Page 65 of Cold Foot Komodo

Raynah shook her head, confused. She pulled Sasha forward and looked at her back, and murmured a soft curse.

She stood, looking around. “Help!”

“She’ll hear you,” Sasha whispered. “Shhh.”

“Help me!” Raynah screamed, pacing back toward the house, then back to Sasha. “I can’t Turn you, Sasha, I can’t Turn you. Crocs bites can’t Turn. Wreck!” she screamed to the sky. Fear touched every word.

“It’s okay,” Sasha whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. It wasn’t fair, but she didn’t want to leave Raynah with a bad last memory of her. She wanted to make it as easy as she could.

She’d seen injuries like this. She knew what this was. She felt the life draining from her, soaking the snow behind her.

“Fuck!” Raynah said, looking at something behind her. “No, please. Please don’t!” She screamed at the Komodo dragon weaving through the trees for them.

Two things happened at once. Something massive came barreling through the trees like a torpedo and slammed into the monster just as an enormous bird swooped from the sky and latched its talons around Sasha’s arms. The great snowy owl beat its wings hard enough to blow the snow under him clean away, and lifted her into the air.

A second, bigger Komodo dragon was fighting savagely with Farrah.

Reed. Reed was here. He’d come. She got a glimpse before she was whisked away on the wind. Two more beats of his powerful wings, and the owl swooped down toward the back of her house. Wreck and Kade were there, working on the body of the still grizzly in the red-painted snow. Timber stood near Wreck, green flames licking at her fingertips.

Katrina was the one to catch Sasha as the owl released her arms. The enormous bird flew up sharply and barely missed the roof. He pulled a tight circle above them and headed back for the woods as Katrina laid her down in the snow.

She turned her slightly. “Shhhit. Timber.”

“Little busy,” Timber said, her hands flaming green on the body of Garret. Wreck was enveloped in green flames that were consuming the body of the grizzly.

“Your sister’s bleeding out!”

Timber’s concentration wavered, and she was blown backward with a shriek.

“Raynah is in the woods,” Sasha told Katrina. Why couldn’t she stop shivering? Shock, probably. She’d seen patients do this sometimes right before the end. Now she understood it from this side. Now she knew what it felt like.

“Cash will get her,” Katrina promised.

“She tried to help me.”

“Bear or lioness?” Katrina rushed out. Her face was blocking out the sky, and there was something tragic about that. It was too late. Couldn’t she see it was too late? Even Sasha with her dull human senses could smell the blood.

“Bear or lioness!” Katrina yelled in her face. “You are not done here!” There was fury in her eyes. “Choose!”

“Bear,” Sasha whispered, thinking of Garret’s sacrifice.

A roar ripped out of Timber, and she saw her sister’s animal for the first time. She was huge, and covered in white fur. Her nose was black. It matched her claws as the animal charged for her. Sasha closed her eyes and prepared for pain, but nothing could’ve prepared her for what happened next.

Her sister killed her.

Chapter Eighteen

Reed staggered from the woods. He’d felt the snap of the bond. He’d felt the loss of her.

It had stabbed straight through him like a sword. He inhaled a ragged breath as he came to the clearing. He was no stranger to war, but this was different. He wasn’t emotionless about the blood like he used to be. He’d followed her trail. Even now, there was a red line punctuated with drips at his toes. Cash had taken her from the battle, but she’d been hurt. The woods smelled like her.

His skin was chilled as he staggered toward the Crew. Garret sat to the side in his human form, cut up just the same as Reed was. His eyes were full of ghosts as he watched the Cold Foot Crew.

“Come on!” Katrina yelled. She was doing CPR. He could see her pushing on a chest from between where Kade and Raynah were kneeling in the snow. King was standing, his hands gripping the back of his hair and heartbreak in his glowing eyes. Timber’s polar bear was pacing ten yards away, eyes intent on the Crew.

Garret dragged his gaze to Reed. He didn’t know what Garret saw on his face, but the bear shifter’s face crumpled and he rested his head in his hands. Wreck was laying on the ground, breathing shallowly. The healing did that to him. He must’ve saved Garret, but what about Sasha?

Her pretty brown eyes stared straight up at the stars.

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