When she realized she held Rica in a tight clench, she loosened her arms and surrendered her mate to his brother. Her knees refused to support her, and she collapsed by the window, once more aware of the hungry flames lapping at her back, and the intense heat. She tried to stand, but her legs refused to cooperate.
With a muffled cry, she slumped forward, knowing she couldn’t lift herself out. She would die here, but at least Rica was safe. That was all that mattered. Nothing else was important—not her old way of life, her goals, or her work.
Her work. Her head snapped up, and she looked in the direction of the fireplace, where the mantle had once been a resting place for the box that held her journal. Not once had she even thought of the pages of notes she had spent hours compiling. Getting Rica to safety had been her only priority.
She mourned for the destruction of the gift Rica had given her, but didn’t feel even a dart of regret for the lost work. In a moment of epiphany, she knew she wouldn’t have exposed the werewolves to the world. She didn’t have the desire to write about them and use it to further her career. Columbia might as well be a million miles away, for all the importance it held for her now.
Hands were on her shoulders then, lifting her through the window. She recognized Eugen, who had been so clumsy with his mate the night of the Mating Moon. She was thankful for his bulging muscles as he slung her over his shoulder and rushed away from the cabin.
She looked up from her undignified position and saw many of the Pack assembled around the shop, dousing the building with water from a portable hose-and-water unit. Most of the rest of the members were using another unit to put out the fire consuming what was left of their home.
Eugen laid her on the icy ground, beside Rica, who remained in wolf-form. A fit of coughing overwhelmed her, bringing a wave of blackness with it. She was able to grasp his paw and assure herself he was alive before passing out.
Chapter 12
A sharp pain in her back woke Ellie. She opened her eyes and tried to sit up. The skin stretched taut across her back, eliciting a groan. Hands were there to assist her to a sitting position. She turned her head and saw Davinia standing beside her. She had been lying on their sofa. “Rica?” The word emerged as a harsh rasp, and her throat protested speaking.
Davinia produced a goblet containing a cold brew with a faint licorice scent. Ellie sipped cautiously, finding the taste pleasant. Her seizing throat eased when she swallowed the cooling elixir. “How is Rica?” Her voice was still hoarse, but audible.
“He’s resting. I would have put you in bed with him, but I didn’t want you to brush against his burns. And he was so agitated earlier, you wouldn’t have gotten any rest.” Davinia’s hand touched her forehead. “Your skin has lost the heat it retained. You’ll be fine.”
She knew she would be okay. Her back was agony, and the cuts from the glass someone must have removed stung, but she didn’t seem to be in life-threatening distress. “How badly was Rica hurt?”
“It’s hard to say. I’m no healer, but he was able to transform twice during the night, which aided healing. His leg is still broken, and he has a nasty patch of blisters on his chest, but his next transformation should restore him to health. Once he rests and recovers his strength, he ought to be fine.”
“Can I see him?”
Davinia nodded. “If you can walk. Your back is a mass of blisters. I used a poultice, but it did little more than leach the heat from your skin and heal some of the open areas.”
“I think I can walk.” She was weak, but needed to see Rica, to assure herself he was all right.
“Come, let me help you.”
As her friend supported her arms, Ellie gingerly moved her feet to the floor. Her back spasmed, sending waves of anguish radiating up and down her spine, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand. She still leaned heavily on Davinia for support as they shuffled down the hallway to the room she had used upon her arrival in Necheau.
Viggo sat with his brother. He got to his feet and came forward to bring her the rest of the way into the room. “He’s sleeping, but it is restful. He’s no longer thrashing.” He handed her into the chair he had occupied and stepped back. “Call us when you’re ready to leave, or if his condition changes.”
She nodded, taking Rica’s hand as Viggo and Davinia left, closing the door behind them with a soft click. She used her other hand to lift the loose pad covering his chest. She flinched when she saw the burns. They were horrible, but not even half as bad as they had been last night. Someone had washed him, removing all traces of soot and smoke from his skin. His pallor was obvious.
She lifted the sheet tucked around his waist and found him nude. His right leg bent at an odd angle, but no one had set it. Probably because it would interfere with his transformation when it was time again. “Rica?”
Her scratchy voice caused his eyes to open. They were surprisingly lucid.
She brushed a long strand of hair off his chest. The fire had singed some of his hair, leaving it choppy and of varying lengths. “How do you feel?”
“Like a house fell on me.” His voice was hoarse too. “You?”
She nodded. “The same. Davinia said you will be fine in a few days. You need to transform again and rest, but you’ll be on your feet soon enough.”
“The hell with that.” Rica made an effort to sit up, but she had no trouble holding him down with just one hand. “I have to challenge the bastards who did this, before they seize the position of Alpha. I can’t appear weak.”
She loosened her hold on his shoulder. “Darling, you are weak. If you face Belia now, you can’t win. Please be sensible.”
He growled at her, baring his teeth. “I don’t want to be sensible. I want to tear her apart.”
Ellie shared the same sentiment, but she had to convince him to recuperate before charging off to face them. “I want you in one piece.” She winked at him. “I like being Lupina, and I want you able to defend your position, okay?”
He scowled at her, but didn’t argue. Instead, he brought her hand to his lips. He frowned when he saw the bandage. “What happened?”
“Glass splinters.” She frowned when he lowered her hand and began unwinding the bandage. “What are you doing, Rica?”
His hands shook with the effort, but he eventually bared her hand. Ellie’s breath hissed between her teeth when she saw the gashes in her palm. Just the thought of someone having picked out the slivers made her head spin. The cuts suddenly burned.
Once more, he brought her left hand to his mouth. She expected tender kisses, and a gasp escaped her when he began licking the wounds. She tried to pull her hand away. “Stop. That’s disgusting.”
“My saliva will help you heal. Don’t fight.” He returned to his ministrations. By the time he had unwound the bandage from her other hand and started licking those wounds, the cuts on her left hand had healed.
“That’s amazing.” She touched her palm, finding the skin smooth and unblemished. Before her eyes, the deepest wound on her right hand closed, returning her skin to its pre-injury state. Her brow furrowed. “Will I become like you?”
He sagged against the bed. He must have spent the last of his energy on taking care of her. “You won’t turn to a wolf. It takes a lot more of the enzyme in my saliva to cause a transformation. Your wounds would have to be much more extensive before the enzyme would cause transformation, because they would require more saliva.” He managed a hint of a grin. “Otherwise, you would have changed already, as often as I’ve tasted your cunt.”
“You’re incorrigible.” Ellie shook her head, but his teasing pleased her. It was a sign of his recovery, and she enjoyed hearing him say such decadent things. “I’ll leave you to rest now.” She got slowly to her feet, pausing to call for Viggo. She looked down when Rica took her hand.
“Did I dream it?”
She frowned. “Dream what?”
“Did you really say you love me?”
Somehow, she found the ability to bend down and brush a kiss across his lips. “Yes, Rica. I love you.” She stood up as Viggo entered the room. Ellie squeezed his hand once before slipping her fingers from his. Viggo’s arm around her shoulders lent her strength to walk slowly from the room. She paused at the door to look back and saw Rica had already closed his eyes and returned to sleep.
* * * * *
“Rica, no.” Ellie’s breath hissed through her teeth as sharp pain flared in her back. Two days of Davinia’s poultices had gone a long way toward healing the wounds, but they were still tender. Wrestling with Rica didn’t do anything to alleviate that. “You can’t go. You aren’t strong enough.” Within seconds, she found herself in Rica’s arms, and then lying on the bed where he had been sitting, while he strode to the door.
“Rica!” She scrambled to her feet, slowed by the back injury. At least she could walk properly, thanks to Rica caring for the wounds on her feet yesterday morning. “Don’t be foolish. You aren’t ready.”
He paused to look at her. “Viggo has told me of the whisperings. Many of the Pack believe I didn’t survive, and you’re hiding that. They are turning to Belia and Istal for leadership. I can’t allow that. My line has produced the Alpha since before we settled in Corsova.”
She bit back a curse and followed him from the room. He walked past Viggo, ignoring his brother’s attempts to stop him. “Do something, Viggo. He’s determined to confront Belia tonight.”
Viggo sighed and followed his brother.
Her mouth dropped open when Rica opened the door and Viggo followed him out, making no effort to stop him. “What are you doing? Get him back in here.” She turned her head when Davinia touched her arm. “Do something.”
“It’s time, Ellie. He has to show he’s strong enough to lead.”
She gritted her teeth. “This is stupid. You have to help him.”
“Viggo will stand with him, as will I. I must take Ylenia to Golatia first.”
With a sound of frustration, Ellie stalked to the door, pausing only to grab her parka as she stormed through the doorway. She saw Rica and Viggo walking to the center of the square and followed.
They paused near the water pump, and Rica’s voice rang out. “Face me, Belia, and your followers. Your plan has failed.”
Ellie stopped walking as the doors to the cabins lining the square opened. People began streaming into the square, surrounding Rica and Viggo. Most seemed glad to see him, and several bowed their heads and spoke words she couldn’t hear. She assumed they were renewing their allegiance to him.
The others formed a loose half-circle, not approaching Rica or Viggo. Their numbers were in the minority, but they still had an impressive show of strength.
She began moving again, breaking into a run to reach Rica. Her back retaliated by sending pain throughout her body, but she forced herself not to acknowledge it. She was out of breath and gasping with pain when she reached Rica’s side. He didn’t try to send her away. Instead, he grasped her hand in his and pulled her closer. From the corner of her eye, she saw Davinia join them, standing beside Viggo.
“I am Alpha. Does anyone wish to challenge me in an honorable fashion, rather than trying to kill me like a coward?”
The anger in Rica’s voice sent shivers down her spine, and she was thankful it wasn’t directed toward her. She had never seen him enraged, and she almost felt sorry for those who had opposed him. Almost.
It was no surprise when Belia and Istal stepped forward, along with a half-dozen other men and women. “I challenge you.” Istal’s chest puffed out as he spoke. “The Pack requires a new leader.”
Rica’s expression remained impassive. “Very well. We shall meet at the clearing.”
Istal nodded almost imperceptibly.
Rica’s posture didn’t reveal a hint of weakness as he released Ellie’s hand and walked toward the clearing. Her heart raced with fear. What if he didn’t overcome his challengers? Would the challenge be to the death? She assumed it would. What would she do without Rica?
Viggo followed two steps behind his brother, and Davinia stood by her side. She squeezed Ellie’s hands. “Pray, my sister. Pray he wins.”
She turned her head from her husband’s proud stance to look at her friend. “I’m frightened. He’s still weak.”
“I’m frightened too.” Davinia was visibly shaking. “If he and Viggo lose, the new Alpha has the option of cleansing the Pack of their line.” Her eyes were wide with fear when she met Ellie’s gaze. “I have no doubt Istal and Belia will order our deaths.” A tear clung to her lash. “I’m not so frightened for myself, but what about my baby? She has barely lived at all.”
A ball of ice lodged inside her stomach. She forced her voice to emerge confidently. “Rica will prevail. He won’t let them take his place.”
Davinia nodded, and they joined the group making their way down to the clearing. A few feet from the top of the hill, a howl reached them, echoed by others. A cacophony of noises followed the howls, primarily among them, cries of pain and fury.
Ellie pushed through the crowd, followed closely by Davinia. They raced down the hill and skidded to a stop when they saw what was happening.
Seven men surrounded Rica and Viggo. Three of them were in wolf-form, circling the other four, who were getting closer to Rica and Viggo, also still in man-form. Blood poured from Viggo’s arm, and there was a gaping wound on Rica’s stomach.