The fire in her chest wasn’t as strong anymore. Sarah kept her eyes on Lucas. She wouldn’t look away from him. If she was dying, he’d be the last thing she saw in this world.
“Now you understand.”
Sarah didn’t look away at the woman’s soft voice. She couldn’t look away. She’d never seen Lucas’s eyes so pale before. They’d always blazed with life and power. Jordan was trying to stop the blood now, screaming at his brother to “Shift!” But Lucas wasn’t changing.
Sarah swallowed twice and finally managed to speak. “I understood . . .” she whispered, “Long before now . . . Jo-Josette . . .”
The woman bent toward her and cool fingers slid over Sarah’s cheeks. “Was the extra time worth the pain you have? Just a few days, that’s all you got . . . and now you share his agony and soon, his death.”
Was it worth it? “I’d do . . . anything.” Everything. The trade was fair.
Josette leaned in close. “You’ve already done everything,” she whispered, her breath light at Sarah’s ear. “Don’t be afraid.”
She wasn’t. Just . . . sad. There was so much she’d hoped to do. Wanted to do. All with Lucas. “Does he . . . have to die?”
“Wrong question.” A slight wind rustled Sarah’s hair. Josette murmured, “You should ask, ‘Do I have to die?’ ”
“Sometimes . . .” So hard to talk now. She licked her lips and tasted more blood. Lucas still hadn’t shifted. Shift. “Others are worth . . . more.”
“Lucas is worth more to you than your own life?”
Shift. If he’d just shift, he might survive.
“Sarah King . . .” Josette’s hand brushed back her hair. “Do you even know when you gave your heart to the wolf?”
Did it matter when? He had it, just as he had her. Mate. Beyond life. Beyond death.
If only she could touch him one more time.
“You’re going to be fine! Lucas, are you hearing me? You’re going to be fine!” Jordan yelled at him.
His brother had flipped him over and now Jordan’s hands were shoving at his chest, quickly becoming soaked in Lucas’s blood.
“Fine,” Jordan snapped out. “You’re going to be—”
Bullshit. His chest was on fire, burning from the inside out. Damn silver bullets. Blood was rising in his throat, trying to choke him, and the air around him seemed colder. So cold. He wanted to close his eyes and let the pain sweep over him, but...
Sarah.
What was wrong with her? Her face had been too white. Her eyes not the dark green he knew. Instead, lighter, strained. Weak. And she’d fallen to the ground. Her hand had reached for his, and she’d fallen.
Lucas swallowed. Choked, but gasped, “Sarah . . .”
“She’s okay, man. I swear, I didn’t let them so much as touch her.” Clawmarks littered his brother’s chest and arms. “We had to come. Sarah said it was a trap, that Rafe would be ready for you and that he’d have his wolves waiting.”
She’d been right. But . . . if she wasn’t hurt, then why was she on the ground? And why was fear twisting his insides, even as that pain blasted him? Not fear for himself.
For her.
“Shift.” Jordan glared down at him. “You have to shift, and you have to shift now.”
He couldn’t even feel the wolf inside. The transformation back to man had been too brutal, fueled by pain and the silver burning his body.
“Sarah . . .” She was his focus. Maybe if he could get to her . . .
“She’s dying.”
His head turned slowly to the right and he saw Dane. The guy’s body was covered in blisters and angry red burns.
“Sarah’s not dying!” Jordan immediately yelled. “Fuck, Dane, why the hell would you say that now? She’s fine, Lucas. Fine. Just shift and everything will be—”
Fine? No.
“You still don’t understand what happened, do you?” Dane asked, and his eyes narrowed on Lucas’s face. “I thought you understood magic better than this.”
Jordan swore. “Dammit Dane, you’re not helping—”
“The first time Rafe shot you full of silver, you were dead. No, you should have been dead, but your Sarah made a trade for you.”
No trades would be made tonight. No more magic. Just death.
“Marie said she bound your souls . . .”
A tremor shook Lucas’s body.
“And the minute I saw Sarah sprawled on top of you, hell, I knew she wasn’t just yanking our chains. She did it, Lucas. Marie kept you alive, but the price for that life was a bonding with Sarah. Man and wolf. Hell, if she hadn’t been a wolf charmer, I don’t even know if it would have worked . . .”
Jordan’s hand gabbed Lucas’s chin. “We don’t have time for this. Shift.”
But Dane kept talking. “You’re linked, Alpha. You lived before because Sarah lived. Her soul pulled you back. That was the only free ride you two got. From now on, if you live, she keeps living.”
No, no. Because he knew what was coming. Knew—
“And if you die, then she dies too.”
He wrenched his head and managed to look at Sarah. His damn legs weren’t working or he would have gone to her. He’d already tried to crawl once. Must get ...
“So listen to your brother,” Dane snarled. “You want to live, you want her to live, then you f**king find the strength to shift. There’s no mambo to bring you back tonight.”
Maybe that had been part of Rafe’s master plan all along. He’d taken out the mambo so magic couldn’t aid Lucas. Dominos, all falling down . . .
“So you save yourself and you save your mate,” Dane ordered. “Because otherwise, she’s dying for you.”
Sarah wasn’t supposed to die. Sarah wasn’t supposed to hurt. Sarah was supposed to be safe, happy. Free.
Fuck, no!
His claws dug into the earth and he fought to pull the wolf back, to raise him through the fire and agony that burned his body.
Sarah wasn’t dying. He wouldn’t let her.
“I can’t help you.” Josette’s hand fell away from Sarah. “I wish I could, but I’m not . . . strong enough.” Tears thickened her voice. “I’m so sorry.”
“Just . . .” Was that really her talking? The voice was so weak, so broken. “Just . . . get me to h-him . . .” Could Josette even understand her?