Rogue Wolf (Protector Wolf Shifter Series Book 3), page 23
“I…don’t know.” Tamaska slid into the backseat next to Kodiak, who had a blanket around him. His eyes flickered open, and he smiled at her. She took his hand and squeezed.
“I’ll meet you at the clubhouse,” said Ash.
Her heart lurched. Kodiak had said those same words to her, and that hadn’t turned out so well.
“Get in,” said Tamaska.
“No, I can still fight. We’re a pack. Besides, Roan must stay with you to look after the wounded.”
“Make sure no one else gets wounded,” said Roan firmly. “I’ve got my hands full.”
“And you make damn well sure you find your way back to the clubhouse,” she said.
“I will. We all will.” Ash flashed a grin. “There are hardly any vamps left out here. Once you leave, they’ll give up. They need to regroup. This round goes to us.”
“Kill a few more, just to be sure,” said Tamaska.
“I will.” Ash closed the door.
Tamaska eased closer to Kodiak, but he winced. She quickly pulled away, afraid he didn’t want her, afraid he was in pain.
Just plain afraid.
Channing sped away from the Blood Moon nightclub, the speed gluing Tamaska to the hard backseat.
“Take it easy,” Roan called out. “I get sick, remember?”
“They have pills for that,” said Channing, refusing to slow down even as something solid struck the front of the van.
“Fucking vampires,” said Channing. “Get him, Ash, get him.”
Tamaska shifted to look out the windscreen. Outside, a vampire limped away with a wolf hot on its heels.
Channing pumped the brakes and spun the steering wheel in a sharp turn, sending everyone sliding to the right.
“Do you need help?” asked Tamaska.
“I’d say get the gun out of the glovebox and start shooting, but that’s probably not a good idea in the city after dark,” said Channing.
“Probably not.” She slammed into Kodiak during another sharp turn, then righted herself. She remembered the silver in her pocket. The chain was probably causing residual damage even as they rode in the van. She took out the chain.
“Hey, get that covered or something,” Roan, said wincing in pain as he turned to check on the injured in the way back.
“Sorry.” Tamaska opened a metal toolbox by her feet and tossed the silver chain inside before closing the lid.
“That’s better.” Roan handed her a wad of bandages. “For your arm. Press on them hard to stop the bleeding.”
She took the cloth and pressed it into her wound. She hated feeling so helpless.
Then Kodiak squeezed her hand. The world turned bright for her.
Maybe all she needed to do now was sit beside him and hope for the best—that every wolf would make it back alive.
CHAPTER 28
Tamaska
Pacing Kodiak’s room, she completed another lap, hand still pressing the now-bloodied cloth into her left bicep.
Roan inspected the cuts and abrasions on Kodiak’s body. Some of the smaller scratches had already healed. It amazed Tamaska how quickly the wolves could heal, especially since her wound had only just now stopped bleeding.
They’d made it back to the clubhouse without any more incidents. Now, they waited for the others to return. Tamaska couldn’t stand it. She wanted to have them all back, to know they were safe. Channing had taken his post at security, along with the others Roan had finished patching up.
“I should be out there helping,” she said. She wanted to be here, too, watching over Kodiak, but the guilt of getting them into all this trouble ate at her and if Kodiak was going to be fine then that’s where she should be, helping.
But Roan shook his head. “You need to be in here.”
Panic flared up and she grabbed Roan.
“Will he be all right?” asked Tamaska. He was weak, and it hurt to see him like that, but if something horrible was wrong, then—
“I just need rest,” said Kodiak as he waved a hand in the air, looking pale and ashen. The remainder of his wounds, though fading worried her.
“Are you sure? He—”
“A lot of rest, Tamaska” said Roan, standing. “And some tablets to help.”
Roan rummaged around in his bag, then handed some white pills to Kodiak.
“Do I have to?” asked Kodiak. He glared at the pills like they were the cause of all his problems.
“You’re lucky, Kodiak. No one else in the pack could withstood the pain of silver, and you did. But you’re going to pay for it.”
“How much?” He accepted the tablets, then swallowed them. He grimaced.
“Not money. I’m putting you on bedrest indefinitely, for a start,” said Roan. “So rest.”
“I can’t do that.” Kodiak shifted on the bed, aiming to get up, but his body protested. He groaned in pain before flopping back onto the mattress. “You can’t do that.”
“I can and you don’t have a choice. If you don’t take it easy, you’ll make things worse in the long run. You’ll stay weak, and you know that’ll threaten your position as alpha.”
“But he’ll get better if he rests?” asked Tamaska suddenly anxious.
Roan looked at her. “As long as he doesn’t overdo it.”
Of course Kodiak would overdo it. He wouldn’t be Kodiak otherwise.
And it wasn’t over. They all knew that. Especially Kodiak. He didn’t have to tell her, he wanted his revenge, to end this horror show so badly the room almost vibrated with it. Although Tamaska had reclaimed the Blood Opal, the vampires were most definitely still a threat.
Who knew what they would do, now that their precious gem had been lost?
Tamaska took the Blood Opal out from her pocket and looked at it. The stone reflected the room’s light, showing off its brilliance despite a crack down the center and a missing shard.
“We got it back?” asked Kodiak. He held out his hand, and Tamaska gave him the gem.
“I think it’s broken,” said Tamaska.
“No way to know for sure, I suppose.” Kodiak turned it over in his hands.
She rubbed her arms. “Amdis didn’t go after it, not once it cracked.”
“Hmmm, you could be right. We can always test it.”
“How? We don’t want my blood coming in contact with it.”
“That ship’s already sailed,” said Kodiak, his voice light.
A chill ran through Tamaska. “What?”
Kodiak held up the gem. “You’ve got blood on your hands.”
“Oh…I thought I was being careful.” Horror spread through her.
“It’s not doing anything,” Kodiak said as he handed it back to Tamaska.
“Maybe it needs more blood?” But somehow, she knew.
Turning it over in her hands, adding more of her blood to its surface, didn’t provoke a change in its appearance. Even as her blood soaked into the gem, no power was released, no abilities enhanced. It was no longer a threat to her or a boon to the vampires.
“No, it’s broken. I know it.” It was a relief to say the words, knowing the security that had been granted to her after the gem’s destruction. But the stone had also made her feel connected to her ancestors—part of her lineage that, until recently, had been hidden and forgotten.
“It’s yours now,” Kodiak said, interrupting her thoughts.
“I don’t know what to do with it.” Her whole plan in retrieving the Blood Opal had been to return it to its owners so she could get on with her work as an event planner. But there was no going back to that life. She no longer belonged to that world, and her urge to give the Blood Opal back had disappeared. It was part of her heritage. “All this…for nothing.”
“Not nothing. If it isn’t working then you fixed the vampiric problem. They should go back to their normal light hating selves,” he said. “I’m not saying they’ll give up coming for us; Amdis has an ax to grind. And we’re not going to let them rest and wreak their regular havoc, either.”
“I hope that’s true,” she said. “I just…I guess I hoped the opal could bring us something, but now it’s not even worth money.”
She placed its two pieces on top of the bedside table.
“You don’t have to decide anything right now. But at least you’ve learned about an entirely new world,” said Kodiak.
“A world I want to be part of, fully,” said Tamaska, looking deeply into his eyes.
He nodded. “I’ll turn you at the full moon, in a few days,” said Kodiak.
Tamaska smiled, joy surging. “You will?”
“I will. On one condition.”
“What?”
He took her hand and linked their fingers. “That you become my mate, in both human and wolf forms.”
“Is that because of the bond thing you keep mentioning?”
“Yes.” He studied her face. “You feel it?”
“I do.” Tamaska’s heart swelled and she couldn’t keep the smile from her face.
“Then you’ll be my mate?”
“I will.” She leaned over, and kissed him softly. His salty taste burst on her lips, along with his promise.
Their kiss deepened, rolling slowly, full of passion, heat, and sweetness. She wrapped her arms around him, falling into the world of the kiss, of all it held and he pulled her closer, growling softly so that her body came alive with that sweet ache of need.
“Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds, but I haven’t finished,” said Roan, clearing his throat.
“Oh, I’m fine,” said Kodiak. “More than fine. And would be even better if you went the fuck away.”
“Yes, I see you are, but Tamaska isn’t,” said Roan, holding up a needle and thread.
Tamaska swallowed hard, and stood. “Is that for me?”
“Yep. Now, sit back down so I can stitch you up. That’s a nasty gash.”
Tamaska sat next to Kodiak.
“I need to clean it up first,” said Roan, putting down the needle and thread. “This is going to sting.”
Tamaska braced herself and he got himself ready.
“Fuck.” Agonizing stings flooded her senses as he started to clean the wound, and she closed her eyes and held her breath.
“Fuck. Are you done yet?” she said, her voice tight with pain.
No one spoke for a long moment.
“Just getting started.” Roan patted the wound as he cleaned the outside with gauze. She moaned at the pain. “How did you get this gash?”
Tamaska didn’t like his tone. Something was wrong.
“I don’t remember. Everything happened so fast.” She opened her eyes and frowned.
“It doesn’t look like a fang mark,” said Roan. He turned her arm to one side, then the other, inspecting the wound.
“What else could have made it?” asked Tamaska. “A knife?”
“It’s not a clean cut, so it can’t be from a knife.” He looked at her with concern in his eyes, then glanced at Kodiak.
“What, then?” growled Kodiak. “Out with it.”
“It was a claw.”
“What does that mean?” Tamaska glanced from one of the men to the other. “K-Kodiak?
“Are you fucking sure about that, Roan?” asked Kodiak.
“Yes.”
“Think, Tamaska,” he said. “Were you fighting near any wolves?”
Tamaska paused to think. “Only Ash. Come to think of it, she pushed me off of a vampire. That’s when I hurt my arm.”
“Fuck,” said Kodiak. “Oh, fuck.”
“I need a little more than that to understand what’s going on here.” She snapped the words, as fear and confusion pecked at her.
More silence. Finally Kodiak muttered something then looked at the other shifter. “Would that have worked, Roan?”
“No way of knowing.” The shifter cleared his throat. “It’s not the full moon.”
The panic was in full swing now. Was one of the vampires a different sort of monster? Had it done something terrible to her? Or…Or… “What the fuck are you two talking about?”
“Ash has already turned you,” said Kodiak. “Potentially, anyway.”
Now she couldn’t speak. Tamaska just stared. Thoughts ran like crazy in her brain. But she took deep breaths and made herself speak. “How?”
“She scratched you,” said Kodiak.
“But that was an accident. She can’t turn me, not like that. You’re going to turn me.” Tamaska stood, panic in her voice, in her veins. She stared at Kodiak. Then at Roan, finally at Kodiak once more. “I mean, I can’t be.”
“Nothing like this has ever happened before, I’m not sure if you’ve been fully turned or not.”
More panic rushed her and her throat started to close over. “But isn’t that dangerous?”
Kodiak nodded. “Very dangerous.”
“So, what do I do? Am I going to turn into a wolf at the next full moon?” asked Tamaska. It was a wonder she wasn’t screaming or fainting. She just stood there. Not knowing what the hell she should do.
“Is she, Roan?” asked Kodiak.
“Maybe.” He started to stitch the wound, and she flinched.
“And what happens if I don’t?”
“You could die,” said Roan softly.
“So, what do I do to stop that from happening?” asked Tamaska. She couldn’t stop the panic now, it shook in her voice. A couple of minutes ago she’d been so happy, and now…now…now she might lose him. Fuck, she might lose her life. “Is there?”
“I could bite you on the full moon,” said Kodiak.
“Good. Do that, then.” That didn’t sound so hard. She breathed a small sigh of relief . “Just bite me, and I’ll know that you’re the one who turned me.”
Kodiak remained silent.
“There’s more?”
“If Ash is the one who turned you, then you’ll be linked to her.”
“Like our bond?” Suddenly her eyes widened. “Will that go? Will it?”
“No, nothing can take that away from us,” said Kodiak. “This is different. She’s the one who’ll show you how to be a wolf.”
“So, she needs to bite me?” But…she wanted that to be him, her soon-to-be mate. Or would it just put a stop to that too? Tears burned her eyes and she made a small sound. “I…why can’t it be you?”
“She has to do it, Tamaska. To make sure you transform properly,” said Kodiak.
“No. You’re the one who’s supposed to bite me,” said Tamaska. “You. So I can be your mate. So I can be truly bonded to you. It has to be like that. I might have latent shifter genes, but I’m still on a level human and…if you don’t then what happens to us?”
Kodiak and Roan exchanged a look.
“Well, there’s no point in both of us biting you.” Kodiak tried to take her hand. “It might confuse you when you’re in wolf form.”
“Like hell, it will.” She snatched her hand away.
“You don’t understand the risks. I don’t want to lose you.” He stared at her. “What if you change, but can’t control yourself and get trapped in wolf form?”
She shook her head. “I won’t.”
“You are so fucking stubborn,” he muttered. “You also don’t know that, none of us do. That’s the fucking point.”
“What about my genes?” She pointed at the broken opal. “I’ve got genes that will help me transform properly. It’ll be fine.”
He grabbed a pillow, punched it, and put it behind his back as he sat up. “You just said you wanted it to be me because you’re still human, even though you have those fucking genes. You can’t have it both ways, Tamaska.” Kodiak took a breath. “And I can’t be sure.”
“I can.”
“You can wish, but you can’t be sure.” He crossed his arms. “No one can. And I’m not risking it. I’m the fucking Alpha. I’ll be your Alpha, so start obeying me, starting with this or—”
“What? You’ll banish me?”
“No, I’ll put you over my knee and fucking spank you.” He looked at her. “Tamaska, I’m saying not to protect you, now, come the fuck here.”
Kodiak held his arms out toward her. She paused, wanting to argue some more because he was wrong, but also she really wanted to go to him and have him hold her and wrap her in the comfort and love she could see.
Tamaska sighed and got on the bed, snuggling down into his embrace. He didn’t feel like his usual strong self, but it didn’t matter. It was Kodiak, holding her and that was everything right then. Everything.
“We will work out it, Tamaska.” He brushed his lips over her temple. “Our bond is more important.”
“I don’t like not knowing. Everything is so…complicated.” She buried her head against his chest.
“It won’t be like this forever, I promise.”
Tamaska hoped that was true.
“I’ll leave you two alone. Remember, you’re meant to be resting,” said Roan.
“Yeah, yeah. Go get some rest yourself,” said Kodiak.
Roan closed the door softly behind him.
“Oh, that reminds me,” said Kodiak. He moved to brush her hair with his hand.
Her body responded to his touch, and she held him tighter.
“What?” asked Tamaska, enjoying a moment of peace with him.
“You were doing that whole bossy thing again, you know,” he said.
“I couldn’t help it.”
“I know. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m glad you did.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” She sat upright to look directly at him. Was she hearing things? “You also just berated me and threatened to spank me.”
“Spanking you might not have been strictly disciplinary.”Kodiak chuckled, his eyes fluttering between open and closed as he struggled against the sleeping pills Roan had given him.
“Are you kidding?” she asked coming back to settle against him. “About being glad?”
“Nope. Not kidding. But don’t do it again.”
Tamaska smiled. Maybe a grey area existed for her within the pack after all, a role where she could belong without having to be so submissive.
“I did save your ass,” teased Tamaska.
“Yes, lucky for me, you did. I think I’ve still got you beat, though.”
