Trinity Bound (24 page)

He heard footsteps on the dead leaves behind him. Hannah and Josh.

“Found you.” Hannah laughed.

Reed batted her hand with his head so she would pet him. He leaned into her side when she gave in.

“Needy, aren’t you?”

Reed merely looked up at her and blinked.

See how cute I am? Pet me.

Both his mates let out a laugh.

Josh picked up a stick and waved it at him. “Want to play fetch?”

Reed lifted a lip to show off his elongated canine.

Seriously?

Josh threw the stick, and Reed refused to follow its trail. He wasn’t a dog for fuck’s sake.

“I don’t know, man. What do wolves do? Do you want to go find a rabbit or something?” Josh asked.

“No. Not Thumper,” Hannah said.

Josh boomed out a laugh. “Not every bunny is Thumper, babe. But seriously, Reed, what do you want to do?”

“Well, not play fetch. I was surprised Reed didn’t bite you. How about a game of chase?” Hannah asked.

Reed perked up. Hell yeah. With Hannah as the prize, he’d totally hunt and chase for her.

Hannah smiled and grabbed Josh. With a look over her shoulder she laughed. “Come and get us.”

Reed let them get a head start. He could scent them and would find them easily, but it was more about the chase. And odd feeling crept up his spine, tangling his fur. He inhaled, trying to figure out what it was but could only scent Josh, Hannah, and the land. What was it? He listened for what it could be and only heard a deer run away in the distance.

Odd. He shook it off. He needed to get to his mates and that would make him feel better. That must be it.

Reed ran on all fours through the undergrowth and found Josh first. The human wasn’t trying to hide but stood near a tree, looking the other way, shaking his head. Reed made no noise as he crept up behind him. Josh, the SEAL that he was, turned quickly and tackled him. Reed rolled with him until Josh lay pinned beneath. He licked the other man’s face.

“Hey, not nice.” Josh laughed.

Reed quirked his head.

“Hannah? This is so odd, by the way. She went off that way.” He lifted his head. “She didn’t go too far; she just wanted to give you more of a chase.”

Reed let Josh stand then bumped his hand. Josh scratched behind his ears, stroking his fur. He could get used to this.

They followed her honey and bitter apple trail until the scent of sulfur hit his nose.

Shit.

Smoke filled the trees, and Josh coughed.

Fire.

A scream sounded in the distance.

Hannah.

Chapter 18

Hannah coughed and sputtered as the smoke burned her nose and throat, filling her lungs.

Dammit, why did she leave Josh and Reed to play? It wasn’t safe. Yet she’d forgotten that in the heat of the moment and run off alone.

The fire grew closer, and Hannah didn’t know where to go. A rock face was the only thing she could see that wasn’t burning around her. The fire had come up so fast; she didn’t even see where it started.

The air grew thick, dry. She’d known it felt drier than normal all day, and that fact scared her. Between the lack of moisture in the air and the decade’s worth of undergrowth, the fire would spread fast, not only potentially killing her but endangering the entire Redwood den. With most of the Pack on the hunt, this would be the perfect time for the enemy to attack them. It only made sense that this was at the hands of the Centrals or another enemy, and not something natural.

The earth screamed in pain around her. Her magic wanted to heal, to save the dying plants and animals. But she couldn't. She only healed humans. And she couldn't even save herself, let alone something else.

The fire urged its way closer, dancing in the moonlight. Hannah ran to the rock face and looked up to the cliff. There was no way she could climb it. She coughed again. All other paths were blocked by the fire or debris. She was trapped. What would she do?

"Reed! Josh!" she screamed, but she didn't think they’d hear her. Dammit. She felt more alone now than she ever had before. She’d had but a taste of what life could offer, and now it would be wrenched away from her.

She used her powers to pull the dirt and soil on top of the fire, trying to bat them down. But every time she did, the flames came back harsher, higher. She couldn't manipulate fire or even water. She could only heal and play with dirt. Her powers were to heal and aid, not destroy. What use was that now?

A wolf howled in the distance.

Reed.

At least she prayed it was.

"Reed!" she called again but choked on smoke.

Reed jumped through the flames but didn’t make it to her side of the flaming wall as he hit an unknown barrier. She could smell burning fur in the air, and she bit back a sob. What was he doing? He was going to kill himself. There was no way out. He needed to leave, save himself.

"Reed, you need to go you can't save me. Go, run fast. It's too late for me."

He growled, jumped again through the flames, this time making it passed that unknown barrier and threw himself over her as the flames licked higher, hotter. It raged out of control, faster and louder than she thought possible without any aid. This wasn't normal fire. Reed licked her face and covered her with his body when the flames reached them.

Her brain grew dizzy. So much smoke.

Reed growled again and licked her face, covering her body more when she pulled her legs up.

"We need to get out of here. Please. We need to get to Josh." Hannah coughed, and he licked her chin.

She shifted from under his body and stood up. They began to move, but the fire grew. Fire shaped like arms reached for them. No, this was demon fire aided by witches, magic so dark and evil she didn't even know if there was a counter spell against it. They weren't going to make it.

Reed used his teeth and pulled on the sleeve of her burned dress, careful not to touch the slight burns on her arms. She stood on shaky legs, followed him to the rocks, and found a small alcove.

"We'll still burn here."

He growled, pushed her to the ground and covered her body with his. The flames licked around him, hunting them, and Reed groaned in pain.

She screamed. He was dying in her arms, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

He howled in pain again and shifted to human.

"No! What are you doing?" Hannah screamed.

"I can't shift. No magic," Reed rasped. Burns marked his skin and his flesh boiled in some spots.

Tears ran down both of their faces as she coughed.

Why hadn’t she mated with him fully before? What was holding her back? She'd been ready.
Dear goddess, please let us live. Spare us.

She framed his face with her hands. "I love you."

Reed closed his eyes, strained agony on his face. "I love you, too."

He held her closer as she sobbed.

A figure in the flames caught her eye, and she froze. Was it the demon? Only they could walk through demon fire. Was he here to kill them or prolong their torture?

The man walked out of the flames into her field of vision, and she gasped.

Josh.

The bite mark. The demon had bitten him, and now he could walk through flames. Oh goddess. What did this mean?

"Hannah! Reed!" he called. "I'm coming. Hold on."

Despite the oncoming fire, he ran to them and picked Hannah up, cradling her to his body. "Let's move."

Reed stood, naked, on shaky legs, and coughed. "You carry Hannah; I'll be by your side. She can Heal me, but no one can heal her."

Josh kissed him. "Stay close."

Hannah looked into Josh's eyes and saw darkness. Despite the flames, a chill raced down her spine. His pupils had dilated three times their normal size and his body rippled with unspent energy. What did this mean? What did the demon do to him?

“Aren’t you hurt?” Hannah rasped.

Josh shook his head and started walking into the fire. "No, the fire doesn't hurt me. It feels warm. Good. I can't explain it, but I don't want to think about it right now. I just want to get the two of you out of here. Come on."

The fire screamed in fury as they ran through it. Reed buried himself against Josh's side, though he was about the same height. They ran and because she was in Josh's arms, the fire didn't hurt. What on earth?

They ran and ran until they made it out of the ring of fire. They coughed and gasped, as Josh dropped to his knees still holding her to his chest. Reed lay on the ground, bleeding, with third degree burns covering his body. His arms and legs were covered in burns that made her want to cry just looking at them. Angry welts dotted his chest and groin.

Dear goddess.

She sobbed and pulled every last ounce of energy she possessed and poured it into Reed, Healing his wounds. Warmth and connection filled her, different from her usual Healing. Her palms glowed as she watched Reed's flesh knit together in front her. Reed moaned and relaxed on the dirty leaf-covered ground.

“Pack magic,” she breathed.

That had to be it. Her powers were so much stronger now than they had been before. There was only one explanation. She had accepted Reed and told him she loved him. Though they hadn't fully mated, she was Pack. She knew it. Taking a deep breath, she pulled more, liking the new warm sensation that came with this form of Healing. Her old healing had a slight tingling, but nothing like this. Finally, all the wounds had been healed and closed and Reed only had freshly healed, pink skin.

Before Reed could say anything, she turned to Josh and placed her palms on his chest. He gasped as she Healed his lungs from the smoke, though his body had no burns.

Thank the goddess.

She leaned back and fell on her bottom, tears running down her cheeks.

"That was close," Reed rasped.

"Too close," Josh added.

Hannah couldn't hold back anymore and sobbed, for the dying earth at their feet, for Reed's pain, and for whatever Josh might become. She hated crying. She wasn’t a weak person, yet with every battle and every painful incident, she seemed to fold into herself and cry. She could fight her way out of most things and use her magic, but in the end, her emotions would be too much and the tears would fall. She wouldn’t give up, but she’d still cry. It was too much, but unlike before she knew now what she wanted.

Josh and Reed. Together. In their trinity bond. Forever. She wanted the whole package. The marriage, the kisses, the children, the late night-feedings. Everything.

The fire died down around them, leaving only ash and smoke in its wake. Their enemies had lost this round, but she knew it wouldn’t be their last attempt.