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“Oh, honey,” Miguel crooned.
“Quit coddling her, Miguel. We don’t have time for that,” Niko chastised. “What the hell happened to you?” he directed the question to me.
“What the hell does it look like? I injured myself, and now it has healed incorrectly.” I crossed my arms and huffed.
“We’ll need to re-break it so it can heal correctly.” Niko strode toward me, his steps long and with purpose, his body coiled with tension.
I held up my hands to stop him. “I know this but would rather wait till we get Molly back to the compound. I’ll go see Jax and have him do whatever needs to be done.”
Tito growled low as Molly still held him tightly. His wolf was huge, bigger than any I had seen before, yet he was so gentle with his niece. “Uncle says it’s time to go home. He said I can ride on him while Uncle Miguel and Uncle Niko can help you.” Molly ran over and wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me before running back to Tito, who was crouched low enough Molly could climb on. She lay flat against his back, one hand holding onto his fur and the other waving as they began to walk away.
“Come, let’s get you home.” Miguel wrapped his arm around my waist, trying to take on some of my weight.
“It will take hours if we limp her along.” Niko’s voice was stern. “We need to fix it here.”
“No!” I tried to stand straight on my own, pushing Miguel away as well. “I can do it on my own.”
Niko tilted his head and opened his mouth, closing it before he spoke. His eyes roamed from my head down to my feet and back up to meet my gaze. “Fine, but to make it back before dark, it’s going to be a grueling pace.”
“Fine, I can keep up.”
Niko nodded his head, then turned back the way they had come. “Let’s go.” He didn’t wait for a response. I followed, swallowing the pain, and held my head high every time I stepped on my left foot, feeling the bones crack with each step. The angle my ankle healed at was unstable at best, and I felt the inflammation throbbing around it as the infection I had hoped was only in my head began to spread up my leg. I knew time was short, and my only hope to survive was to make it back to the clinic soon. It felt like the infection rose with every beat of my heart as if my blood was pulling it along as it wound through the veins to my heart.
Niko stopped and raised his nose as a breeze kicked up, ruffling my hair into my face. I cringed, knowing I could no longer hide it. He turned and came straight to me, leaning down and inhaling deeply at the crook of my neck. His growl vibrated down to my soul. “Why didn’t you tell us?” His piercing eyes held mine in their thrall, and my body strained toward him. That slight tilt was just enough to knock me off balance and straight into Niko’s arms. He scooped me up, turning his attention to Miguel.
“She can’t walk anymore, and infection is spreading throughout her body. Run ahead and tell Jax to have a room ready. I’ll carry her in.
Miguel rushed forward, nuzzling my neck and breathing deeply. “You should have told us.” His gaze met mine, and I could read the hurt in his eyes. “All we want to do is help.” He kissed my forehead and dropped to all fours letting the magic of the change take over his body. The last thing I saw was his sleek midnight black fur disappearing into the shadows as Niko whispered into my hair. “You are in so much trouble, pet, but punishment can wait till you’re healed.”
I let the darkness take me under as Niko began to run, holding me secure and steady in his arms.
