Chapter 34

Cold sweat dampened Nicholai’s brow. He stared down at Julie, willed her to move. The withdrawal of her from his mind, being unable to reach her, felt so painfully wrong to him.

Movement in front of them brought a snarl to his lips. A feral sound rumbled from deep within his throat. His mate lay injured, dying. No one should be near. He must protect what was his. Protect her at all costs.

Nicholai bared his fangs and hissed as the males approached. A growl of warning followed when his protective instincts took rational thought from his mind.

Demetri approached first. His arms up in surrender, head bowed in submission. “We are not here to hurt her, Nicholai. We are here to help. Let Stephan heal her.”

Another fierce growl escaped Nicholai’s lips as Demetri continued. “Do you want your woman to live, cousin?”

Nicholai’s head snapped up. He stabbed Demetri with his fiery eyes. “Of course, I want her to live. How dare you ask me that!”

“Then put your fangs back in your gums, and allow Stephan to heal her.”

Nicholai’s body slumped over Julie’s limp form in capitulation. Stephan approached cautiously, his hands behind his back. The movement drew Nicholai’s attention. He repressed the reflex to attack, his rational mind finally winning the war with his instinct.

Stephan presented no threat. He had a heartmate to whom he would always be faithful. Nicholai realized he could trust his longtime friend and compatriot to heal his female.

A heavy sigh clouded before his face as he spoke. “I would be eternally grateful to you, Stephan, if you would help her.”

Stephan knelt before the couple on one knee. “I’ll need to touch her to assess her injuries. Will you permit that?”

Their eyes met over her lifeless body. “Yes. Do what you must to save her.”

“Very well, please place her on the ground.”

“It’s too cold,” Nicholai protested, tilting his head in the direction of the road. “My SUV is not far. I’ll put her in the backseat.”

Stephan nodded and rose to his full height. He backed away from the couple, giving Nicholai room to stand.

“Hurry,” the Alpha leader said softly.

The three Alphas followed behind the pair as Nicholai ran to the SUV with Juliette in his arms. Alex held open the back door so the distraught warrior could climb in and lay Juliette on the leather seat. He smoothed a lock of her hair away from her face, then folded her hands over her stomach. His mate looked like a sleeping angel. In stark contrast to the dark upholstery of the car, her skin appeared ghostly pale.

Unshed tears clouded his vision again as Nicholai found Stephan waiting in the open door. “May I assess her now?” he asked patiently, giving Nicholai time to process what he said.

Nicholai could only nod, afraid to speak for fear it would cause the tears to flow. He spun around as the opposite door opened behind him.

Alex held one hand on the open door, the other raised in deference. “Whoa there, big fella. I’m simply wondering if you want to come take a walk with me while Stephan examines your mate. You know, get some fresh air?”

Demetri stepped up behind Alexander. “That would be a good idea, Nicholai.”

“Absolutely not. I can’t leave her.”

Stephan crawled into the back of the SUV, taking up what little room was left. “It’s a tight fit back here, Nicholai. If you get out, I’ll have more room to work.”

“But—” Nicholai started to protest, however, Stephan cut him off.

“Plus, I need to concentrate when I’m healing, and having an overprotective male breathing on my neck won’t help.”

Nicholai’s shoulders slumped. The thought of relinquishing Juliette’s care to another male seemed abhorrent to him, but the concern for her safety defeated everything else. He unfolded from the vehicle without further protest and took one last look at the woman he loved.

Alex hooked an arm over his tired shoulders. “Come on, let’s you and me take a stroll. The night air will do you good.”

****

Demetri watched his cousin be led down the road and silently thanked Alex for sufficiently distracting Nicholai. He peered into the open door. His massive frame filled the doorway. “How is she?”

Stephan met his gaze, and concern etched lines across his forehead. “It’s bad, Demetri. She has a bruised brain and is bleeding internally.”

“Can you heal her?”

“Yes, but it will take a lot of energy, and I did not feed yet today.”

Without hesitation, Demetri pulled his coat and shirt sleeve up to his elbow and thrust his arm toward Stephan. “Take from me. My blood is powerful. It should give you what you need.”

Stephan bowed his head reverently. “Thank you, my old friend.”

When Stephan took Demetri’s wrist with a firm hand, his fangs lengthened and sank into the flesh. Demetri waited patiently as Stephan drank his fill, knowing his power would flow through the healer, nourish his cells with each draw.

“Thank you.” Stephan turned his attention back to the woman who lay motionless on the seat before him. He rubbed his hands together briskly above her still body until a faint yellow glow appeared. Its intensity increased until it illuminated the entire passenger cabin, bathing Stephan and Juliette in its warmth.

The brightness too powerful for his eyes, Demetri took a step back and averted his gaze. Nicholai and Alex turned in unison when the night brightened. The SUV looked like a nuclear bomb exploded within.

Nicholai took a step toward the vehicle when Alex caught his arm. “Don’t. Let Stephan do his thing. She’s safe.”

Demetri shielded his eyes and observed the healer lay his hands across Juliette’s stomach. They rose and fell with each shallow breath she took, then slowly rose higher as her breaths deepened. Her internal bleeding impeded, her stomach shrank, no longer distended with blood as Stephan encouraged her body to absorb the fluid.

Stephan’s hands moved up her body and rested on each side of her face. The yellow light’s intensity flared once more as he cradled her head between his palms. Stephan closed his eyes and sent his healing energy over her brain to heal the tissue.

Juliette’s heart beats stronger, steadier with each passing moment. Demetri sent the update to Nicholai over their mindlink.

Nicholai’s relief flooded his mind.

Obviously satisfied that the most severe of her injuries were healed, Stephan moved his hands over her arms and sent his healing heat over her bruises, then did the same over the fractures in both legs.

The yellow light faded as Nicholai and Alex approached the SUV. Stephan exited the cabin, and Demetri once again extended his wrist. Stephan waved off the offer, swaying slightly from the exhaustion.

His features softened when he examined Nicholai’s grief-stricken face. Only a short time ago, he had sported a similar look when his heartmate had been gravely injured.

“Nicholai, she will be fine. She’s asking for you. Go to her. Reassure her that all will be well. But she needs rest. Do not speak too long before sending her to sleep. She needs a deep, restful sleep to heal.”

Nicholai nodded and grasped the Alpha leader’s forearms in both his hands. “Thank you for saving my heartmate, Stephan. We are forever in your debt. You have but to ask, and I will do.”

“All I ask is that you find as much happiness with Juliette as I have with Katrina.” Stephan managed a tired grin which did not quite reach his eyes. “Now go to her. See for yourself that she is better. It will ease your worry.”

The trio of males watched Nicholai climb into the car, then Alex broke the silence. “You look drained, Stephan. You should feed. I freely offer my blood to you.” The blond Alpha thrust his arm toward the tired male.

“I thank you for your offer and will gladly accept when we get back to Demetri’s house. For now, we need to leave the couple in peace.”

“Is it wise to leave so soon?” Demetri raised a dark brow.

“Nicholai needs time alone with his mate. He’ll watch over her. She’s in good hands.”

Nicholai, if you have no further need of us we will take our leave.

Go, cousin. We will be fine. I thank you for all you did this night. Safe travels.

“Come, we go back to my home,” instructed Demetri before his form coalesced into a pinpoint.

The large Alpha watched his two friends reform in his kitchen simultaneously. Demetri leaned against the counter, his arms folded over his chest as Stephan and Alex sat down at the kitchen table.

Alexander shrugged out of his coat and hooked it over a dinette chair before turning to Stephan. He cuffed his flannel shirt away from his wrist, then thrust his arm toward his leader. “You said you would feed once we returned.”

“I did. Thank you, Alex.”

As Stephan took from the younger Alpha, a concerned expression crossed Alex’s face. “You know, Demetri, something wasn’t right about that car accident tonight. Did you notice the wheels?”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“There were only three tires still attached to the car.”

Demetri sat at the table. “It was a violent crash. Perhaps the wheel came off during the accident.”

“I considered that, but the tire was not in the forest. I found it when Nicholai and I were walking down the road. And that’s not all. I also found a lug nut.”

Demetri scrubbed a tired hand down his face. “And that’s important because…” he prompted.

“Because when I picked up the lug nut, I noticed something. There were gouges in the metal, like someone used the wrong tool on it.”

“Okay, so Nicholai takes his car to a bad mechanic. What of it?”

“No one would take that car to a bad mechanic. And no mechanic worth his salt would use the wrong tool to either tighten or remove lug nuts from a high-class sports car like that. I don’t believe for one minute that the nut I found was removed by a mechanic.”

Demetri considered the statement. Alex was a car guy guru, a fine connoisseur of all things automotive. If he said no mechanic made those marks, then no mechanic did.

“So who did that to the car?”

“If someone other than a mechanic loosened the lug nuts, that begs the question who and why. What if someone wanted to cause an accident? And what if that someone knew that driving with loose lug nuts would cause the lug nuts to fall off? And what if that someone also knew that with the lug nuts gone, the tire would fall off?”

Stephan licked the tiny wounds on Alex’s arm closed and leaned back in his chair. “Are you suggesting that someone sabotaged Nicholai’s car?”

Alex shrugged. “Seems like a possibility.”

“To what end?”

“To the end that happened. Losing a wheel at high speeds would send the car crashing out of control.”

Demetri pounded his fist on the table. “So someone is out to hurt Nicholai?”

“Or his heartmate,” suggested Stephan.

Alex pursed his lips and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Appears that way to me.”