Evangelina Green (27 page)

She ducked her head when Lina would’ve given
her a head-slap, and laughed with her as they grabbed the one-eyed
Teddy and went to the kitchen for...you guessed it...tea.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Keaton was exhausted. He
had just spent the last three days and nights tracking the rogues.
He'd caught up with them south of Little Rock and they had a
discussion
that ended
with them cutting their loses and running. He managed to kill one
and he’d found another pack member they'd left behind. He’d been
near-death from the beating and slicing he sustained, compliments
of his so-called friends. They didn't want to leave him alive but
he was tougher than they'd thought. He lived long enough to talk
but Keaton hadn’t gotten much out of him. The only reason he felt
it might be enough was because he now knew their destination with a
hint to their general direction.

They’d left their "friend" for dead. Now
Keaton might actually have an advantage. They didn’t know he had
the intel and if he hurried, he might be able to cut them off.

So far they’d killed or maimed at least a
dozen humans and now with this last death, they’d killed four
shifters. Much to Keaton’s surprise, one had been a were-bear, and
they were rare. Until the day he found it they were thought of as
extinct. This one was a female and by the looks of her, she’d given
birth only a month or so before they killed her.

He only hoped her cubs were safe and taken
care of. He had no way to check on them and felt helpless for the
umpteenth time since he started this trek. It was so unnecessary to
waste a life that way. To prove a point? What point is worth
sixteen or more lives? The cubs could be dead. He shuddered at that
thought. A whole species could be wiped out with one thoughtless
act!

Keaton had a soft spot for kids of any
species and thought back to his last basket full of patients and
their adorable owner, Kim. He wondered how she was doing with her
kitten. What was the name she picked out? Oh yeah...Patches. Cute
kid. He sure hoped Lina wanted kids because he wanted a house full.
His thoughts drifted to Lina and how soft she was, her skin and her
heart. She was kind and thoughtful to everyone. Maybe a little too
kind...reminding himself he needed to speak to Jason about his late
night trips to the mansion. He didn’t want his cousin taking
advantage of the sisters. And he especially didn’t want that
good-looking wolf anywhere near his mate!

The rouges were still in central Arkansas
but headed south, straight for the mansion. The dying wolf had even
mentioned the mansion by name. He headed straight back home. Home?
Yeah... Lina was home wherever they ended up.

Keaton rushed through the dark streets on
his Harley, at speeds he shouldn’t be driving but he wanted to get
as far ahead of the Outers as possible and ensure the sisters,
Jason and his pack were all safe. Yeah, he was in a hurry to see
his Angel, truth be told. He slowed some, no sense getting killed
on the way. He’d be glad he did, later.

He began daydreaming—at night—about their
reunion.

He sees her running down the front steps
when she hears his bike on the drive. She jumps into his open arms
and he kisses her—as she wraps herself around him. She clings to
his shoulders, pulling her warm, soft body against his. When she
breaks for air, “I love you wolfman. Thank God you’re home and
safe!” She kisses his face and starts on his neck. “Whoa Angel.” He
gently sets her away. “I’ve missed you so much more, I don’t think
I can wait to feel you naked in my arms...but not out here.” Lina
giggles, grabs his hand and tugs him up the front steps into the
house.

Before his “dream” can finish, a huge truck
drove around him, and honked loudly. He looked up to see the
driver, mostly to make sure the driver saw him and how close he was
to the bike. He swore the guy looked familiar but the red eyes
changed his appearance, so his initial thought might be wrong. The
eyes told him this was an attack and it was demonic or magical in
composition. Yet he did favor someone he’d seen...somewhere.

The driver grinned an evil smile at him and
swerved into Keaton’s lane and almost sideswiped him. The back
draft from the racing semi pushed Keaton to the side of the road.
He couldn’t control the bike at that speed on gravel. He slid in
the emergency lane, gravel crunching, wind blowing. He viewed it
all in slow motion. He knew he wasn’t going to stay upright for
long but he had to try.

The Harley actually
flipped twice but he held tight. Surprised he hadn’t been flattened
by the bike, he lost his hold on the next flip and flew over the
handlebars, skidded and rolled several feet, gravel imbedding into
his face, arms and upper chest, before he rolled into the fetal
position. The bike followed him, spitting up dust and making noise
that made the accident sound worse that it was, before both went
down a steep embankment. Then with his final word, he lost
consciousness.
Lina!

Lina jerked awake, and screamed at the top
of her lungs.

"Keaton
!" Scrambling to loosen herself from the tangle of her sheets
she fell to the floor but was up and running for the door in one
breath.

"Netta!” Pulling the door open she ran smack
into her sister. They tumbled in a mix of arms and legs before Lina
jumped up and was dressing while running down the stairs.

"Keaton’s hurt! I feel it...but I don’t know
where he is!" Netta was dressing on the fly also and right behind
her.

"Lina, wait! Maybe your
gem...could...help...us...
Wait
!” Lina stopped dead in her
tracks and Netta ran into her backside.

"We’ve got to slow down
before one of us breaks a bone or we get
clown costumes.
We need a
plan.”

Lina crumbled into a heap at the bottom
stair and blubbered. "I have to find him. He’s hurt! He...he could
be...dying!" She wailed.

Netta knelt to hold her and rocked with her,
murmuring words of comfort. They eventually both calmed down. Lina
took a deep, wobbly breath and stood.

“
Okay. I’m better now. But
I still feel him. He’s badly hurt. I know it."

She paced with her arms wrapped around
herself. Netta watched her with worried eyes.

"Have you tried to see anything with your
gem? Or maybe it could be used like a GPS type thingy? We have no
idea what that thing can do...but what have we got to lose? Try
something with it." Lina continued pacing but looked
thoughtful.

“
Okay... let’s see what it
can do, or rather what I can do
with
it
.”

She pointed her arm at the wall—palm out and
squinted. Nothing. Damn.

"Maybe you need to say
something? Like...
find
Keaton
?" Lina pointed again,
concentrated.

"Find Keaton.” Nothing. She felt nothing but
a faint tingle up her arm and into her shoulder. "I feel something,
but...”

She stopped short when they heard a moan. It
might have been Keaton but Lina didn’t feel him. They walked toward
the sound coming from the living room. She paused here and
there—holding her palm out parallel to the walls—letting her hand
lead her. She stopped at the fireplace and felt the tingle again
but stronger. She aimed in the direction of the fireplace and
repeated.

"Find Keaton!” The house shook. Actually it
vibrated and another moan sounded from above the mantle, which
suddenly began shaking and crumbling. The plaster fell and
wallpaper peeled until a small cabinet started to appear.

"Netta?" She sounded wobbly.

"I’m right here, hon. You’re doin’
great.”

Lina focused and kept her palm aimed at the
wall. "Find Keaton.”

The following roar pushed them both out of
the room with its force.

"Noooo!
"
They recognized it as the same
bodiless voice they’d heard twice before.

"Find Keaton!” She
commanded, in her loudest voice,
and
then
they saw a mirror inside the cabinet.
The same mirror she’d
almost
seen in her dream. Slowly an image appeared. Then
they saw her love, reflected in the glass, lying on the ground,
bloody and lying in an unnatural position. He looked...Lina
sobbed...he looked dead! Her knees wobbled and Netta had to hold
her up grabbing her around the waist.

"He’s not dead! You’d know it! You’d feel
it! Ask where he is and let’s go get your man!”

Lina took a fresh lung
full of air. "
Where
is Keaton?”

The mirror vibrated and a new vision
appeared. The image was of woods, dissected by a dark, paved road
and a crumpled Harley on the hillside. They both gasped at the pile
of mangled metal. The view pulled back and they spied in the
distance...an abandoned gasoline station.

"I know where he is!” Netta whispered
excitedly. "We passed there on the way here. We even had to stop
there to re-arrange our load. Something was rattling and Tashi was
goin’ nuts. You know how she is, she won’t rest until she fixes the
noise...”

She babbled as she pulled Lina to the
door.

"Let’s go get your wolfee!"

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The drive was taking for-everrrrr. The
sisters had put together a first aid kit and Lina even remembered
to contact Jason. She’d left a voice-mail message but she figured
he’d get it and be there. The closed station was only about 30
miles from the mansion but that could have been a thousand miles to
Lina. She had nothing to do but sit in the passenger seat and
twitch. She felt she should do something! She tried Jason again and
got him on the first ring.

"I’m on the way and should be there about
the same time as you. Don’t worry, boss lady. Wolves are really
hard to kill.”

She could hear by the
background he wasn’t driving...maybe running? If he was in wolf
form, how could he talk? Then she heard the
beep
! It was his greeting! What a
sweet thing to do. He’d figured out a way to comfort her and get
there really fast. She just thanked him as her message and hung up.
She felt better knowing they’d have him helping.

"Maybe you can try to contact Keaton? Ya
know…the mate-to-mate stuff?"

Netta sounded doubtful, but the idea has
some merit.

"Keaton? My love? Can you hear me?
Please…sweetheart...try!" Lina held her breath and listened in
silence. She could hear the engine of the Tashi’s car straining
against Netta’s lead-foot. The wind blowing outside the window was
as loud as her own heartbeat thumping hard in her chest.

"Angel?" A weak reply.

"Oh my
God
! Keaton!”

Netta swerved the car in surprise when Lina
shouted.

"It worked! Netta! He called me Angel! Hurry
please!”

Netta pushed the auto harder, knowing Tashi
would understand if she blew the engine—but also knowing
Tashi...she’d pay for it...forever. Tashi sure loved her little
hatchback.

"Thank you God!” She uttered and took the
next turn on two wheels, squealing onto the long straightaway where
they could the see the station ahead.

"Where is he? I don’t see the Harley
yet...oh God. Keaton baby...hold on, please!”

They saw a flash of tan fur pass them and
followed it or rather him—it was Jason in wolf form. They found the
bike, screeched to a halt and Lina flew out the door, leaving the
car in the middle of the road. She was down the embankment and out
of sight before Netta could grab the first aid kit and follow.

Jason was already kneeling beside Keaton in
human form and naked, of course but this time nobody cared. Keaton
was alive! Jason had cut most of the clothing off with a very large
and very sharp knife. "I never leave home without it." He
grinned.

They had him rolled over
onto his back,
oh God there was a lot of
blood!
Keaton's face was a mass of raw
meat, having been thrown into gravel, sliding on his face and upper
body, then into the brambles in the woods. He had several gashes on
his head and head wounds always bled a lot. Right?

Lina was trying to think logically and not
panic. She helped Jason get Keaton’s pants off, trying to stay
calm. She was trying not to barf or start bawling or worse, hurt
her wolfman. Keaton moaned but he didn’t open his eyes.

"Let me see, Lina...please? I need to clean
some of these wounds and see if they’re serious or not."

Netta gently moved a ghost-white Lina
towards Keaton’s feet.

"See if you can gently get his boots off."
They were giving her something to do while she and Jason worked on
the damage done to their friend.

Netta was cleaning his neck and arms. There
were the expected cuts and abrasions but nothing serious. His chest
was worse with some larger cuts and probably needed stitches but
even as she mopped blood and dirt away, she could see healing had
begun. She marveled at the magic of the wolves, but didn’t
linger.

His legs had been
protected, because of his riding chaps. He apparently went commando
under his jeans and Netta grinned. Lina would freak out if she
thought Netta was ogling her wolf-man’s private parts. She had to
admit though...
he was
fiiiiine
. She'd rate him an eleven or
twelve on the scale of one to tem. Well-muscled arms, chest,
legs…and ahem...well endowed.

“
Like what you see little
sister?” groaned Keaton. Everyone stilled. “Hey...Angel. Whatcha
doin’ way down there? Get up here and give me a kiss.”