He leaned over and brushed a lock of golden-brown hair from the woman’s eyes, his wolf picking up her sweet scent even over the coppery, metallic smell of blood. He froze, his mind racing as he processed what his wolf already knew.
“Daegan,” he called to his brother telepathically. “Jewelry store on Main Street. I need your help.”
Daegan didn’t question him. He simply arrived at the store a few moments later using his preternatural speed. It was getting dark outside, so at least the few humans left in the area this late in the afternoon would not have gotten a good look.
“S’up bro?” Daegan asked as he walked into the store. It was obvious that he could smell the blood, but Daegan lived by the same strict code. Isaac wasn’t surprised when his twin didn’t immediately move to the woman’s aid.
“She’s our mate,” he said without preamble. “Save now. Deal later.” He glanced around the store, hoping like hell that he was doing the right thing. What if she was married? Had a family? Was it fair to make her a werewolf and take that away from her?
“We…you want…are you sure?”
Isaac growled at his brother. Without their help the woman was dead. At least by changing her they’d save her life. They could deal with the fallout later. “Yes, I’m sure.”
Daegan didn’t look convinced but moved closer to the woman that Isaac had pulled into his arms. Isaac held her tightly, unprepared for the feelings of loss that assaulted him as her heart beat slowed even more. But as Daegan reached out a hand to touch the smooth contour of the woman’s cheek, he took a deep breath and nodded.
Between the two of them they managed to get her to a sitting position, strip off what was left of her shirt, and let their wolves come to the forefronts of their minds. This wasn’t the usual way to do things, but time was running out, and it was very literally now or never. One on each side, they bit into the flesh where her neck connected to her shoulders, their sharp canine teeth piercing the skin, their saliva beginning the change from human to werewolf.
She groaned, but didn’t wake. The transformation, if they’d done it properly, shouldn’t take long to begin, so hopefully they’d gotten here early enough to stop her from dying. Daegan pulled his teeth from her, his long tongue lapping at the small wounds several times before he moved back.
“Now what?”
“I don’t know,” Isaac answered irritably. “I’ve never done this before either.”
“Chill, dude,” Daegan said as he climbed to his feet and moved around the area. “I’m just going to look around. See if I can figure out what happened.”
“She had a gun in her hand when I first got here.”
“What’re you thinking? She did this to herself?”
“I don’t know.”
Isaac glanced around the small room. “Everything’s packed away. Maybe a thief got pissed off and shot her.”
“Maybe,” Daegan said as he stepped around a corner and out of sight. He was back a moment later. “I think she might live on the upper floor. There’s a door marked private at the top of the stairs.”
Isaac moved easily, standing with the woman in his arms. She’d stopped bleeding, but he couldn’t be certain she was healing until he could get a closer look at her. His wolf vision was better in the dim light, but without the full color of human sight he couldn’t tell for sure.
Daegan didn’t bother knocking. He simply twisted the handle and stepped inside.
“Not locked?” Isaac asked as he stepped into a small but tastefully decorated living space. He looked around, found a doorway that he assumed led to the bedroom, and shouldered it open.
The room had no windows, but just like the living area it was decorated in a comfortable if somewhat sparse design. Isaac was about to lower her to the mattress when Daegan said, “I wouldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Look around you. The woman is a neat freak. No way is she going to appreciate blood all over her bed. We’ll need to clean her up first.” Isaac nodded tightly. He should have noticed that. If he’d been thinking beyond his need to keep her alive, he probably would have. He hesitated as he turned to what he assumed was the bathroom. She was still injured, possibly still bleeding, and jostling her around was not going to help her condition.
Daegan laughed at him. “Take a deep breath, bro. She’s already lupine. I can smell her sweet scent from here.” Isaac took a deep breath, somehow unable to trust his brother’s words without knowing for himself that Daegan was right. And there it was, his mate’s wolf scent, the sweet, tantalizing aroma that made his own wolf sit up and take notice.