Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
As I plunged into the frigid water, sharp pins and needles stung my body, and the air catapulted from my lungs. The force of the hit rattled my bones.
Since the fall didn’t kill me, the river was determined to give it the old college try by tossing me around and smashing me against rocks. Pain sliced across my arm.
Bubbles burst from my mouth as panic erupted through my bloodstream. I couldn’t tell which way was up or down. If I didn’t reach the surface soon, I’d drown.
Don’t let this be the end.
Not long ago, I would have relied on the Infernal Sol to help me in a mortal jam, but I could only rely on myself to drag me from this watery grave.
I’d survived nineteen years of hell before that damn amulet burrowed inside me. I didn’t need it to save me now.
A sinister laugh sounded in the depths of my mind, calling bullshit. It only pissed me off, and I kicked harder, fighting to reach the surface.
Finally, my head burst out of the cold water, and icy air filled my lungs. The sunlight blinded me until my eyes adjusted to the frosted banks, rushing water, and snow-capped trees. My head tilted back as I searched the cliff’s edge for Hailey but saw nothing.
She would be fine, though. I’d killed those two Collective members, so she was safe—as long as more weren’t following close behind.
Once the effects of the silver wore off, she could shift and alert someone from Mohan Wilds. They would come for her. And all I had to do was get my ass out of this freezing water and reach out to Fane.
Getting out of the river was easier said than done. The current dragged me for at least a mile before I could use my talons to latch on to a collection of rocks and slowly claw my way to the edge.
My numb hands trembled, and I could barely feel my limbs. I hadn’t been this cold since Fane bit me. Shifters ran hot, but they could still freeze to death in the icy cold like any warm-blooded creature.
I sure as hell hoped I didn’t lose an arm or leg from frostbite. Or my nose.
Water dripped from my long hair, and rivulets ran down my soaked clothes to pierce the thin layer of snow covering the ground. Of course I had to end up plunging into a river when unseasonably cold temperatures plagued the south.
“Fane!”
As I trudged through the forest, trying to work my way back toward a road, I attempted to contact Fane a dozen times without a response. Maybe the cold had zapped my concentration. Or maybe he’d connected to me and I couldn’t see him.
A frigid wind blew, and I groaned, my breath fogging in front of me. I’d pass out and become a popsicle if I didn’t get out of these wet clothes soon. Abandoning the sopping material and shifting would help warm me—except I couldn’t focus enough to grab hold of my wolf.
“Fane!”
I continued my tortuous trudge through the wilderness. Was I still in Georgia?
Something in my gut pulled me toward the left, so I followed it, hoping my inner wolf was pushing me in the right direction. After a few minutes—hell, it could have been hours—a musky scent drifted on the wind, and a blond-and-tan wolf emerged from the tall pines.
Once the shifter’s large head swung in my direction, he trotted toward me.
“Is there a house around here? There was a car accident, and I fell in the river.” I omitted the part about being abducted by The Collective Hunt so he didn’t freak out. “My friend is out there, alone and injured.”
A streak of panic blazed through my chest. How could I be so stupid? He could be part of The Collective, and I’d just sealed mine and Hailey’s fate.
I took a shaky step back as he closed the gap between us.
Shit .
Snaps and pops sounded as he shifted into his human form, one I recognized.
“What the hell happened to you?” Avery, Saint’s beta, flicked his hand toward my soaked, haggard state. “Did you really fall in the river?”
“Am I in Blackwater Falls?”
He nodded. “Saint already knows you’re here.”
And how the hell did he know that?
“The Collective Hunt abducted Hailey Thompson and me from Mohan Wilds yesterday.” If we were still in Georgia, The Collective had taken us somewhere before traveling north. “I wrecked their van and escaped, but Hailey’s still on the cliff.”
The humor evaporated from Avery as a string of curses burst from his mouth. “The Collective Hunt is here?”
“I killed the two members with us, but there could be more.” I jerked my hand toward the mountains behind me. “Someone needs to get Hailey. She’s probably still weak from being bound in silver chains.”
Harsh lines cut into Avery’s face as he growled. “We’ll find her. I need to shift to contact Saint.”
“Be my guest.” I wrapped my arms around my torso and tried to hold back the shivers.
After a few moments, Avery transformed into the large blond wolf again, and his head cocked to the side, his green gaze distant while he communicated with the pack. He gave a sharp bark and then jerked his head for me to follow him.
As my waterlogged boots sank into the thin layer of snow covering the pine needles with each step, I tried reaching Fane but was greeted with radio silence. At least I could call him on a phone soon.
A faint tingle registered on my nape, and a motor purred through the forest. Less than a minute later, Saint raced through an opening in the trees on a four-wheeler and slammed on the brakes.
I hated the relief washing over me when he appeared.
It’s only because I know him and he’s here to help. It has nothing to do with the bond.
Saint jumped off the vehicle and sprinted to me, his ebony waves wild and windblown. “Shit, Tate, you must be freezing.” He tore his puffy jacket off and held it out for me.
“Well, I did fall in a freezing-cold river, so…” I didn’t protest when he draped the jacket around my shoulders. “The Collective Hunt could be out there. We need to help Hailey.”
“I’ve already sent a hunting party.” His head lowered, those piercing silver eyes drilling into mine. “We’ll find her. I promise.”
The intensity in his stare had my breath catching. I didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“I need to call Fane.”
Saint’s expression didn’t change. “Someone’s already on it. I’m sure he’ll be glad to know you’re safe.” He turned to his beta. “Go meet Jace and Bonnie.”
Avery nodded and took off, vanishing through the trees.
Saint ushered me toward the four-wheeler. “Let’s get you inside. Then we’ll look at those injuries.”
I reluctantly wrapped my arms around Saint’s waist as I rode on the back of his four-wheeler, and even though I pretended to hate it, I didn’t mind soaking in his warmth. By the time we reached a giant log cabin, the water drenching my clothes had seeped into his.
“Come on.” Saint got off and held his hand out for me. “I’ll call a healer for you.”
I grabbed his hand, only because my legs were shaky, and climbed off the seat. “No, thanks. I don’t need a healer.” I was never too keen on letting strangers examine me. “Just give me some bandages, and I’ll be fine.”
Saint studied me briefly and then nodded, deciding not to insist on it. He’d only get an argument if he did.
As he pulled me toward the large cabin, other houses among the trees appeared, smoke drifting from some of their chimneys. An entire neighborhood was nestled in the forest. Several shifters rushed by, some casting curious glances our way.
“I’ve instructed patrols to search the forest and outside our territory for any Collective members,” Saint said once he noticed where my attention had gone.
“Is this your house?” When I realized he still held my hand, I removed it from his grip and tucked both of them into the jacket sleeves.
“It belongs to the current alpha, so technically, it’s my house.” He opened the massive oak door to a spacious living room. “A few members live here, including my parents.”
Warmth permeated the air, and it wasn’t just a temperature thing. Like the Anderses’ home, the atmosphere held on to the kindness and happy memories that had unfolded within these walls. Pictures lined the huge fireplace mantel where flames crackled, and more were on bookshelves, tables, and the walls.
“You can use a spare bedroom.” Saint motioned toward the set of wooden stairs leading to the second-floor landing.
I grabbed the railing as my trembling legs climbed each step behind him. “You wouldn’t happen to have a change of clothes I could borrow, would you?”
He peered over his shoulder. “I just gave away all my extra-smalls, but my younger sister might have something that would fit you.”
A snort burst out of my mouth at the thought of Saint donning an extra-small-sized anything.
He pointed to a door on the left side of the hall. “I’ll grab you some clothes. Make yourself at home.”
I ambled into the sizable room with a large bed against one wall and a fireplace on the opposite. The view from the windows was incredible, showcasing the frosty forest landscape. I could practically smell the pine. Or that might have been Saint’s jacket.
“I hope these work.” He entered the room and tossed a pair of sweatpants, a matching hoodie, and a gray tank top on the bed. “My sister’s not here, but she won’t mind.”
“Thanks.” I groaned as I removed Saint’s jacket, tossing it on a chair.
A low growl curled from his mouth as he scrutinized my body, particularly my torso. Blood leaked from my left side, bruises spotted my flesh, and angry healing marks coated my right side from where Amelia clawed me.
“Are you sure you don’t want a healer?” The muscles in his face twitched as he clenched his jaw. “Josh is just downstairs. Or I could get a female if you’re more comfortable with that.”
“I’m fine.”
Lines developed across Saint’s brow. “I wouldn’t let anyone here hurt you. You’re perfectly safe with all of our healers.”
“It’s not that. I just…” I rubbed the center of my forehead, wincing when I touched a bruise. “I’m not all that comfortable with being touched.”
His mouth parted as so many emotions flitted across his expression. He was probably trying to guess what had made me that way.
He might come close, but he would never really know. Only Fane did.
“I’ll make sure to remember that,” he whispered, shoving his hands in his pockets as if to keep himself from accidentally touching me.
“ You can touch me.” As soon as the words dropped from my tongue, heat flooded my cheeks, and a nervous laugh slipped out. “I just mean I’m okay with you. I know you. Sort of.”
A soft smile curved Saint’s mouth as he grabbed a plush towel from the dresser, crossed the room, and passed it to me. “That’s good to know. I’m glad.”
Fane certainly wouldn’t be glad.
I took the towel and wrapped it around the ends of my hair, squeezing the frigid water out. “I think I can handle these little injuries on my own, though.”
As his gaze dropped to my torso again, anger flashed over his face. “I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but I am a healing alpha.”
My head cocked to the side. “What do you mean?
“Some shifter bloodlines, like my father’s, often pass down a special gift to the alphas whether they ever take that position or not.” He gave a casual shrug. “I can heal my pack members.”
“But I’m not part of your pack.”
I tried to recall any information I learned on the subject while studying as a raven but was coming up blank. Maybe it wasn’t a widely known fact.
“You are still technically my fated. It would work for you too.”
“How would you heal me?”
Saint palmed the back of his neck as he stared at the floor instead of me. “I would have to, uh, lick your wounds.”