17. Jax

17

Jax

Saul's frustration was etched on every inch of his face. London looked ready to howl, and Ava and Janelle glared at each other as we all stood in the hall and looked through the window. Makayla was in human form but non-responsive.

"My theory is that her wolf put her in the coma. We were having a conversation, and I saw a tinge of blue, and then she collapsed," Saul said tiredly. "Her system is shutting down. I'm considering giving her a half dose to see if that will buy us a little more time, but I'm worried about the damage it will do in the long term. I'm sorry, London. I truly thought we'd have a few more days before she would need another dose. I still haven't figured out what those last two compounds are."

"Her wolf?" I interrupted. "Not the creature on steroids?"

Saul nodded. "The effects wore off enough that she seemed to realize what was happening. As it was, we were discussing a medically induced coma to see if I could put her in some sort of stasis."

"Can her wolf heal her?" London asked in a low voice.

"I've been monitoring her stats. The damage has slowed, but it is still getting worse and not better." He turned to the witches. "I truly do not think that there is anything you can do, but if you can buy me a little more time..."

Ava and Janelle exchanged a look but neither said anything. London noticed. "Speak," he demanded of Ava.

"I…we could tie her life force to someone else," Ava said nervously. "They would essentially share it, but it would do a lot of damage to the healthy wolf. I might take them months to recover, and I won't do it unless someone volunteers."

"I'll do it." A wheelchair squeaked as a young woman rolled out, nothing but determination on her face. "She did this for me. I can do this for her."

"Sasha," London sighed. "This is Jax, the Alpha from the Black Diamond pack. I'm sure you've heard that they're visiting. Saul is their healer and Janelle is their witch."

"Thank you for trying to help my sister."

She looked much like the young healer, but she was more slender with a narrow face and large dark eyes. "Don't let the wheelchair fool you. I can walk just fine, but I tire easily."

"Which is exactly why you can't do this," London growled. "You're too weak."

"No," Janelle protested. "She's not. In fact, she's perfect. It doesn't matter what condition the other person is in. She just needs to be alive, and if they already have a bond, it will be much easier."

At the talk of manipulating bonds, I stiffened. "Janelle, a word," I snapped.

Janelle shook her head. "It's not what you think. I promise. It's not even something I can do alone. It takes two witches."

"And it might help Sasha in the long run," Ava admitted. "It was something I considered when Makayla asked me for help, but like Janelle said, it takes two witches. Makayla's body is in overdrive, and Sasha's is the exact opposite. They'll share and even out, I think, but you'll have to share the life force for at least a week. Even longer. You'll both have to be strong enough to sever it, and like I said, both of you will suffer when it's gone. It will take time for you to adjust."

"I don't care about me," Sasha said impatiently as she waved her hand. "Makayla is dying to save me. I won't let that happen."

Janelle cleared her throat. "That's the other thing, Sasha. If you share a life force and Makayla dies, you'll die too."

"No," London thundered.

Sasha looked at Saul. "You can save her."

"I can't guarantee that," he said hoarsely. "I will do everything in my power to save her, but I can't promise you that I can find a cure."

"Good enough for me. Sorry, Alpha, but you don't really get a say in this. She's my sister. I can't do this life without her."

London looked at the witches. "How long can they share life force?"

"I've done some research," Ava said. "Any longer than thirteen days, and there seems to be complications. Sometimes, one body inexplicably absorbs too much and kills the other. A few times, the bond became so unbreakable that the two witches couldn't sever it."

Sasha nodded. "Thirteen days. Makayla has spoken about you a lot, Saul. Frankly, I think she has a crush on you. Please don't tell her that I told you that. She had faith in you, and I do as well. Do the spell, and I'll see you all in thirteen days. If I don't, just know that I died trying to save my sister and it was exactly what I wanted."

What the woman lacked in physical strength, she made up for in bravery and courage. Since it wasn't my call or my decision, I stepped away to let the witches prep and to let London argue until it was too late.

I strode out of the infirmary and saw Anna heading my way. I could see the annoyance in her eyes.

"Makayla fell into a coma, and you didn't tell me!"

"You were with Kenzi, and there was nothing you could have done. I'd planned to text you once they figured out a plan. They're just finishing it up now, and I have the pleasure of telling you in person instead of texting you." I swung an arm around her shoulder and guided her out of the infirmary, telling her what happened.

Her eyes widened. "That sounds extremely dangerous and a little bit like Janelle using magic that she shouldn't."

"It was Ava's idea, and apparently while it's similar, it's not her brand of nightmare magic," I explained. "Most witches can do it."

"I don't know that Cindy will agree. After my run, I went to check on them. That's how I found out where you were, by the way. I convinced Cindy to shower, and we talked a little bit about her new obsession with keeping a close eye on Janelle. I don't know if I made any progress, but I did try. She's worried that she knows too much, and you won't let her leave."

"She's not wrong."

When she looked up and glared at me, I shrugged. "She's going to have to prove that she's able to move on with her life. The last thing I need is her and some rogue wolves gearing up to storm the witch's den with pitchforks and torches."

Anna rolled her eyes. "You don't really think it's going to come to that, do you?"

"No. I think Cindy is an intelligent woman who is still dealing with some extreme trauma. She needs some therapy, and then I think she'll be more capable of making a sound decision."

We walked a little further in silence. I liked having her by my side, walking aimlessly with no place to go and no deadline to meet. Just a nice stroll in the setting sun. "How was your run?"

"Short. Apparently, I'm out of shape, and there was an incident that we wanted to report to London. We couldn't find him, so we told Cruz."

"What kind of incident?"

"Hard to say. It was a man running, but we were on a trail, so we can't say for sure that he was following us."

Neither Kenzi nor Anna were so paranoid that they would report a man running on a trail behind them, so I waited patiently.

"He was wearing a mask over his face and was dressed from head to toe in camouflage," Anna admitted. "And when we veered out of the woods, he seemed unhappy."

London had said that there might be wolves here who had a problem with Anna, but for someone to stalk her did seem extreme. "So maybe you don't go anywhere alone anymore."

"I wasn't alone then." Anna stilled. "And I'm not alone now."

"No, but you're…" I turned my head, and my whole body stilled. There was just a flash of movement, like the scope of a rifle in the woods behind us. I couldn't see anything, but from the way Anna's eyes were widening, she'd sensed him. Maybe the smell?

I didn't have time to process. Immediately, I pushed her behind me to put myself in the path of the bullet. I started to roar for her to run when I felt the prick of something in my neck.

Anna screamed. Hunching down to make sure he didn't have a clear shot of her, I ran us back to the infirmary. Her hand reached up and pulled something out of my neck.

I saw the dart, and my vision wavered. Anna was still screaming when I dropped to my knees.

Inside me, my wolf roared and raced to the surface. He seemed to get bigger and bigger until there was nothing I could do to control him. When my bones started to break, I heard my wolf snarl.

I am a monster.