Lost and Found (A Werewolf Wars Novel Book 4) (25 page)

“That is enough out of you,” he insisted, his nails sinking deeper.

Sarah held her breath, too afraid to move.

“There you go, good girl. You don’t want me to go much deeper. It sure would be a shame to knick an organ,” Malakai purred. “Come quietly and you’ll live. Make another peep and you’re dead.”

Her vision tunneled as he began to draw her backwards.

No. Stay awake. Stay awake.
Her eyes slipped closed despite her silent pleas as darkness began to tug her under. Suddenly, she heard the distinct howl of a wolf. Gene and Devon were coming.
Stay awake. Stay awake.
Her eyes refused to open and blackness engulfed her.

***

V
incent surged forward, lashing out at the wolf in front of him. He had to get to Sarah. Her blood-curdling scream still rang in his ears. His heart clenched in his chest as he realized he couldn’t hear her anymore.
Is she okay? Alive?

The only way he would know for sure was if he took out the enemies who blocked his path to her. He tackled the wolf to the ground and snapped at him, trying to go in for the kill. His enemy writhed on the ground beneath him in a desperate attempt to get up, but Vincent refused to concede. Finally, he pushed past the canine’s defenses and sank his teeth into the wolf’s fleshy throat. He whipped his head side-to-side until the wolf ceased it’s fighting.

Before he could recover, another assailant rammed his side, thrusting him several feet across the asphalt. Vincent rolled with the momentum and quickly scurried to his feet. He caught the wolf midair as it lunged. Gnashing his teeth at the other man, he shoved him back. Landing on his feet, he circled his enemy.

Howls erupted around them and Vincent chuffed, excitedly recognizing a few of the calls. His brother and Gene were on their way. He surged forward, claws outstretched, tackling the wolf to the ground. The enemy used his momentum against Vincent and rolled them over. Vincent wriggled, trying to gain the upper hand again.
Come on. You have to get to Sarah.
The longer she was silent, the more concerned he became.

He swung his clawed mitt at the wolf, catching him in the muzzle. The wolf growled, snarling violently at Vincent, but he reeled back and swiped his paw again. Blood spurted out of his attacker’s mouth, dribbling down onto him.  Determined to end it, he struck again, this time digging his nails deep into the wolf’s neck. His enemy gurgled, eyes glazing over as he slumped forward. Vincent rolled out of the way before the lifeless body fell on him and hopped to his feet.

He scanned the area, ensuring it was safe for him to continue toward Sarah. Daniel tore into a wolf a few feet away, but the other wolves had vacated the area—more than likely moving to intercept the Harris packs. Vincent double-checked to ensure his brother didn’t need his help before racing toward Sarah.

The smell of copper permeated the air, causing his heart to lurch.
Sarah.
Snarls and growls ripped through the air. She had to be close since the smell of her blood was strong; worse, she could be in the thick of the fighting. He pushed his aching body to run faster.
Please be okay.

He ducked his way through the fighting wolves. His pack seemed to have Malakai’s men outnumbered; now he just needed to find Sarah.   Vincent inhaled sharply as his eyes darted around trying to find her. He froze as he came across her lifeless form.
Why isn’t she moving? Is she okay? She wasn’t dead—she couldn’t be dead. Please be okay.
Sprinting, he stopped in front of her, nudging her with his nose.

Her body flopped lifelessly. Vincent whined as he licked her face, trying to wake her. She didn’t move. He sniffed her face, frantically searching for a pulse.  A steady thrum met his ears and he huffed, relieved. She was alive, but needed medical help.

As if sensing the urgency, one of the pack’s Jeeps rumbled down the road. As the vehicle approached, he quickly recognized the occupants. Devon drove with Lark in the passenger seat. The car came to a halt a few feet from him.

Lark rushed out, falling to her knees as she bent down and rested her forehead against her sister’s. “Sarah? Sarah?” she whispered, desperately.

Vincent whined and bumped Sarah’s head with his as he ran his muzzle over Sarah’s ear.
Nothing.

“Let me see her please,” Devon ordered, looking to Lark then Vincent.

Begrudgingly, Vincent backed up, knowing Devon would take care of her. Lark pulled back from her sister, tears sliding down her rosied cheeks.

“Keep an eye on my back,” Devon instructed as he opened his medical bag. Vincent turned back to the fighting as Lark stood and held a revolver with a shaky hand.

Vincent held his breath, anxiously waiting for Devon to finish whatever he was doing to Sarah. The minutes stretched on endlessly.

Finally, Devon rocked back on his heels and looked up at him and Lark. “She’s stable. I’m going to get her up and back to the ranch.” Devon gingerly lifted Sarah up into his arms. “Come on Vincent. Gene’s got this covered,” Devon spoke to his brother, glancing at the ongoing fight.

Vincent bobbed his head up and down and raced forward to the jeep. He hopped into the still open passenger door, taking a seat in the trunk area. Devon and Lark laid Sarah carefully across the back seat.

Her arm fell lifelessly onto the floorboards and Vincent whined. Sarah had to be okay. She was going to live and be all right. She had to be. He loved her.
I love you, Sarah. You have to live.

***

V
incent impatiently paced the hallway outside the infirmary. It had only been a few moments, but it felt like an eternity. Devon had forced him out of the room so he had space to work on Sarah.

She hadn’t woken up yet, and every minute she remained unconscious made him worry more.
What if her injuries are severe? What if she doesn’t wake up at all?
His mind was riddled with horrifying questions—questions he didn’t want to even contemplate the answers to.

Sarah was going to be okay. They’d overcome too much for her to fall now. She was the strongest person he’d ever met and he couldn’t imagine living in a world without her in it. He ran a hand through his matted hair and jammed his hands into the loaner hoodie he’d gotten from another member of the pack.

“Vincent?” his mother’s broken voice drew him from his thoughts.

He turned slowly and met his mother’s hazel eyes. She gasped and stumbled back; Emily and Marcus caught her, helping to keep the elder wolf steady.

“How is this possible?” she choked out as she rushed forward and pulled him into a hug. “You’re here. Alive.” She kissed his cheek and forehead as she mumbled incoherently. Tears streamed down her face, and her whole body shook with happy tears. “My boy.”

“It’s okay, Mom,” he said, holding her tight.

Claire’s body trembled uncontrollably under his fingers as she cried into his shoulder. He looked passed her and met his twin’s eyes.   Emily’s emerald eyes brimmed with unshed tears, her hand covering her mouth. Coming out of her daze, Emily lurched forward and joined in the hug. He held his family tight, glad to be home again.

“Are you hurt?” his mom asked, pulling back to appraise him. Her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing every visible mark.

“I’m okay, Mom,” he promised.

“Thank heavens,” she croaked, pulling him into another hug. She pulled back again her eyes wide. “Sarah? Is that Sarah in the infirmary?” she asked panicked.

Vincent nodded solemnly and Emily placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Is she hurt bad?” Claire gasped.

“I don’t know. She was unconscious,” he said, swallowing his emotions down. Sarah needed to be all right.

“She made it this far, she’ll make it a little bit further. I still can’t believe you are here. I thought I lost you,” Claire said, shaking her head still unbelieving. “How did you get away from the Lunas?”

Vincent shrugged. “Sarah. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her.” His eyes drifted to the shut door. He couldn’t take his mind off his blonde companion. The only thing he wanted right now was to hear her soft, melodic voice so he would know she was fine.

Claire followed his gaze and clasped his arm tightly with her hand. “Worrying outside the door won’t change anything. Let’s get you something to eat and we’ll check back in a few. I have a pot of chili brewing on the stove.” She didn’t wait for him to respond; going into full mother mode, she pulled him down the hallway to the kitchen.

S
arah blinked through the fog as she slowly woke up. Her sluggish mind fought to piece together where she was and what happened. She remembered running and being caught. And screaming. Then everything went blank.
Where am I? What happened? Where is Vincent? Is he okay?
  She sat up quickly, desperately searching. Her head spun from the quick movement, causing her vision to go black.

“Hey, whoa,” Lark’s voice soothed as it came closer. “You’re okay,” she said, carefully lowering Sarah to the bed.

Sarah swallowed. Vincent wasn’t in the room.
Where is he?
Tears blurred her vision.

“Calm down, sweetie,” Lark coaxed, placing her cool hand on her sister’s forehead.

“Vincent?” Sarah croaked.

Lark smiled, running her hand through Sarah’s hair. “He just left. Devon had to practically drag him out. He’s been sitting in here the past two days nonstop.”

Vincent had sat with her to make sure she was all right. She smiled inwardly at the sentiment. He’d sat in her room for two days.
Wait. I was out for two days!

“Two days?” Sarah whispered hoarsely.

Lark nodded. “You had a few deep puncture wounds in your abdomen, but nothing vital was damaged. Devon thought your unconsciousness was mostly due to exhaustion. How do you feel?”

Sarah stared up at the ceiling, assessing herself. “A little sore and stiff, but okay,” she answered honestly. Even though her body had been through the ringer, she felt oddly well.
Probably because I slept for two days straight.

“Good,” Lark murmured as tears filled her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Sarah worried. Did someone else get hurt? Had Gene been injured—or worse?

Lark closed her eyes and a few tears trickled down her face. “I’m just so glad to have you here.” Her voice broke and her bottom lip trembled. “I never gave up hope that you were alive. And when we found you, you were so still. I thought I lost you again,” she sniffled.

Sarah’s hand instinctively went to her side, gingerly touching the spot where the Alpha had left his mark. “I’m okay. It’s okay,” she assured as Lark bent down, pulling her into a tight embrace. Sarah cringed slightly in her sister’s death grip, but didn’t want to move either.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” Lark said, pulling back and giving her sister a stern look before grinning and squeezing her again.

“I won’t,” she promised. It was a promise she would do anything to keep.

But there was still danger out there—or was there?
What happened to Malakai after I passed out?
“Malakai?” she whispered.

“Dead. Gene took care of him and the rest of his pack. Gene took a group of men up to the Lunas place yesterday afternoon. It was abandoned. He said there appeared to have been lots of fighting for dominance after the Lunas fell. The place was completely destroyed.” Lark let out a long breath. “It’s over.”

“It’s over,” Sarah repeated. She closed her eyes, relaxing completely against her sister. They were finally safe.

Lark pulled back as the door creaked open. Sarah’s heart jumped in her chest, hoping it was Vincent. She looked up expectantly and had to suppress a frown when Devon walked in.
Wrong brother.

“You’re up. How are you?” Devon asked, coming to the bed to examine her.

Lark scooted back to make room for Devon, but took Sarah’s hand into hers as she nervously worried her lower lip.

“I’m okay,” Sarah whispered hoarsely, trying to assure her big sister.

“No dizziness or nausea?” Devon asked, shining a light into her eyes.

Sarah blinked as dots blurred her vision from the bright light. “A little dizzy when I first sat up, but I’m good now,” she explained her voice finally returning.

“Any pain?” Devon asked, finally flicking the light off.

“Nothing horrible.”

Lark swallowed hard, squeezing Sarah’s hand tighter. “Is she going to be okay?” she whispered, looking at Devon expectantly.

“I want to keep an eye on your stomach. The puncture wounds looked good when I checked them earlier this morning, but we’ll need to keep an eye out for any festering. Other than that, your x-rays and MRI came back fine. With some time and rest, you’ll be back to normal,” Devon explained.

“Was I in the hospital?” Sarah asked, furrowing her brows in confusion. How had she gotten back to the Ranch then?

“No,” Devon replied. “We got the equipment in two days before you arrived. With everything happening, Gene and I decided we needed a real infirmary here.”

“Well, glad I could help break in your new equipment,” Sarah teased, hoping to ease some of Lark’s tension.

Devon gave her an odd look, but only shook his head. Lark chuckled lightly under her breath, her shoulders finally slumping from their tight rigid stance.

“She’s going to be okay,” Devon said, placing a hand over Lark’s.

Sarah followed his hand, taking in the extra diamond encrusted wedding band on Lark’s hand. Her eyes widened. She’d almost completely forgotten about the wedding. “Is that the ring?” Sarah grinned.

Lark held her hand out. “Yeah. Isn’t it beautiful?” Lark gushed, beaming.

“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you,” Sarah exclaimed, throwing her arms around Lark.

Devon cleared his throat and took a step back from them. “I’m going to go check on Daniel and Nora,” he said, excusing himself. Lark pulled back and gave her husband a tender kiss before taking Sarah’s hands again.

Devon nodded to Lark and exited. As the door clicked shut, she realized what he’d said. “Oh my God. Are Daniel and Nora okay?” Her stomach lurched violently as she berated herself for forgetting about them.