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Her mind reeled. “Okay. Except Jack knows I don’t have a family.”
“You do now. We’re your family,” he said firmly. “Tell Jack your fiancé is sick and in the hospital. That’s pretty much the truth.”
“No.” She swayed, her vision blurring, and he steadied her. “I just found him, Nick. Nothing can happen to him now.”
“Go, and hurry. We still need to go by your place to pack a couple of bags.”
Hurrying, she did as she was told. Jack wasn’t happy at first, but when he saw how truly upset she was, he relented and told her not to worry. He’d call in a substitute bartender until she returned. Thanking him, she jogged out to meet Nick.
Together, they got into a black Escalade, and he pulled out of the parking lot. She gave him directions to her house, and in no time, they had arrived. He still hadn’t given her details, but she concentrated on getting her things together. It was more important she get on the road first, details later.
After packing her clothes and toiletries, she lifted a large duffel bag onto her shoulder and went out to the living room, where Nick waited. He took the bag from her, and she didn’t protest.
“You have someone to take care of your garden out back? I was looking out the window, and it’s quite nice.”
“Thanks. Yes, I’ll call my next-door neighbor. She’ll take care of it until I can get back here.”
“Good. Ready?”
“Yeah.”
Nick stowed her bag in the back of the Escalade, and then they were on their way. Finally, he asked, “Has Micah told you about his kidnapping and the months he spent in captivity?”
“He did, and it must’ve been horrible.” She studied the man carefully. “Is that what’s causing him problems now?”
“Pretty much, yes.”
“I’ve noticed he seems tired, and when we went to dinner, he didn’t eat with the hearty appetite of a man his size with the physical nature of his job. At least in my opinion.”
“You’re right, and that was a good observation. First of all, when Micah was rescued, he was severely traumatized and had gaps in his memory. He couldn’t recall a thing about his time in the lab. Then he started having nightmares and eve
ntually realized they were memories.”
“So, it’s all coming back.”
“Yes. Our doctors put him on a drug called myst to help him cope during therapy, while he healed. It’s an antidepressant aimed at shifters. But we recently learned that Micah’s body hasn’t taken the drug very well. We’re pretty sure it’s responsible for his mood swings, and it’s giving him nosebleeds and headaches.”
“So they’ll just wean him off, right? That’s why he’s in the hospital, to let it clear his system?”
“Yes, but there was a complication,” Nick replied. “The myst wasn’t responsible for making him tired or for his loss of appetite. Dr. Grant had some tests run, and those came back this morning.”
Jacee frowned. “He’s a shifter. What on earth could be making him so sick that he can’t heal on his own?”
The commander didn’t answer until he’d driven all the way to the compound and through the tall security gates. He waited until he’d driven down the long road to the facility and parked outside a brand-new-looking building that had the name SANCTUARY etched into the stonework above the grand entrance. The he shut off the ignition and turned to face her.
Reaching over, he put his hand on her shoulder. “Jacee, Micah has leukemia.”
“I— What? What did you say?” She blinked at Nick, shook her head. “No. That’s not possible.”
“I’m afraid it is,” he said sadly. “Whatever that bastard did to him in the lab left him vulnerable. It’s highly possible that had he never been turned into a shifter, he would’ve gotten the disease long before now.”
“He has cancer. In his blood.” Not Micah. This could not happen to her mate. “I won’t accept this. What can I do to help him?”
Nick smiled a little. “I figured you’d say that, which is why you’re here. Mac is going to try transfusing some of your blood into Micah’s, in doses. We’re hoping the healing power of your blood as his mate will cleanse the cancer from his. If that doesn’t work, my mate, Calla, will call on her clan’s doctor to come and use vampire blood.”
The weight of what Nick was telling Jacee sank in, and she covered her face with her hands. Her mate was dying. And if this didn’t work . . .
For a few minutes she hung her head and let the tears fall. The commander rubbed her shoulder, offering what comfort he could. Distantly, she was aware of the passenger’s door opening and someone stepping in to put an arm around her.
