Jett's Wild Wolf (Mystic Wolves 3) (4 page)

“What the hell,” Bronx asked, dropping his hands.

Under the black leather jacket she’d put on, she still had her tank top from earlier with the mini skirt, but she felt both hot and cold. She needed to get out of the bar, and somewhere she could let the sickness in her body work its way out. Going back to her pack was out of the question, and staying where she was, was not an option.

“There’s no way you’re leaving until we know he’ll be alright. You can rest here.” Niall’s words held a note of finality.

Her beast rose to the surface. “Don’t try to hold me hostage. You won’t like what I become. I healed your friend,” she growled.

Zayn stepped in-between her and Niall. “Sheath your claws, little girl. You’re in no shape to go anywhere. Besides, if we let you leave and something happened to you, Jett would kick all our asses.”

A stir in her mind had her halting in mid thought. She fought the invasion, thinking it was Keith again, trying to worm his way into her brain. She’d seen the way he’d taken control of too many and feared he’d do it to her. It hadn’t been easy, but time and patience had taught her she could do anything. The looks of concern coming her way from the wolves surrounding her freaked her out. She didn’t trust anyone, let alone a pack that wasn’t hers.

Pushing her hair back from her face, she growled. “I just want to rest. I won’t be able to if I’m worried one of you are going to kill me at any moment.”

“Nobody will harm you. This I promise.” Niall assured her. She stared into the alpha’s eyes, and saw truth there.

––––––––

J
ett woke with a throbbing headache and a sense that he was missing a piece of himself. The feel of cool leather beneath him was nothing new as he’d crashed many times at Chaps, and the familiar scents of the backroom kept his wolf from rearing its head. His body ached from the inside out, but he was glad to be alive. The last memory he had was the surety of his own death as the tainted wolf chomped down on him, like something out of an episode of the Walking Dead.

He wanted to shift and hunt down the bastards, but didn’t think he could do much more than lift his head. Not that he thought his pack would’ve allowed the bastard to walk away. When he was sure he wouldn’t embarrass himself, he opened his eyes. A light from the bathroom had been left on, illuminating a small section of the large office. He could see clearly with or without the light, but the glow highlighted a small figure sleeping in one of the recliners, he recognized her slight frame as the young woman from the bar. He also knew she smelled like spiced honey before he even inhaled. Her dark hair with that streak of purple made him hard. Hell, everything the woman did got him hard.

When he was sure he wasn’t going to fall over, he took a deep breath, and sat up. He did a quick assessment of his injuries, shocked to find he had none. Shifters healed fast, but he’d never seen anyone who’d suffered what he had, and gotten up without any visible signs. The scent of blood overlaying the sweet smell of the young woman had his wolf rising to the front, clawing to claim its mate. He pushed back, not wanting to think about what that meant. He wasn’t ready to claim anyone, let alone a possible enemy.

Once he was sure his legs would hold him, he made his way to where she lay in a reclined position, her chest moving up and down reassured him she lived. The leather jacket she wore was gripped in her crossed arms as if to ward off a cold chill. Jett felt anger stir at his pack for not giving her something to cover up with. Her shapely legs were on full display, the natural tan he assumed delineating her heritage. He took all this in within moments, then he was back across the office, jerking a blanket off the back of the couch, returning in seconds to cover her chilled flesh. He noticed an ID hanging out of her front pocket. Using two fingers, he pulled it out and read the name, Taryn Cole. Gorgeous name for even more of a knockout woman. The identification was for the library in town, and he wondered why she had it in her coat and not her driver’s license.

He barely resisted the urge to bend down, and feel for himself if she was as soft as she appeared. Jett used all the self-control he possessed to take the much needed three steps back, and decided he needed a shower. His clothes were filthy, covered in blood and other shit he didn’t want to examine too closely. The pain that had burned through his flesh flashed through his mind, making him break out in a cold sweat. He walked away from the woman, trying not to pant, either from the memory of the attack or the idea of Taryn. Jett didn’t linger or allow himself to think about things he shouldn’t, washing quickly. As he stepped out of the shower, he realized he’d forgotten to grab the extra change of clothes he kept at the clubhouse. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he opened the door to the small bathroom, glad to see she still slept.

With no clothes on he didn’t think it wise if she’d been awake for them to have a convo. It was hard enough for him to walk past the alluring scent of her, let alone try and talk. His cock jerked beneath the terrycloth. “Down boy,” Jett said, scrambling past Taryn to the wall of lockers.

He let the towel drop, pulled open the door and located a pair of jeans and clean T-shirt. Jett looked over his shoulder, checking on their sleeping guest. Something in the vicinity of his heart twitched at the image of her in obvious distress. He didn’t like the smell of her blood mixed with the unique scent. After sufficiently dressing, he grabbed a bottle of water and walked back to where she slept, easing the jacket back from her shoulder. The torn and jagged wound made him gasp. He wondered why she hadn’t started to heal.

A touch to her forehead let him know she was warmer than was normal. Fear for her safety snaked up his spine. He got back to his feet and walked out to the bar area where he found the phone.

He punched in Zayn and Cora’s number, uncaring of the time. Zayn answered on the second ring.

“What the hell do you want?”

“Taryn is bleeding and hotter than a shifter should be. She needs medical attention.” Jett didn’t add anything more, figuring Zayn would fill in the blanks.

“Damn, how bad is it?” The second to the Mystic Wolves didn’t sound half asleep anymore, or angry.

Jett looked back toward the open door to the office, wishing he could see through walls. “No clue, man. I didn’t know she’d been attacked.”

The sound of rustling fabric came through the line. “We will be there in an hour, give or take a few. If she wakes up before we get there give her some water, but nothing else. I’m bringing Alaina with me,” Cora said and then hung up before Jett could ask her more.

His gaze snapped back to the darkened room at the sound of a low moan, instantly alert. He heard the voice of a tortured woman and it broke his heart. His feet were carrying him across the concrete floor before he’d thought about his actions.

She’d kicked off the blanket, her head thrashed in the wake of a nightmare. In a protective move he leaped the dozen feet separating them just as her back bowed, catching her when she would have fallen out of the chair. He was astounded at her slight figure. When she didn’t wake up, he carried her over to the large couch, wishing he’d had the foresight to clean it off. Retracing his steps, he grabbed another blanket and lay it over the cold surface before putting her down.

Her arms locked around his neck, feverish eyes opened. “Don’t leave me, please.”

Jett found himself mesmerized by her sky blue eyes. Her arms fell away as quickly as they grabbed him. He rearranged her body, making her more comfortable, not wanting to look too closely at what that meant. For now, Jett did what he could until Cora and Alaina showed up with their mates. He got a cool wet cloth and washed her face and neck. When he reached the black leather jacket, he was reluctant to remove it, but again knew she’d rest more comfortably out of the garment.

Getting women out of their clothes was something he excelled at, but he’d never undressed an unconscious one before. “Fuck it.” Jett let his claws lengthen, easing beneath the edge he sliced the arm off one side then the other. Under his watchful eyes she slept on, looking like something the cat drug in with her ripped jacket and torn up shoulder. Another wound in her side seeped blood. Jett lifted the blood soaked shirt, wondering how the hell she’d gotten the injury without her clothing getting damaged.

He got up from the sofa, getting the ice bucket from the corner bar and filling it with warm water. He’d never seen himself act as a nurse before. Most shifters healed on their own, or would need a little assistance, usually between the thighs of a woman. Didn’t mean they didn’t get hurt, they just didn’t last.

His brows drew together at the gashes in her side. They looked like she’d been gouged by a wolf, much like what he’d had in the fight earlier. He lifted his own T-shirt, expecting to see similar marks, only pinkened skin marred the area. By tomorrow even that would be tanned with no visible signs.

Without a conscious thought, Jett shredded the bloodied tank, leaving her in a lace black bra that didn’t contain as much as display her gorgeous breasts. However, he wasn’t turned on by the sight of her breasts as he was horrified by the amount of blood she’d clearly been losing, while he’d been blissfully unaware. The black coat and top had masked it, but he was a shifter for fuck sake.

A hot sensation burned through him, and Jett sucked in the anger threatening to swallow him whole. He’d find out who caused the damage and make them pay.

The clock on the wall ticked by another hour. He wasn’t one to watch the minute hand, but swore the damn thing hadn’t moved. His ears twitched at the familiar sound of a Harley pulling into the gravel parking lot, followed by another. Zayn and Niall’s custom bikes with their loud pipes gave him hope they’d brought help. Having a woman not even stir as he stroked her was a new and unfamiliar thing to him.

Cora and Zayn came in followed by Niall and his mate Alaina, power rolling off of all four of them. Jett watched as both men picked up their women, placing them firmly behind them.

“Seriously, Zayn, I am going to kick your ass if you don’t stop doing that. I told you this on many occasions.” No real heat accompanied her words.

“Bite me,” Zayn said.

Alaina was the first to maneuver out of her mate’s arms, coming to stand over where Jett was. “What happened to her, and why is she half nekkid?”

Jett jerked the blanket over Taryn’s breasts, dimly aware of the amusement in the alpha’s gaze. “I have no effing clue, just that she’s been injured. When I woke up I found her sleeping and she only woke up once. I thought I’d put her over here to be more comfortable. I smelled her blood, but didn’t realize the extent of her injuries until I took her jacket and shirt off.” He waved at the pile of clothes at his feet.

Cora picked up a piece of the leather. “She is going to be pissed.”

“Why?” Jett jerked his head down to look at the ruined fabric.

Niall raised his eyebrows. “Women are a little territorial about certain clothing. I’m assuming this was an expensive piece?”

Zayn crossed his arms over his broad chest. “She’ll get over it. I’m sure Magic Jett here can explain why he did it.”

“Children, can you please move aside so I can assess what’s wrong with her now that we’ve decided she’s not the enemy or an immediate threat.” Cora pushed between Niall and Zayn.

Both men were too startled to stop her.

Cora pushed Jett off the couch, taking his place. He watched closely, making sure she didn’t hurt his...he closed off the thought. Taryn was a woman he was making sure was okay. Nothing more.

They worked tirelessly, cleansing her wounds. Alaina became a beacon of light, using her fey powers, ones she’d only learned about recently. She flowed into Taryn’s wounds, helping force the infection she saw out. Jett was connected to her through Niall, amazed at the forks of evil that lingered in the wound. He worried for Alaina and what it could do to her on a visceral level, but with Niall watching over her, inside her just as he was, there was no way he’d allow anything to happen to her.

When they’d done all they could between the two women, the sun was rising high in the sky, and still the woman hadn’t woken.

“I didn’t want to check for brain injuries, because I may inadvertently tap into memories. To me that is an invasion and maybe she just needs a little time to heal. Jett,” Alaina took a breath, looking at Niall before she continued. “Her injuries were not her own. What I mean is...she healed you and took your injuries onto herself. I’ve never seen anyone do that. You were dying. Probably would have from what the tainted wolf had done to you. At least that is what Niall told me on the way here, and from what I saw in his memories. He wanted me to be prepared for what I was going to be coming up against here.”

Jett stared at the unconscious woman and her now healing shoulder and side.

The angry red staring at him like accusing fingers. “How on earth did she do that?”

His body hummed with the need to know more. Magic, good or bad, he wasn’t sure, but she didn’t smell tainted to him. Pure sweetness clung to her, called to him. He’d denied it, had said there was darkness staining her and tried to feed those thoughts with images of her in the woods. Her soft, yet toned body lying still because of him made him realize two things. She was more precious than he’d thought, she was a wild wolf, but she was his wild wolf.

* * * *

S
he kept her eyes closed and her breathing steady, counting five hearts beating in the bar. They were in the other room thinking she was still sleeping off the effects of the wounds she’d sustained. Holy shite, it hurt to almost die. Yes, she’d thought she’d almost met her maker many times in her twenty-five years under Keith’s roof, but taking on Jett’s wounds had been worse than any beating she’d suffered. The venom in the shifters had transferred into her, snaking through every fiber of her being before she was able to close them off. Her final attempt had been to shut down her body and sleep the healing sleep that regenerated her cells. Most thought she would be breathing her last, but her friends knew to let her rest. The people in the other room would want answers, and Taryn didn’t have them, or at least none she could give them.