“She isn’t healing. Is it because of the liquid silver? We need to get her back and treated,” Tonya said as they raced away.
Lucie closed her eyelids as exhaustion began to take over. A strange, sweet smell hit her nose, getting closer and closer. She felt them come to an abrupt stop.
“Ryan! We’ve got to get her back immediately. Her wounds aren’t healing. She saved our lives. She’s unlike any werewolf we have ever seen,” Zach said as a man walked closer.
“Give her to me. I’ll carry her,” a baritone voice said.
Lucie felt herself being shifted into another chest. Sparks of electricity shot through her. The strong scent hit her nose as the man that carried her blanketed her in it. She felt a deep pull in her chest, and she whimpered slightly. Squirming a bit from his touch, she shifted more into his warmth, pulled to him by an invisible thread. She knew what this was immediately … this was the pull and scent of her mate.
“You’re going to be okay,” he cooed to her.
Tonya and Zach looked at Ryan strangely. He was acting overly concerned about this stranger.
“We think she isn’t healing because of the liquid silver,” Zach said, pointing to her wounds.
Ryan scoffed. “Can’t you smell her blood? Look at those wounds. This isn’t from the silver. She’s reacting to the vervain. Get a good whiff of that blood.”
Zach’s eyes widened as he took in her scent. “How does she have pure blood in her?”
“Looks like this wolf is really special. Makes sense from what we saw her do,” Tonya said, looking around the area. “We need to get out of here.”
Ryan cradled Lucie gently in his arms. Her eyes were closed but he smiled as she nuzzled into him. He leaned his head down and lightly kissed her temple. “I’m going to protect you from now on,” he whispered, then quickly sprinted off with her.
The voices were muffled as her consciousness drifted in and out. Did she feel him kiss her? She wasn’t sure. But she felt his arms as he gently cradled her closer into his chest. His scent was like a relaxing drug, and her breathing leveled out in his arms. She felt like her body was flying as he raced away with her. The jolts of electricity continued to spark through her from their contact. Her mind cursed at the fact that she’d found her fated mate. It was what she wanted more than anything, but she couldn’t have him. She hated that she would have to deny herself him. But for now, she would enjoy his touch, and she would relish this feeling. She finally faded into unconsciousness in the arms of this stranger, the arms of her mate.
CHAPTER 8
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE’S NO TRACE OF HER?!” Hunter roared loudly at his exhausted trackers. “She didn’t just vanish! I want her back now!” The pack of wolves yelped from the aura of their king and quickly went back out to continue the search.
Freja hopped down from the trees and wiped her forehead. “They were well trained. Not only did they hide her scent, but they covered their tracks well. If I can’t find a trail, there is no way they can. Hunter!” Freja raised her voice, snapping his attention to her. “Call them off. Send them back to the pack to rest. They can’t do anything more than ruin the trail at this point.” She reached up, cupped his cheeks in her hands, and stared into his gray eyes.
“This is what I used to do, remember? We will find her. There is no one who can escape me. Have faith in our daughter, too. She’s strong.”
Hunter sighed loudly and nodded his head. “I’ll call them back. And we will regroup.”
“I’ll bring her back.” A deep voice snapped in agitation as he came up from behind.
Hunter and Freja looked up to see Jasper storming toward them. “Don’t worry. I’ll find her and bring her back. We have a group of the prince’s men about a day’s run from here. They’re skilled trackers. The best around. We’ll find her.”
“Whoever has taken her seems to be skilled in abductions. They covered their scent and tracks,” Freja said, leaning against Hunter.
“A couple of the trackers among us are the deadliest we’ve ever seen. They can track the wind that blows and know where it’s traveled from. They will find her, I have no doubt.” He looked at their tired eyes and gave them a small smile. “I promise I’ll bring her back. I know you don’t want to hear this, but go get some rest. Give me a few days. Please. We don’t need a run-in with your wolves to complicate things.”
“I’ll call off the pack. But Freja and I will continue to search on our end. Aedan will have to watch over the pack for a couple of days. I can’t rest until I have word that my daughter is safe.”
Freja raised her gaze and looked at Jasper. “The moment you find her, have her send a messenger fairy to us. That way we’ll know she’s safe.”
Jasper smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry.” He cast a determined look toward the distance. He was angry at himself for leaving Lucie’s side. A strange feeling had hit him last night telling him he should have stayed with her, and he was right.
Gritting his teeth, he sprinted ahead. He would find her. Not only was he a mess, but Derrick would be beside himself if he heard she’d been taken. Honestly, he didn’t know what Derrick would do. But to find Lucie, Derrick would send the entire vampire army after her. He knew that as far as Derrickwas concerned, she was already his, and nobody touched what belonged to the future King of the Vampires.
Lucie first noticed the scent,then the stabbing pains all over her body. She turned her head slightly, furrowed her brow, and moaned as aches spread through her. She was laying on something soft, and then she tensed. Someone was lying beside her. A warm body shifted, moving closer to her, and the scent hit her like a blast wave. Her eyes popped open and she turned her head.
Her gaze met a pair of amber eyes. A smile slowly spread across the man’s face as she stared at him in confusion. A small shudder ran through her, and sparks ignited across her skin. He had silky-looking brown locks that she was craving to run her fingers through. His face was gorgeous, and his abs … OH. MY. GOSH. He was shirtless. And laying right next to her. Was this a trial to test her faithfulness?Get a grip, Lucie!
Lucie blinked hard and pushed herself slightly away from him. She whimpered from the pain that shot through her.
“Easy, Lucie. It’s going to take a couple of days for those wounds to fully heal.”
