Alpha Pack 4 - Hunters Heart (33 page)

“I’m too sick.”

“It’s okay,” she reassured him. “We’ll make it.”

“Here, put these on.” Rustling in the pack, he threw a

spare set of clothes at her, and some shoes.

They were hers, and she realized he’d grabbed her pack

as well as his, plus the weapons. Bless him. Ryon

muttered an oath and moved around her, placing her left

hand on his pack. She found the strap and locked it in a

death grip, the SIG in her right hand.

Daria tugged on the strap. “Ready.”

Ryon starting walking fast, beating a path through the

forest. She couldn’t see a damned thing, and had to

console herself with the fact that he could see just fine. If

they ran into August’s men or some other vile creature,

Ryon would know.

Daria stumbled upon occasion but managed, for the

most part. He was careful to move slowly and tell her

when to step over a fallen tree or duck to avoid a branch

in the face. Even so, having her movement restricted by

hanging on to him proved a tedious way to hike. Before

long, her arms and shoulders ached. Better than getting

lost, however.

The tough trek helped focus her attention away from

what she really longed to do—find a nice, soft bed and

sleep for a year with her mate curled around her like a

second skin.

Then she became aware of something. “Ryon, stop and

listen.”

He did, and they stood, drinking in the usual nighttime

symphony.

“They’re not following us. Damn.”

Dread pricked at her. “And that’s a
bad
thing? What’re

you thinking?”

“My best guess is that August’s calling in his men who

are already out there looking for us. If I were him, I’d have

them form a dragnet around us. That’s why they aren’t

giving chase. He’s not worried about catching us.”

Ryon let out a deep breath, which ended on a slight

wheeze. He coughed a couple of times, then slumped

sideways. When he didn’t fall, she reached out with her

gun hand and came into contact with bark. He was leaning

against a tree.

She frowned. “What happened back there between you

and my uncle? Are you really all right?”

“I wanted to send him to the devil where he belongs, but

his men were storming the house. I had to either let him go

and run, or stay to finish him, and die.”

His voice was thick and strange, not like Ryon at all.

She didn’t like it one bit.

“How’s the leg?” she pressed.

“Still holding me upright.”

Okay, but not for long. “Are we stopping here? You

need to rest.”

“We’re not making camp tonight. Have to . . . keep

moving.” Another cough, and a shudder.

Daria stuck the SIG in the waistband of her fatigues and

reached for him. Her fingers found his neck, and skimmed

up to his stubbled cheek. “You’re burning up!”

“No help for it.” He straightened, relaying his plan as

though he wasn’t about to collapse. “Listen, we have to

divert from our course in a major way, or they’re going to

surround us.”

“How about turning just to the south?” she suggested.

Ryon nodded. “When we locate a suitable place for the

helicopter to lift us out, I’ll tell Nick, and the guys will be

on the way. Shouldn’t take them but a couple of hours to

get to us.”

“Sounds like you’ve got us covered. It’s your show.”

Indeed, it had been, from the second he exploded into

her life. Ryon, infuriating her, capturing her heart, then

wringing it like an old dishrag. If he didn’t get help soon,

she’d lose her mate. It was that horribly simple.

After a few hours, the forest began to lighten enough to

see. He took off the goggles and she no longer had to hang

on to him. When she was finally able to study Ryon from

behind, even her limited view couldn’t hide his condition.

Sweat dripped off the ends of his blond hair, making it

appear darker, and his T-shirt was soaked. She wasn’t so

dry herself, but she didn’t have a sky-high fever. He

walked stiffly, stumbling now and then, boots dragging as

though every step caused agony. And he never once

complained.

Around midmorning, the banks of the river appeared.

Ryon, however, kept to the cover of the trees, pushing

them hard and not stopping for a break until nearly noon.

When he did, he slung his pack and rifle to the ground,

backed against a tree, and slid to the ground without a

word. He removed two bottles of water from his pack and

offered one to her.

Daria took it gratefully, forcing herself not to gulp.

Ryon drained his in a few swallows. Her stomach

growled, and she fetched a couple of the stolen granola

bars, holding one out to him. To her dismay, he shook his

head and closed his eyes, tilting his head back.

She ate hers, worried about the lines of strain on his

face. He had purple smudges under his eyes, and his

cheeks were flushed. Finishing the snack, she wiped her

palms and scooted next to him.

“Drop your pants, honey. Let’s have a look at the leg.”

With a heavy sigh, he worked them down to his calves

and leaned back again, not even bothering to make a joke

about her need for him to get naked. Her gaze dropped to

his right thigh and she received a violent shock. A small,

neat hole marred the flesh about three inches above the

bandages.

“You’ve been shot!” she exclaimed. “Dammit, Ryon,

why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because there’s nothing you can do. It hurts, but it’s

not bleeding much, and I can walk.”

“Yes, I can do something, even if it’s not much. You’re

going to take some aspirin, even if I have to shove them

down your throat. Do you understand?” she insisted.

In his weakened state, he wouldn’t win this one, Daria

told herself as she dug for them. Shaking out four pills, she

handed them to him, along with her water. He scowled,

and she returned it. As she predicted, he gave first.

“Well, I guess they won’t kill me any faster.”

“That’s not funny.”

Next, she unwrapped the bandages around his thigh. Her

triumph over the medicine was short-lived. The wounds

were infected, no question. Each puncture oozed fluid.

They should’ve healed over by now, given his special

abilities, but the surrounding flesh was swollen and red.

Angry crimson streaks brushed his leg.
Poison.

Daria had never felt so helpless. Ryon was in terrible

danger, and she couldn’t do a thing to help him. She rinsed

the bite marks with the remainder of her water, then

wrapped his leg in fresh bandages. There wasn’t anything

more to do.

Ryon pulled his pants up and closed his eyes. He was

still for so long, she thought he’d fallen asleep. God

knows he needed the rest. She’d almost given in to her

own fatigue when he spoke in a low whisper.

“Never forget I love you. More than my life, more than

anything.”

She touched his face. “Never. Same goes for me.

You’re my world now, and I won’t rest until we’re both

safe.”

He looked away, staring out over the river for several

minutes, unblinking. Daria had never witnessed such

misery. He was close to giving up, and she could not let

his spirits dip that low.

“Say, do you realize you haven’t been tormented by

your ghosts much lately?” she asked.

“They haven’t bothered me in a while. I think that’s

because of you.” He smiled at her. “You ground me. Now

I only see them if I need to—which I hope won’t be very

often.”

“That means you’re strong. You’re not going anywhere,

you hear me?”

“Yeah. I do, baby.”

They sat together for a time, collecting themselves.

When he was ready to leave, he simply stood next to her

and waited. She rose and shrugged on her pack, glancing

at him. His expression was calm, accepting. That scared

her almost more than she could handle.

The rest of the day, Ryon didn’t speak. He’d

disappeared inside himself. This wasn’t the smiling,

confident man she’d first met. She wanted that man back.

She loved him.

As horrible as the day had been, the evening was much

worse. She pitched the tent for them because he could

barely stand any longer. He accepted the help in silence,

face drawn. Usually, they would sit outside the tent and

talk. Or make love. Tonight, he crawled inside, period.

Determined to at least try to cheer him, she went in after

him. He lay on his side, eyes closed, an empty bottle of

water beside him. She reached out to touch his shoulder,

then decided not to push too hard.

“Can I fix you one of those instant dinners?”

Silence.

“You haven’t eaten all day. You need to eat if you’re

going to have any strength to finish the hike. How about

some jerky?”

Nothing.

“God, Ryon, try to shift! Please!”

“Don’t,” he said hoarsely. “Baby, just don’t.”

Grabbing his shirt, she forced him to his back and

shouted right into his face. “
Yo u
don’t! Don’t you dare

give up on me!” She smacked his chest as he stared at her,

wide-eyed. “Shift, you pussy! Shift now, goddammit!”

The effect was instant. In less than five seconds, Ryon’s

silver wolf was struggling to free himself of his clothing,

snarling and pissed as hell. If the situation wasn’t so dire,

she would’ve smiled. As it was, she put a calming hand on

his broad head.

“Calm down, big guy.” He stilled and then whined,

nuzzling her hand and scooting into her side. “Let me get

these clothes off you. Stay in your shift as long as you can.

Then I’ll help you get dressed again.”

The longer he could stay in wolf form, the better for his

healing. At least he might be able to make it to the

transport. Carefully, she removed his clothes and

examined his back leg. She couldn’t see the punctures for

all the fur, but she hoped the wounds were improving at

least a little.

Despite his earlier protests, he managed to hold his shift

for almost half an hour before he morphed into human form

again. Beside her, he was completely down for the count.

But she thought he was breathing a tad easier, his color a

bit more natural. On examination, she found the wounds on

his thigh to be not quite as angry, and that sent a wave of

relief washing through her.

Her mate had bought himself some time. Hopefully just

enough.

Daria wasn’t sure how long she sat beside him,

watching and worrying. Eventually, she gave in and slept.

By dawn, Ryon was shaking with the chills, teeth

chattering, yet scorching heat radiated off his big body in

waves. Alarm kicked her in the gut. The shift should’ve

bought him more time, and if they didn’t get moving he’d

be out of what little he’d gained.

She’d have to wake him. Laying a hand on his arm, she

shook him gently. “Ryon? Wake up, we have to go.”

Several attempts later, he opened his eyes and stared at

her with a dazed expression. For a few seconds, he had

absolutely no clue where he was, and it scared the hell out

of her. Then, awareness returned.

“Daria,” he croaked. “Take the spare water from my

pack.”

“Why?”

“You’re going to meet the helicopter alone, then send

the guys back for me.”

“No. No way,” she said in a steely tone. “That is
so
not

going to happen. Get up. Now.”

“Listen.” He coughed and shuddered, taking a deep

breath as though talking cost him. “I’ll slow us down, and

we’ll get caught.”

“If you stay, August’s men could find you before help

arrives.”

“Just do as I ask, all right? I don’t want to argue with

you.”

“I won’t argue with you, either,” she said firmly. “I’m

not leaving here without you and that’s final. If you can’t

go on, my uncle will find both of us.”

A few minutes later, he rose with a great effort,

gathered his things, and stumbled out of the tent. Daria

sagged in relief. Thank God. Now she just had to keep his

sexy ass moving.

A lot of the fight had gone out of him, but she intended

to keep pushing.

No matter what, he wasn’t going to give up.

• • •

Somehow, Ryon put one foot in front of the other. He’d

never been this low. Ever. Not even when he’d awakened

in a hospital overseas with a raging wolf for a brand-new

companion. Not in the months afterward, when he’d fought

to control his other half and retain his tenuous hold on

sanity.

Nick’s voice broke through his thoughts.
Ryon?

Yeah, boss?

The lab has a batch of the serum ready, so we’ll bring

it, see if we can find Ben. Where are you? We’re about to

leave.

That’s great! Um . . . I’m not sure. A few miles south

of August’s estate, following the river. We’re looking for

a good clearing.

On our way. Hang in there, all right?