Finally, we arrived at the meeting spot. I slid off of Gage’s back, and both he and Damien carefully pulled Jared off Lucien’s back. I dug through the bags for all of their clothes, throwing them out wildly as they loaded him into the chopper.
They quickly dressed, and everyone boarded.
Jared transformed back to his human form. I held his hand tightly and told him that he was my hero. He had to hold on because our story wasn’t done yet.
A couple of times, he squeezed my hand back, but for most of the ride, he was unconscious.
I was not embarrassed to cry in front of the others. I cried for my hero. I had found him, and I couldn’t lose him. Not now.
17
Jared
Ihad heard the men coming, but they were stealthier than I had originally thought. They were right there on us. I had to wonder whether they had an idea that we might stop in that little clearing to get our bearing, and they had set up an ambush.
I would have to wait for another day to kick myself in the butt for not clearing the area. I was not in any shape to do much of anything except lie here.
When the men had emerged from the woods, and we were surrounded, I was nervous about the situation, and I had trained for situations such as this. Anyone would be a little fearful or nervous unless they were completely stupid. I figured that Elise must have been terrified. Yet, I knew she would stand her ground. I had no doubts. She didn’t show a single tiny bit of fear. However, she went beyond even my high expectations. She reacted as though she had trained as much as I had.
The man who spoke a bit of English taunted her, saying that she wouldn’t shoot anyone. She kept her cool and did not let his taunts make her angry, which would have compromised her ability to think clearly. I thought it was interesting that he found her to be more of a threat than the snarling wolf who stood by her. There were wolves in Iran, but I’m pretty sure that none of them were as big as I was.
Although there was certainly nothing funny about this entire situation, I did find it amusing that when she did shoot, he was the one who took off and ran. The terrorists did not favor cowards, so I was guessing that when he went back for reinforcements, he either lied about how many people were there, or he was killed.
My thoughts turned back toward Elise. I owed her my life. Gage, Damien, Lucien, and I came to this country to rescue Elise. In the end, she rescued me. She threw herself on top of me, to cover me, and took out two of the people who were shooting at both of us. If that wasn’t the bravest thing I had ever seen in my life, I don’t know what is.
Not only was she brave, but she also had good sense. She remembered the satellite phone and was going to call for backup, but the cavalry arrived before she had the chance. They had heard all of the gunfire and used the tracker that was still in my ear to find us. When they came through the trees like gangbusters, Elise yelled at our back up to identify themselves before she opened fire on them. She was well trained in the business.
While the four of them were discussing the best way to handle my situation, I just thought about Elise. She kept me holding on. Everything else was numb. I had been shot before and knew what it felt like. I even had a bullet still lodged in my leg, because it was too close to my femoral artery to take out. This time, though, it felt different. In the past, I had nothing to lose. If I was shot and killed, oh well. Life would go on around me. However, now, I felt like I had a reason to hold on a little bit longer.
My admiration for Elise knew no bounds. Everything about her, from her bravery to intellect, had made me fall in love with her. She was the type of woman I had always searched for but never found until now. Elise had withstood the test and came out victorious. I was never ready to settle down before, but now? Now, I was ready. I was ready to be with Elise.
The four of them had stopped talking, which forced my attention back to the situation at hand.
Lucien turned into a dragon, and Gage and Damien lifted me up onto his back. It was so hard not to yelp with the horrific burning pain that coursed through my body. As it was, I could not stifle the occasional wolfy whimpers that escaped during the ride. The landing was rough, too, and jolted me.
I was able to watch Gage’s, Damien’s, and Elise’s progress as they ran through the heavily treed area to meet us at the chopper. She rode the bear like a champ, even if the tree branches and bushes were trying to throw her off.
Once at the chopper, everyone turned back into a human form. They carefully loaded me into the chopper. I was nervous now because it was hard for me to stay awake. The welcoming darkness beckoned me, invited me in. It was so hard to turn away, as it was peaceful in the darkness, and there was no pain.
As much as I wanted that peace, I didn’t want to leave Elise. Not now.
I faded in and out throughout the ride. Each time I woke up, I felt Elise holding tight onto my hand. That physical contact was the only thing that kept me from fading.
After a few minutes, it felt as though there was an icy hand that reached deep inside of my body, entwining itself in my soul. A dark shadow of a man stood next to a bright light.
“You must come,” I heard the voice say.
I felt myself slipping a bit, but then energy rushed through me, and the hand released its grip, although it didn’t go far away. I was shaking uncontrollably. I felt as though I were encased in a block of ice.
“Don’t you dare leave me,” I heard Elise fiercely whisper.
“How is your ankle?” Damien asked. Although we all had field medic training, he was the one who had the most. He took a lot more classes than we did.
“It’s fine,” Elise answered, sounding startled, as though she had forgotten about it.
“Can I see it?” Damien asked.
Elise laughed self-consciously. “I’m afraid my legs are hairy. I didn’t get a whole lot of time to shave during our journey,” she said.