Guarding Mari (9 page)

“I don’t plan on getting shot again.” She thought she could save him. Why else would she be working so hard? Daniel coughed, his back left the floor. Mari pushed him back down again.

“Keep still. You’re lucky the bullet didn’t get caught up in your blood stream. They have a habit of traveling through the body. Weird, but true. Here it is, wedged into bone. I’m sorry, this will hurt.”

“What, more than it already does—oh, for the love of the Goddess!” A pain unlike anything else he’d suffered tore through him. The fever spiked shredding the darkness settling over him. He collapsed back onto the floor. The thud made stars dance in front of his eyes.

“Daniel, are you still with me?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“You’re not going to bleed out; the bullet wound is already closing up. I need to wrap you in blankets and build up the fire. That should help you sweat the infection out.” She ignored his question, and Daniel didn’t like that.
What is she planning?
  “I’m hoping, with the bullet out of you, your wolf will take over the healing process. Ryback probably didn’t think I’d risk taking it out. You’ll be okay. You need to rest, let your wolf take over.”

“You can’t go to him.” She curled up next to him, a comforting presence he desperately needed. “Promise me, you’re not going to go to him.”

A heavy sigh tore at his heart. He needed to protect her, couldn’t let her just walk away to be killed. “I can’t promise that. I’m sorry, but the last thing I plan on doing is lying to you.” She moved her arm around his waist. “You need to keep warm. I’m going to send out word to the pack, tell them to be careful, but they need to come for you, take you to a hospital. If Ryback thinks I’ve called them for help, he’ll detonate the bombs. So I’ll tell them to wait, about an hour. It should be finished by then.”

“Damn it, Mari.” He coughed out the words and felt coldness against his cheek, a kiss. “If you think I’ll be all right, then wait for me. Let me come with you.” Darkness blurred his vision. He tried to hold onto consciousness like it was a physical thing, but weakness dragged him under.

“We don’t have the time to wait. I’m sorry, Daniel, but I would rather risk me than you.”

A brush of her lips against his, droplets of tears trailed down his cheeks, and he knew they weren’t from him. “Mari....”

“Goodbye, Daniel...I love you.”

She slipped on a pair of jeans and a sweater before heading out, a knife hidden up her sleeve. The blade wasn’t sharp, but even a dull knife with shifter strength behind it would kill a man. She pulled on her boots and cast one more look at the sleeping form of her mate; she’d already sent a message to the pack. She could have called them, but she didn’t want to risk Adam talking her out of her plan. He would fail, but there was only so much time left, and she didn’t want Ryback coming to the cabin. He’d end up killing Daniel or finding another way to use him against her in his weakened state, if he thought the shot hadn’t killed him.

She hiked back up to the pond. Ryback had talked about their connection, but Mari sure as hell wasn’t comfortable using it. She had no idea how it worked, and if it was so potent, why the hell hadn’t she sensed him? If she’d been and done better, Daniel wouldn’t have gotten shot.

Tears welled up in her eyes.
Dammit
. She wiped the back of her hand against her eyes. Ryback couldn’t win. He wouldn’t succeed in breaking her. She’d changed since the original attack, no longer a confident doctor who didn’t know about the world that lived in the shadows next to hers. Now she was a wolf. She’d hunted and killed.

Ryback had destroyed everything close to her heart, changing her into something she didn’t recognize at the time. Daniel was the light to Ryback’s darkness, even though he never thought of himself that way. He believed darkness tainted his soul. That he didn’t deserve any of the lightness or goodness which having a mate meant. She’d seen past that. The way he’d held her in his arms the night in the motel, like she was made out of spun glass. Even when her wolf tore through to the surface. After that, she’d been happy, finding a moment pure and beautiful in all the mayhem of her first shift. She wished she’d told Daniel. If it all went to hell, she wanted him to know how happy he’d made her in the moments they’d finally been together. A few hours and a day, with the threat of death hanging over their heads, had been the happiest she’d ever been.

Ryback is going to pay for fucking with my happiness
.

Mari pushed trees out of the way. The strain of climbing up the steep hill made the backs of her legs burn. The clouds were dark. The moon hung low in the sky. It wouldn’t be much longer before it hung high in a black sky scattered with stars. The still water and the scent of Daniel’s blood still thick in the air. She mentally pushed the sadness away and let her wolf dance to the surface, as angry as she was, and desperate for revenge. The wolf worked on instinct, but she needed a cool head. With a deep breath, she took note of her surroundings, pinpointing Ryback’s scent. In all honesty, she’d never forgotten it. The way it made her nose wrinkle in distaste—even when she’d been human, he’d had the same effect on her. The bitterness inside of him seeped into her like a cancer. Mari would never forget where she came from, who’d infected her.

She walked around in small circles, ignoring Daniel’s blood, following the scent through the trees where Ryback had vanished earlier. There were a lot of hiding places in the mountains, but Ryback had made no effort to hide his scent completely. Did he honestly think she’d just walk to her death? That she wouldn’t be able to fight and beat him, so why should he bother hiding from her? It couldn’t be possible the sweet doctor he’d infected had turned into a ruthless and effective killer.

Mari snarled.

Ryback should have kept it between the two of them. She took another deep breath, tasting the air on her tongue. The bitterness seeped closer. Ryback watched her from somewhere. Her eyes adjusted to the growing darkness quickly; the cold knife pressed against her skin as she scanned her surroundings. There must have been some snowfall while she’d operated on Daniel, since there weren’t any footprints. He was close, though, watching her from the shadows. She knew it. She made her way up, higher into the mountains. Without any light up except for the moon, she relied on her exceptional shifter sight. There were lights in the distance, towns and cities far away, filled with people who didn’t know about their world, and who went blissfully about their lives. Mari used to envy them.

“I know you’re here. You just plan on watching me like a coward?” Her voice sounded impossibly loud to her ears.

“Did you follow our connection?” Ryback stepped out from behind some trees. He generally looked curious.

“We don’t have a connection,” she growled at him. It wouldn’t take much to unleash the wolf, and she would have preferred it. She wanted to get his blood on her hands, to take vengeance for the murder of Malcolm, the girls before her, and the ones he’d killed after Daniel rescued her.

“It’s not good to lie to yourself, not good for the soul.”

“You don’t have a soul.”

Ryback touched a hand to his chest and she noticed the gun in his hand. “Oh I have one, even the bad ones do. The way to deal with it, though, is to pretend it doesn’t exist. That little voice inside of you, the one who whispers that the things you’re doing are bad, well, you block the bitch out.”

Mari gestured to the gun. “Are you planning on killing me with that? I didn’t think it was your style. You like it up close and personal. You like to taste the fear.”

A smile touched his lips, as if she pleased him. “You remembered.”

“How could I forget?” It was like they were old friends, shooting the breeze, instead of enemies, instead of murderer and his chosen victim. “You know I’m not going to make it easy for you.”

“I didn’t think that you would, but I thought I should at least give you a sporting chance.”

“That was your last mistake.” Her body shifted from human to wolf as raged flooded every part of her. She snarled at him as she leaped.

A cool splash of water touched his lips, and Daniel opened his eyes. How long had he been unconscious, trapped in a dreamless sleep? The dying fire, the blankets around his naked body stuck to him…it could have been days instead of hours. The cabin wasn’t empty any longer; Katherine Moon leaned over him, holding the cup pressed to his lips. Daniel didn’t have to look around to know that Adam would be close. Katherine wouldn’t be without him. He reached out with his senses for the connection between him and Mari and came up empty. His wolf might have repaired the majority of the damage, but he would have to shift to heal the rest of it.

“Where is she?”

Adam clicked his phone shut. “We’re not sure. I’ve got some of the pack hunting the mountain in human form, paired with wolves. Ryback planted bombs around the area. It’s not making it easy.”

“How are you feeling?” Katherine asked.

A cool calmness traveled through him. “I’m alive. Why am I?”

Kat ran her hand over his shoulder, her eyes closed. “You were hit with a silver bullet?” Daniel nodded; his head throbbed with the simple movement. “Mari removed it, wrapped you up in the blankets to help you sweat it out of your system. It took quick thinking on her part. Wolves have naturally high temperatures, being able to burn through drugs at a rapid pace. It worked on the silver as well. You’re going to be sick for a while, weak but alive. What are you doing?”

As Kat talked Daniel pushed the blanket off. “I’ve got to find her.”

“You’re no good to her in this state.” Adam stood behind Kat.

“I’m the only one who can find her, Adam.” He glanced toward the window; it was completely dark out there now. She’d been gone for hours. “Can you honestly tell me you would trust Kat’s life in anyone else’s hands but yours?”

Adam shared a look with her, a silent communication between mates, Daniel knew the answer. He shrugged off the rest of the blankets. Cold air hit him from all angles, leaving goose bumps covering him.

“We’ll all go.” Daniel wanted to argue but Adam raised his hand, cutting him off. “It’s the safer option—either we all go, or you stay here.”

Daniel nodded his agreement and embraced his wolf, letting it run to the surface, and break through his skin. He waited a few seconds for Adam and Kat to shift into their darker versions. His heart tightened as the alpha and the former witch shared a look. He spread out his senses again, searching the connection, her scent, anything that would help. He knocked the door open and let the cold breeze travel over him, carrying the faint traces of her, a mixture of vanilla, sandalwood, and her that touched his soul.

He took off, not bothering to wait for Adam or Kat. He needed to know that she was all right. The only thing that spurred him on, even as weakness made his limbs heavy. He ducked under tree branches, making his way up to the pond. Mari’s scent became stronger, bursting through the hanging branches of weeping willow trees.

Daniel?
Adam’s voice wormed its way into his thoughts.
Can you sense her?

Yeah, this is where Ryback shot me. She must have thought to come here first.

It explains why I can smell your blood here. Can you track her through the bond?

No, I’m still too weak, and if she’s been injured, it will make it even more difficult. If I can get close enough to her, I should be able to talk to her, if she isn’t unconscious
.

They traveled the rest of the way in silence. Animals, small and large, scattered as they ran through the snow. Adam skidded to a stop, and breathed in deeply. He growled.
Ryback, he was here. Mari, can you hear me?
  The scent of gunpowder and blood were thick in the air. He scanned the ground, broken twigs, and the snow disturbed from a struggle.
Mari!

A distant howl ripped through the air.
Mari?

Daniel took off toward the howl. Kat and Adam followed him. His heart jumped into his throat. Dark splashes of blood decorated the snow. Dark tufts of fur. They’d fought hard, but who won? Had either of them won? Another howl made the fur on the back of his neck stand on edge. It sounded close. The scents were mixed together so closely that Daniel couldn’t distinguish between the two of them.

Is that a body?
  Kat’s voice sent chills down his spine.
By the trees?

No, no, no
. Daniel chanted to himself, running to the trees. Kat was right, a mess of a body, and one that wouldn’t be getting back up again anytime soon lay underneath the trees. He took another deep breath.
It’s not her
. Relief swept over him.
It’s him. It must be her howling. She’s got to be hurt. Spread out. Find her
.

They all split up and Daniel headed up the mountain trail. She’d beaten him, killed him.
Sweetheart, can you hear me? It’s Daniel; it’s time to go home. I need you to tell me where you are.

I killed him
....

Her voice relaxed the tight grip over his heart.
He left you no choice. Where are you?

I don’t know. My leg is broken. I managed to get somewhere dark and dry.

Keep talking to me, sweetheart. Adam and Kat are looking for you. Can you howl again, help me pin you down?
  Another howl, and Daniel turned to the left. Weakness flooded into every part of him. He didn’t have much time before he collapsed, but it didn’t stop him. He needed to be with his mate. That was all that mattered. He sent mental images to the others, helping to direct them to their location. He didn’t think he’d be leaving under his own strength and, with her broken leg, neither would she. In another life, it probably belonged to a bear, a hole in the ground partially hidden by twigs and leaves. He knocked them aside with his snout and stumbled in. The smell of wet leaves touched his nose on the edge of his mate’s scent. She whimpered at the sight of him.