Page 50 of Fractured Mates
Once he’s done, I get a better look at his chest and arms. There are several holes in his skin, likely from teeth biting his wolf so deeply that they didn’t heal during the shift.
A few of them are still leaking blood, but most of them seem to be healing normally. I want to reach out and…I don’t know what, but something. Until he yanks the blade from my shoulder and my entire body clenches with anguish.
Motherfucking hell, that hurts!
Bet you’re glad we have the shirt now, my wolf titters, but I pretend she’s not there when I hear Kyler mutter, “Shit.”
He pulls the shirt from my mouth and presses it over the wound. “You’re bleeding more than you should be.”
There’s a panic in his voice that I don’t understand. We have the cloaking spell, which should hide even the scent of our wounds. Unless we hear the wolves coming closer, we’re fine. I’ll heal soon enough, even if I can’t shift back to human form yet.
Kyler presses hard against my fur. “Stop fucking bleeding.”
There’s a layer of fear to his words that I still can’t understand, and I whimper without meaning to. He’s scared but shouldn’t be, and I don’t know how to help him.
“I’m not going to let you die, Sophie.” The conviction in his voice is so strong that it sends shivers down my spine.
I know you won’t, I think, even though he can’t hear me.
He tenses, and his head tilts to the side before he grabs the ruined shirt and bloody knife. “We need to go.” His arms scoop me up with ease, even though I know he’s hurting, then he begins to run.
Every stride sends a new wave of pain through me that’s so strong, I can’t focus on our surroundings to know how close someone might be.
Instead, I close my eyes and focus on each breath. One inhale. One exhale. Repeat. A wave of nausea rolls through me, but it ceases the moment Kyler comes to a stop.
When I open my eyes, we’re at my car. I don’t know how we traveled over ten miles already, but I also wasn’t exactly paying attention and might have even passed out for a bit there. He places me in the back and uses the center seatbelt to buckle me in.
“Just in case I have to drive a little crazy,” he explains before slamming the door closed and jumping in the driver’s seat.
He starts the car and is back on the main road only seconds later.
This isn’t good, my wolf groans. Wolves aren’t meant to ride in vehicles.
Her motion sickness hits me as she speaks. Do not vomit on my seat.
The responding moans don’t bode well for my poor car, but there’s nothing I can do. I’ve never shifted in such a small space before and I’m not about to try for the first time while I’m injured.
It’s only another five minutes before Kyler pulls over and opens the back door.
My wolf breaks the seatbelt and nearly knocks Kyler to the ground on her way out of the car. Our breathing is ragged as she tries to get the motion sickness under control.
I think we’re good to shift now, I tell her. I can’t sense any new blood on us, even though everything still hurts like a bitch.
Then do it, she growls sharply.
With our injuries and her being distracted with trying not to throw up, it’s not as easy to draw on our inner transformation magic, but I push through and finally feel the change.
As bones begin to reform, I want to cry. The normally euphoric experience is wrought with agony as my body fights having to recreate itself.
When I’m finally in my human form again, tears stain my cheeks, and I start to drop to my knees. Okay, maybe we weren’t ready.
“What the fuck, Sophie?” Kyler practically growls, wrapping his arms around me so that my knees never even touch the ground. “Are you trying to die?”
“For your information, no. Not today, anyway.” My words are a poor attempt at a joke. He doesn’t seem pleased, based on the deepening crease between his brows.
“Let me look at you,” he demands, his hands already pulling at my clothes.
“How about you look at yourself?” I suggest. I don’t think he’s still bleeding, but his wounds are still very much present.