Six whistled behind him. “Clutch, get the bus.”
“What happened? Where is she?” Oz tried to keep a calm tone in his voice, but the girl flinched a couple of times, anyway.
“This way,” she said and led him out to the main road.
“Are the rest of you okay? Was it an accident?” Oz wanted to run the next couple of miles until he found her. It took a lot for him to not leave the girl.
She jogged as she talked. “Is Golden okay? They took her and…” The girl got choked up.
Oz just wanted to find his woman. His stomach was turning cartwheels, and this girl kept going on. “Yes. She’s okay.”
“She said you guys would come,” the teen continued, then pointed. “Ms. Ronnie’s there.”
Oz had already spotted the parked truck on the side of the road and took off running.
“Ronnie?” Oz nearly pulled the door off its hinges when he opened it.
Her dark skin now had a mottled gray cast. What the fuck happened in the last thirty minutes?
Her head kind of rocked and fell when she looked at him. “Oz,” she whispered. “You’re here.”
“What happened? You were fine when you left.”
“I’m not sure. But I can’t feel my legs.”
He didn’t see anything right off. His fingers tentatively touched a trail up her leg and she didn’t react, but then he saw it. Pools and pools of red had soaked through his long coat and soaked into the driver’s side seat.
“Baby, this might hurt. Forgive me.” Oz pushed her torso forward and opened the coat and preceded to lift her shirt.
She hissed out her discomfort, and he slowed down. “Sorry. Sorry. I just need a quick peek.”
Shit! He could see exactly what it was. She didn’t get shot. The two four-inch gashes oozed blood and the smell of poison rankled his nose. She must’ve been losing pints the entire time and didn’t know it. Adrenaline and purpose will do that.
“Is Golden alright?” Ronnie said after he leaned her back into place.
“Yeah. She’s fine.”
Six, get the kids out of here. Now.
Already on it, brother.
“Is she going to be okay?” The teen asked from behind him.
He took two deep breaths before turning to answer. “Yes. We’ll take good care of her. Thank you. Now, go with my brothers.” He pointed toward the black vehicle where the kids were loading up. “They will get you guys back home.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what would’ve happened if...” Tears filled the teenager’s eyes as she gave him a curt nod before running toward the club’s SUV.
Oz stepped away from the truck. The bus rolled past him, then Six and Kitty walked up.
“What can we do?” Six grabbed him by the shoulders.
Oz kept shaking his head. “I don’t know. She’s lost a lot of blood and humans don’t heal like we do. She doesn’t smell right. I think they poisoned her.”
“Number one, we gotta get her off the highway. I assume that’s stolen.” Six pointed to the truck.
“Borrowed.” Oz repeated Ronnie’s words.
“Fine.” Six said, then turned to Kitty stating, “When we take her inside, clean it and dump it somewhere.”
“Somewhere they can find it. Ronnie wanted them to have it back,” Oz added.
“Done. Clean it up as best as you can, leave some money for repairs.”
Oz felt drugged. His limbs moved liked boulders, and his legs were stuck in mud. When he and the others made it back to the vehicle, Ronnie didn’t move.
“You want me to…” Six put his arms out as if to take her.
“No, I got it.” Oz wiped his face before reaching for her. There weren’t any tears, but he wanted to cry.
Ronnie slid into his arms. A perfect fit. He wasn’t giving up on this woman. She fought fucking shifters with him, no other female he knew had this much courage. She was his, and he would fight for her.
He ran faster than he’d ever ran before, all while not trying to jostle her too much.
Kitty, where’s Golden?
In my room.
Good.
Six opened the motel room door, and Oz laid Ronnie down. He laid her on her stomach instead of her back, where the injuries were, then pulled out a knife.
“Yo, yo what’re you doing?” Six held Oz’s knife hand.
“All of her injuries are on her back. Go grab some towels and I’ll need a first aid kit. If I can stop the bleeding and get her conscious, then maybe I can change her so she can heal herself.”
“She’s weak, man. That’s seriously risky.”
“What do you want me to do? Watch her die?”
Six released his hand and Oz sliced open his favorite leather duster from neck to hem. She wouldn’t die. Not on his watch.
After using every towel in the motel, using all the alcohol swabs and bandages from every first aid kit they could find, and destroying a mattress; Ronnie was steadily slipping away before his eyes.
Six patted his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
Oz didn’t want their sorries; he wanted his mate. In such a short amount of time, Ronnie meant everything to him. He pulled her into his embrace, and the taint of the poison was ruining her scent. Smelling this made him want to kill those lions all over again.
With his eyes closed, he kissed her on the lips. No response.
On the cheek. No response.
On the neck. Not a flinch.
“I’ve waited me entire life for you. You’re my mate. Ronela Garrison, you hear me? I love you and I won’t lose you.” His leopard came to the surface. Instead of changing completely, only his canines elongated, then he struck. Biting her fast and hard.
One week. Oz had been waiting one week for Ronnie to wake up. Anxiety wracked him as he considered what would happen when Ronnie found out he bit her without her permission. The thought of her not being in this world was a worse fate than her not forgiving him. But seeing her in his bed had been a gift that he prayed wouldn’t ever end.
Golden
