Gunnar Page 14

  “Vera,” Gunnar said through tight lips. I felt his pulse race with barely contained anger. “What else do I need to do to prove to you that I’m on your side?”

  It sounded good when I said it. Vera didn’t drop her weapon, but she dropped her right shoulder slightly, as if letting some of the tension out of it. She was just as tired as the rest of us.

  “Gunnar will sleep outside,” I said. “Like always.” What I didn’t say was that I’d stay right by his side. Vera gave no indication that she realized what had happened between Gunnar and me. I would tell her tonight, after everyone had a full belly and a clearer mind.

  “You need me,” Gunnar said. “You might be able to fend off one or two members of the Pack at a time, but not if you don’t know when they’re coming. I do. Jett...go with her and make sure--”

  Gunnar’s voice was cut off by Melanie’s scream. In the same instant, Gunnar’s wolf eyes flashed silver. Vera whirled around and raised her rifle. I moved toward the sound and Gunnar grabbed my arm, holding me back.

  “Vera! I can’t wake her up!” Melanie’s anguished cry cut through me. Vera was already on the move. She’d given up aiming her weapon and slung it over her shoulder as she broke into a run. Gunnar and I followed close behind.

  We ran down the steep embankment leading to our hideout below the dam. Years ago, during construction, they’d built diversion tunnels. Abandoned now, they’d never been filled in. We had a protected position at the base of a viaduct crossing the Rockcastle River. Melanie was there, leaning against the high cement wall, cradling Caroline in her lap.

  Caroline’s color had gone gray. Her eyes were open and unfocused. Gunnar got to her first, skidding to a halt in front of Melanie. He dropped to his knees and put a hand to Caroline’s forehead.

  “She’s breathing,” he said. “But it’s labored and shallow. Jett, she’s burning up.”

  Vera tossed her rifle to the ground and went to Melanie’s side. Caroline’s mouth hung slack. Her lips were dry and cracked.

  “I was afraid of this,” Gunnar said. “She was worse off than she wanted to let on. The infection is deep. She knew I could scent it.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?” Vera said, her tone thick with accusation.

  “Say what?” Gunnar shot back. “Exactly what would you have done if I had? I’ll tell you. You would have told me to mind my own business and remind me how long you’ve been looking after everybody before I came along.”

  Vera’s mouth hung open, but at Gunnar’s tirade, she snapped it shut. She knew he was right. And my heart dropped with the sickening clarity that none of it mattered one damn bit anymore. Caroline was dying.

  “It’s probably a coma,” Gunnar said. “Shit. I can’t help her from here. We have to get her to someone who can if it’s not already too late.”

  “It’s not safe,” Melanie pleaded. “They’re out there. I can still feel him.” Tears streamed down her face. For a moment, Vera tried to shush her and calm her with a hand against her cheek. It took almost a full minute before Melanie’s truth washed over her.

  “What do you mean you can feel him?” she asked. Melanie didn’t look at her. Instead, she locked eyes with Gunnar. For the first time, I fully understood what Melanie meant. Gunnar was in me since he’d marked me. Though we hadn’t tested it out, I knew with absolute certainty, if we were separated, he would be able to call to me. He had claimed me as my Alpha. Dear God, in Melanie’s case it had happened by force.

  “Where’s the nearest town?” Gunnar asked, turning to me.

  “Clarksville,” I said. “About seven miles due east. There’s not much there. A hospital, I think. I don’t know how good it is.”

  “She needs intensive care,” Gunnar said. “If I can get her there alive, maybe they can either help her or get her transferred to Lexington or someplace better. It’s the only shot she’s got.”

  He’d already made up his mind. Scooping Caroline out of Melanie’s lap as if she weighed nothing, he stood. Caroline’s head lolled to the side. If Gunnar hadn’t checked, I would have thought she was dead already. Her sightless eyes rolled in the back of her head.

  “Gunnar,” I said, my voice dropping low. My throat clogged with growing panic as I realized what he meant to do. He meant to leave.

  “I’ll be back,” he said.

  “If you get caught…” Vera said.

  Gunnar turned to her. “If I get caught, Jett will know.”

  No. I couldn’t stand it. The idea of being separated from Gunnar right now sent my heart racing. Panic washed over me, making me shiver.

  “Let me go with you,” I said. “I know this area better than you do.” It was a futile argument. Gunnar didn’t need a tour guide. He could probably find his way to the closest town with his eyes closed just by following his nose. He could cover more ground faster than any of us and he could carry Caroline with no effort at all.

  “Listen to me,” he said. Gunnar came to me. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine as he held Caroline’s limp form between us. I put a hand to her cheek. Her skin blazed with fever. “Stay out of sight. No matter what happens. No matter what you think you feel.”

  “Gunnar, you have to come back,” I said.

  “I will. I always will.”

  He kissed me quickly, leaving me breathless. A look passed between him and Vera, then he turned toward the setting sun and bounded up the embankment.

  Twenty-Three

  Gunnar

  She would die. Caroline had never been anything but sweet to me. She, like the others, had every reason not to trust me, and yet she had. Today, it was with her life. With each step I took, my wolf raged to get out.

  This was a waste. All of it. Caroline couldn’t be more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old. But, as I held her limp body in my arms, she looked frail and old. She’d lost so much weight and water, her skin was almost translucent. A web of dark veins popped at her temples. She wore jeans and a loose-fitting red t-shirt. Her right leg swelled and went stiff, her body riddled with infection. I should have followed my instincts days ago. Screw Vera, I should have brought Caroline to safety.

  Clarksville was easy to find. A small, rural town, it sat nestled in a deep in the river valley. As I emerged from the woods, I sank low, hiding us both among the foliage. From here, I could see the whole town spread out in a grid. Dawn was just about to break.

  Clarksville had a single church in the northeast quadrant of town. The safest thing might be to take Caroline there. Safest for me, but possibly deadly for her. No. I would have to bring her straight to the emergency room of whatever hospital I could find.

  I scanned the town then closed my eyes, letting my keener senses lead the way. There. Almost dead center. At five stories, it was the tallest building in town. I would have to move faster than any non-shifters could see. There was no way to escape notice if I waltzed through the streets carrying Caroline’s limp form in my arms.

  She murmured something past dry lips, her agony written in the deep lines above her brow. “Shhh,” I whispered. “It’s going to be all right. I’ll make sure of it.”

  She didn’t deserve this. She should be graduating from college or getting married or doing whatever it was that normal twenty-somethings do. Instead, she’d spent years living in fear and hiding from the ruthless, vindictive Pack patrols, afraid for her life.

  “It’s all right, Caro,” I said. “I’ve got you.”

  The truth was, I had no idea if she was going to be all right. The infection had spread so fast, it might be too late to save her. Rage tore through me. It wasn’t fair. Because, no matter what, I couldn’t stay with her. I could only get her to people with the expertise to help her if they could. But, she would wake up alone and afraid. I couldn’t even risk leaving a note or word with what happened to the rest of her friends.

  The hair prickled at the back of my neck. A heavy band pressed around my head. The Pack wasn’t far. I couldn’t sense them in town, but
there was movement to the northeast. We were so close to the Tennessee border here. I’d downplayed it to Jett. I told her we’d never seen Pack this far. I think even she knew the opposite was true, but she didn’t question me. We all knew it was either this or we’d all sealed Caroline’s fate.

  I gathered her close to me and started to run. My wolf clamored to get out as the scent of the Pack drew closer. They wouldn’t be looking for me here. Hell, they’d never think I was dumb enough to come waltzing into a populated area like this. If I was quick enough, I’d get in and out before any of them were the wiser.

  The irony was, the thing that made me safer was also the thing that could put Jett in harm’s way. Marking her had strengthened my inner Alpha to the point I couldn’t hear Able Valent at all anymore. Maybe that would change if I ever came face to face with him again. For now, he couldn’t touch me. But, if he got close to Jett…

  I pushed it out of my mind. Two orderlies leaned against the wall near a dumpster in the alley. The blazing red lights of the emergency room were just ahead. The smoke from their cigarettes reached me. I moved by them in a blur.

  The ER opened into a large waiting room. Glass separated it from the main hospital. I had to get past a receptionist at a long, U-shaped counter. She didn’t look up from her computer screen as I approached. A few of the other patients did. Jaws dropped at the sight of me. It wasn’t even Caroline’s lifeless form that caught their attention. It was me. This was Kentucky. They knew what I was.

  I saw an empty wheelchair against the wall and carefully put Caroline into it. Her head lolled to the side, but she didn’t fall. I wheeled her up to the counter and cleared my throat. Finally, the receptionist looked up; her owl-like eyes widened even further.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “No,” I said. “But you have to help her.”

  She looked at Caroline and quickly got to her feet. She pressed a button on the side of her workstation. She was either calling for security or medical help. Either way, I knew I couldn’t stick around to find out. Though it killed me to do it, I had to run. Somewhere, deep inside this building, I felt the Pack. Able had maybe one or two members here. They didn’t sense me yet, but they would.

  I leaned down and pressed my mouth against Caroline’s ear. I didn’t know if she could hear me. Probably not. But I had to at least try.

  “Stay strong,” I said. “Stay alive. I’ll try to figure out a way to get word to you. Smart people who care about you won’t forget you.”

  Then, I turned and let my wolf out just enough to give me the speed I needed. Those still waiting in chairs would only feel a strong breeze and see a shadow. By the time the Pack felt anything, I had hoped to be long gone.

  I said a silent prayer for Caroline and headed back for the woods where I belonged. Jett’s heartbeat thundered inside of me like a beacon calling me home. She was scared. It would only be about four hours from the time I left her side to when I returned. Even that was too long.

  I needed Jett. Jagger and Liam had tried to tell me what it was like to have a fated mate. It seemed starry-eyed and foolish. Also careless and dangerous. The thing Jagger feared over all else had happened. The Pack had used his mate Keara against him...or tried to. She died before they could torture our location out of her. Losing her had split Jagger’s mind apart. He might never be the same.

  And now, I understood that he would likely do it all over again for just one more day with her. Jett was part of me. I would live and bleed for her for the rest of my days. Even the thought of any danger coming to her stirred my wolf to rage. Every inch separating us cut into me like a thousand daggers. It was like trying to breathe underwater.

  One thing was certain: once I got back to her, I wouldn’t leave her side again. Golden Rock wasn’t safe. It was a good hideout since they had access to clean water and shelter. It was so far away from the nearest town that the Pack likely didn’t patrol there often. The viaduct provided a perfect place for a sentry so Vera or Jett could have easily kept watch before I came along. But, now that I had come along, they were too open. I couldn’t stay above ground for long periods of time anymore. And, I’d be damned if I’d leave Jett behind.

  As day bled into evening again, I heard the rushing waters of the river and Jett’s steady heartbeat beneath it. She would probably sense my question before I asked it, but there was only one place safe enough for Jett to be.

  It was time to go back to Mammoth Forest.

  Twenty-Four

  Gunnar

  I saw Jett’s silhouette as I approached. She stood sentry at the top of the viaduct. Her shoulders went stiff. She sensed me. Slowly, she turned around and lowered her rifle. I knew she could see my wolf eyes glinting in the darkness. I ran to her so fast it had to look like flying to her.

  “Gunnar!” she shouted. She dropped her rifle and ran into my arms. It had been less than a day since we parted. It was way too long.

  Her hair was soft and clean; her scent washed over me, stirring my lust. “Baby,” I whispered, my lips finding hers. She was pliant, breathless. Her hard nipples brushed against my chest. She smoothed her hands over my face, down my shoulders, then circled them around my waist.

  “You’re okay? They didn’t follow you?”

  “No,” I said. “I got Caroline to the hospital in Clarksville. It killed me to leave her. I just pray to God we got her to help in time.”

  Tears streamed down Jett’s cheeks. “She’s going to be so afraid. If she wakes up...when she wakes up. She’s going to think we abandoned her.”

  “She won’t,” I said. “She’ll know that her friends did everything they could to keep her safe. And she’ll know that she’s alive because of you. What about you? Any sign of the Pack out here?”

  I knew the answer was no. Connected as I was to Jett, I would have felt any alarm she did. As I held her in my arms, a different growing need rose. Jett’s lips parted and she kissed me. I felt the slow heat build between her legs even from here.

  “God, Gunnar,” she gasped. “Why can’t I get enough of you?”

  I chuckled softly as I pressed my lips against her forehead. “I’m sorry, baby. I probably should have warned you about the Rise.”

  “The Rise?” She pulled back and eyed me with suspicion.

  “I’m new at this too,” I said. “Before I met you, I was convinced I’d be a bachelor wolf my whole life. Mates seemed to be nothing but trouble.”

  “Oh, really?” she swatted my ass. “You better talk, Cole.”

  “Uh...well...uh...there are probably a billion other people better than explaining this than me, but the Rise is what happens after you take a mate. The first marking isn’t enough. You need more. Many, many more.” I couldn’t help the sultry growl that escaped from me.

  Jett shuddered in my arms. Her nipples got even harder. I couldn’t help myself. I slid my fingers under her shirt and found her breasts. She groaned and her knees turned to rubber.

  “Come on,” I said. “I need you. I don’t mean to wait.”

  “I...have...to...keep...watch,” Jett spoke through kisses.

  “Baby, you don’t think I’m going to sense the Pack miles away? It’s quiet. I promise. We have time. A few minutes at least. It’s for your own good. You’ll get sick if we don’t…”

  “Mmm.” Whatever protest Jett wanted to make, it died on her lips as I lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around me. I carried her to the end of the viaduct. Melanie and Vera had taken refuge deeper in the woods.

  I took Jett to a clearing in the shadow of the bridge. For a moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the world. Later, we might be blessed with more time. I would tease her out, torture her with my tongue, bring her to the edge of pleasure and back again while she cried out for me. Now, the driving need we both felt controlled us.

  I placed her gently on the ground. Jett scrambled back and wriggled out of her pants. She set her rifle to the side, close enough that she could reach it quick
ly if danger came. She spread her legs wide for me as she leaned back on her elbows. I reached for her, pushing her t-shirt up and her bra with it. Her tits popped out and my vision tunneled. I knew my eyes went pure silver as lust coursed through me.

  I lunged for her, grasping her nipple gently between my teeth. Jett arched her back and cried out. She threaded her fingers through my hair and pulled me down to her. My Jett wanted it rough tonight. Sucking one nipple, I rolled it with my tongue, loving the way it pebbled. I reached between her legs. She was dripping wet already. I kneaded her taut little sex between my fingers. She gasped and spread her legs even wider.

  I got my own jeans off and tore my shirt over my head before going to work on her other nipple. Jett started to thrust her hips wildly. I think I could have made her come just by working her nipples, she was so ready for me. I slid three fingers inside of her, loving the way her juices coated my hand and her walls clenched. She was my sustenance, my everything. I came to life when she found me.

  “Gunnar!” she gasped, reaching the peak of pleasure. Not yet, I thought. Not yet. I slid my fingers out of her as she stroked my cock. She would feel so good, so warm.

  Jett moved. Her eyes snapped open, dark with lust. She pushed up until she knelt before me. I threw my head back and roared with desire as she fastened her lips around me. With her eyes locked on mine, she sucked me, taking me deep into her throat. My knees trembled as I tried to hold on.

  Lacing my fingers through her hair, I spurred her on. I fucked Jett’s mouth as the tide of pleasure rose in me. I’d intended to tease her, draw her out. She turned the tables on me. She owned me with her mouth and I held on for the ride.

  “Baby,” I whispered. “What you do to me.”

  Jett redoubled her efforts, taking me so deeply. She went on her hands and knees, stroking me with her tongue, her lips, grazing me gently with her teeth. She claimed me in her own way, just as I had done her. I doubled over, running a hand along her spine.