Chapter 23 - Rachel #2
I sucked in a breath as my hands continued to tremble. I didn’t know how Elias could tell me it was going to be okay, not when Sam was on the ground, his fur matted with blood, and the ground beneath him dark with it. How much blood had he lost?
“Oz, get Lucas,” Elias said. How he managed to keep calm like this, I didn’t know. Turning back to me, he said, “Lucas is our best field medic. He’ll be able to help stabilize him. Then we’re going to get him to the underground spring. Sam’s going to be okay, all right?”
I nodded, but it wasn’t enough. This was my fault.
If I had gone after the wraith, I might have been able to kill him.
I had chosen Sam because I couldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to him.
I wasn’t going to let our baby grow up without a father.
But I had still thrown away our chance at ending this for good.
“Elias, I’m so sorry,” I said. “I had one job, and—”
“And you did it,” Elias interrupted. “We weren’t trying to kill the wraith today. We were just trying to get Emma out, and we’ve done that. She’s safe. We’ll worry about the wraith later, okay?”
The words didn’t sink in right away. Elias grabbed my shoulder, making sure I was looking at him.
“Right now, I care more about the fact that my best friend is in trouble than the wraith,” he said. “I would have made the exact same decision you did. Do you understand?”
Emotion continued to well up, that lump in my throat continuing to swell, but his words still soothed some of that anxiety and self-loathing. I took in a deep, gulping breath and nodded.
“Thank you for saving him,” Elias said.
I hadn’t saved Sam, not yet. He was still in danger; everyone could see that.
And I couldn’t lose him. The thought of having to do any of this alone sent me into a blind panic.
My wolf paced inside me, anxious as she smelled the blood, wanting to comfort her mate, to make sure he was okay.
Even though I could tell through the mating bond that he was still alive, I could sense his pain as well, and I could barely stand it.
A lean shifter with long limbs hurried over with a med bag.
He nudged me gently so that he could crouch next to me.
He studied the blade of glass with a clinical eye.
How he managed to see that without feeling panic was beyond me.
Right now, all I could think about was how Sam could be dying in front of me, and what might happen in the next couple of hours because I wasn’t able to stop the wraith in time.
“It looks bad,” the shifter—Lucas—admitted, not bothering to sugarcoat it. “But it could be worse. Cauterizing the wound was the right choice, but I’m going to start checking his vitals, do you understand?”
I nodded, but I refused to let go of Sam’s hand until Lucas reached over and gently pulled my fingers away.
I hovered next to Sam the entire time, my wolf refusing to go more than a few feet away as I stared intently, watching every move Lucas made as I kept track of Sam’s breathing. He couldn’t die. He couldn’t. Because I didn’t know what I would do if he did.
“Right,” Lucas said, sitting back on his haunches as he studied Sam. “He’s stable enough to travel.”
“Great.” Elias nodded at Lucas, and the two of them hoisted him, one grabbing his legs and the other wrapping their hands beneath his shoulders. Together, they lifted, hauling him up.
“Where are you taking him?” I asked.
“To the spring,” Elias answered.
***
I had never been inside the underground spring, though I had heard stories about it from both Elias and Emma.
It was beautiful. Light from nowhere streamed down onto a ground covered in soft, vibrant moss.
The water glittered blue and silver, as if under moonlight.
The stone walls were smooth and damp to the touch, and a soft, trickling sound of flowing water filled the room.
The water itself was clear, and looking in, you could see a myriad of colors down below, and the craggy bottom farther below, deeper than I would have anticipated.
A small stream flowed from the spring and through a small hole in the wall.
At some point, it would twist and turn until it spilled out into the waterfall that fed into the oasis on the side of town.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, despite everything, despite all my fear and concern.
“It really is,” Elias agreed.
He placed Sam in the water, just enough so that the water washed over his wound, wiping away the final smears of blood, the pink in the water vanishing into nothing as if by magic. His eyes stayed closed as he breathed in and out.
“Is he going to be all right?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.
“We’ve done everything we can to give him the best chance,” Elias said. “I’m not sure what will happen. But if anything can heal him, it will be this spring.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, unable to take my eyes away from Sam as my heart continued to thunder and my stomach twisted and churned with dread and worry.
“It healed me,” Elias said.
I didn’t answer, unable to tear my gaze away from Sam.
“You care about him, don’t you?” Elias said. “More than just as my friend or a forced mate?”
I nodded, unable to hide it any longer. I wasn’t going to shy away from it anymore. “For a long time now,” I admitted.
“I wondered,” Elias said. “But I wasn’t sure.”
“Are you mad?” I asked, my voice tight.
“Shocked more than mad,” he said. “Once I got over the shock, at least. I once told Sam that I was glad that if you had to have a forced mate, I was glad it was him. I guess the same logic applies to you falling for a guy. I’m glad it’s him.”
Relief and gratitude washed over me, a huge weight that had been weighing me down for weeks finally lifting as I took a deep breath.
“Thanks,” I said. “And sorry for not telling you.”
I kept staring at Sam, praying he would open his eyes. That’s all I wanted. After a long moment, Elias’s hand rested on my shoulder.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get some rest.”
“I’m going to stay here,” I said. I couldn’t leave him alone.
Elias’s brow creased as he frowned, turning to look at me. “There isn’t anything you can do right now,” Elias said, keeping his voice calm and soothing. “If you need to get some rest—"
“Then I’ll sleep on this moss,” I snapped. “I’m not going anywhere. Not until he wakes up.”
He didn’t answer for a long moment, instead studying me speculatively, as if seeing me for the first time.
“Do you want some company?” Elias asked.
I shook my head. “You go be with Emma,” I said. “She needs you. So does Grace.”
Elias hesitated, licking his lips as he turned to look back over his shoulder toward the tunnel exit.
Sand still speckled his hair, and the cut along his temple still trickled blood.
I could understand his reluctance, having to choose between his sister and beta, and his mate.
In the end, though, it was a no-brainer.
He took a deep breath and turned to look back at me.
“I’ll be back in a few hours,” he said. “Oz and Drake are going to be just outside the tunnels until I get back. Call on them if you need anything. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
He gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze, then walked to the tunnel entrance.
Without looking back, I moved toward the edge of the spring, dipping my fingers just below the surface.
The water cooled my fingers, soothing the heat still pulsing through my hand.
I looked down at Sam, still breathing those unsettlingly shallow breaths.
“Don’t you go dying on me,” I muttered. “You’re not going to leave me alone to raise this baby. They deserve to meet their father and know what type of man he is.”
My hand found Sam’s and wrapped tight around it, holding onto him as if that would stop him from slipping away from me altogether.