Not until Isaiah touched Luca and the ice of death radiated from his skin.
Maybe the tie was unfinished?
Maybe it had formed another way?
But it didn’t matter because if Isaiah didn’t act fast, Luca would die.
“Jelani!” Isaiah swept Luca off the ground. “Jelani, get the triage kit.” Isaiah raced to the nearest table and lay Luca down. His cheeks were pale and his eyes stared at nothing. The only signs of life, small puffs of white at the edge of his lips.
But it wouldn’t be long before the Anubis dragged Luca with it into death.
Everyone converged.
“What happened? What’s wrong. What did it do?” The questions surrounded Isaiah.
“Back up. Please.”
They stepped aside and Jelani reappeared from the motorhome, the emergency kit in hand. Since a hospital was too dangerous, they carried everything they could in the RVs, including lactated ringers, suture kits, and minor surgical equipment.
“Cassie, run a line. Mary, get Luca’s coat off.” Isaiah grabbed a rubber tie from the open bag and tied it around his arm. He tried to hold it in place but failed.
Oscar, a short blond-haired Omega, did it for him.
“They’re tied.” Jelani said it with disbelief. “Why didn’t we know that? Why didn’t—”
“It doesn’t matter. We need to get my blood in him before it’s too late.”
The storage flap on the main RV thumped, and Tanner stormed by with an ax in hand.
“No, Tanner, no!” Isaiah grabbed his arm. “You can’t.”
“We already had this discussion.”
“They’re tied.”
Tanner shook his head. “No, it’s a trick.”
“Tanner, look at him. Look at our Cana.”
He did.
“If you kill the Anubis, it will take him with it. I have to break the tie first.”
Tanner glared at the Anubis.
“Please, Tanner. Please. We can’t lose him.”
He nodded. “Do not make me regret this.”
Isaiah went back to Luca. “Here.” He held out his arm to Mary.
Cassie watched Isaiah with horror.
And he knew why. “There’s no other way to save him.”
“But you don’t have his consent. You’re forcing a tie and….”
“And if I don’t? If he dies, nothing else matters anymore.” Isaiah looked at each of them. “All of this… everything….” The trust Isaiah broke, the integrity he’d burned, would be for nothing.