Dark Guardian (44 page)

Jaxon realized that the far-off voice was Gabriel's. He had known the moment Lucian was hit, the same as she had; he had felt the same terrible emptiness, a black void unlike anything she had ever faced before.

Breathe, Jaxon. My brother is not dead. He needs you now. You will have to heal him quickly. He will need blood.

Tell me what to do. I don't have very much time. Drake will be making his way here. I don't know how long it will take him. Tell me now.

You have to make yourself light and energy. Concentrate on nothing else; your body must fall away. Enter Lucian's body and find the damage. Repair it from the inside out. You must have had some medic training. Francesca, my lifemate, is a healer. Describe what you see to me, and she will instruct you. I know this is far beyond your capabilities, but you have no choice.

I can do this, Gabriel. Lucian won't die
! She meant it. If she ever did anything in her life right, this would be it. She would save him, whatever it took.

Allow me to hold the mind merge between us. You will

need all your strength to heal my brother. I will be with you. You are not alone.

There was no time for conversation. She had to hurry. She blocked out the knowledge that Drake would be stalking her, even now covering the distance between them as rapidly as possible. Jaxon followed the instructions Gabriel had given her, took the images from his mind. She closed her eyes and stilled the chaos and panic, the silent screaming, the horror of seeing Lucian lying pale and lifeless on the deck. She blocked out the blood in her hair and on her clothes. Her world narrowed to a tranquil, calm pool where she became as light as air. Bright. White. Pure energy. She moved slowly in her bodiless state, merging with Lucian, moving through his body until she found the entry wound at the base of his skull. The bullet had severed the spinal cord, a clean path in and out, sheering off everything in its way. Jaxon's heart pounded, her breath coming in gasps at the extent of the damage. She had no idea how to repair such a terrible wound.

Francesca will guide you. Keep the image in your head. Trust her, no matter how difficult it gets.

There were so many veins and arteries and pieces of flesh she couldn't identify. She had to force her mind to remain calm when she knew her body was shaking and every fiber of her being was terrified. This could not happen. Lucian was her life. After her lonely existence, afraid to have a friend, let alone a family, he had turned her world into something beautiful again. He had given her back her dreams, treated her as if she were the most wonderful woman on the planet. He was a great man, a man who fought demons and protected others without any thought of reward. He would not die.

You will not die
. Her command was every bit as strong and authoritative as any Lucian had ever delivered.

Steeling herself, she began the grim business of putting his insides back together. It was like a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces tiny fragments. She couldn't think she might be making a mistake; she had to believe that voice whispering in her mind, telling her what to do. She had to trust that Lucian's brother loved him the way she did and would do anything to save him. She worked meticulously, unhurriedly, keeping the knowledge that Drake was stalking her in the back of her mind, where it belonged. She could only concentrate on what she was doing.

You will live, Lucian
. She whispered it over and over in her head like a litany. Wherever he was, she would be there with him. The idea of being without him was intolerable.

She was not a doctor, not a nurse. She had little knowledge to aid her. The paramedic training she had received had covered wounds, but nothing like this. She was in awe of the unknown Francesca, her ability to know exactly what to do, how to repair such devastation. Carpathians worked on wounds from the inside out, aligning, rejoining, cauterizing, inspecting to ensure infection could not set in.

In her bodiless state, Jaxon was completely unaware of the passage of time, of anything other than the task at hand.
You will live
, she whispered fiercely in her mind.
I won't let you die on me, you arrogant jerk. I told you he was trouble, but, oh, no, you couldn't listen to a woman, could you, big shot
? She recited words in her mind even as she worked at a steady pace, following Gabriel's voice. It was a weird method: relaying to Gabriel what she saw, Francesca sharing his mind and relaying back to Jaxon through her lifemate exactly what to do.

When Francesca was certain every detail had been attended to, she instructed Jaxon to remove herself from Lucian's body and provide him with blood. Jaxon found herself sitting on the deck with her lifemate's body lying beside her. She was exhausted, her body swaying with weariness. Gently she bent over Lucian.
Wake up, my love. You need to wake up now
.

He lay lifeless, so white it terrified her. Jaxon reached for Gabriel.
He isn't moving, Gabriel. I did something wrong. Maybe I described something incorrectly, and Francesca gave me the wrong advice
.

Stay calm, Jaxon. You have done wonderfully so far. Do not panic. Remind him that Drake is stalking you. Reach for him with your entire mind. He will hear and awaken
. Gabriel was very calm.

Jaxon took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Lucian, I am in terrible danger. Feel my fear. Wake up
. She watched his chest. When nothing happened, she caught at his arms and shook him gently.
Wake up, you arrogant male. I'm in danger here. Your job is to get off your butt and rescue me. Francesca says you're all better. Wake up
!

She bent over him just as his eyelashes fluttered. One arm whipped up to catch her to him, to pull her down to him.
He shot me
.

"I'm glad you comprehend, Sherlock. He's on his way right now. He could be here at any second. You need blood, Lucian."

He was doing a quick assessment of his injuries before he scanned the area.
You are right, Jaxon. He is very close
. His hand came up to caress her hair, then moved to the nape of her neck. His mouth moved over her throat to find her pulse beating steadily if a little too fast. His tongue stroked once unhurriedly, preparing her for the shock of his teeth sinking into her. She cried out, her arms stealing around his head to cradle him to her. Then she closed her eyes and relaxed. This was Lucian. Injured he might be, even severely, but he could stir her blood and make her feel completely safe under any circumstances.

Already weak, she found herself drowsy, fading, slipping into a dreamlike state. Her arms fell away from him to her sides. She slumped against him, unable to hold herself up, uncaring that it was so. She heard him murmur her name, heard the love in his voice as he closed the tiny pinpricks in her throat. His hands were gentle as he moved her to a more comfortable position.
You called me an arrogant jerk, Jaxon. That was not very nice. Your bedside manner needs to improve immensely
.

You're lucky I didn't kick you. You scared me to death. And just remember, Mr. Arrogance, it was a human that nearly did you in.

I knew you were the type of woman who would say "I told you so
." Despite the weariness in his voice, there was a hint of laughter.

If she had the strength, she might have hit him, but she was far too tired to make the effort. She lay slumped on the deck, unmoving.

I knew you had a penchant for violence
, he teased.

Jaxon felt it then, her stomach clenching in a hard knot.
He is here
.

Yes, my love, I know. Do not worry. This monster will never harm you or anyone you love again
. His voice, his beautiful, black-velvet voice, was as tranquil as ever. He did not tell her, as he saw no need, that he was incredibly weak and that Gabriel with Francesca was aiding him from a distance, their combined strength pouring into him.

You must be careful this time
. Her words, even without her voice to speak them aloud, were slurred in his mind.

Sleep, my love, and do worry about me.

No
! Her protest was sharp. Do
not try to force me to sleep. I must be aware in case you have need of my help
.

Lucian did not point out that she was too weak to fight her way out of a paper bag. He sat up carefully, not wanting to undo all the repairs Jaxon had so meticulously made. He needed several days of sleep in the rejuvenating soil before he would be back to his full strength.

Drake was only a few yards away now. Lucian could hear him as he moved through the brush toward the lodge. He waited, sitting beside Jaxon, one hand tangled in the mop of wild silky blond strands he loved so much.

This was the one then, the monster who had taken control of Jaxon's life at such an early age. Tyler Drake. Lucian could feel her tension, although she tried to conceal it.

Lucian sent her a wave of warm reassurance before he turned his attention to the approaching monster. He sent his voice, the perfect weapon, out into the night. "You will come to me unarmed, Drake."

There was no way to disobey that voice that could so easily enthrall. Under compulsion, Drake moved out into the open, both hands empty and in plain sight. His eyes were restless, blinking rapidly, repeatedly. He was sick, his mind twisted, his thought processes unnatural. Lucian realized then that he had thought Drake a camper or hiker because the man wasn't actually thinking of killing anyone. He wasn't planning it. He considered himself a good man, a man who loved his child.

"You have caused Jaxon much sorrow in her life, Mr. Drake," Lucian said quietly, his voice gentle. "I can do no other than ask that you no longer walk this land with her. You must go to a place where one much greater than myself can pass judgment on you."

Jaxon's slight body was trembling visibly. She was far too weak to sit up beside her lifemate. She lay on the deck with her head in Lucian's lap and his hands in her hair. She touched Lucian's mind, found him tranquil, at peace. Even with one such as Drake, he felt no anger, no sympathy, no remorse. He carried out his responsibility without emotion, as he always did. She slipped into his mind, allowed his peace to wash over her, through her. She didn't hate Drake, and she didn't feel sorry for him; she only knew that Lucian had to destroy him.

Lucian stared at Drake, unwilling to utter the command aloud for Jaxon to hear. Drake brought his hands up to his throat as he began to fight for air. Lucian concentrated on the man's chest. Inside the man, his heart was shutting down, chambers clogging as his blood thickened. Veins collapsed, arteries shattered, and Tyler Drake shuddered and went down abruptly, sitting on the snow-covered ground, then toppling over to lie still.

Jaxon could only stare in astonishment, half lifting her body in astonishment. That was it? After years living in torment, she couldn't be free so easily. So quietly. She glanced up at Lucian.
Is it over? He's really dead
?

Lucian wrapped his arms around her protectively. "He is dead," he said out loud, knowing she needed to hear the words spoken.

Jaxon closed her eyes and slipped back toward the deck, fainting for the first time in her life. Lucian moved with his preternatural speed, his arms cradling her head before it could hit the wood. She wasn't going to be very happy with herself for fainting.

Exhausted, Lucian allowed Gabriel to do most of the work as he gathered energy particles from the sky and sent them flaming into Tyler Drake's body. When there was nothing left but ashes, he lay back beside his lifemate, pillowing her head on his shoulder. It was only then that he noticed she was covered in his blood. The last thing he wanted was for Jaxon to awaken in that state. He was going to have to concede to her that he might have been a little arrogant where Drake was concerned. She would never let him get away with anything less.

Right now you need to go to ground
. That was Gabriel, acting as if his twin needed to be taken out behind the proverbial barn.

Gabriel, easily picking up Lucian's thought, gave a rather rude snort of derision.
I do not think that will happen anytime soon. Francesca says get beneath the earth immediately, and take your lifemate with you. She has given far too much of her strength in healing you
.

Lucian shook his head as he gathered Jaxon into his arms. Gabriel had to have the last word. He was like that.

Only because I am always right.

Chapter Seventeen

Jaxon curled up on the small sofa right in front of the fireplace. She wore only a thin robe, her small rebellion against the coming event, and the warmth from the flames felt good. She also liked the way fire light flickered and danced on the wall, bringing out the wood trim's golden hue. She was nervous, striving for normalcy, and needed something to keep her from thinking too much.

Shaking out the newspaper, she began to scan it, reading as a policewoman, looking for any stray detail that might be of use in any of her open cases. Often some odd item in the paper could help bring together pieces of information in police work.

Finding an article on the second page, she could hardly believe her eyes. She recognized three names, attributed to three great humanitarians.
Hal Barton. Harry Timms. Denny Sheldon
. The three men who had "visited" their home so recently. "Lucian, have you read the paper this evening?"

He glanced at her, his black eyebrows raised in inquiry.

"What now?"
He
hid his smile, knowing exactly what she was doing, what she was trying to avoid.

"I wonder. It seems your three friends, the ones who broke into our house and wanted you to invest in their foolproof security system, have become rather wealthy in their own right."

"I am glad for them. They will not need my money after all."

"They never did. I'm not a moron, you know. You did something to them, didn't you? What did you do?"