“Lexi!” Sahira hissed.
She had no idea who was on the other side,but she had to answer it. Something about the frantic pounding madeit impossible to ignore.
After the last time she tried to helpsomeone, she should know better than to do it again. That assholewas still living in her tunnels, but she couldn’t stop herself fromopening the door.
She gasped, and her hand flew to her throatwhen she spotted Cole on the other side. His eyes burned thebrilliant silver of a lycan on the verge of transforming. Bloodslicked his hair, slid down his face, and coated his hands as helifted Brokk toward her.
Lexi’s stomach plunged into her toes as shetook in Brokk’s bloodstained clothes and the gaping wound in hischest.
CHAPTER 28
“I need help,” Cole said in a gravelly voicedistorted by the elongated fangs in his mouth. “I need a witch.Heneeds a witch.”
Lexi blinked as his words sank in. She turnedtoward Sahira as her aunt rushed forward and stopped when she sawBrokk’s damaged body.
“Please help him,” Cole said.
The pleading and torment in his voice tuggedat Lexi’s heartstrings. She understood his suffering and panic, andshe would do whatever she could to help… even if it bit her in theass again.
“This way,” Lexi said. “Hurry.” She pushedpast her aunt. “Sahira, get whatever you’ll need to help him.”
Her aunt closed her mouth, but her eyesremained wide as she glanced from Lexi to Cole and finally toBrokk.
“Lexi—”
“Close the door and gather your supplies,”Lexi said more sharply than she intended, but she could feel timerunning out, and she couldn’t deal with her aunt’s overprotectivenature now.
Sahira took a deep breath before hershoulders went back, and she shut the door. Lexi was aware shemight be getting herself into more trouble —she had no idea whathappened to them or if their enemies might come knocking on herdoor—but she couldn’t turn them away.
She couldn’t turnColeaway even ifshe harbored his other brother beneath her home.
Cole’s feet thudded on the steps as hefollowed her upstairs. At the top of the steps, she threw open thefirst guest room door she came to and rushed inside. She flipped onthe light switch, and a dim glow filled the room. The electricitywas powered down again, but at least it was working.
When they lost most of their workers, she andSahira closed off all the unused rooms.
Now, she yanked the dust cover from the bedand the table beside it. She balled the covers up and shoved theminto a corner as Cole carefully set Brokk on the bed.
When his head flopped to the side, Lexi heldher breath while she waited for some sign he was alive, but hedidn’t move. Just as she was beginning to think it was already toolate, she caught the subtle rise and fall of his chest.
The air rushed out of her burning lungs, andshe lifted her gaze to Cole. Anguish burned in his eyes and etchedthe lines of his face as he clasped his brother’s hand. She wantedto assure him it would be okay, but the words froze in herthroat.
She couldn’t bring herself to lie to him bypromising something that might not be true. Sahira was a talentedwitch, but she couldn’t perform miracles.
The clatter of bottles drew her attention tothe doorway a second before Sahira rushed into the room with a trayfull of supplies. She set the tray on the table Lexi hadcleared.
“What was he stabbed with?” she asked.
“A fae sword,” Cole said.
“Afaesword?”
“Yes.”
“Made offaemetal?”
“Yes.”
Sahira’s eyes flew back to Brokk as Lexi’shand went to her mouth.How is he still alive?
