“You are.” She leaned over him, kissing his cheek. “But I think you’re going to need some serious rest so you can finish healing. The stone can only do so much, you know?”
He stared up at her a little blankly. “You plunged your sword into my heart.”
“What?” Birdie screeched.
Jenna just nodded. “Yeah, I did. But it was to save you, and now you’re going to be okay.”
He smiled at her. “I love you. You saved my life. We should get married.”
She laughed. “How about we talk about that after you’re fully recovered?” She looked up at Hank. “Hospital. Now.”
That lit a fire under the sheriff. He bent to take Titus by the arms. “You got his feet?”
She nodded. “Your car?”
“Yes.”
They lifted at the same time, carrying Titus through the house. Bridget and Birdie looked like they were about to explode with questions.
Jenna caught Bridget’s gaze. “Do not touch the sword on the back deck, and do not let anyone else touch it. Touching it will release the wraith, and I need him in there so I can take him to the underworld. Got it?”
“Underworld. No touching. Got it.” Bridget nodded as she ran ahead to open the front door.
Birdie wrung her hands. “Should I call Tessa?”
“No, just keep an eye on things here. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Remember, no one touches that sword.”
“No one touches the sword,” Birdie repeated. Then she gasped and put a hand to her heart. “I can’t. I have to go with Titus. I need to know he’s going to be all right.”
“Go on,” Bridget said. “I’ll stay and guard the sword.”
“Call Remy,” Hank grunted as they went through the front door.
Birdie went ahead again and opened the passenger door of Hank’s SUV.
“Might as well call Tessa too,” Jenna said over her shoulder. Tessa wouldn’t let anyone touch the sword, and she wasn’t sure Bridget was going to stay at the house, considering the way she was looking at her brother being loaded into Hank’s vehicle.
“Jenna?” Titus’s voice still had no strength.
“I’m right here.” She grabbed hold of his ankle, the first part of him she could reach.
“Stay with me.”
She didn’t need to be asked twice.
Hank looked at her across the seat from where he was standing on the other side of the SUV. “Ride back here with him.”
She nodded and climbed in, positioning herself so that Titus’s head was on her lap again.
Birdie got in the front. Bridget was already on her phone.
Jenna looked down at Titus. His coloring looked a little better. She smiled at him. “You’re going to be okay.”
“Thanks to you,” he whispered. Then he fell asleep.
She finger-combed his hair off his forehead. There was no point in telling him that he’d actually saved her life by pushing her out of the way of Leif’s sword. That he was the real hero. And that she’d just done what any woman in love would have done.
Just like there was no point in explaining that the resurrection stone restored life, but he still had a lot of healing to do to hang on to that life. There might even be surgery in his future.
However long his recovery took, she’d be there. Yes, there were a few other things that needed doing, like transporting Leif’s sword to the underworld to ensure that he was never released into the mortal world again, but she’d handle that as soon as Titus was being cared for. And then there was the 10K charity relay race coming up.
“Couple more minutes,” Hank said as he drove on.
“Okay,” Jenna answered.
Titus was going to be mad about missing that race. Which he would, because you didn’t run a race two days after you had a berserker’s sword through your heart.
Wouldn’t matter that he would miss it because he was in the hospital, trying to stay alive. He’d still be mad. She shook her head.
Then she smiled as an idea came to her. She bent and kissed his forehead. Funny that they’d put so much effort into getting untethered, and now all she could think about was how to never be away from him again.
Hank looked at her through the rearview mirror. “Blue duffel bag has sweatpants and a sweatshirt in it.”
Jenna frowned at him for a second. “For Titus?”
“No.” Hank’s gaze shifted, and he looked back at the road.
Birdie cleared her throat as she twisted around in her seat. “Not that I wouldn’t wear the same thing if I had your body, but you might be a little chilly in the hospital, Deputy.”
Jenna looked down, suddenly realizing she was still in her Old Glory bikini. “Oh. Right.”
Someday, this would be a very funny story.
When Titus was a little boy, Aunt Birdie told him stories about how after you died, if you were a good werewolf and ate all your supper and obeyed your parents, you went to the most beautiful forest you could ever imagine, where there were rabbits to chase and clear blue streams to splash in and more places to run than you could cover in a thousand years, and all your friends and family became part of your pack.
She’d never said anything about a soft beep-beep-beeping or the smell of disinfectant or the cold.
So while he was pretty sure he’d died, he was starting to think he hadn’t been a very good werewolf.
He cracked one eye open. And saw an angel. Then he smelled lemons. Maybe he’d done all right after all.
The angel looked at him. “Titus? Oh, you’re awake. I’m so glad.”
Aunt Birdie popped up behind the angel, and he realized he wasn’t actually dead. He opened both eyes. “Jenna?”
She nodded. “It’s me. Hi there, handsome.”
“Hi.” He smiled despite the dull ache in his chest. “Hi, Aunt Birdie.”
“How are you feeling, honey?” Birdie leaned in, looking like she might burst into tears or song, depending on his answer.
“Like there’s an elephant sitting on my chest.”
“You had surgery,” Jenna said.
He squinted at her, trying to remember what had happened.
