Electric Storm(86)

Gunshots.

“Taggert!” She struggled to sit again, clenching her teeth against the fresh wave of agony and all-consuming rage. “They took him.”

Jackson took pity on her and cradled her against his broad chest. She grabbed his wrist, his touch the only thing keeping her sane. Inviting heat poured from him, wrapping around her chilled flesh. She leaned heavily on him. It was either that or keel over.

“They headed north. If we leave now, we can track them.” She swung her legs over the bed, ignoring the men’s protests and the way the floor dipped under her feet.

“Dominic and London are tracking them. There is no trail.”

“Don’t say that. I can find one.” She tried to shrug Jackson off, but his hold didn’t budge. She shook her head, amazed that she’d found the infuriating male attractive for even a second. The comfort she drew from him changed subtly, the heat grew overwhelming and left her vaguely nauseous.

“You’re not ready.” Rylan kept his voice even and reasonable and it shot her irritation level higher.

“He was under my protection, and I let him get taken.”

“You didn’t let them do anything. You died trying to keep him safe.”

“A fat lot of good that did. Tell that to Taggert when they hunt him down like some prize.” Her speech left her exhausted, her side throbbed, and something inside her shoulder crunched when she moved. She pressed her lips together against the pain. She probed the area, only to be blocked by a thick wad of bandages.

“They’ll wait for you. You said it yourself. They want you to hunt them.”

“How long was I out?” She ignored Jackson and yanked the bandage obstructing her movement, wincing when a stubborn piece of tape refused to budge, and ripped off a layer of skin with it. She had to get back out there.

“The accident happened last night. Only a few hours ago.”

Her head snapped up in time to watch as a rim of black slowly darkened the edges of Rylan’s blue eyes. “You were dead one second and alive the next. No coma. No rest. You need time to heal. Your body went through a severe trauma, not to mention death. It has to have time to adjust.”

“So that’s why I feel like shit.” She shook her head and gritted her teeth as she ripped off another bandage. Sweat beaded her hairline when the small action exhausted her.

“You won’t do him any good when you can’t even stand on your feet.” Jackson grabbed her hand, stopping her from ripping off the thick cotton wrapped around her torso where the metal had bit into her ribs and side. The wound felt raw and exposed. She didn’t struggle, unwilling to lose such a simple match and prove their point.

“I can’t protect him from here. What good am I as an alpha if I can’t keep my pack safe?”

“Protection was my job. I’m an enforcer, but I let my pride get in the way.” Jackson refused to meet her gaze. He probably even believed that bullshit. “I should’ve been with you. If I had, none of this would’ve happen.”

That wasn’t right, but she found it hard to concentrate. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, cursing the way her muscles trembled. “If you were with us, they would’ve taken you, too.”

Heat continued to pour into her, each injury stung then burned like hot oil was being poured over them. Her body no longer felt her own, and she had no idea how to appease the demands to make the pain go away. She probed the energy at her core and encountered a vast blackness of nothingness so cold that she shivered. “Something’s wrong.”

“Step back.” Rylan gestured Jackson away. She’d forgotten he was holding her hand until he released her, leaving her cold, trembling and so alone it hurt to swallow.

“They injected me with something.” Her parched throat made speaking difficult.

Rylan lips tightened. “You died shortly after the accident. It would’ve stopped the progress of any drug. Now that you’re awake, your blood’s pumping, speeding whatever they injected you with through your system. The only blessing is some of the drug should’ve broken down when you were not...living.”

“Why drug me but take Taggert?” She rubbed her forehead when she found that the little bit of backup power she carried in her bones was gone like everything else, leaving her with nothing to burn away the poison. She couldn’t risk sucking in energy from the house to heal, not if she couldn’t control it. “They left before I died, so they had the opportunity.”

To her surprise, Jackson spoke. “They didn’t know you would die. They injected you with something to give them a head start. They expected a hunt.”