Page 80 of Healer’s Betrayal

Her words are cryptic, but I know I’m not going to get anything more until I talk to Jackson. I turn to Noah, who’s been silent this entire time. “Ready?” He nods and slides out of the booth.

“It was nice to meet you, Noah,” Emma says. He doesn’t say anything, and I make a mental note to work with him on being polite to people. Noah and I walk over to where Jackson is waiting for us. He doesn’t say anything as we walk down the hallway to the stairwell. When we get to our room, Noah heads over to the couch and pulls out his iPad and headphones.

I turn to Jackson. “So, what did I miss?”

He stares down at me, and I wait him out. “I want you to know, I would never have done what I did if I hadn’t needed to.”

My heart rate picks up speed, and I try to imagine what he could have done to me. My mind is a little too helpful giving me suggestions. “Maybe just tell me, because my imagination is working overtime.”

When he begins, his voice is soft. “When they injected you with the vampire serum, your healing power started to fight against it. But it wasn’t enough; your healing power wasn’t enough to fight against it. They told me the vampire power would completely overtake your healing power until it was all gone. Your body was so weak from the beating you’d taken.” His words sound like they’re forced out. “The combination of those things was too much for your body. You were dying. Your heartbeat slowed down so much, and you were struggling to breathe. They told me I needed to do something, but I thought you would pull through. But then your heartbeat stuttered, and I knew you weren’t going to survive if I didn’t do something.”

I can hardly breathe as he describes what happened. “What did you do?” I ask, my voice breathless.

He stares down at me. “I claimed you as my mate.” I stare up at him. “I bit you, Kayla.” He steps closer. “Shifters claim their mates with a claiming bite. It marks you as mine forever and ties our souls together. I don’t regret doing it; I’ve wanted to do it since the moment I first saw you. I do regret doing it without asking you, though.”

I stare up at him and can’t form a single, coherent thought. “What does that mean?” I ask in a whisper.

He reaches up and runs his thumb down my cheek. “It means that you’re mine, just as I am yours. Our souls and our lives are now tied together. If you die, I die and vice versa.”

Chapter 33

Kayla

My breath stalls in my chest as I try to take in what he’s saying. I take a step back, and he lets his hand fall. His eyes are still on me; I can feel the weight of his gaze. But I don’t look back up at him. “Kayla,” he starts, but I put a hand up.

“I just need a minute. I need to process...” But there’s no processing, not when he’s standing right in front of me. I glance around the room, feeling trapped. “I’m going to go,” I pause because I don’t know where to go.

“I’ll take Noah over to Ransom’s room to hang out for a bit,” Jackson says quietly. “Give you some time alone.”

I nod. “Okay.”

I hear him talk to Noah, but I don’t really register the words. I hear the door open, and I turn that way. “Jackson.” He turns back. “Is there any way to undo it?”

For just a moment, something crosses his face. Something that looks a lot like devastation. But it’s gone so fast, I think maybe I imagined it. “The only way to break the bond is for one of us to die.” Without another word, he opens the door, and he and Noah disappear into the hallway. I drop onto the bed and let my thoughts run wild, but it quickly becomes too much. Shifters, wolves, bonds, packs, mates...My brain is on overload, and I feel like I’m going to lose my mind. I stand up and pace the room, wishing I had someone to talk to. I look at my phone and wish I could call Jessie, but I have a feeling that I’m not allowed to tell her about the wolves. They haven’t told me not to tell anyone, but it’s not like they broadcast what they are to anybody. Jackson’s words run through my mind on repeat. It means that you’re mine, just as I am yours. Our souls and our lives are now tied together. If you die, I die and vice versa. I think of the look I saw on his face when I asked if the bond could be broken. I think of the other guys I’ve met this week and how they treat their wives...mates, I guess, as if they’re their everything. It’s not like that with Jackson and me; we don’t even know each other. Another thought hits me like a ton of bricks. Does that mean that we’re like some variation of married now? Will Noah and I have to live with him? Will we have to move? I try to breathe but find it harder than it should be. “Maybe he won’t make us live with him,” I whisper into the empty room. But then thoughts of Renee and the people she had with her fills my mind. Vampires. A shudder runs through me. Will Noah and I even be safe on our own? A vision of running from them, of trying and failing to keep Noah safe fills my mind; and I feel like I'm going to throw up.

The door to the room opens, and I jump in surprise. Jackson walks over to me. “I can feel your panic. Put shoes on; we’re getting out of this room.” I watch him but don’t move. He steps in front of me a moment later. “I thought I was helping giving you time and space to process, but I was wrong.” He bends down, so he meets my eyes. “Breathe, Sweetheart.” His endearment catches me by surprise, and I suck in air just from the shock of it. “Good. Again.” I suck in another breath and manage to feel a little better. He palms the back of my neck. The motion should make me more panicky, but it calms the rising panic. “Throw shoes on. We’re going to go somewhere where we can talk, just the two of us. You can ask as many questions as you want.” He pauses. “Is that okay?”

I only have to think about it for a second because he’s right. Being alone in this room is making my panic grow tenfold. I nod, and he moves away from me. He’s back a second later with my flip flops in hand. I take them from him. He grabs my wallet and phone and hands them to me. “Ready?” I nod, and he takes my hand in his. The action should feel weird, but once again, it steadies me. He opens the door, and we walk out into the hallway.

“What about Noah?” I manage to ask.

“He and Ransom were watching a movie.”

“What movie?” I can’t help but ask.

He stops walking a moment and is quiet a beat. Then he turns to face me. “Planes Fire and Rescue. Is that okay?”

I blink. “Did you just...how did you find that out?”

“I can communicate with Ransom in our heads because of our pack link.”

I frown. “I thought you weren’t in a pack; that’s what a rogue wolf was.”

“I’ll explain everything, but first, is the movie okay.”

A small smile forms on my face. “It’s Noah’s favorite movie.”

“It’s okay if he watches it with Ransom?” Jackson asks, his hand still holding mine.