Page 47 of Wolf Touched

What’s going on?Keith linked to all of us, heading over to me.Why are you out of the car? That defeats the point of leaving. Lucy, get in the driver’s seat in case we need to escape.

Lucy didn’t hesitate, climbing over the center console to get into the seat.

We can’t bring Octavia with us.My stomach hardened. Her presence had impacted me more than I wanted to admit.We can’t afford to take care of another person, let alone ourselves, and Raffe isn’t doing well. Where the hell do we go to get him help?

If the coven is here, we need to leave and quickly. We’ll figure out someplace to take Raffe. He’s a fighter, so he won’t just give up,Adam interjected.

“Is that the injured man?” the older man, who was close to six feet tall, asked. His olive-green eyes glanced at the front passenger seat of my car. Even though they weren’t the same shade, the brown in his was close to the brown hint in my cognac eyes. “I’ve set up the garage to treat him and put a cooler in there with ten blood bags for the vampire.”

I hesitated. It genuinely sounded like he would help Raffe and Dave. I homed in on Raffe, noting his clammy and sweaty complexion. Though he’d groaned in pain, he hadn’t woken up, and he looked more pasty, challenging Dave for the fairest of them all.

He needed help.

I feared if we left, he might not make it.

And that caused my heart to break and not give a damn about my safety.

“Skylar, Ipromiseit’s not what you think,” Octavia said, getting out of the car and placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t fucking touch her,” Keith growled, sounding an awful lot like Raffe. He stalked up next to me. “If she thinks we can’t trust you and wants you gone, go. OrI’llmake you.”

My heart squeezed, knowing Keith was protecting me because Raffe couldn’t. Despite everything, I was beginning to see more and more why the others kept Keith around. Once he accepted you, he was loyal and protective. He’d be a good mate to someone someday.

She exhaled and dropped her hands, but her focus remained on me.

“Why should I trust you?” I asked, torn about what to do. She didn’t smell of a lie, and no coven magic surrounded her. Most importantly, Raffe needed help. If that meant I got held hostage, it’d be worth it so long as he didn’t die.

Both men came to a stop not far away. The rise and fall of Raffe’s chest slowed even more.

I could feel my father’s and brother’s gazes on me. A shiver ran down my spine.

I’m heading back to you,Adam linked, and the sound of his vehicle grew louder.If something happens, I need to be there to help fight.

“Remember how I told you I was aware of all the supernatural goings-on?” Octavia licked her bottom lip. “That’s because a huge coven lives down the road. They’ve helped our family stay hidden for years and have been doing research to help us.” She pointed at the gravel road that led past their house and deeper into the woods.

I laughed. “You expect me to believe that with how little you trust covens?” Okay, clearly, people thought I was dumber than dirt. Granted, I deserved that for falling for Slade and Supreme Priestess Olwyn’s bullshit.

“That’s why I don’t trust Olwyn’s coven.” Octavia lifted her hands. “The coven here is descended from the original ruling coven that took in Foster. His loss changed them fundamentally. They gave me his journal and tried to help him control his magic. For instance, I know that your power … it’s all vibrations. That’s why you can shatter glass and cause the ground to shake.”

I sucked in a breath, unsure of what to do. What she said made sense. Earthquakes, shaky limbs, causing furniture to break, and even knocking over trees. Hell, even the jolt, fizz, and hum were vibrations. And my connection to animals … they were attuned to the earth’s shifts in patterns and vibrations, which was how they sensed natural disasters before they happened. That one revelation helped me understand so damn much that it wasn’t even funny.

Still, that didn’t mean it was safe for us to stay here.

Raffe’s heartbeat weakened.

“If you want me to help him, you need to decide now,” the older man, Dru, said gently. “He’s not looking well and likely needs blood.”

My heart ached, and that alone made my decision. If Raffe needed blood, he was too close to dying for my comfort. I stared into the man’s eyes. They were warm and kind, but I didn’t trust my gut anymore, not after being wrong about so many people.

“If you let me help him, I believe he’ll be fine.” The man appeared to be in his late forties, younger than my adoptive parents. “But I need to know you’re okay with me helping him.”

“Listen—” Keith started.

“Do you swear you won’t hurt him or use him to get even with me?”

Dru’s forehead lined with worry, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “I swear I’ll do everything I can to help him. He obviously means a lot to you, and the last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt my daughter more.” He adjusted the handles he was holding and ran a hand through his warm-brown hair.

With my blood at a fizz, I could read his emotions clearly. He was being honest with me. “Okay,” I muttered.Keith and Adam, do you mind helping them get Raffe into the garage? He’s fading fast.

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