Page 48 of Protected By Artemis

“I didn’t say you were.”

His face, however, remained impassive.

She huffed. “You can cut the protective big brother vibes, H. Like I said before, it’s not what you think.”

“And what is it you think I’m thinking?”

Was he going to make her say it? The thought of admitting to him that she had finally lost her virginity made her want to crawl up into a ball of mortification, but maybe if she did, he would get off her case. “We’re just having a little fun, okay? I’m allowed to have fun, right?”

“I know, Artemoula,” he said in an unusually soft tone. “I just don’t want you hurt, wanting something you can never have.”

The words struck her, and though she wanted to lash at him, she stopped herself as she saw something she’d never seen before—a flash of pain in his eyes. Swallowing the lump forming in her throat, she said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He pivoted away from her. “I’ll message you when I have something.”

“Th-thanks.”

As she walked out of Hephaestus’s home, his words lingered in her mind. Smart words, really, as from the looks of things, he knew what he was talking about. She couldn’t let herself develop any more feelings for Cade, knowing she could end up hurting for the rest of her immortal life.

Hardening her resolve to guard her heart, she transported herself back to Alaska. The moment she landed in the pack’s territory, however, the eeriest sensation crawled over her skin. For one thing, it was deathly quiet when the hustle and bustle of the pack’s activities normally filled the atmosphere with energy. Next, instead of the usual scent of pine and crisp mountain, acrid ash flitted across her nostrils.

Slowly, she turned around and then let out an audible gasp. The lodge, normally a hive of activity, was not only empty but completely unrecognizable. The pine logs were a dark color, thewindows were broken, and half of the rafters were missing and burned out. Smoke curled out from the hole in the roof.

Fear gripped her chest. “Cade!” she screamed, looking around. “Cade!” Where was everyone?

“My lady!”

Spinning around, she saw Xavier running toward her. “Xavier! What happened?”

He stopped a few feet from her, taking in a deep breath. “Fire…it was bad. The Alpha, he’s hurt.”

Her stomach sank. “Where is he?”

“In his bedroom, rest?—”

Not bothering to let him finish, she took his hand and then transported them directly to Cade’s bedroom in his cabin. A cry escaped her mouth as she saw the prone figure on the king-sized bed.

“Cade,” she croaked as she rushed to his side. His hair had completely burned off, and patches of angry red skin covered his bald head. The right side of his body and face were bloody and scarred, but she could see the skin knitting itself together. His eyes were shut, and he was so still that she could barely detect the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. “Oh, Cade.”

“He’s healing himself, my lady,” Xavier explained. “The lodge caught fire, and he wouldn’t stop going in until everyone was safe.”

“W-was anyone hurt?”

“Everyone’s fine, thanks to the Alpha. But then the roof collapsed while he swept the place for any remaining survivors. Thankfully, we found him in time. His injuries are pretty bad, but he will be fully healed in a few days.”

“Not good enough.” Kneeling down, she covered his left hand with both of hers and stared into his handsome face.

Please be okay,she said as she sent waves of healing energy into him as she examined the extent of the damage. Had he beenhuman, the fire would have surely killed him, but the injuries he had sustained were significant. There was so much damage to his skin and flesh, not to mention his internal injuries. His lungs were burned from the smoke inhalation, there were a few broken ribs, and there was a huge healing hole on his side where he’d been stabbed by something jagged. The bump on the back of his head pressed against his brain, which was stopping the crack in his skull from healing.

Determined to heal him, she pushed even more of her power into him. The healing of his skin sped up, the burned patches returning to their normal color, while his dark brown hair sprouted from the roots. Her power tapped out, and she had to stop, but at least now Cade appeared as he had before, healthy and alive.

Except he didn’t move.

“Cade?” She shook his shoulder lightly. “Cade, wake up.”

“My lady, he will be fine,” Xavier said. “He’s in a coma.”

“A coma?” Her head snapped up to meet the shifter’s gaze.

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