Still, the battle raged. The entire settlement reeked of blood and smoke, and still, the pride fought, unwilling to surrender. So much death and destruction, and it had all been for nothing. They’d failed.
As the fire raged out of control, the other members of his team seemed to realize it as well. No one, let alone a human, could survive that kind of blaze. If the flames didn’t kill them, the smoke surely would, and there was nothing anyone could do to change it.
Rhys Lockwood appeared at his side, his hands covered in blood, and the inferno reflected in his eyes. “It’s too late.”
Lynk chuffed in agreement. This was one fight they weren’t going to win, and the only option now was retreat.
As if reading his mind, Rhys whistled, the sound loud and shrill over the den of the fight. “Fall back!” he shouted. “Thea, get the hell out of there!” The words were still on his lips when the puma hurdled through the air to land on the back of a young lioness. “Damn female.”
With a grunt, Rhys hurried off to assist his mate. His call had been heard, though, and the rest of the team began fighting their way back toward the forest.
Beyond the ones they’d lost in the battle, the only person missing from their group was Luca Moretti. Lynk hung his head. He now knew who had set off that final blast. Fuck. Luca had been a hardnosed bastard with a take-no-shit attitude, but he’d liked the hell out of the guy. It wasn’t often that a human climbed to the rank of captain within the Revenant, and he’d more than earned the respect of the entire group.
“Holy shit,” Deidra murmured, jabbing her finger at the fire. “Look!”
“Holy shit,” Rhys echoed as he rushed back into the open. “Cover him!”
Transfixed, Lynk stepped out of the tree line as well, watching in amazement as Luca walked right out of the inferno, Abby cradled securely in his arms.
Chapter Eight
According to the clock on the bedside table, it was just after three in the morning when a quiet knock roused Cade from his light doze.
He hoped whoever waited outside the room would have the common sense not to knock again. It had been a rough night for Mackenna. He’d thought that sleep would at least give her some peace, but even then, she’d been restless. Twice, she’d called out for him. Twice, he’d thought his heart would shatter.
Careful not to wake her, he eased out from beneath his mate and repositioned her on the mattress. She whimpered and reached for him but settled quickly when he stroked her hair. Once he was sure that she wouldn’t wake again, he tiptoed across the room and slipped out into the hallway, leaving the door cracked an inch so he could hear her if she called for him.
“They’re back,” Roux said by way of greeting.
“All of them?”
Her eyes misted as she shook her head.
“Who?”
“Miles, Kellen, and Izan.”
Damn. He’d met the humans just once, and frankly, he hadn’t cared much for them, but that wasn’t the point. His personal feelings aside, they’d seemed like decent guys, and the world needed a lot more decent people in it. While he hadn’t known Miles much better, he would miss him. The vampire had possessed a wicked sense of humor, and Cade had liked him almost instantly.
“Abby?”
“She’s here. A little banged up, but she’ll be okay.”
“What about the other females?”
The muscles in her neck strained as she swallowed, and it took several seconds before she could answer. “There was a fire. They couldn’t get the others out in time.” Her eyes strayed to the door behind him as she started to back away. “Anyway, I just thought you’d want to know that they’re back.”
As much as he wanted to follow after her, to see Abby with his own eyes, it wasn’t that simple anymore. He couldn’t just think about himself and what he wanted. Mackenna needed him, and he couldn’t bear the thought of her waking up alone and afraid.
“Thanks, Roux.” He pushed the door open a little wider, cursing the bright lights in the corridor. “I’ll catch up in a little bit.”
“Is everything okay?” Mackenna asked when he slipped back into the room.
Damn it.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. Watch your eyes.” Closing the door, he slid his hand along the wall until he found the light switch. Fluorescent light flooded the small area, making them both blink a few times. “That was Roux. She was telling me that the team just got back.”
“You should go.”
“I will in a little bit.”
Sitting up in the bed, she shoved her tangled hair back from her face and sighed. “I’m okay, Cade. Really. You should go be with your friends.”
There was that word again. He didn’t know why he had such an aversion to it, especially when it was so accurate. Maybe it was just habit.
As for her being “okay,” he didn’t buy it. He’d never heard someone cry like that, like their very soul was being torn apart. He hadn’t known one person could hold that much pain, and there had been fuck all he could do about it. There had been no monster to fight, no dragon to slay. Never in his entire life had he felt so completely useless.
“Are you hungry?”
Mackenna stared at him for a long time, her gaze narrowed and probing. “I could eat.” Tossing the blanket off, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and was on her
