“Rafe, you’re alive,” she mumbled. Or at least she thought she spoke. She couldn’t seem to get in enough air.
His lips moved, but she didn’t hear what he said. She opened her mouth to ask him to repeat himself, but blackness swept over her vision and took him away.
Chapter 36
Rafe stared at the blood running in rivulets from the slashes marring Jasmine’s stomach. More blood dripped from the four punctures at the base of her rib cage.
On a Royal, the wounds would’ve closed within seconds. Even on a single shifter, the flow of blood would’ve slowed. But on Jasmine, neither had happened. Blood soaked the ground beneath her.
He let revenge come before her just as she’d accused him of doing.
He allowed the guilt to consume him for a heartbeat before pushing it away. Jasmine needed him. He wouldn’t fail her. Never would he put his wants before her, no matter how he rationalized it. If she questioned him, he’d listen and hear her. Not tell her how things would play out. That was if he had a future with his mate.
The others gathered around. He ignored them and turned his attention to Jasmine, where it should’ve been in the first place. An erratic heartbeat and shallow breathing reached him, not what he wanted to hear, but it meant she still lived. He had time to save her.
Using a sharpened nail, he tore her shirt and lowered his head to her stomach, licking the wounds to slow the staunch of blood. It didn’t seal them—that would take more than a couple of swipes of his tongue—but it helped.
As he tended the gashes, he heard Seth screaming for his mother. His voice faded, someone likely taking him back to the house. But the child’s plea cut at his heart. If he didn’t get through to Jasmine, not only would Rafe lose the woman he loved, Seth and Levi would lose their mother.
Rafe knelt over her prone body. “Jasmine.”
She didn’t stir. His animal spirits whined, their anxiety adding to his. He smacked her cheek in an effort to rouse her.
“Wake up, beautiful,” he yelled.
No response. True terror gripped him. His heart pounded hard. He couldn’t lose Jasmine. She was his everything—his mate, his love, his life.
He tore open his wrist and pressed it to her lips. She didn’t drink his healing blood. It dribbled over her chin.
Rafe pressed kisses to her face. “Jasmine, don’t you dare die on me. Wake up!”
She didn’t stir but her brows creased.
“That’s right. Come on, love. Open those gorgeous eyes. Let me see you. Know you’re still with me. I need you.”
The movement behind her eyelids quickened, her lashes fluttering before lifting. Pain hazed the gray, making her orbs unfocused, but he’d never been happier to see anyone’s eyes.
He leaned close and captured her gaze. She had to be aware. To know what was happening before he walked through her soul.
“I’m going to mate you, Jasmine. Do you understand? Tie our souls—you, me, and our cats. We can’t wait.”
“Why?”
The single word was no more than a breath of sound, but the confusion in it was obvious. He swallowed hard. “You’re dying. This is the only way to save you.”
Her eyes widened. “Jon?”
“Yes. He hurt you, but he’s dead. Seth is safe. He’s with Josh.” Rafe leaned closer so she’d have an easier time bringing his face into focus. “I need you to trust me. We’re running out of time.”
Jazz looked into Rafe’s familiar eyes. His voice came to her in a garbled echo, but she heard his words. They chilled her. She was dying. It was too soon. It wasn’t supposed to happen until he mated her. She’d lose him. She couldn’t. She loved him.
“Answer me. Tell me you understand. That you’ll trust me to save us.” Rafe pressed his lips to her ear. “Did you hear that? I said us. If you die, I’m following you.”
No! He couldn’t die.
If Rafe wanted her trust, she’d give it to him. She nodded, hoping to show her agreement. Words were beyond her. Her body felt leaden. She wasn’t sure she pulled it off but must’ve managed a small dip of her chin. Relief washed over Rafe’s face, easing the pinch to his eyes.
He disappeared from view. Her body was turned. Another jolt of pain shot through her. She squeezed her eyes shut against the agony and focused on the warmth of Rafe’s body pressing along her back.
Strands of his hair brushed against her cheek as he kissed his way down her throat. He pressed his mouth to the spot where shoulder met neck. The warmth of his breath was her only warning. He bit, and sharp teeth gnawed on her bone.
Agony. The feeling was so intense she was sure her heart stopped. Pain whipped through her, adding to the throbbing of her wounds before centering in her chest. Her fingers and toes burned, and everything in between jerked with a wrenching tug. She screamed—maybe out loud, maybe in her head—but the cry echoed within her soul.
As quickly as the pain came, it ended. For a moment, she floated, bodiless and free, and in the next, she crashed back into herself, but she wasn’t alone. She felt Rafe hovering as a shadow within her.
Rafe licked her shoulder and eased the last of the sting. He pulled her into his lap, cradling her close. The world swayed, and black dots spread over her eyes. Rafe’s face was still blurry, but she could pick out the details she loved—the slope of his nose, his full lips, his intense eyes.
He pressed his wrist to her mouth. “I love you, Jasmine. Drink and let my blood heal you. Be my mate in this world and the next.”
Realization dawned. She had to take his blood, borrow his strength. Anything. She’d do anything to stay with him. She parted her lips and flicked her tongue. Sweet and rich.
