Page 53 of Chosen Destiny

“But—”

“Please.” His gaze flicked to Bodey and the rest of us who were staying behind. “We don’t know what resources Queen Kel has in place. We can’t underestimate her.”

Unease crept through me, sending a shiver down my spine. I hated that we had no idea what she was capable of. And worse, she kept exceeding my expectations. Dad had warned me all those years ago.

My eyes burned. I wondered what sort of leader I’d be if he’d been alive to guide me.

“Come on, Katelin.” Jasmine looped her arm through her friend’s. “Help me mend the others.”

Katelin sighed. “Fine. But, Dad, be careful. With you shifting like that…” Her eyes glistened.

I understood her concern, and the loss of my adoptive father sat heavily on me. The only silver lining in this gods-forsaken situation was that my mate was back with me. The cost for me had been worth it, but I wasn’t sure others felt the same way… especially Russell.

The door shut, and I went back to Bodey. His eyes were closed, and despite his current sour scent, I wanted to curl up beside him. The only thing stopping me was that he was so beat up. I didn’t want to hurt him. The witch Dina was sending would be here in a few hours, so he’d have to rely on his shifter healing to mend himself until she got here.

I sat beside him and laid my head on the edge of the couch cushion. As I raised my arm, I winced, but the wounds I’d sustained were mostly healed.

“Let me see your injuries,” Jasmine said as she squatted beside me.

Unable to take my eyes off Bodey, I shook my head. “I’m fine. Go tend to the others.” I was certain I was the least injured because of Kel’s directive. I suspected she wanted to be the one to harm me… she seemed sadistic like that.

Jasmine tensed. “But—”

“Seriously. I have a few injuries, but nothing bad.” I forced myself to glance at my now-sister and smile reassuringly. “I promise, the others are worse. I’m already almost healed, and I just need to be here with Bodey.”

Her face softened. “Okay, but if you need anything, you’ll let me know. Right?”

“I promise.” I took Bodey’s hand in mine, reveling in his warm skin and the jolt thrumming between us. My wolf whimpered as I laid my head on top of his dirt-covered hand. I needed to touch him as best I could without jarring him.

For the first time, I listened to two things more comforting than song lyrics—Bodey’s heartbeat and breathing. I focused on them instead of the noises of the others, and before I realized it, my eyes had closed.

* * *

A warm joltcaressed my cheek, and I opened my eyes. The most gorgeous set of indigo irises stared back at me, and my breath caught. The color was back to normal, like the night sky, even though there were still dark circles under his eyes.

I straightened, the world righting for the first time in days. I hadn’t realized how out of sync I’d been without him, and every cell in my body buzzed as if I’d been in a slumber with him away.

“Hey,” he rasped, sounding as if he needed water. “Now this right here is exactly what I needed.” His hand brushed my cheek, which ached from how big I was smiling again.

Releasing his hand, I started to stand to get him some water, but his hand tightened on mine. He linked,Where do you think you’re going?

To get you something to drink.I didn’t want to think about how long he’d gone without sustenance.

No.He grasped my hand.Don’t leave.

My heart raced. I didn’t want to separate from him for a second, but I also wanted him to heal.It’ll only take a minute.I pointed to the front door, where Michael, Jasmine, and Katelin were keeping watch, then to the back door, where Phil and Carl were guarding the back of the house in case Kel came in that way.

Fine, but don’t be long.He pouted and released me.

I tiptoed across the large room and linked with Samuel, Jack, Lucas, and Miles,Hey, is everything all right?

We’re almost back. We ran into some issues. A few wolves didn’t make it,Lucas answered.

Acid crept up my throat. More lives had been lost because of me, and it made me sick.

As I stepped into the kitchen, I noticed bottled water on one corner of the counter. I grabbed three and went back to Bodey. He took one from me and drained it.

Do I even want to know how long you went without water?I cringed as I opened my bottle and drank half of it in one swig.

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