That was unacceptable. Nessa sucked in air and dug deep. For Bear. For an animalistic power to survive. She felt inside herself for him, looking for that power.
Her body stilled. Bear. She pictured him-and she felt him. Mating him had changed her on a fundamental level. He wasn't only a bear-he had dragon genes. Those were hers now. She could do this. Bear loved his sister, and that held power.
Gathering her strength, Nessa pushed all her healing powers into her hand, creating a massive amount of imaginary cooling balm that she shoved into Bear's sister's body.
Something exploded in Nessa's head, and then there was only an odd black with violet edges filling her vision as she started to pass out.
Then . . . nothing.
* * *
Bear barreled down the trail from the rec room toward the river house, fury and fear roaring through him. "Lucas? Get everyone the fuck off my property. At the end of the next hour, there will be no witches, no demons, and no vampires. Period. Call the entire grizzly shifter nation and get full troops here by the crack of dawn." He jumped over a series of trees that had been downed by missiles. Missiles fired from helicopters.
"Got it," Lucas said, awake but bleeding. He'd taken a hard enough hit that his eyes were still dilated.
Bear turned and grabbed him. "Put Jasper and Uncle Boondock in the cells belowground first. They were the only ones who knew where we were going tonight. Lock them down. Now." He shoved him.
Lucas stumbled back toward headquarters.
Nessa had to be all right. She had to be. Same for Simone.
Bear hadn't felt fear since his childhood, and he'd forgotten how bad it could burn. Nick ran beside him, panic on his breath, murder in his eyes. The boys followed right behind, eyeing the forest, seeming on guard and protecting the two males frantically rushing for their mates.
Bear could barely breathe. He'd left them. Nessa and Simone were on his property, in his protection, and they'd been hit. The intel wasn't complete, so he had no clue what he was about to find.
He almost stopped cold at seeing the shattered window and demolished side to the house. Bodies littered the deck, and he jerked his head at one of his men. "Only bear shifters here. Get everyone else the fuck off the property." The shifter nodded. Bear stepped over his ruined porch, trying not to panic at seeing the damage to the living room. Had Nessa been in there? "If any attackers are alive, stick them in the cells underground."
Then he ran into the living room. "Nessa?" he yelled.
"Simone?" Nick bellowed, shoving what was left of the couch out of the way.
Bear turned for the master bedroom.
He and Nick hit the door at the same time, sending it bouncing against the wall.
Bear's heart stopped. He swayed.
Nessa was on the bed, blood pouring from her nose and ears. Wounds covered her, and her hands looked like they'd been burned in a campfire.
Simone sat next to her, pale and bloody, panic in her eyes. She had tucked Nessa's head onto her lap, and she was stroking her hair. "She won't wake up." Simone's voice croaked as if her vocal cords had been shredded.
Nick shoved his way to the other side of Simone and gathered her close. "Are you all right?"
"I don't know." Her voice trembled. "I got hit with three darts-"
"What?" Nick sat up, raw fury on his face. He looked down at her pants. "You're bleeding." His voice dropped. Pain rolled from him to clog the air.
Bear couldn't move.
Simone nodded, tears spiking her lashes. "Yes. But Nessa put her hands on me, and she made the pain go away. There was a healing balm. She tried to save the baby, too."
Nick placed a hand on Simone's stomach. "The baby?"
"I'm not sure," Simone whispered. "Nessa said she's okay, but then Nessa passed out. I can't get her to awaken." She looked up at Bear.
Bear's legs almost gave out. He stepped slowly into the room, approaching the bed. "Ness?" His hand shook, but he reached out to touch her cheek. "Wake up, baby." He dropped to his knees, his hand flattening over her head. "Wake up."
She didn't move.
He wiped the blood away from her nose. Her breath was shallow and somehow heated. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, tears clogging his throat. He'd failed to protect her. How had he thought for even one second that he could let her go? The woman was everything.
His hands trembling, he lifted her off Simone's lap and sat in the chair beside the bed, cradling her. Holding her close. "I'll never let anybody hurt you again. Wake up, Ness. Please?" He kissed her damp forehead and then her mouth, tasting blood.