Dark Wolf

8

Dimitri found he was getting his legs back as they hurried along. At first he’d been stiff, walking like a marionette with someone jerking the strings to his arms and legs. Blood flowed back with movement, and he found he could easily block the painful pins and needles. After the burn of the silver, the prickly sensation was more annoying and troublesome and easily manageable. Skyler picked up the pace, but in deference to his state, she wasn’t moving very fast. His longer strides kept up with her easily.

There will be another guard a few meters ahead. We have to wait for him to circle back around, she cautioned.

He hadn’t believed that they could just walk out of the Lycan camp. Hanging from a tree with silver wrapping him from head to toe, he’d had plenty of time to study the pack and the way they operated. A lot of the day-to-day operations were instinctual, probably imprinted on them before birth.

His own wolf had fed him information on the species, giving him the data necessary to be Lycan, but this was different. His wolf told him how to fight in pack formation, but Skyler had gleaned much more. She knew movements, times, how the pack guarded camps. He kept his mind merged with hers, learning the information, and how Mother Earth had shared with her.

He found his heart swelling with pride and respect. There should be no more surprises with his lifemate, yet she astonished him at every turn. Her abilities continued to grow along with her confidence. Was it the combination of her bloodlines? But there were others with her specific bloodlines, and they didn’t exhibit the extreme power she displayed. Her mother? What did they really know of her mother and her gifts? Clearly he needed to learn more about her.

The path shifted to the left and then cut back sharply to the right. He could smell the other guard. The Lycan was much closer than Skyler had expected, which meant he had deviated from his normal routine. Dimitri put a hand on her shoulder, halting her progress. They crouched together on the narrow path, Dimitri sheltering her body as best he could, making certain he completely covered her in the event bullets started their way. The pack preferred hunting without guns, but he’d seen plenty of weapons in the camp. If they were preparing for a war, they would be using modern weapons.

Every breath he drew was difficult, and he had to prevent the wheezing from being heard. His lungs were shot. He needed blood. His close proximity to Skyler made his mouth water and his teeth stay lengthened. He could move, and he could endure pain, but he couldn’t stop the ever-present hunger that crawled through his body demanding he feed starving cells.

His hand remained on Skyler’s shoulder and he felt her tremble. She had gone to her hands and knees, sitting back a little on her heels, but she kept her hands in contact with the mat of grass. Through her, he felt the silent footfalls of the Lycan guard approaching. The earth gave off the smallest of vibrations. Skyler was so sensitive she felt it.

He stayed relaxed, but deep inside, he coiled, ready and more than willing to strike to protect his lifemate. He might be weak, but there was no silver chain to stop him. Skyler held her breath as the guard came even closer. The man moved first to their right and then to their left. Was he searching for them? The brush surrounding them was thick enough that the Lycan avoided going through it, and he wasn’t aware of the thin strip of forest green carpet leading them to safety.

Dimitri allowed his enhanced senses free rein. Being a mixed blood gave him all the gifts of a Carpathian as well as a Lycan. As time went on, he would evolve even more. He already was gaining the speed of the mixed blood, and he had the acute vision and sense of smell as well as hearing.

The stench of the fire, the burned tree and cabins permeated the forest. The Lycan guard continued to move back and forth in an effort to see what was happening back at camp. He couldn’t abandon his position, but he was clearly worried.

A sense of relief swept through Dimitri. He wasn’t anywhere near full strength and he doubted if he could fight off a pack of Lycans. He wanted to get away without any of them realizing he was gone until it was too late to stop them.

They waited, counting the seconds ticking by, both knowing any moment someone would discover Dimitri had escaped. After what seemed an eternity, the guard gave up and resumed his normal patrol. Dimitri squeezed Skyler’s shoulder. She looked back at him, her eyes changing color, like a kaleidoscope, a signature of her Dragonseeker blood. He knew the color change indicated nervousness.

You’re amazing. He breathed the words into her mind, accompanied by his deep respect and love for her. I honestly didn’t think you could possibly get me out of that tree, let alone remove the silver chain from my body, but you did it. And now we’re moving through the second circle of their guards.

It’s a long way until we’re really free, she reminded. From here on out, you would have a much better chance without me. I can’t go to ground or take to the air.

He leaned close, his mouth moving against her ear, although he spoke in her mind. I can’t do those things at the moment either, csitri. I am far too weak.

Josef is waiting just ahead. We couldn’t risk his being too close in case the Lycans sensed his energy. But he’ll give you more blood—Carpathian blood. Paul’s here as well. He’s just a few kilometers from Josef. And you can feed again there.

He should have known she would even have prepared for feeding him, attempting to get him into good enough shape for a fast escape.

Skyler shook her head, obviously reading his mind. Josef was the one who remembered you would need more blood than just mine. All I could think about was taking away the pain and trying to heal you. Her lashes swept down, hiding the shame and guilt in her eyes. I should have thought of it, though. I’m sorry.

Dimitri took her chin between his finger and thumb, raising her head until her lashes lifted and her gaze met his. We have good friends in Josef and Paul. I’m certain between all three of you, every detail of my rescue and escape has been attended to. Thank you for coming for me. You have such courage, Skyler. I tried to shield you from what was happening to me . . .

She shook her head. You were wrong to do that. I don’t want you to keep anything from me—good or bad. We’re a team—partners. We’re lifemates, and I want to be that in every sense of the word.

He nodded his chin toward the path, indicating they could start out again. The guard had completely moved away.

I think you’ve more than proved your abilities to be my lifemate, Skyler. We are tied together, bound, soul to soul. Before she could rise, he wrapped his arm around her and just held her for a long moment. She felt warm and soft, her body fitting into his burned and battered one, bringing a soothing balm to him.

Skyler rubbed her cheek gently over his burned chest, taking care to keep the gesture featherlight, but he felt it through his entire body, a gossamer touch that reached deep inside and sent his heart soaring.

I love you, Dimitri. We’ll make it out of here and start our life together.

He brushed a kiss along her temple. He would give anything to have her anywhere else but where she was right then. Somewhere safe. He nodded, and she rose and began to walk along the narrow, inviting path between the two rows of thick brush.

He struggled into a standing position, shocked at how weak he was. As a Carpathian he’d always had strength, and as his blood had mixed with the Lycan blood over the centuries, he had become even stronger. His body needed healing inside and out. He also desperately needed the rejuvenating sleep of his kind, deep beneath the earth in the richest of soil.

Skyler picked up the pace, jogging slightly, just enough that he had to extend his strides to keep up with her. He had a difficult time keeping his feet on the carpet of grass. He concentrated on staying to that small strip.

I didn’t want you in danger, but I can see that you’re a woman who will stand with me through anything. I’m not so old, sívamet, that I can’t learn. In spite of the dire situation, his ravaged body and weakness, Dimitri still managed to laugh at himself.

Skyler had always been drawn to his gentle ways and his sense of humor. She knew he was a predator and that any Carpathian male who had fought off the temptation of darkness for centuries was a strong, dangerous man. Still, with her, there was always tenderness and his humor.

She could barely look at his burned body. Had he been able, she knew he would have changed his appearance, but he was too weak. The damage done to him only served as a reminder to her that she’d waited too long. She’d been too concerned about hurting others, lying to her parents, getting in trouble. That seemed so trivial in comparison to what he suffered.

I didn’t know how much I loved you until I nearly lost you, she admitted. I’ve always known there was no one else for me, that I was your lifemate, but it’s so much more, it’s everything, Dimitri.

She had loved him, but almost with a teenage crush, an infatuation that seemed obsessive at times. She’d leaned on him, counted on his strength, and she’d been selfish without even realizing it. She knew it was difficult for him to wait to claim her, but she hadn’t really considered the consequences to his soul. To his honor. She’d been a child, playing at being an adult.

Why do you insist on being so hard on yourself, Skyler? I would not have claimed you when you were sixteen. Even in terms of human years, you deserved time to find out who you were and what you wanted.

His response to her thoughts only made her love him more.

A gun went off, four shots in rapid succession, the sound loud in the stillness of the night.

We’re blown, csecsemõ, just run. The pack will be coming after us hard. They’re fast, faster than you can possibly conceive.

Skyler knew the moment she heard the shots ring out that the pack was signaling to the guards. They’d found their prisoner gone and were hot on their trail. She sprinted along the grass carpet.

Dimitri, try to stay on the grass. Mother Earth will hide our scent. We can make a few more kilometers before they discover us. Both Paul and Josef are armed.

They can’t hope to fight them. We have to find a place for all of you to give me blood. If I’m near full strength, I might be able to hold them off until help arrives.

She heard the doubt in his voice. He was severely wounded, starving, weak. She couldn’t imagine, any more than he could, that he would be able to fight off an entire Lycan pack in his present condition.

If they catch up with us, I don’t want you to try to fight them. If we can’t escape, you and Josef must leave us. Paul and I are human. They probably won’t harm us. Their stupid silver won’t do the damage to us that it has to you. If you and Josef escape and you get to full strength, you can come back for us.

No.

Skyler sighed. That was an absolute. Dimitri rarely gave her that tone, but he meant business when he used it. No one dared disobey him when he spoke like that, including her. He would never harm her, but he would use whatever means available to him to ensure obedience—and he had quite a few options.

She ran along the path, determined not to get caught—to put as much distance as possible between the pack and them. If they managed to reach her safety zone in the clearing, the pack wouldn’t be able to touch them.

We can’t start a war, Dimitri said. Make certain Josef and Paul don’t shoot unless we have no other alternative.

He wouldn’t mind killing a few of the Lycans. Some were unnecessarily cruel. He had his suspicions about them and their motives. But there were others who clearly were uneasy about the council sentencing him to Moarta de argint. They had avoided him, averting their eyes. A few brought him water and shook their heads, but didn’t speak. Only Zev talked to him and encouraged him. He seemed to be actively trying to reach the council members who were in the Carpathian Mountains with Mikhail, the prince of the Carpathian people. Cell phones weren’t working very well where they were, and he had been unable to reach any of the people in power who could reverse the death sentence.

Twice Dimitri had heard Gunnolf talking with a group of Lycans, and he referred to Dimitri as Zev’s pet. He was deliberately undermining Zev’s position with the Lycans. Some seemed to agree with him, but many did not and they walked away in disgust.

He didn’t want to be the cause of a war between Carpathians and Lycans, but if it came down to protecting Skyler, war it would be.

Skyler glanced at him over her shoulder. Her face was very pale. We’re coming up on Josef, and the Lycans are on our trail. I feel their footfalls as they run toward us.

Tell him to get moving. Not to wait.

You need blood. Fear crept into her voice, even as she tried to hide it.

Have him run with us. If we get the opportunity, then he can give me blood.

Dimitri felt calm the way he did before any battle. This was his life and even as weak as he was, he was a dangerous man in a fight. He ran, not for himself, but for his lifemate. Had he been alone he would have eluded them, gone to ground and waited until he was at full strength. Still, he had no doubt that even now, should they attack, he could take a few of them down.

Josef. Skyler sent the call ahead of them.

Merged as he was with her, Dimitri heard every word.

They’re coming up on you fast, Josef warned.

Don’t fire at them. Dimitri wants you to run with us so if it’s possible you can still give him blood.

There was a questioning note in her voice, and Dimitri realized her plan had been for Josef to take Paul and get away if anything went wrong.

If we get into trouble, csitri, he will still be able to get away, Dimitri assured.

Josef leapt out of a tree, landing lightly, just behind Dimitri, matching their pace. We’re in this together by choice, Sky, I’m not going anywhere. We just have to make the clearing and we’re home free.

She ran as fast as she dared, Dimitri, for all his weakness, matching her pace with no problem. She tried not to panic, knowing that would make things worse, but they were still some distance from their safety zone. The ground beneath her vibrated with the footfalls of the Lycans. They were incredibly fast, streaking toward them from different directions.

She had heard they were fast, but hadn’t conceived of such a pace. Already they had fanned out in hunting formation. They were attempting to circle around and get in front of them. If they managed to do that, they would have to fight their way through that line in order to gain entrance to the sacred spot waiting to protect them.

She was tiring. She didn’t have the physical stamina the other two did. Even with Dimitri in such bad shape, he wasn’t faltering. Her lungs were already screaming.

Paul’s just ahead, Josef said. In those trees.

Call him down, Dimitri instructed. I need to know exactly where the clearing is, what’s there and how far away it is.

Skyler showed him the information in her memory, but she was trying to puzzle out how the Lycans knew which direction they’d taken. They ran silently, Mother Earth making certain there was no scent to follow. Their footsteps were muffled. There had to be something she was missing.

Wait. Wait. Skyler breathed the words. Just for a moment, we have to stop. While we do, Josef, give Dimitri blood. Not too much, you have to be at full strength.

Dimitri put his hand on her shoulder, urging her forward as she began to slow down. Not yet, Skyler. We can’t be caught out here on the trail.

That’s the point, they already know exactly where we are. How?

They’re Lycan. Hunters.

There shouldn’t be a trail for them to follow, yet they know our location, Skyler insisted. She halted abruptly and turned to face Dimitri.

“Clever, clever Lycans,” Josef said aloud, extending his wrist to Dimitri. “I offer freely,” he added the formality. He tried not to stare at Dimitri’s burned body, but it was difficult to look away. He took a deep breath, let it out and got back to the business at hand. “They must have put a tracking device on their prisoner, and it’s been activated.”

Dimitri took the offering, knowing they had very little time. He bit down and allowed the rich Carpathian blood to flow into his starved body.

“We have to find it, Josef. You can take it in another direction and buy us time. The moment they get close to you, drop it and take to the air. Don’t let them see you,” Skyler cautioned.

While Dimitri drank, Skyler searched through the rags of his clothing and came up with a tiny bug that had been placed in the pocket of his trousers.

Josef reached for it with his free hand. “I’ll bring Paul down from the tree and get moving, and then see if I can lead the pack away from you.” He winked at her, his grin wide.

“Be careful, Josef,” Skyler cautioned. “Don’t play hero. This isn’t a game.”

Dimitri closed the wound on his wrist, but retained possession. He looked Josef in the eye, his gaze icy. “You will not take any chances, do you understand me? You’re not expendable, not matter what you think. You are our family and we stick together.”

Josef swallowed hard and nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

“Get back to us the moment you can,” Dimitri said. “We’ll need you.” Reluctantly, he released Josef. The boy did think himself expendable. Skyler hadn’t come to that realization yet, but Dimitri saw it in his eyes.

“I’ll get Paul. You start running.” Josef took to the air before either of them could say anything else.

Skyler set the pace again, a steady, but fast speed, Dimitri on her heels. She tried not to think about what she’d gotten her friends into. If they hadn’t found Dimitri when they had, he would be dead. She knew that with certainty, but she didn’t want to sacrifice Josef or Paul for her own happiness.

Josef set Paul down directly behind Dimitri on the narrow path that muffled their footsteps. Without another word, he veered away, moving fast, taking the tracking device with him.

At first, Skyler was certain the ruse wasn’t going to work. The pack seemed to stay on course. Her heart accelerated and she felt her mouth go dry. She wasn’t going to be able to get Dimitri and Paul to their safe haven. She’d chosen the meadow for the richness of soil. Nothing had disturbed it in centuries. The earth was rich with minerals and healing agents, everything Dimitri would need when he went to ground.

Ordinarily, it might take weeks to heal his terrible burns, both inside and outside his body, but they didn’t have weeks. Mother Earth would see to it that her son was in the best shape possible for fight—or flight—if Skyler could just get him there.

Abruptly, she felt the shift of the pack, moving away from them, circling around, following the tracking device they’d placed on Dimitri. Josef was leading them away. He’d veered closer to the Lycan pack then she would have liked, obviously to make certain he had their attention, but now he was in full flight, giving them the opportunity to make better time and reach their goal.

Do you know how many there are? Paul asked.

Dimitri glanced at the boy over his shoulder. No, not a boy. Paul had turned into a man. He was family to the De La Cruz brothers, some of the most lethal of Carpathian hunters. They swore fidelity to the prince and Dimitri didn’t have any doubts that all five brothers would defend him with their lives, but they answered to the eldest, Zacarias. His reputation was well deserved. He was a dangerous predator, untouched by civilization, a hunter renowned for his skill and relentless pursuit. These were the men mentoring Paul.

Too many, Dimitri said.

So basically an entire army. There was a faint note of humor in Paul’s voice.

You could put it that way, Dimitri agreed. I didn’t realize you were telepathic.

Josef exchanged blood with me. He enabled me to speak to Skyler and him. Otherwise, I’m not really, Paul admitted.

But you do have psychic gifts after all. Dimitri made it a statement. Paul might have exchanged blood with Josef to start the process, but he was too good at telepathy not to have some natural talent. I knew you and your little sister had some jaguar in you, which can pass on psychic abilities, but I was told you didn’t have them.

Ginny is a lot like Colby, Paul said, sidestepping the issue. She has a gift with animals, not just the horses, but all animals. She can talk to them. At first I just thought she was a horse whisperer, but it’s much more. She can communicate with animals, and they understand her just as much as she understands them.

When did you first start noticing the ability in her? Dimitri did his best to keep Paul’s attention away from the fact that they were running for their lives, and Skyler from thinking too much about Josef’s safety.

Still, Dimitri was genuinely intrigued. Gifts expanded or showed up as human children got older. Was that why Skyler was becoming so powerful? Was it her age? Or her acceptance of who she was and the acknowledgment of what gifts she actually wielded?

She always had a way with horses, Paul said. But since we’ve been in South America, she’s really thrived. This last year we all started noticing her abilities.

Dimitri suddenly became aware of another heartbeat. He caught Skyler just as she paused. Paul ran into him, nearly knocking them all off the path. He signaled Paul to crouch low and go still. He slipped his arm around Skyler’s shoulders.

There is only one heart beating that I can hear ahead of us, he said. Probably a sentry left behind to warn the pack if he came across your trail. They know someone had to aid me.

Skyler let out her breath, her hand on the path, pushed into the soil to gather more information. Just one in our way. He’s nearly directly in our path. Even if we’re super stealthy I don’t see how we can get past him without detection.

Dimitri could, but even if Skyler cloaked her breathing and muffled her footsteps, the Lycan was on high alert and he would feel them. Skyler tried to think of a spell, anything at all to misdirect the wolf.

Dimitri’s fingers went to the nape of her neck, massaging, easing the tension out of her. Give me a minute. I’ll be back.

Skyler caught his hand, shaking her head. No, the pack will know the moment he’s down. They communicate through some kind of psychic network. Not telepathy, but when they hunt like this, they have some kind of ability to know where each member of the pack is. The formation is crucial to them. Give me a minute to figure this out.

We don’t have a minute. Josef can’t run against them for long. Once the pack catches up to him, he’s going to have to get out of there fast. Even if he takes to the sky, they leap impressive distances.

Skyler bit her lip hard. Can you give him a sense of how high? Josef takes chances. I know you told him not to, but he always is proving something to himself.

He doesn’t yet have a sense of self-worth, Dimitri said. I can send him the information and caution him again that we need him.

Skyler turned her attention to the task at hand. Creating a diversion to move the guard was the safest way.

I call to the heart of a hunter,

I call to the scent of blood,

I call to the fox that is trickster,

Use your cunning to lead them astray.

They waited, crouched on the path. Skyler could hear the guard’s heart now, through her connection with Dimitri. She was astonished at how acute his senses were. With her hands in the soil, she felt the movement of the fox, trotting out just a little way from the wolf, out of sight, but brushing his fur along a thorny bush.

Instantly, the Lycan responded to the furtive noise the fox made. He moved with far more stealth, picking his way through the brush.

Now, we’ve got to go now, Skyler said. Suiting action to words, she was up and hurrying along the green carpet, sending up silent prayers that the guard wouldn’t return to the same exact location, but pick a spot away from their path.

Josef, hear me, Dimitri said. You cannot allow the pack to come too close to you. You’ve given us a lead. They jump tremendous heights. He did his best to give an example in imagery, showing the elite hunters in battle. We need you with us as soon as you can come back.

Josef knew the Lycans were gaining on him. He was a fast runner, and in truth, he wasn’t setting his feet on the ground, but rather skimming just above it, because he didn’t want the Lycans catching his scent. They hadn’t been able to follow Dimitri’s scent, but they had known where he was from the device they’d planted on him.

Still, for all his speed, they were breathing down his neck. It was time to abandon his subterfuge and get out of there. He’d led them several kilometers from Skyler, Paul and Dimitri, and that had been his goal. He threw the tiny tracking device into the thick layer of vegetation on the forest floor and launched himself skyward. As he did, a Lycan burst from the brush, half man, half wolf and leapt after him.

Claws hooked into his legs, terrible curved nails that ripped and tore his flesh. The Lycan refused to let go, trying to claw his way up Josef’s body to his belly. Josef couldn’t shift with the claws in him. The sheer weight of the Lycan pulled him back toward the ground where more of the pack waited eagerly. They jumped and snarled. One pointed a weapon his way.

Desperate, Josef changed tactics. He couldn’t shift his body, but he could his hands. He lifted his arm and brought his clenched fist, now made of solid iron, straight down on the Lycan’s head. The crunch was sickening. Josef’s stomach lurched, but the wolf dropped away from him, landing on top of two of the pack.

Josef reversed direction, shifting as he did so, making his body too small for them to grab, the bird spreading its wings and taking off, making it to the safety of the canopy. Small droplets of blood streamed after him like a comet. He circled away from the pack and back toward Skyler and Dimitri.

Get ahead of us, to the clearing, Dimitri directed. We’re coming in fast.

The pack knows, Josef warned. They’re already spreading out and heading your way, trying to get in front of you and around behind you. I can see them from up above. They’re fast, Dimitri, too fast.

The pack knew the woods, and they were used to running flat out for kilometers without breathing hard. Now they were in a frenzy to reach Dimitri.

I might have killed one of them, Josef confessed. I’m sorry. They’re really stirred up.

Dimitri dropped all pretense. “Run. As fast as you can. Don’t look back, just go for the meadow. Don’t follow the path anymore, Skyler, take the shortest possible route.”

What did it matter to hide their scent? The pack knew their direction and would use every means to cut them off. They couldn’t know about Skyler’s safe haven smack in the middle of the clearing, but they knew they were making for a specific destination and the pack was determined they wouldn’t make it.

Skyler picked up the pace, running hard. She couldn’t imagine what this type of exertion would do to Dimitri. She already had a major stitch in her side and her lungs were burning. The trees began to thin, giving them less cover.

Wolves leapt out of the forest just behind them—the guards left behind, converging together to make their attempt at stopping the escaping party.

One raised a weapon. Dimitri dropped directly behind her, his larger body shielding hers. Skyler, undaunted, sent her plea once more.

I call to thee, Mother, hear my call,

Send that which is silver to stop their footfall.

Bring forth that which is silver, now let it block,

Use that which was hidden to protect and to stop.

Beads of silver bubbled up from the soil and began to liquefy and extend across the ground behind and around them in a semicircle. Dimitri glanced back and down at the silver spreading so fast. His body gave an involuntary shudder.

Lycans wear boots. This cannot stop them.

Lycans wore thin gloves in order to handle the necessary silver weapons when going after rogue packs, and they almost always wore boots to protect their legs in the thick forest. The silver on the ground would not be a deterrent.

It won’t stop them, but it will slow them down. We just need time, Skyler assured.

The silver began to rise in columns, much like dust devils or mini tornadoes, spinning rapidly as they rose and fell, always surrounding the fleeing escape party.

The moment a Lycan came too close, the tiny beads shot out of the whirling twisters, peppering the wolves coming up behind them. Curses, growls and snarls rose, someone shot at them, the bullet whining through the rotating beads.

Dimitri spun around as if he might attack them, but Skyler caught at him, jerking at his arm. No, no, we can’t take a chance on starting a war, not if we have a chance to make it to the clearing. My blood was spilled there. The spell is strong. They won’t be able to penetrate through the shield.

He ran, but he didn’t like it. Twice he tried to drop back and cover Paul as well, but Paul just slowed with him.

Take care of Sky, Paul admonished. I’ll be fine. If they keep shooting at us, I’m going to shoot back, war or no war. This sucks.

Dimitri had to agree with him. He wasn’t used to running or being so weak. He prepared himself for battle, knowing that even Skyler’s clever wall of silver twisters wasn’t going to keep the Lycans back for long. Even as the thought entered his head, the wolves took to the trees, leaping high to catch branches, working their way around the twirling silver walls.

He caught glimpses of void spaces as if in the distance the trees were much thinner.

We’re close, Skyler said. But I can feel the main pack gaining on us. I’m sorry, Dimitri, I know I’m the one slowing you both down.

He had always known the pack would catch up with them. His worry was the safe haven Skyler had created wouldn’t be there and they’d be caught out in the open in a place nearly impossible to defend.

My body is still shaky, csitri, he told her, I’m not altogether certain I would be any faster on my own. But he would turn around and pick them off one by one. The hell with not going to war, not when they were going to kill his lifemate and Paul.

I’m with you, bro, Paul said.

Did I think that out loud? Dimitri asked. It was a sign of his weakness that he had.

Skyler answered him. Loud and clear. I heard it, too. All this time I thought you were the cool, peaceful, Zen-like warrior.

Dimitri saw that both Skyler and Paul found his little gaffe amusing in spite of the danger they were in, and he was grateful he’d made the mistake. They were running flat out now, uncaring of their burning lungs and cramping muscles. They knew they were running for their lives.

Paul gave an inelegant snort. Yeah, cool and Zen-like, that’s Dimitri. I say let him loose on these bozos.

Just ahead, Dimitri could see the clearing. Skyler broke into the open first, running fast, heading for the very center. Josef waited, his hands in the air, ready to do whatever it took to protect them, but having no real idea how.

Dimitri paced himself just behind Skyler, always making certain his body blocked hers from the line to the Lycans. Behind him, he heard Paul grunt and the boy’s pace changed. He glanced over his shoulder but Paul continued to run, not quite as fast, but he was into the clearing.

Shots rang out. He scented blood. Dimitri whirled around while Skyler skidded to a halt. Behind them, Paul was down, writhing on the very edge of the meadow. Just as Dimitri began to backtrack, Paul staggered to his feet, waving him off.

Paul picked up his pace again, sometimes hopping, but gamely coming toward them. Dimitri could see the shield shimmering, translucent, but definitely warping in the night air. Something was there waiting for them. He was reluctant to remove his body from where he blocked the Lycans’ line of fire from his lifemate.

Get inside, Skyler. Get to safety. I’m going back for Paul.

Paul went down again, hard. Anyone could see the boy was in trouble. There was blood on his shoulder, clearly a through and through, and more blood on his leg.

Let me get him, Josef said, rushing past Skyler and Dimitri.

Another volley of shots rang out, and Josef hit the ground, his body rolling. Skyler let out a frightened cry and would have run past Dimitri, but he blocked her way.

“I’ll get them. You get inside.” Dimitri used his firmest voice, a command.

He sprinted toward the two boys. Both boys were game, Paul pushing himself up enough to drag his body forward as Josef rolled over and came to his feet, staying low and zigzagging as he ran toward Paul.

“It’s a trap,” Skyler yelled, suddenly seeing the pack of Lycans emerging from the forest, all with guns trained on Dimitri. “They’re using Josef and Paul as bait.”

Dimitri had already been certain that was exactly what the Lycans were doing. They would have been far more accurate in their marksmanship had they wanted the boys dead. He sprinted past Josef and reached Paul, bending down to lift him.

A volley of shots rang out, so many guns firing silver bullets straight at him. He heard Skyler’s scream of raw fear for him, and then, somehow she was there, flinging her body in front of his, her arms completely outstretched to give him as much protection as possible. She even leapt into the air to protect his head.

Her body was flung hard back into him and he caught her, the burn of silver smashing through both his arms and legs. He turned and ran flat out for the safety of her shield. Behind him, Josef scooped up Paul and raced after him.

The Lycans fired over and over, the sound like claps of thunder, one volley running into the next. Dimitri leapt through the shimmering wall, feeling the wrench on his body, a terrible, disorienting twist, pulling his body nearly apart, almost as if their safe haven rejected him. Once he was through, the strange sensation disappeared, leaving behind the realization that not only had Skyler been shot numerous times, but so had he.

Josef yelled as he came through, Paul slung over his shoulder. Splashes of red dotted both bodies.

Dimitri put his lifemate on the ground, his fingers looking for a pulse. She was bleeding from half a dozen wounds, any one of which would kill her. Finding not even a faint heartbeat, he threw his head back and roared his rage and grief.