Darkest crimson stained her fur, dripped from her muzzle as she heaved, standing triumphant over the dead.
“Katalina?” Bass murmured, approaching with caution. Watching as he took step after careful step, Katalina fought within her own mind. He’s afraid of me.
There was a part of her drunk on power, craving it to the point she’d drain the souls from her mate and father to have it. It was a potent and terrifying reality.
No one should have such control over others. It was a gift that had saved Dark Shadow and River Run, yet could destroy them in the next breath.
“Hey,” Bass demanded. “Don’t give up on me now, my Winter Wolf.”
Bass….
Shifting was both excruciating and releasing. Her body rippled and morphed, skin settling over her on a sigh of relief.
“Kat?” Bass whispered.
She smiled, reached for him, but as the connection feeding her—Bass and Jackson’s power ceased to exist—all Katalina had endured came flooding back.
Her spine went rigid, the gasp leaving her full of her agony, and then her knees crumpled, her body a broken shell. Arms of warmth and love surrounded her, but nothing could erase her pain, and as the darkness pulled her into its infinite depths, she went. Its peace a welcome caress.
Chapter 57
Bass
He’d always found battling had a certain poetry to it. Each move played out in slow motion within his mind, all thought and emotion dropping away until he was art in its simplest form. Pure rage, a creature of vengeance—the sharpest of blades whistling through the air. It was the aftermath that was chaotic, hurtling at dizzying speeds, full of fear and horror. And as Bass caught Katalina in his arms, he found himself consumed with it.
She was limp as he lifted her from the ground and far too light to be the larger-than-life woman he loved. Her essence, her unwavering will, it all drained from her when she’d cut the connection drawing power from him and Jackson.
He’d felt her addiction, tasted the hunger for power on his own lips. It had been as if they were almost one, joined so deeply, and when Katalina had severed herself from him, he’d felt the absence down to his bones.
The last of Castor’s army either fled or surrendered, the remnants of the true Indiana pack coming forward with questions of the family Castor had used as collateral. But all of it would have to wait because the war wasn’t over yet. Bass had understood John’s final warning, felt the moment a human had mated into his pack, and then he’d seen the truth in his second’s eyes as he’d slipped into unconsciousness, clinging to the new and fragile bond keeping his mate alive.
A team was dispatched almost immediately for home, Jackson leading the charge, leaving Bass to deal with the casualties of war.
Karen took Katalina from him, her determined expression showing none of the terror Bass felt.
“We need to get her home. She’s lost too much blood, and there’s only so much I can do here,” Karen said as she laid Katalina down next to Cage in the back of the van.
“Is he?” Bass murmured, too afraid to finish his sentence. He and Cage had let go of the issues between them, the tension disappearing when Anna had come into his life.
Karen shook her head. “He’s holding on. Bullet missed his heart by a fraction.”
More injured, who needed immediate medical attention, were piled into the van, and moments later, Bass watched it drive away, not knowing if he’d ever see Katalina open her eyes again. The darkness swallowed them whole, but Bass wasn’t ready to turn away yet. He watched the night, allowed his heart to throb with his pain, and gave himself one more second to be only Bass. Only a mate to Katalina.
A cry of sorrow pierced the quiet, calling Bass back to his reality. Turning, he became an alpha once again and walked toward his and Jackson’s people, who’d somewhere along the way all become his own.
Regan wept over Holly’s body, Tyler standing vigil at her back. So many had fallen, giving their lives in defense of their home, and before the night was through, Bass feared there’d be more. Headlights appeared out of the dark, casting a stark glow over the scene. Sprays of blood across the snow, mutilated bodies, and fallen wolves… the earth would forever be tainted, the echoes of the carnage heard even after they’d long gone, and the memories of war forever imprinted on the minds of every man and woman there.
“Bass!” Logan shouted, appearing out of the dark carrying Mia. “Bass, help her.”
Rushing forward, Bass took Mia from Logan’s arms and raced toward an awaiting car. Laying her on the back seat, he got a better look at her injuries and almost staggered back. The lower half of her calf was all but gone, her foot seeming to be held on by bone alone.
“She threw herself in front of me, freaking wolf nearly took off her leg, before I recovered enough to kill it,” Logan rasped franticly. “Bass, I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her too.”
“Tyler,” Bass called out. “Take Logan and Mia home, now.”
As Tyler ran over, Bass tore strips off her shredded jeans away and tied it tightly above the wound before taking hold of Mia’s hand and drawing some of her pain into himself, groaning as the wave hit him. He had nothing left to give his back—Katalina had taken all he’d had to offer—but easing her discomfort was enough to rouse her back to consciousness, and seconds later, wide eyes met his.
“Feel like doing that again?” Mia murmured, a ghost of a smile on her lips. Smiling back, Bass did as she asked, staggering back from the force of it. “I was joking, you idiot.” She
