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The beats of her heart steadied over the next minute Her blood pressure rose

I wavered,uncontrollably

“That’s enough,” Alek said softly

“Just a little more,” I whispered

“Enough, or you’ll both be dead,” Gabriel added “Iine what she’ll think if she wakes up to find that she’s killed you”

It would devastate her She ht not want me as her mate, but she’d never wish ill on me, I knew that much

I lifted htly

Gabriel exa the tissue of the faint pink scar that bisected her chest “That’s all we can do for her, now It’s up to her body to accept the conversion or reject it”

“She’ll accept it,” I whispered, brushing her bloodied hair froic in it She’ll accept it,” I ended with a whisper, trying to convince myself it was true

I lifted her intomore to do here, I’ll take her to my room”

“We’ll send up the bagged blood you hate,” Ransom said with a weak, forced smile

Alek nodded “Stay by her side”

“Always,” I responded Then, with the very last ounces of my power, I wended us up four stories to my bedchamber and placed her upon my bed as my head spun with the blood loss

I needed to bathe her so she didn’t wake up to see the dried blood caked on her skin I needed to wash the evidence of the battle from her hair and face She wouldn’t want to see that, either Because she’d live There was no other possibility than for her to live

The bond between us was faint, but still there, still shi as it tethered our souls to each other

My vision blurred at the edges, and I fell onto the bed next to my mate

Later

I’d do it later

She’d live Even if it had cost me my own life, she would live

16

Jocelyn

Someone had split open my chest and dumped hot lava inside the wound I tried to raise ht them off, but I couldn’t move Couldn’t even open my eyes

Nothing sounded inside my head beyond pain

Pain, betrayal, torture

Loss I’d lost so beyond the excruciating pain