I turned on my heel, pressing a hand over where my bullet wound should have been. My mind reeled, but my body instinctively knew what to do as I stumbled over to Kieran, who lay on the cement floor.
Ethan was hunched over him, tearing the clothes from a dead member of Maverick’s inner circle, a middle-aged man with greying hair and a scar above his lip. The thousand-dollar suit jacket was soaked in Kieran’s blood as Ethan pressed it tightly against his chest, trying to stem the flow. The blood pumped out with each ragged heartbeat.
A small clump of silver metal lay beside Ethan’s kneeling form-the bullet he had extracted from Kieran’s chest. Kieran had shifted back into his human form after the bullet was removed, his skin translucent and pale, covered in a thin sheen of sweat despite being cold to the touch.
Ethan’s eyes met mine, a calm darkness amid the turmoil of emotions threatening to shatter his strength. I glanced around the room, the taste and scent of fresh blood still lingering in the air. Four sets of eyes bore into my skin, two of which sent a chill down my spine. I forced my gaze past Maverick and Mabel, who seemed content to watch me fail, even in death.
There was no one left alive for me to feed from, no way to miraculously heal Kieran as I had done before. I grabbed Ethan’s hand, my breath coming in short pants. The sound of a heartbeat thudded in my ears, but it wasn’t my own. Kieran’s pulse was slowing, tearing me from my perpetual state of shock.
A life without Kieran flashed through my mind, one where both Ethan and I were crippled by grief, forced to live without ever feeling whole. There were only three flames left, and Kieran’s flickered and curled, growing dimmer with each passing second.
Rather than use the soul of someone else, I pulled on both Ethan and myself. Where I expected resistance, I found none. Ethan’s soul willingly leapt at the chance to help his brother, his other half just as much as Kieran was mine.
I tore the sopping wet suit jacket from Kieran’s chest, my stomach turning at the sight of his dark blood coating my fingers. Pressing my palm against his openly bleeding wound, I forced every bit of strength I could into his dying form.
A gasp was torn from my throat as I felt the immediate drain, like using one of Mabel’s knives to cut a piece of my essence. Ethan’s hand gripped mine tighter, his pain-filled eyes urging me to continue. I knew that if I tried to save Kieran on my own, the effort would kill me.
A gurgle left Kieran’s lips, and he thrashed against my hand. Ethan hissed under his breath, using his free arm to pin Kieran down. Biting back the sob that threatened to escape, I was bathed in Kieran’s agony as my magic seared him from the inside out.
I held my breath as I felt the tissue and muscle knitting together, holding back the blood. Even when spots danced behind my eyes, I couldn’t force my lungs to work. Only when color blossomed on Kieran’s cheeks and his eyelids fluttered did Ethan and I tear our hands from his chest with identical groans of pain. My head thunked against the floor, echoing Ethan’s.
“Fuck, that hurts,” he hissed through clenched teeth. I answered with a groan.
“No one told you to kill yourself trying to save me,” Kieran grunted, his voice surprisingly clear.
Like an excited puppy, my wolf’s ears perked at his voice, and a rush of energy pulsed through my limbs. I rolled onto my side and managed to sit up, freezing when I realized Kieran was already standing. Rubbing his chest, he stared down at the tiny puncture wound with a scowl. A single bead of blood formed, smearing on his finger.
Glancing between Ethan and me, Kieran came to a conclusion that darkened his eyes and knitted his eyebrows.
“You’re hurt,” he grimaced, pinning me against his torso while peeling back the shredded t-shirt I wore. Mabel’s claws had sunk into my shoulders, shredding the fabric. The sting of pain was nothing compared to the drain of her magic.
“It’s not severe, and I’m holding a grudge against you.” My warning was weak, and I sighed in relief as his fingers skated across my skin. “You jumped in front of a bullet for me.”
Gone was the coldness that meant death was creeping. His skin felt warm, and beneath the sinew and muscle, I could hear his strong heartbeat. It was his arms wrapped around my waist that kept me from tumbling to the floor. I clung to his shoulders, tangling my fingers in his hair as I breathed in his scent.
“And I would do it all again, sweetheart.” He chuckled against the hollow of my throat, making me shudder. His breath fanned across his mark on my neck, unraveling the knot of terror that had formed as I watched him almost die. “Ethan jumped as well. I just happened to be closer to the gun.”
“So, you’re telling me I should hold a grudge against both of you?” I asked, slightly breathless.
“You can try,” he smirked, the expression warming my insides.
Even as blood and death flashed behind my eyes, forever seared into my mind, I found myself smiling. The feel of his lips against my jaw scattered those brutal images. “We have a long time to convince you otherwise, but until then…”
“Until then, we have so much to do,” I sighed, but it wasn’t one of defeat or resignation. “Starting with ending the fight before more wolves die.”
Maverick had damaged the world, though not irreparably. It would take time, but there was finally a chance for peace. Even in this room where so many had died, my mates wiped the horror from my mind with smooth words and soft touches.
“In order to do that, I’m going to need some help standing up.” Ethan grunted from the floor. He managed to sit up, but the strain was evident in his eyes.
I placed a hand against the cement wall, using it to support my weight. Kieran offered a hand to Ethan, hauling him to his feet. They embraced, a mutual understanding passing between them. No matter how much it would destroy the other, they’d sacrifice themselves before letting anything happen to me.
The thought sent me back to Kieran’s raspy breaths, but I smothered the fear that rose like a tidal wave. Even though I was weak, I would protect them with every ounce of magic I had.
Steeling my spine, I faced my mates. “We should take him with us, to prove that he’s dead.” My voice was strong, but my stomach flipped at the thought.
I could still feel a set of cold eyes on my back, a lingering sense of fear returning with each chill. It would take time, just like when I first began trusting the twins.
“What about the Executioner?” Kieran asked, the darkness in his voice surprising me. There was no satisfaction as he glared down at her, just unending loathing. “She said you’d rot down here; shouldn’t we extend the same courtesy?”
I hesitated, feeling the hatred for her rattle in my chest. Killing her hadn’t erased it, nor did it rid me of the memory of her draining my magic. Forcing myself to meet her gaze, I knew what I had to do.
“No, I won’t leave her down here,” I stated firmly, swallowing the bile that rose in my throat. Reminding myself that she was dead, I tried to release the burning emotion. “I’m not going to spend the rest of my life hating her. If she has family, I’ll contact them so they can claim her body. We’ll send someone to pick her up later. Right now, we have a war to end.”
Maverick’s lifeless hand dragged across the rocky earth as we walked back. He was thrown over Kieran’s back in his wolf form, his silver-plated eyes staring blankly into the sky. Ethan had broken one of his arms while shifting him onto Kieran, the crack still echoing in my ears.
With Ethan and Kieran shifted and by my side, we broke through the forest line and entered the heart of the battle. Neither side relented, each determined to claim victory.
Amid the snarls and dying whines of wolves, I could hear Maverick’s hand dragging across the ground. Ethan stood at my right, snarling and lunging at anyone who approached. Some glanced at Maverick’s lifeless form draped over Kieran’s back like an expensive rug, hesitating and giving their opponents a crucial advantage.
I would have been lost without Ethan and Kieran, stumbling through the bloody battlefield as I gazed upon the dead wolves with glassy eyes and torn throats, muzzles open or mangled by sharp claws. Homes burned, car alarms screamed, trees lay upturned, and businesses were destroyed. Even a fire hydrant bubbled and gurgled as it flooded the street.