if Linden’s premonitions failed him, Ash and Dan should have

smelled her.

She glowered at them, and for once, her eyes didn’t hold just

hostility, but pure evil. It momentarily hypnotized Linden, so much so

that he registered what happened next in slow motion.

Jocelyn retrieved a gun and pointed it at Dan. A shot rang out,

almost obscenely loud. Linden lunged forward, desperate to save his

mate. It was as if he saw it all before it even happened, an instinct of

sorts rather than anything else. Linden became aware of the real flow

of his existence just as a bullet hit his chest.

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Chapter Six

Dan’s heart nearly stopped when he saw his mate take the bullet

meant for him. His brain couldn’t fathom this sudden development.

He shot forward and caught his human just before Linden hit the

ground. His hands trembled as he took in the wound now gaping in

his mate’s chest. There was so much blood, God, so much blood. Dan

tried to stem the flow as best he could, but he knew he didn’t have a

chance.

Where was everyone? Just an hour or so ago, the area had been

swarming with soldiers. Now, they all seemed to have disappeared.

The ghostly woman began to cackle. “Well, it isn’t exactly what I

intended, but it doesn’t hurt.”

She prepared herself to shoot once again. Ash rushed toward her,

shifting as he did so. She moved with surprising speed and directed

the gun at Ash. Ash managed to dodge the first bullet but didn’t have

the same luck with the second one. It hit him in the shoulder, leaving

a burning trail in its wake. Silver then.

Ash didn’t cease his attack, but Dan knew his wolf mate didn’t

have a chance of reaching her before she shot again. Torn between

Ash and Linden, he didn’t know what to do. She was too far to reach,

and he didn’t have his own gun with him. He doubted it would have

worked even if it did.

To his surprise, a small wolf came to their aid. Something inside

Dan recognized it as it tried to tear at Jocelyn. In an odd development,

the wolf’s claws went straight through Jocelyn without harming her.

The small wolf shifted into Clara, and Dan watched his mother

struggle against the ghost, trying to take the gun out of Jocelyn’s

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grasp. The specter almost seemed satisfied and pushed her away with

striking ease. Clara flew several feet before hitting a nearby tree.

Jocelyn moved so fast Dan’s eyes couldn’t even spot her, and

before either of them could do anything else, he shot the only mother

Dan could remember.

After that, the world exploded into chaos. Somehow, the people

inside must have heard because others surrounded them. Jocelyn

didn’t have time to try and attack Dan once again, as Wolfram

appeared.

“Cease this madness,” he growled.

Jocelyn laughed, and to Dan’s ears, it sounded strangely

multiplied, as if through speakers all around him. “Did you think you

could control us forever, Magistrate? No one can, not even you.”

For the first time, Dan figured out where the other soldiers had

gone. A white mist enshrouded them all, and hundreds of hands held

wriggling wolf bodies within their grasp. The Magistrate frowned in

their general direction, and just like that, the hands evaporated,

releasing their captives. It might have seemed a good thing, but

instead, the specters pooled toward Jocelyn, involving her in an eerie

glowing cocoon.

Strangely, the light she emitted looked dark, like a light bulb of

the wrong color that hurt people’s eyes. When the Magistrate spoke

again, his voice seemed to echo, as if it hit a solid wall around her.

“I’ve kept you here so far,” he said. “Nothing will change.”

“Is that so?” Jocelyn chuckled again, and in her voice hundreds

seemed to laugh with her. “Your power is fading, Magistrate. Souls

never die, no matter what you might think. And it’s time for us to

break free.”

Dan registered all this as if through a dream. His mind and soul

remained on his injured mates. As far as he could tell, Ash’s wound

wasn’t so severe, but Dan could feel Linden’s life fade with each

second that passed. “Please,” he choked out, not sure who he was

addressing. “Help us.”

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His words drew the attention of both Jocelyn and Drew toward

them. Drew rushed to their side while Jocelyn smirked at them. “You

can’t save him,” she said. “And besides, it’s only fair. Why should

you have your mates when all of us were denied?”

Clearly, she had something against Dan, although for the life of

him, Dan didn’t know what it could be. He’d never seen the woman

before. Perhaps he’d met her in his life as Caesar, but even when

scanning through those memories, he couldn’t find her.

Willow joined them, her pale face etched with concern. “Please,

Doctor Blunt,” she begged. “Help my son.”

Drew nodded while Lucius D’Averam set himself between them

and Jocelyn. Dan lost sight of them as he directed his attention to the

way Drew analyzed Linden’s wound. Drew looked completely

focused, and his expression seemed neutral, but Dan knew his friend

well. He could tell what Drew thought about Linden’s state, and it

wasn’t good.

Ash crawled toward them and shifted to human form. “How is

he?”

“Not good,” Drew answered. “The bullet just missed the heart,

and he’s losing a lot of blood. I’d have to operate, but I fear moving

him, and until tomorrow, I’m poorly equipped.” He paused and gave

both Ash and Dan a serious look. “There is another way, but I’m not

sure it would work.”

Dan knew what his friend was getting at. He’d witnessed Drew’s

miraculous recovery after Valerius and Trent claimed him. But would

it work now?

“No!” Jocelyn screeched in the background. “You will not! I

won’t let you.”

Her scream made Dan look up, and he was just in time to see

Lucius shake his head. “Enough of this, Alec. You died. Let it go.”

He sounded shockingly sad, something Dan couldn’t associate

with D’Averam. Then again, one of his mates was dead, the other just

clinging to life a few feet away from them. As he thought this,

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Lucius’s words registered and Jocelyn’s figure faded into that of a

handsome man. At last, Dan understood.

They all knew the story. Lucius and Clara D’Averam had a human

mate, whom they’d abandoned to the feral virus after Lucius bit him.

Just a few months back, Alec had killed himself in front of his two

mates, Valerius and Trent. Somehow, his soul must have ended up

here. No wonder he wanted to kill Dan. In his past incarnation, Dan

had been the product of the union between Lucius and Clara. Alec had

every reason to be angry, and it would seem that all his insanity and

resentment burst out now in his afterlife.

All the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fit. No wonder

Lucius had known to come here. His connection with Alec must

remain in place, even beyond the other man's death.

“I’ll never let it go,” Alec said. “I waited so long for you, as a

woman, as a man. So many lives, I knew you’d come. But you two

destroyed everything. Jocelyn died alone, and Alec died insane. I will

have you pay. You and yours will never be rid of me.”

Lucius didn’t reply, but Wolfram stepped in. “Enough of your

nonsense. Back off.”

A wave of power swept over them, and the light around Alec

flickered. Still, the ghost smiled. “It won’t be so easy, Magistrate.

We’ve had enough of you and your high- handedness.”

A second attack made the shield curl around Alec even tighter.

The specter actually laughed. “You don’t learn, do you?”

The third assault came from Alec, and to Dan’s shock, it hit

Wolfram with such power the Magistrate went flying as if he were

nothing but a discarded child’s toy. Shit, shit, shit. They were in

trouble.

Dan had already known Alec-Jocelyn’s power went beyond theirs.

Hell, the spirit wolf soldier had suffered from a massive mind-control

spell, which Dan now realized was all courtesy of Alec. But to think

Alec's magic could surpass Wolfram’s scared him. They didn’t have

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much time before Linden submitted to his injury, and with the specter

looming over them, they couldn’t even try to treat him.

Thankfully, Wolfram reemerged and shot forward at an amazing

speed. He almost seemed to materialize in front of them out of

nowhere.

He didn’t say anything else, but Dan felt the power accumulate,

like a nuclear power plant overloading. He swore even the ground

began to shake. All of a sudden, in place of Wolfram stood a huge

wolf, larger than Linden’s whole house. The animal shone so brightly

Dan had to look away. It—he—lunged on Alec. Opposite energies

clashed against one another, but this time, the ghost no longer seemed

so sure of himself.

With Alec kept busy by Wolfram, Dan pulled Ash closer and over

Linden. “We need to try,” he said. The injury was beyond medical

help, but their bite might save Linden yet. Time was running out. As

much as he trusted Wolfram, Dan couldn’t be sure of the aftermath of

this battle, and if they didn’t do this now, they might not get the

chance later.

Linden cracked his eyes open and whispered, “Do it. We’ll be

fine.”

Dan wasn’t so sure. He shared a look with Ash, and then they both

pressed a kiss to Linden’s now clammy skin. Trembling, they each

took position on opposite sides of Linden’s neck and bit down.

Blood invaded Dan’s mouth, burning the back of his throat with

the lingering trace of silver. After a few seconds, Dan felt Linden’s

heart falter and stop. His brain began to scream, and his soul shattered

at the mere realization that he’d lost his human mate.

But then, their connection reached out, burning between them

stronger than ever like a white, glowing bridge. Linden’s heart started

to beat again, and in his mind’s eye, Dan saw the bullet being pushed

out of Linden’s body and the flesh knitting back together.

Transcendental heat engulfed them, until their very souls seemed to

blend and become one. Dan felt what his mates did, Ash’s fear, his

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awe at having his own wounds healed, then Linden’s love for them

both, gratitude at being granted a second chance, and apprehension at

what might come. The connection with Ash was dimmer, since they

hadn’t claimed each other yet, but Linden acted like a conduit for

them both, anchoring their energies together.

Dan released his hold on Linden, knowing his mate couldn’t

afford to lose more blood. He licked the wound, then lifted his head

and smiled down at his mate. There was no sign of the feral insanity

that took over during their past lives.

Linden’s color had already gone from deathly pale to a healthier

glow. Dan threw a look Drew’s way and breathed a sigh of relief

when his friend nodded. It had worked. Tears flowed from Willow’s

eyes as she caressed her son’s face.

A loud howl snapped him out of his happy daze. He recalled the

ongoing battle and looked up to an amazing sight. The wolf—

Wolfram—opened its massive jaws and snapped them over Alec. A

burst of light blinded Dan, and his ears were filled by a peculiar

buzzing sound. For a few moments, his brain seemed to stop, his

muscles froze, and the only thing that remained unchanged and as

strong as ever was his connection with his mates. In front of the

overwhelming power, Dan felt small and insignificant, but he clung to

his bond with Linden and Ash, and it protected him.

Finally, the surreal spell started to fade away. As Dan’s vision

cleared, he saw his ruler stand in front of Alec. No shields or barriers