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“Mason,” started Carson.
“We don’t have time, little brother. I love you. You love me. I can die knowing what I was doing was important and that you will have her.” He took her hand and placed it in Carson’s. “Take care of each other. Love each other. Now go.”
Mason was right. Carson knew he was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to lead her away and push her onto the snowmobile. He saw Mason take out a cigar and light it up, puffing contentedly as he scanned the ridge below them.
“I always told him those damn things would be the death of him.”
“We don’t have to leave him,” she said with unshed tears brimming in her eyes.
“Yeah, we do. Our deaths will accomplish nothing. That package is important to him, if to no one else, and we’re going to get the damn thing to Colby. Ready?”
She nodded, and they turned and began to make their way down the side of the steep slope. Some forty-five minutes later they heard a volley of gunfire before an explosion rocked the ground on which they rode.
Godspeed, brother. I’ll see you when it is Amelia’s and my time to join you in the light.
Halfway down the ridge, they rigged the snowmobile, Carson made sure it looked like an accident, and rigged a trap that would take as many of their pursuers out as possible. They had just hit the bottom of the ridge and were within five miles of coordinates for the rendezvous, when they heard the explosive device detonate. They jettisoned the rest of their supplies except the package, which he slipped inside his expedition suit, and a mobile first aid kit, which she slipped inside hers.
They were flying along the open, frozen landscape when he saw another red light target the snowmobile’s fuel tank. Grabbing Amelia, he tossed her from the snowmobile, launching himself behind her just as the shot hit the tank and the snowmobile exploded. Carson covered her body with his and felt a piece of shrapnel from the exploding vehicle pierce his suit and embed itself just to the side of his shoulder blade.
“Take the first-aid kit out of your suit and lay it on the ground. Shift. Pick it up and run.” He handed her a handheld geo coordinator with the meet-up location programmed in.
“I’m not leaving without you,” she growled. It was hard to believe she hadn’t been a snow leopard all her life.
“Not a chance. I’ll have the package with me. I’ll be right behind you. Don’t run in a straight line until you get out of the open.”
“You won’t leave me…”
He kissed her roughly. “No, baby, you’re stuck with me. Now go.”
He watched as the swirling mist enveloped her and she emerged as her snow leopard, picking up the first aid kit in her mouth and taking off in a hard run. Carson removed a couple of the grenades he’d kept with him and rigged them so they would explode if anyone stepped on or moved across them. Satisfied he had done all he could, he pulled the piece of shrapnel out of his back and called forth his snow leopard. The power and magic of the vortex did a lot to restore him, and he emerged still bleeding but somewhat rejuvenated.
Picking up the package, he bounded after Amelia, vowing they would join the fight against the Shadow League, and he would have revenge on those who had tried to kill his mate and murdered his brother.
CHAPTER17
AMELIA
She glanced over her shoulder only once to ensure Carson was coming behind her. When she saw that he was, she stretched and began to cover ground as if running as a snow leopard had been something she’d done all her life. Inwardly she thanked her alter ego, who seemed to acknowledge the praise. Amelia released control so that her creature, who she realized had far more experience running over rough terrain than she had, could run where she felt they would be safest.
They ran for what seemed like forever. Her muscles ached and her lungs burned, but still they pressed on. They didn’t dare stop until they reached the safety of the trees and the rocky shore beyond. If Mason was right, Colby would be waiting for them.
Mason.Her heart was broken. He’d been her brother for less than a day, and yet she still mourned his loss. She could only imagine what Carson must be feeling.
She reached the trees first and wondered why Carson hadn’t caught up with her. As she looked back across the frozen landscape, she could see a blood trail. Carson had been hit. She watched him moving across the terrain with speed, power, and grace. There was no telling what that effort would cost him.
She waited until he entered the trees and then shifted. She was able to ignore the frigid temperatures because of her concern. Opening the first aid kit, she pulled out a vial of a blood coagulating agent and waited until Carson shifted before pouring it into the wound. Carson winced but didn’t make a sound. She started to open a large bandage that she meant to put over the wound before binding it.
“No. The bandages won’t survive the shift. You’re going to have to get out the suture kit and stitch it closed.”
She could feel the blood drain from her face. She didn’t mind blood, but she wasn’t sure if she could manage to stick something in him and pull some kind of suture material through his skin.
“You can do this, baby. I know you can.”
Gritting her teeth, she removed the necessary items from the kit and began to stitch the wound closed, gaining confidence with each stitch. It helped that Carson watched stoically throughout the process, refusing to show any sign of pain or distress.
When she was finished, she wiped the wound down with an antiseptic wipe and applied antibiotic cream. It wasn’t great, but under the circumstances, it would have to do. She grabbed the bloodied bandage and first aid supplies and made a small false trail before coming back to him. He was pale, but his breathing was less labored.
“I love you,” he said. “The shift should help boost our energy and our metabolisms.”
