Her body shuddered. Once, twice.Come on. She would bleed out if she didn’t shift soon. Even if the pain would be enormous, shifting would begin some of the healing process. Hopefully enough to save her life.
“Please,” I begged, even as I wanted to rail and rage against fate for being so cruel.
Her body shuddered once more, then morphed, her wolf form fading away to leave her lying on the floor. She blinked up at me, her entire body shaking. She looked pale. Too pale. Glancing at her stomach, the eight deep gashes still bled, though not as profusely as before.
“Hang on.” I took her hand and held it tight. “You’re going to be okay.”
Grandmother and a team of medics rushed forward, and for once, she didn’t tell me to get out of her way.
“You have to save her.” All I could do was stare into Kayden’s eyes, utterly helpless. I brushed her hair back from her forehead and cupped her cheek.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Grandmother and a medic exchange glances.
“What?” I demanded. “What is it?”
“Her injuries are too bad. She’s lost too much blood.”
The breath whooshed from my lungs, my chest ripping in two. “No.”
“There’s one way, Holden.” She pressed her lips into a firm line and glanced at her medics. “The mate bite.”
I blinked. The mate bite was a powerful thing, that people whispered held magical properties from ancient times. It magnified a shifter’s power to heal and bound the two wolves for all eternity, through lifetimes and ages as the stories went.
And it only worked with true mates.
“How did you know?”
Grandmother shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, boy. If you want to save her, you’ll do it now and ask questions later.”
I bent low, cradling Kayden’s head in my hands, gazing into her eyes to make sure she was aware enough to accept what I was doing. Binding yourself to someone for all eternity wasn’t something to take lightly.
“Kayden,” I whispered. “Did you hear that?”
She attempted a nod, moving her lips, though nothing came out.
“Is that what you want?”
Another slight tilt of her head. That was enough for me. Bringing my lips to her neck, I opened my mouth without hesitation and sank my canines into her flesh. Her body arched, but I didn’t let go as blood filled my mouth.
Slowly, a strange sensation filled my chest. An expansion… and an awareness. As if I were connected to Kayden’s spirit in some way. I felt her wolf as if its essence were intertwined with my own, a recognition of each other that was primal and true.
Beneath me, I felt Kayden begin to breathe deeper, and her body instantly felt warmer. I pulled back, staring down at her as she blinked up at me, her body more revitalized by the moment.
Then she was flinging her arms around my neck, sobbing in relief. I pressed my forehead to hers. “You’re okay,” I breathed.
Kayden lifted one hand to my chest, placing the other over her heart. “I can feel you… in here.”
“I feel it too.”
“It’s the mate bond,” Grandmother said. I’d almost forgotten we had an audience.
“So much for keeping it a secret,” Kayden murmured.
I glanced at Grandmother, stunned, but she shrugged. “I knew the day you brought her to the infirmary. Acting like a lovesick fool.”
Kayden laughed, and I turned back to her, pulling her and holding her in my arms. “Damn right I am.”
Then I kissed her in front of everyone, claiming my lover and my mate for all to see.