CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Talon lurched forward just as Boris sailed neatly out that broken window near the top of the barn. He ran out to see the three women disappear into the night sky on a speeding broomstick.
Yaya was right about one thing. Even before he was halfway to his truck, Boris had already gotten Bianca to the doctor.
Talon jumped into his truck and started the engine. He didn’t even glance back at the barn as he turned his truck around.
He had left Rake and Rufus there with Cliff’s body. But he didn’t care what the Woodrow wolves did as long as they stayed away from him. After they buried their father, Rake and Rufus could go back to their ranch and carry on their lives.
He wanted nothing to do with the two brothers. Talon snarled as he sped towards Dr. Leela’s clinic. The Woodrow wolves had better hope that their paths never crossed.
Talon screeched to a stop in front of the clinic and bolted from his truck. He exploded through the door, his eyes wide and wild.
“Where is she? Where’s Bianca?” he demanded, almost shoving a nurse out of the way.
Yaya jumped up from the small couch at the corner. Even Boris pushed himself away from the wall and hopped forward. “Talon, calm down. Bianca and Sariah are in the treatment room. Dr. Leela and her colleague are seeing to them. Come and sit down, Talon.” Yaya went back to the couch and patted the cushion.
Boris followed Talon around, wagging his bristles. He clearly wanted to show Talon his new handle.
Talon glanced towards the closed doors and raked his fingers through his hair. “What’s taking them so long?” he growled.
Yaya shrugged and picked up an old magazine. “Time is relative,” she said.
Talon glared at her. What the hell did that mean?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Yaya went on, flipping through the magazine.
Talon scowled. “No you don’t.”
“You’re thinking, why did Sariah come to me, of all people? And you’re wondering, what has Yaya got to do with that evil witch? Is Yaya evil too?” When Talon made no response, Yaya put down her magazine and sighed.
“I don’t want you to think too badly of her. It’s my fault, in a way.”
Talon tensed. What was Yaya saying? How was she involved in this whole horrible mess?
“Sariah was my apprentice, for a very short time,” Yaya said. “I guess I wasn’t a very good teacher. I didn’t teach her well. I didn’t teach her what she wanted to know. I refused to teach her dark magic. So she left.”
Talon narrowed his eyes. “You could have stopped her. She hurt a lot of people.” Before Yaya could open her mouth, Talon snarled, “And don’t give me that shit about free will.”
The door opened and Dr. Leela stepped out. Talon surged to his feet. “How’s Bianca? Can I see her? I...”
Dr. Leela closed the door behind her. “I’ve treated Bianca’s injuries. You can take her home now. Just make sure she has lots of rest and nourishing food so she can get her strength back. She’ll be okay.” She gave Talon a quick, reassuring smile.
“What about Sariah?” Yaya asked.
Dr. Leela hesitated a beat. “Sariah left before we could attend to her.”
“What?”
“Sariah insisted we see to Bianca first. While we were attending to Bianca, she left. No one saw her leave. I think she slipped out through the back door.”
Talon pushed into the treatment room, leaving Dr. Leela and Yaya talking in low tones outside. He didn’t bother listening to their conversation. He wanted to see his mate.
He entered the room and saw a nurse helping Bianca sit up. She had a bandage around her head and the cuts on her arms had been cleaned up.
Bianca smiled as soon as she saw Talon. “Hey,” she said, her eyes shining.
Talon went to her and hugged her.
She must have felt him trembling because she patted his shoulder and said, “Hey, I’m okay. I’m really okay.”
Talon cupped her face in both hands and kissed her long and deep. “I’m going to take you home right now,” he told her sternly. “And you’re going to do nothing but sleep and eat, understand?”
She laughed. “Sounds good to me.”
“Let’s go home.”
Talon thanked the doctor and helped Bianca into his truck. He wanted to get them home and keep his mate away from all the other wolves and witches.
He would shoot anyone who came too near his house. He should have done that a long time ago.