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Hanley collapsed, his hand over the bullet wound in his chest, stunned. Vivian came around, her grip steady on the gun in her hands, as she glared at him. “I should have done this years ago,” she informed him as his face whitened in shock at her appearance.
“Lucy?” He whispered, staring as if a ghost stood before him.
“Take a good look, brother, and remember who sent you to hell,” she hissed as she fired again, and again, and again, until there was nothing but an empty clicking.
“He’s dead, Vivian,” I stated, turning my attention back to the one I could save. “Caleb,” I shook him slightly, “Caleb, I know you can hear me. You need to live, you need to shift.” Another rattling breath, this one wet and terrifyingly weak, was my only response.
“Force him to shift,” Vivian said, sinking down next to me. “An Alpha can do that.”
“If the shifter is in his Pack,” I responded automatically.
“Or if they’re strong enough they can force another wolf,” Vivian responded tartly and another snarl brought my head up as I saw Dylan playfully ripping limbs off the two men he’d killed.
“I don’t know how,” I admitted and Vivian stood.
“Figure it out or your friend dies,” she answered, walking away.
“Caleb,” I begged, needing him to be strong enough. “Your my brother, my best friend, it’s always been my job to protect you and I failed. I failed you in so many ways.” My head dropped to his chest, his breathing labored and fading, as I willed him to shift. I pushed all of my will, every memory I had of us, and tried to force him to shift. Fur remained under my fingertips and I growled in frustration, not understanding why it wouldn’t work.
A familiar touch stilled me, her scent marred by the smell of fresh blood, but as she squeezed my shoulder the bond we shared flared to life, as vibrant and strong as it had been, reconnecting us.
Try now, she whispered, adding her determination to mine as she kneeled by my side. Together.
Her hand curled over mine as it rested on Caleb’s side and this time when I forced my will, I felt a spark of connection with him, the same connection I felt to Trent, Liam, and Dylan. I grasped it, fanned it to life, and again commanded him to shift.
Fur shimmered under our hands and we watched as Caleb shifted, his neck stitching together, until he laid naked under our hands, a vibrant red scar across his neck. His eyes flickered open for a second, too weak to speak, but we both heard him say, Thank you, before he slipped into unconsciousness.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jess
I held my hand to my side, staunching the flow of blood as it seeped around my fingers, grateful it wasn’t worse. The bullet had grazed my side. The guy shooting me had simply used it as a distraction for Caleb. One that had worked, I thought as I watched him sleep, too tired to move from his side as I leaned my weight against Dom.
“Should we stop him?” I questioned curiously, glancing at Dylan as he tossed body parts around and pounced on them.
“Nah,” Dom replied, his butt landing on the ground as he pulled me into his lap. “Let him play.”
“Okay,” I murmured, snuggling into his chest. “That was my mother I saw, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, she pretty much singlehandedly saved your lives,” Dom answered, hugging me tightly when he felt tears threatening to fall. “She loves you,” he told me, sending me the memory of her facing him down. “I’m slightly scared of her.” He held his finger a fraction of an inch apart to show me and I gave a wet chuckle.
“And my dad?” I questioned, laughing when his fingers widened exponentially. “Smart,” I muttered, my eyes drooping. “Can I just say, I’m super tired of getting kidnapped? Like enough already.”
“It’ll never happen again, if I have anything to do about it,” he rumbled, his chest vibrating comfortingly under me. “I can’t handle it.”
“You can’t?” I slapped my hand against his chest and left a bloody handprint. “Oops.” I swiped at it, smearing the blood further. “Damn it, I’m pretty sure there’s a way to get blood out of clothes.”
“Hydrogen peroxide,” my mother answered, her voice cool as she stood above us. “Its works wonders.”
“Thanks,” I replied automatically, my head tilting back to see her. She wore black slacks and a white silk blouse with a string of black pearls around her neck, and all I could think about was how she could kill a man and still look impeccable. “You saved us.”
She fidgeted, the first sign that indicated she wasn’t as cool as she looked. “You needed saving,” she answered simply, her tone matter of fact as she glanced away from the sight of me curled up in Dom’s arms. “I might have been mistaken.”
