Page 17 of These Deadly Dreams

With that knowledge, I approach the car and peer through the broken passenger window. Sterling is still trapped by the steering column, but the shard of metal has been removed. It’s laying in the passenger seat, one end covered in his blood. The hole in his shirt is gaping and stained red, but his skin underneath is smooth and unblemished. I don’t release my breath until I see his chest rise and fall.

My knees almost buckle and I grab onto the edge of the window to support myself, ignoring the jagged edge of broken glass that tears into my palms. I glance in the back at Kai, relieved to see him breathing as well.

“What do we do?” I ask Cade.

He gently removes my hands from the window and I wince as the pain registers through my receding panic.

“Come here,” he says gently.

He tugs me away from the wrecked car and turns my bleeding palms up. Gentle warmth surrounds my hands and travels up my arms as he heals the cuts from the broken glass. He keeps his magic flowing, checking every inch of my body and healing any bruising from the impact.

“Thank you,” I say and give him a once over. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I lift my hand and brush a lock of hair from his forehead, exposing the cut that has already started healing.

“I’m fine.” He glances behind us at the car. “We just have to wait for the medics. They’ll be able to get Kai and Sterling out of the car. Once they do, Kai will need your blood. Sterling just needs to rest. He’ll wake when his body is ready.”

I exhale and lean my forehead against his chest. “That was so scary. Why won’t he just stop?”

“It sounds like he knows what you are.” He wraps his arms around me, tugging me close. “We’ll have to be even more careful. And we need to start working on your training so you’re more prepared next time”

“If … ” I can’t continue and have to swallow. “If something happens to you guys, what happens to me? With the bonds and the Shield thing. If a harpy loses her Shields, what happens?”

He shrugs. “We’ll have to do some more research. Maybe Sterling’s connection will know. Or maybe Aunt Madge. But don’t worry about that. Nothing is going to happen to us.”

I look over his shoulder to the twisted mass of metal that used to be Sterling’s car. Cade’s words do nothing to ease my fears. This very easily could have gone horribly wrong. If Cade had been unconscious, would Sterling have died? What if a piece of metal had pierced Kai’s heart? There were so many ways something could happen to one of them, and the thought is utterly paralyzing.

Cade leads me to the curb and helps me sit. I watch the medics and police pull up and examine the scene. The police interview me and Cade, but we leave out the part about Sam. The cops are probably in his pocket anyway.

It seems like it takes forever for them to extract my guys from the wreckage. They get Sterling out first and load him in the back of an ambulance. But it’s not long after that, I hear a commotion from the vehicle.

“What’s going on?” I ask and stand from my spot on the curb.

A medic pops his head out of the back of the ambulance and looks at me. “Are you Ellis?”

I nod and take a step forward, fear twisting in my gut. Did something happen?

“You better get in here.”

I don’t waste a second. I run to the vehicle and hop inside, gasping when my eyes land on Sterling. He is laying on the gurney, thrashing around, fighting against the bindings the medics placed on his wrists, ankles, and across his chest. Claws protrude from his fingers and his teeth have lengthened. His wolf wants free, but he’s fighting it.

“Where is she?” he growls. “Where is my mate?”

The gurney rocks back and forth with the force of his thrashing, and the medic's assurances are doing nothing to calm him.

I rush forward and drop to my knees next to him. “Sterling, I’m right here.”

His eyes snap to mine and his wolf looks out at me from the glowing, icy orbs. I brush his tangled hair from his face and rub my thumb along his cheek. He stills, the thrashing ceasing, but his chest heaves with gasping breaths.

“Ellis? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I assure him. “I had a few cuts, but Cade already healed me. I’m okay, Sterling.”

His eyes close and his body shudders as he realizes I’m safe. “Can I …” He swallows, and opens his eyes. Desperate yearning shines in the depths. “Can I hold you? I just … I need to hold you.”

I nod, needing to know he’s okay as much as he needs to know I’m okay. He jerks on the gurney, still tied down.

“What the fuck,” he growls. “Let me up.”

I see panic flare in his eyes as he struggles against the bindings, and I quickly unhook the strap around his chest, while the medics release the ones around wrists and ankles. He sits up, gasping for breath and eyes wild.

---