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“Then let’s go,” I said. “We have to try.”
Kyle limped as fast as his injuries allowed from the hotel entrance and got in beside me. “Job done,” he whispered.
Dean drove the van to the airport. The drive there was a blur, my thoughts consumed by images of Ridge’s pain-stricken face before he lost consciousness and the urgency of our mission. I clenched my fists as I willed us to move faster. We had to reach the witch in time.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” I was pretty sure I’d already said that. My mind was threatening to crack under my emotions. “I can’t lose him.”
“First, we need to get to Toronto,” Jaxon explained patiently, though he looked at me a little funny. “We’ll do all we can.”
I struggled to keep steady and not sound like I’d completely dove off the deep end. “Toronto it is. Let’s go.”
In the back of the van, Ridge’s shift was becoming more obvious. He was still in human form, but his smooth skin now sprouted fur, and his body and face contorted in pain. My heart ached at the sight of his suffering, and I gritted my teeth.
“Hey,” Kyle murmured, sensing my distress, “he’s going to be okay. We’ll find this witch, and he’ll be fine.”
I barely registered his words, my focus solely on Ridge. I reached out to touch his fevered skin, willing him to know that I was there for him, that I wouldn’t leave his side.
“Thank you, Kyle,” I said, tears streaming down my face. “I just…I can’t lose him.”
“Stay strong for him, Tori.” Kyle squeezed my shoulder.
Once again, we drove straight up to the jet. Jaxon and Dean carried Ridge into it, then Jaxon spoke to the pilot about the change in destination, and Kyle made sure everyone was onboard and seated. I was aware of talking and movement going on around me, but I only had eyes for my mate.
I sat with him on the floor of the plane as his shift completed. It felt as though I was watching a perverse, twisted rendition of his typically smooth, even elegant transformation. His fur slowly sprouted and rippled across his skin while his bones cracked and rearranged themselves, all unfolding in excruciatingly slow motion. His muscles contracted and jerked involuntarily. The torment etched upon his face was unmistakable, and though he would occasionally release a whimper of agony, he never regained consciousness. It was torture to watch.
More than once, Jaxon, Kyle, and Dean offered to give me a break and sit with him. I refused every time. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the men, because I did, but this was my mate. I had to be here for him. Throughout the flight and Ridge’s involuntary shift, I kept one hand on his body, hoping he would recognize my touch and understand I was there with him.
He continued to burn up, so I asked Hanna and Kyle to bring me as much ice and water as possible, then soaked his fur with it. I don’t know if it had any effect, but I hoped by keeping histemperature down, it would somehow slow the side effects of the venom moving through his system.
For the last thirty minutes of the flight, when Ridge’s shift was complete, I lay down alongside him. I had never felt fear like this, not even when I’d been on the run from the hunters. I loved this man with all my heart, with my very being. Watching him suffer was utter misery. It was felt as though a band of silver was tightening around my chest, and with every exhale, it grew tighter, restricting my breathing, squeezing my heart and lungs.
Stroking my hand down the length of his back through the thick, coarse fur, I murmured into his ear, “Ridge, come back to me. I need you here with me. You have so many people in Blackwood Creek who love you and need you—Diana, Margo, Clawson, Audrey, even Kyle. He may not say it, but I know he’s coming round. Hold on to all that love, Ridge. Fight this thing, don’t let that fucking vampire beat you. Fido, I will be so pissed if you let a little girl vampire take you down. Come on, Lassie, there’s too much good in you. There’s so much we still have to do. Please, Ridge, just hold on.”
On and on I went, vacillating between how much I loved him and how angry I’d be if he died. I choked back my sobs, the taste of salt on my lips as my wolf growled. I wasn’t even sure half the words I was saying were intelligible. I just needed to feel like I was doing something.
Nearly two hours later, I felt the plane start its descent, and we landed at the private airport in Toronto. Once the aircraft touched down, Jaxon hurried his way back to where I was resting beside Ridge. He crouched and helped me sit up. “I need you to come with me.”
“No, take Dean,” I said. “I have to stay here with Ridge. I can’t leave him, not when he needs me.” My mate was vulnerable. How could Jaxon ask me to leave him? My wolf was close to the surface now. Jaxon’s suggestion didn’t impress her,and I caught the instant he noticed her in my eyes. Whatever she saw, she calmed and retreated back in my mind.
“I’m sorry, Tori,” he said. “I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t need you to speak with the witch. I can call in a favor, but there’s no guarantee she’ll help. Do you remember I told you witches are unpredictable? As much as I know and trust this woman, I might need you with me to help convince her. Even though it’s my favor we’re calling in, we’re asking it to benefit your pack. Traditionally, the alpha would accompany me.” He looked down at Ridge’s motionless wolf before his worried gaze shifted back to me.
He reached over and firmly clasped my upper arms with his large hands, his voice forceful and assertive. “He needs you to step up, Tori. Not only are you an alpha in your own right, but you’re also going to be Ridge’s luna. Your presence will go a long way to getting her on your side. It might not seem like much, but witches are big on protocol. I’m not asking you to make any promises on behalf of the pack, just that you be there.”
I didn’t know Jaxon well enough to just trust him. He might be my father, but that didn’t mean I knew him. Despite my lingering doubts, my wolf’s settled behavior urged me to trust him. I nodded, and he held out a hand to help me up.
I followed Jaxon to the open doors of the plane. “Kyle and Dean are going to remain here and watch over Ridge and the Garcias,” Jaxon said. “I’ll just let Dean know we’re leaving.”
“I’ll find us a ride,” I said. Now that the decision was made, a sense of haste washed over me, urging me to move quicker.
Stepping out of the private plane, I was hit by a blast of cold wind and the smell of jet fuel. I shivered, not just from the cold, but because time was running out. We had to find the witch as fast as possible.
I spotted a sleek black car parked nearby, its engine still purring. Without a second thought, I jogged over, pulled openthe driver’s door, and found the keys dangling from the ignition. I didn’t want to waste time going to a rental company, dealing with the paperwork and red tape. I knew what I was about to do was wrong, but I really didn’t give a shit. I was doing it for the greater good.
“Get in!” I yelled at Jaxon, who stared at me wide-eyed as I quickly reversed the car. He must not have seen me hot-wiring the car back at the motel. He hesitated for a moment before climbing into the passenger seat.
“Where did you learn to do that?” he asked with surprise and curiosity. He thought I’d had to hot-wire it. I could have done it, but we’d gotten lucky.
“Running for my life for years taught me a thing or two,” I said, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “You can judge me all you want, but right now, we need this car.”
