Elemental (16 page)

“I
will.”

Garrett
ended the call and Nicolas received a message less than a minute later showing
that he was approximately six miles away. Six damn miles in this miserable
snowstorm was going to feel like an eternity. He briefly considered using his
powers to clear the skies, but then decided the snowfall could give them just
the advantage they needed. If the snow was heavy enough, then they would be
forced to remain in the cabin, and the rescue would be easier.

It
was galling, however, to know that while he’d been the one barking orders as to
which way everyone should go, he’d picked the direction that took him the
furthest from Mandy. Now he was pushing himself to the limits in his race back
to the castle. He wanted to ensure that he was there should Garrett need any
help.

Quickly
changing directions, Nicolas trudged through the snow and slush back toward the
castle. He wanted to pick up a few things on his way. A vehicle for one, and he
hoped that Garrett had gassed them up recently.

The
snowmobiles they rode during the winter months were stored in the old stables behind
the castle and he had hoped to take Mandy out riding, but it appeared that they
would now become rescue vehicles.

He
was able to reach Jonathan and Anna and instructed them to drive the other
snowmobile out to the area, but to leave it a discreet distance away, so the
wolf didn’t pick up on it. There was no way they could risk the bastard
becoming spooked with Mandy in the vicinity. The chance of her being injured in
the midst of it all was simply a risk Nicolas was not willing to take.

With
any luck they would have the place surrounded before he came back. He hoped
Mandy could use her ability to get away from her captor, and then the wolf
would pay.

*
* * *

Mandy
was freezing. She’d been trudging through two feet of snow for over an hour,
her feet were going numb and there was nothing but trees as far as she could
see. She was lost.

She
had thought her layers would keep her warm enough, but the growing storm was
dumping an insane amount of snow and blowing hard enough to stagger her at
times.

Mandy
wore her jeans, snow boots, sweater, parka, gloves, her stolen coat, and the
blanket, which she had wrapped around her head and neck, yet she was nearly
frozen.

The
snow had gotten down inside her boots and her thick socks were now soaking in
ice water…or so it felt.

She
was in trouble and she knew it, especially when her foot came down on something
buried in the snow. Her ankle rolled and Mandy cried out when, with a crack,
her foot gave out, sending her sprawling in the knee-deep snow.

As
she lay there in the freezing white powder, frustration, anger, exhaustion, and
grief all collided inside and Mandy broke down in sobs. She was frustrated at
her own weakness, angry at the werewolf who had come after her, and exhausted
from her failed escape. Her grief stemmed from the fact that she would likely
die alone in the cold, never seeing Nicolas or the others again.

Using
her gift, Mandy managed to push the snow out and away from her until she was
sitting on the wet ground in the middle of a small circle. Next to her injured
ankle was a large rock, at least the size of her head. Obviously she hadn’t
taken the rugged terrain into consideration when she’d hatched this half-assed
plan, but nobody ever really thought very far ahead when fear was their
motivator.

Her
next move was going to have to be assessing the damage to her foot. Mandy knew
that if she couldn’t get herself to some sort of shelter, then she would likely
die from exposure to the elements, so gritting her teeth, she slowly—very, very
slowly—removed her boot.

Despite
the frigid temps, Mandy was sweating from her exertion, the pain coursing
through her ankle and foot leaving her whimpering and panting in agony. She
took a few minutes to breathe through the pain and gather her courage when she
noted the increased size of her foot in the thick sock and groaned. She was in
deep trouble.

As
she removed the sodden covering, the flesh beneath grew darker with every inch
she exposed. When she went to move it down and over her heel, Mandy gasped at
the sight.

Her
ankle was severely swollen, purple, and was clearly broken, the bone pressing
against her skin attesting to the fact that she was well and truly crippled
now. There was no doubt in her mind that, if she were to try and put any weight
on her foot, the jagged edge of her broken bone would punch through the skin,
and the last thing she needed was a bleeding wound.

Great.
How was she supposed to get anywhere? She couldn’t even drag herself back to
the cabin now. All she had left was the hope that Nicolas would find her in
time.

Deciding
that she would have to just toughen up a bit, Mandy removed her other soggy
boot and sock before carefully wrapping the blanket around her legs and taking
extra care around her injury.

With
that done, she then dug into her backpack to find the thermos. The hot coffee
was like a blessing as she felt the heated liquid travel all the way to her
stomach, warming her insides. It was just too bad that this was the only warmth
she could enjoy, and might be her last chance to experience its comfort.

What
she longed for, more than anything in the world, was to feel Nicolas’ arms
around her one more time. She wanted to tell him that she would always love him
and how sorry she was for leaving him like this.

What
she wouldn’t give for a pen and paper. At least then, when her body was
discovered, he would have her final farewell to know how much she cared.

Mandy’s
attention snapped back to her current predicament when she heard the sound of a
mournful howl cutting through the trees.

Liam
knew she was gone and there was nothing she could do, nowhere for her to hide
but in the snow. All she could do now was pray for a miracle.

*
* * *

Nicolas
had the snowmobile going full throttle, bouncing over the snowdrifts and
dodging trees as he sped through the forest toward Garrett’s location. The very
landscape he’d played in and loved as a child he was now cursing at every turn.

Once
he got Mandy back—because he would get her back—they should consider moving
somewhere safer for her. Perhaps back to America. Jonathan seemed to really
enjoy that country, so maybe it was time for him to see it for himself and
Jonathan and Anna could remain in the castle.

Nicolas
spent the next several minutes fantasizing about the future that he and Mandy
would share. Building a home together, starting a family, traveling, the list
went on and on. It was a nice fantasy and the only thing helping him to
maintain his sanity. He knew she was still alive. He simply couldn’t see her
any other way.

He
listened to the howl of a wolf in the distance and his unease grew. He’d only
gone about a mile and a half up the mountain when the howl went up, and a
moment later, his phone sounded.

“Garrett,
what the hell is going on?” he growled.

“She’s
not with him, and judging by the way he’s panicking, she should have been in
the cabin,” Garrett’s voice was low, barely a whisper as he replied.

“How
did she go? Was there another vehicle?”

“Not
that I can see since there was only one set of tracks.” Another pause, then, “I
think she ran on foot, Nicolas.”

Nicolas
felt his stomach drop to his feet. It was a damn good thing he’d had to stop
riding to answer the phone or he might have wrapped himself around a tree. In
this storm, alone, she wouldn’t last long at all. The freezing temps could sap
the strength from anyone with ease, but for a female as small as Mandy?
 
No, they had to find her and they had to find
her now, there was no time to waste. “You said that you didn’t pick up her
scent, though.”

“Not
hers alone, no, it was mixed with his scent too. He seems to be having no such
trouble though because he’s moving with a purpose now. I’ll activate my tracker
and you head my way. Keep the phones silent unless it’s an emergency. We don’t
want to risk him detecting us while he’s on the trail. He’s our best chance of
finding her alive.” Garrett’s measured breathing puffed through the connection,
the sound oddly calming in a way.

Okay,
if their scents were mixed, did that mean the wolf had been in close physical
contact with Mandy? Had he forced a mating on her? Had the bastard hurt her
enough for her to put her very life at risk to escape him?
The
son-of-a-bitch better hope like hell that someone put his ass down quickly,
because if he was still standing when Nicolas reached him, then there would be
hell to pay.

“Keep
her safe for me, Garrett. I’ll be there as quick as I can.” Hanging up the
phone, Nicolas ran his fingers through his hair before giving the strands a
hard tug, his frustration mounting by the moment. What he wouldn’t give to be
able to fly in that moment, to be able to soar to her rescue and descend upon
the scene like the angel of death. If the beast had dared to mark her in any
way, Nicolas would take great pleasure in pulling each and every tooth from his
head before he tore the bastard limb from limb.

Yes,
he was very close to losing it completely, the more he thought about it, but
Mandy needed him and he was damn sure going to get to her one way or another.

Taking
a moment to send a quick message to Jonathan to follow Garrett’s tracker, he
was off again, charging over the snow-covered mountain slopes with a purpose of
his own, and that was to save his soul mate, and to also to deliver a message
once again to the other
Supernaturals
.

That
message would be crystal clear. Death would come swiftly to anyone who dared to
hurt those he loved. Oh, yes, the fury of Nicolas and Jonathan was still legend
within the Supernatural realm, but apparently the younger generations were not
as fearful as the elders, though that would quickly change after tonight.

Yes,
there would be many changes after tonight.

*
* * *

Mandy
could hear Liam crashing through the forest and hunkered down in her little
hole in the snow, hoping that with the white blanket covering her, he would
pass her by, but she should have known better.

With
his heightened senses, Liam found her less than five minutes after she had
heard his howl. What surprised her was that he was still in his human form, and
didn’t appear to be too angry.

“What
were you thinking?” he demanded as he approached her. “You should have waited
for me. I know I was gone for a while, but I hadn’t abandoned you. I’ll never
leave you, Mandy. You’re my mate, we’ll always be together.”

Oh,
God, he does think that I’m his mate! Mandy tried really hard to keep her
thoughts from reflecting in her expressions, and only had to shift her foot to
make that happen.

The
pain caused her to suck air through clenched teeth, and Liam was there in a
heartbeat, taking her hand. “You hurt yourself,” he pointed out unnecessarily.
“I’ll need to take a look before we move you. I don’t want to make it worse.”

Scared
and in an incredible amount of pain, Mandy begged him not to touch her. “It’s
broken,” she informed him, “It’s pretty bad because I can see the bone pressing
against the skin.”

“Why
aren’t you healing? You should have started by now.” His brows were drawn in
confusion before he turned an accusing glare her way. “You’re human,” he
growled.

“Of
course I am, what did you expect,
Tinkerbell
?” Wow,
Mandy was really going to have to watch her mouth. Her only excuse would be
that the level of pain she was experiencing was making her testy.

“I
thought you were perhaps a witch, or possibly one of the Fey. Humans don’t have
powers such as yours,” he replied, still studying her with his glowing silver
eyes. Those eyes resembled a wolf more than a man at the moment and Mandy was
getting nervous.

“I
have no idea what you’re talking about,” she bluffed, trying to buy herself as
much time as she could. It was the only thing she could do.

“So
it wasn’t you who repelled me that day at Mondragon Castle? It figures that I
would grab the wrong girl.” His eyes raked over her body and down to her legs,
wrapped in the blanket, before coming back to her face. His expression had
softened considerably, and his next words confused her even more. “I don’t know
why the Fates deemed to give me a human as my mate, but I can’t deny you were
meant to be mine. I’ll claim you here and we’ll get you back to the cabin so
that I can set your leg.”

What
the hell? Liam leaned closer, using one hand to brush her hair from her neck
and the other to steady himself. He was going to mark her, just like in the
books she’d studied!

Mandy
sighed, she had no choice and could only pray that she would have enough energy
to hold out until help arrived, or she succumbed to the cold. She gathered her
energy and with a great mental shove, sent Liam flying through the air and into
the tree limbs above.