Who wanted her dead?

Elianna had given up thinking the wolves wanted to kidnap her for ransom money.  This Cazador marching her and Justin through the narrow trail must have been sent by someone paying to deliver her. 

That pointed at one of the clans.

She would not waste time thinking this was her father.

He dealt with issues himself and hated wolf packs.

No, Alexandre was not behind this. The only other group it could be was Clan Boudreaux.  Why would they go to all this trouble to bring her over only to have her kidnapped? 

Checking over her shoulder for Justin, she felt the chain snap against her back.

“Keep facing forward,” Cazador ordered.

She hissed and drew her shoulders up, unable to rub the pain with titanium cuffs cutting into her wrists. The bloody patches burned, giving her a small idea of how much pain Justin was silently enduring.

She had never touched titanium before. It did not bother her healthy skin now, but the metal burned the abrasions on her wrists.

Toro had laughed at Justin earlier, saying, “That titanium bullet hurts, don’t it?”

Her bear whined, Neck hurts. Fix. Run. Run. Run.

Elianna hated the collar, too, but nothing could be done. This was going down as the longest—and most miserable—Monday of her life. Speaking silently to her bear, she said, Not possible.  Must be patient. Justin is warrior. He will free us.

Herc kill wolves.

Elianna walked along, stumbling over rocks at times, trying to figure out how her bear and Herc had become close so quickly.  Her bear had never recognized anyone in particular and definitely no other shifter’s animal or name. Nico loved to play with Elianna’s bear, but her bear had never once commented on Nico or his adorable polar bear cub. 

Stop. Rest. Stop. Rest. Stop. Rest.

What had her bear so agitated?  Elianna realized they were entering a level area for the first time in a while. The hike she and Justin had first made up here had been nice, but she didn’t recall this spot. 

Would Justin know this as well as the other areas he’d led them through? 

Her bear said, Herc like. Stop here.

How would her bear know that?

Maybe her bear was thinking about Justin’s wound affecting his bear and just saying they needed to rest, but again, that was more interest than her animal had ever shown.

Still, Elianna was just as concerned about Justin and agreed.  She said, “Cazador?”

“Yes.”

“Need water.  Mate wound hurt me. Am tired.”

“You want to rest?” he asked, sounding appalled any shifter would whine about being tired from walking.

Stop, stop, stop! Mate rest, her bear demanded.

Elianna wished her bear would go to sleep for a while and give her a mental break.  She told Cazador, “Yes, please.”

Wolf bad. No please.

Her bear’s attitude change, from bumbling along without a care to sounding angry, was a complete about-face from all the years they had shared a semi-polite relationship. 

Was meeting Herc the reason for this change?

The word please must have worked with Cazador, who said, “Fine. You can have your break up ahead.”

When they entered the open space that overlooked miles of mountains and trees, wind whipped through with nothing to slow it down.  Elianna stayed thirty feet from the edge of the cliff overlooking a valley thousands of feet down.

Cazador waved his gun at a specific area. “Stand there.”

She hurried over and turned to watch Justin who walked ahead of Toro. Her face chilled at the blood that soaked his pants.

Hunched over, Justin moved slowly, in obvious pain. He stumbled, then dropped to his knees.

She ran toward him.

Cazador yanked her back.

Elianna spun around and snarled viciously at him.

His eyes narrowed.  “You forget who is holding your leash, princess. We can continue just as easily as stopping.”

“No. Sorry. Must see mate.” She waited as Cazador watched Justin on his knees with his head down and arms trembling. 

She had smelled the sick metallic odor coming from Justin’s wound. Titanium was killing him. 

He was dying because of her. 

She would never have a chance to be with him if he died. She had destroyed a chance at life with him when she made a bad deal and now she was the reason he suffered.

Tears spilled down her face. She turned to Cazador.  “Please.”

He was unmoved.

A sob escaped her.

Finally, he shook his head in disgust.  “I’ve got a deadline to meet tonight, princess.”

She repeated, “Please.”

Cursing lividly, Cazador said, “This is why you never want to be tied to a mate, Toro.  All this blubbering. It weakens the male. Just look at that bear.” Still shaking his head, Cazador said, “Fine.  You have one minute with him, princess. If you annoy me in any way, I will shoot him again ... and again.”

“I will be good.”

He nodded for her to move and gave her twelve-foot chain leash slack. The links were the size of her finger and welded. Breaking steel chain that thick would be difficult, but snapping welded titanium links was impossible even for a shifter.

She dropped to her knees in front of Justin.

He didn’t lift his head or acknowledge her. Another sob slipped out. She’d never cried as an adult, but seeing her strong and powerful Justin on his knees was too much for her.

She whispered, “Am sorry, Justin. Very sorry.”

His warm fingers slid over hers and squeezed.

Her heart hiccupped, hoping for any sign that he would survive this.

As soon as Cazador and Toro started discussing the route down the mountain, Justin murmured, “If you accept the mating bond now, you’ll have my power joined with yours.”

It hurt to tell him no, but if she survived, she would not live with herself for letting Nico down.

Keeping her voice just as soft, she said, “I can not.  I would lose Nico.  Your love mean more than all power. I need only you to live.”

“I understand.” He finally lifted his head just enough to look into her eyes.

His gaze was as sharp as bear claws. Not the eyes of a man losing his grip on consciousness as she’d thought. 

He whispered, “I’m not dying, but don’t let them know. Be ready. When I give the signal, you run like hell.  Don’t argue or hesitate. If you do, we both die.”