Chapter 5

Bella stood up from the seat on the couch she had been commanded to remain in, rubbing her hands together anxiously as she paced the carpet. Joking and jibes aside, Jacob was trying to stay very close to her thoughts. Isabella would have been lying if she had said she wasn't comforted by his presence, even if he was currently lecturing her about her persistent inability to obey his commands. In this instance, to remain seated and to try and relax.

"It's just a headache and a little nausea, Jacob," she said aloud to the empty room. "I don't see why you feel the need to bother Gideon."

Better safe than sorry, Bella. And I can tell you need to put your mind to ease. Despite your claims otherwise.

Well, I don't know which makes me more nervous, feeling strange or watching you react to me feeling strange. If this is some sort of gas bubble or something, Gideon will massacre me. Correction, massacre us.

You feel how you feel, love. That is always allowed. I am going to be a while. Please sit down and rest?

Isabella nodded, and even though he couldn't see her do so, he got the impression of her agreement. She released him from the forefront of her mind, curling up in a corner of the sofa, wearily settling her head until her lids began to droop.

Just as she began to fall asleep, there was a knock at the door.

Legna appeared just outside of Jacob and Isabella's house, standing in front of the door. Bella was not expecting her today, so today she would use the courtesy of knocking. She made certain to reflect her well-mannered actions back at the male ghosting through her mind. Maybe now he would learn something about human protocol.

I would not count on it, Nelissuna.

Do you mind? I would like at least a little privacy while I talk to my friend.

Privacy is a human foible, Legna. You have been associating with the Druid too much and adopting her idiosyncrasies.

She is my friend. I love her dearly and owe her much. If you have a problem with that …

Do not threaten me, Legna. It is quite a waste of your time.

Are you going to remove yourself or not? she demanded.

Given a choice … not.

Very well, let me rephrase that … get out or I will put you out. And do not assume that I cannot or will not do so. Imprinting or no, I am a Mind Demon and I will figure out exactly how to do it. Also, I am still an individual despite this whole situation and I will have my freedoms.

I see. Well, if you intended to insist, I do not see why you bothered to ask me at all.

I did not ask. Well, not the first time. And the second one was just … oh, never mind! Are you always going to be this literal? Because let me tell you, it is a pain in the ass. And do not even think of saying anything else about Bella's influence on me!

Perish the thought. Enjoy your visit, Nelissuna.

As simply as that, she felt him drift away from her mind. There was so much of him becoming a part of her, weaving into her very make-up, that she couldn't be certain he was completely shut off from her thoughts. Was it even possible for Imprinted mates to block one another off from the inherent connection of their minds? Had it ever been tried? Had it ever been desired before? This was all still too new. It would take her some time to sort through everything she was feeling, not to mention what effect it would have on her abilities to be supercharged by the shared power of an Ancient of his caliber.

But there was a cunning part of Legna that was realizing open thoughts and silvery eyes were a very small price to pay for the power promising to come her way.

The mercenary sensation disturbed her with a shiver, but she shook it off and chose to ignore it. She wasn't going to let any part of this intimidate her.

Legna lifted her hand and knocked for Isabella.

Jacob reached Gideon's residence in record time, propelled to extraordinary speed by his concern for Isabella. He drifted into the manse through an open window, changing from dust to Demon with a quick twist of movement.

He glanced around the immediate room, scenting the strong presence of his prey of the moment. It had been many years since he had last been here, in the Ancient's domain: He was surprised to realize how familiar the place still felt in spite of the fact that he still felt uneasy with the medic himself, unable to fully dismiss some of the negative feelings that had arisen between him and his former friend. But Isabella's needs came well before his own, and Isabella needed Gideon.

"Jacob."

The Enforcer turned at his name, having already sensed the Ancient's arrival in the room.

"Gideon, I require some of your time."

"Of course. Is something wrong with your mate?"

"I do not believe it is anything serious, but she has these bouts of nervousness and I think she makes herself ill from it She will not often or openly admit it, but she worries a great deal and, I admit her imagination, which is so brilliant, can also be a curse for her in such times. She requires your reassurance. No other medic will serve the purpose. She trusts you and no one else as far as the pregnancy is concerned."

"Understandable. I have told her not to hesitate calling on me and I meant it. She is my highest priority."

Jacob was silent for a moment, absorbing how that made him feel and reconciling it with everything else he felt toward the medic.

"Then I am grateful," he said at last, inclining his head in brief respect to the Ancient.

"You are welcome to my help. Come, let us—"

Gideon!

The cry rang through Gideon's mind so loudly and so suddenly that he winced sharply, jerking his head to the side, a hand going to his forehead in irresistible reflex as pain blossomed over his left eye, cheek, and neck. He was mildly aware of Jacob reacting with surprise to the inconceivable picture it must have made, but he turned his thoughts to the urgent priority of Legna's call, come so soon after she'd ordered him away.

Is it Isabella? he asked, quickly reaching the conclusion from knowing where she was and the purpose of the Enforcer in front of him.

Yes. She is on the floor. Gideon, there is so much blood!

Gideon looked up at Jacob, and in that moment the Enforcer paled visibly beneath his natural tan. Apparently he had just become aware of Isabella's distress as well.

"Sweet Destiny," he whispered.

"Jacob, remain where you are," the Ancient commanded.

"I will not!" He exploded in instant fury. "She is my wife, Gideon, and you do not command me!"

"Jacob, Legna is with Bella," Gideon said firmly, "and she can teleport us both far faster than we could travel to her side by your means."

"Legna?" Jacob scoffed. "She is not strong enough to carry us both so far."

"Yes, she is. I beg you to trust me and stop arguing, as time is of the essence."

That silenced the distraught Enforcer, forcing him to nod in agreement and draw back from the aggressive stance he had taken in Gideon's space.

Legna, you can do this.

No! Not both at once! Not across such a distance!

Yes, you can. With me as part of you, you can do anything you set your mind to. Sweet, you are much stronger than you may ever realize. You always have been, even before I ever touched you. Destiny would not give me a weak companion.

She was silent and Gideon could feel her gathering her energy after turning her back on her doubting thoughts. Apparently, Bella's condition was serious enough to compel her to try, and Gideon was overwhelmed with a sense of pride at how well she shouldered her responsibilities and how she accepted his word on faith … and a whole lot of hope.

Jacob watched the world squeeze together before him, the visual phenomenon that the teleporter experienced when sent by a Mind Demon to another place. It was as if Legna was folding the two points in space together until they touched, making the exchange from point A to point B seemingly as easy as taking a step forward.

The pressure change shot through the sinuses of the arriving males, disorienting them for all of a second.

Gideon's first impulse was to look for his patient, but at the same time his new sensitivities for another woman demanded his attention. He felt the wave of nausea and faintness that rushed through Legna. He turned, finding her unerringly, and reached out to catch her in the nick of time, easing her to the floor in a gentle motion.

"See to Legna," he demanded of Jacob. "She needs to recover quickly."

Gideon knew nothing was wrong with Legna that some time to recharge her energy would not cure, so he felt no hesitation in leaving her to Jacob. The Enforcer, whose eyes had settled on his damaged mate, was not so rational. He ignored Gideon's command as every fiber of his being screamed to go to his woman, who lay sprawled at painful angles in the spreading warmth of her own blood. Jacob crossed the room in a beat, his boots crunching through broken glass and other debris as he did so. Neither male gave the chaotic alteration to their surroundings any other thought as they both reached for Isabella.

Gideon connected with the inert figure of the small Druid female and immediately recognized that the petite creature seemed even smaller without the vibrancy that normally accompanied her consciousness. She lay like a pitifully broken sparrow, as if somehow a car had come through the parlor and crushed her at full speed. The medic saw Jacob's impulse to catch up her hand in his, and his quick discarding of that need when he saw the burns and blood on both appendages. Though she was unconscious, the Enforcer could not tolerate causing his mate even the slightest of pain. So Jacob knelt on a single knee close to her side, the back of his fist resting against his lips as he seemed to press back the building rage that was turning his eyes a uniform black.

Gideon touched her forehead, his palm encompassing it entirely, going beyond the cold temperature of the grayed complexion of her face and sinking quickly and deeply into her body. Straight away he was filled with the alarms within her, her already active natural defenses and healing abilities drawing him to her wounds. But no matter how quickly Nightwalkers healed, they could never be able to compensate for a trauma such as this without outside intervention.

Clearly, someone had attacked the little Enforcer. She was battered and bruised from head to toe, apparently having been thrown about like a limp doll in some beast's mouth. She was scored with the marks of an electrical attack, burned at the places the blasts had struck through her as effectively as bullets. It was the signature attack of a necromancer. The scent of her scorched flesh filled the room, underscored by the rusty aroma of blood.

Even in her pregnant state, it was clear Isabella had put up a remarkable fight She had ferocious defensive wounds on her hands and arms, and the room around them had been obliterated in the confrontation. The question was, if a necromancer or any being of power was responsible for this, how had her attacker circumvented her awesome dampening and power-theft abilities?

The query could wait. Gideon focused on his task. Most of the blood was coming from the fetus Isabella carried, or rather, the placenta that nourished the tiny being within her. Though she lay in a pool of the precious liquid, Gideon could better assess the loss of it from within Isabella rather than by visual survey. It was bad, and getting worse. He could repair the damage, but he could not replace the blood without help.

"Jacob," he said softly, his attention split between the beginnings of his healing and the import of filling in the Enforcer, "she is in critical need of blood."

"Give her mine," he said immediately, extending his arm quickly.

"No. You are Demon, Jacob. Your blood types are not compatible. Especially not with her being partially human."

"We are all Demon here, Gideon. Who can donate to her if not her husband?"

Gideon looked up, meeting Jacob's frantic eyes, realizing the fear he must be feeling.

"Her sister, Jacob. Corrine is the only other hybrid amongst us, and, luckily, her relative. It is enough to make her compatible. If she is not entirely so, I can help with that. But we must act quickly or we will lose her and the baby."

"You will not lose her! "Jacob roared suddenly, his rage and fear getting the better of him as he surged to his feet, his hands coiled into violent fists. "Do you understand me, medic?" he continued with hoarse violence and pain seething from him as he shook with his emotions. "If she dies …" Clearly the Enforcer couldn't even finish the thought. He fell to his knees again, his pain so extreme that he couldn't maintain any semblance of control.

Just then, Legna came to with a violent gasp, sitting up straight in one jerking movement. Jacob's emotions had bombarded her unprotected mind, shocking her into wakefulness like a dose of electric voltage. She struggled for breath, gasping and choking, tears and a single, agonizing sob wrenching from her exactly as they were forcing themselves out of Jacob. Legna had never known such all-consuming anguish in the whole of her life. It felt as though she were being stripped of her soul, as if she were watching her own spirit die a terrible death and there was nothing that she could do about it. Even the agony of being Summoned could not compare to this devastation.

Then there was a soft touch within her mind—gentle, soothing, and healing. Her eyes lifted to meet Gideon's, swimming with her sparkling tears as they trembled on her lashes. His gaze was strong, steady, and radiating his confidence in her. It was precisely the anchor she needed to begin to protect herself from Jacob's unwitting mental assault.

Gideon gave her several breaths to reorder her thoughts and control. Her eyes cleared of pain and turned to calm, the steady protection of her safeguards flying up with awesome strength around her. He could tell by her slightly dazed expression that the power of them had amazed even her.

"Legna, I need you to fetch Corrine," he said softly, their connection to one another allowing the request to repeat simultaneously in her mind so he would not speak loudly over Jacob's grief.

Legna took the command in stride, this time only a moment of doubt wasting their precious time. She got quickly to her feet, drawing even Jacob's attention as she did so. The Enforcer ran a hand over his wet face, looking up at the beautiful Demon with shock and disbelief.

And then hope.

As powerful as Jacob was, he could only travel so fast. Corrine and Kane had taken to splitting their dwellings between England and New York. At the moment, Corrine was in New York, an entire ocean away. He never would have been able to bring her there in time to save his wife. Even finding another Mind Demon powerful enough to do so would have taken an endless amount of time. But as the empath closed her eyes, taking a deep breath so long and so full it captivated him for a long minute, he realized that Legna was about to attempt to do this remarkable feat … and it would be an endeavor that even an Elder would have difficulty accomplishing.

Jacob rose quickly to his feet once more when he saw her fingers curl into her palms, her entire body trembling with her exertion. He did not dare touch her and disrupt her concentration, but he stood close, ready to save her from what would no doubt be a harsh consequence should she succeed. A moment later, Jacob felt a sensation cross over his skin, causing every hair on his body to stand on end. The next he knew, a brutal burst of air exploded in the center of the room, blowing back his hair with a nearly hurricane force. It lasted for a second, and suddenly Corrine was standing before them, looking stunned and just shy of screaming. Demons were used to being plucked suddenly out of their lives for one reason or another; the former human clearly was not.

Legna swayed for a moment, then collapsed once more. Her skin tone went from tan to a sickly beige. She lost consciousness with a rattling exhale of breath that gave Jacob a chill as he caught her against himself and lowered her gently to the floor, kneeling over her. He was awash with questions, and with immeasurable gratitude, but put them both aside as he checked Legna's pulse and breathing. Drained power stores not only left a Demon vulnerable, but could potentially be damaging. As before, Legna was no longer protected from the emotions running rampant around the room and her mind could be injured or overrun by them. It was the kind of damage that could leave her completely comatose.

Realizing this, Jacob drew away from her. There was no controlling his state of distress in such a moment, but touching Legna made for a stronger pathway into her psyche.

Meanwhile, the moment Corrine saw Isabella lying on the floor in her own blood, she reacted with the speed only a loved one could manage. She skidded across the blood-soaked floor, kneeling in the sticky fluid as she heedlessly shoved Gideon aside, lifting up her sister's head in order to cradle it gently in her lap.

"Bella," the redhead sobbed softly, the long curls of her hair spilling over the unconscious woman like a protective curtain as Corrine bent to kiss her forehead. "Oh, sweetie, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" she asked in a combination of grief and exasperation.

"Corrine, I need your hand," Gideon said quietly, holding out his palm to her.

Since Corrine had been living in Demon society almost as long as her sister and knew exactly who Gideon was, she did not hesitate to obey. The medic had saved her life once; she had to be positive he would save Bella's as well. Gideon's fingers curled around the slender wrist she extended, his opposite hand doing the same to Isabella's. He began the needleless transfusion, rapidly gathering pockets of whole red blood cells from the one female and distributing them into the other. They were compatible enough that he only had to make minor adjustments to the life-giving cells. It was just as well. In her drastically weakened state, Isabella could not handle much more alteration of her internal body without causing distress to the already taxed fetus within her. Isabella's color began to return and Gideon heard Jacob breathe again for the first time since the transfer of blood had begun. Corrine was a bit paler for the experience, he noted as he released her wrist, allowing her to sit back into her brother-in-law.

The pressing emergency had been dealt with, and Gideon was able to sit back and take a breath. He took that moment to examine the extraordinary emotional pain Jacob was going through. Now that he had just become part of an Imprinted pair himself, he wondered if he would find himself feeling as strongly as this. He was not an emotional being, so it disturbed him to realize it might be a possibility. He prided himself on his level nature and thinking. Being slave to his emotions could severely debilitate his judgment.

Gideon put his thoughts aside, but he was unable to help glancing at Legna's prone form as he touched Isabella once more in order to continue the healing process. His destined mate was merely exhausted, a complete drain of her energy that could have been a bit dangerous if he had not been there. Even as he healed Isabella, a second level of his consciousness was loaning his personal energy to Legna, bringing her to a state of safe, deep sleep.

Turning his full attention to Bella, Gideon painstakingly began the task of repairing every gaping wound, a chore that would have been a daunting expenditure of energy and skill had it been anyone other than him. He did not bother with asking for permission to touch her, letting Jacob deal with it himself, knowing his priorities. He moved into the best position for his task, a classic doctor-patient gynecological form where he slid between her legs, resting her thighs atop his own to support the broken appendages and reaching for a straight-on access to her baby. The manipulation straightened her entire body, relieving pressure and pain. His hands slid over her belly, peeling back her bloody shirt and revealing the vicious bruises and lashing cuts all over it.

"Oh my God," Corrine gasped with strangled horror.

It was clear what had been the target of this attack. As Jacob's black-ice eyes took in the sight, Bella's sister reached up to seize handfuls of his shirt, clearly holding him in place, keeping him from acting in rage while supporting him at the same time. Gideon closed his eyes and focused on Bella's worst injury, the reattachment of the placenta taking priority and requiring a great deal of attention and energy. Her jeans were saturated in blood, which seeped brightly into his white pants, somehow making the reality of it far more real to those who loved her as they watched. Corrine began to cry and Jacob now held her in return. There was nothing Gideon could do about their emotional distress, so he simply attended his chores. He would tell them later how bruised the baby was and how all of Bella's wounds were coming together in his mind. She had not fought. She had only protected. Every crushed bone, every laceration, even the position in which they had found her body told the story of a young mother who had lain curled into herself, protecting her child with every ounce of her will and consciousness as she had been kicked and beaten and bashed into this little heap of brokenness.

Gideon healed on. The fate of Destiny was perpetuity, he thought with no little respect. Destiny, a woman Herself, had lent Her fate to the tiny Druid. By lending it to Bella, she was allowing him to be able to heal her and the bruised baby in time to save them both from irreparable harm.

Destiny … and Magdelegna.

If she had not arrived to find Bella at exactly that moment, it would have been far too late by the time he and Jacob arrived on their own. Gideon appreciated the fact that Destiny and outright luck were key elements to this rescue recipe, especially when taking into consideration that he and Legna had only been Imprinted for a few hours. Had he not pressed to examine Legna that morning, he would never have been able to hear her desperate summons tonight. She might not have even thought to summon him at all, her rancor toward him interfering with her judgment.

Gideon recognized that Legna had sacrificed much tonight, and all for her love of this pretty little woman who would not only forever be the first of her kind, but in Gideon's opinion, the most exceptional. How much of that opinion actually belonged to Legna he did not know, but their blending awareness was making him understand her perspective and respect for Bella much more clearly.

As powerful as he was, and though his abilities were ancient and refined, it still took well over an hour before he could sit back on his heels and take a breath that finally was not focused on directing healing energy into her.

"Jacob," he said at last, turning to meet the worried eyes of the other male, "she is sleeping now. I have healed her as far as needed. The bruises and minor cuts are up to her own healing system. I can do no more for her. Only rest and time will bring her the remainder of the way."

Gideon was tired, and Jacob could see it clearly in the faded gray of his eyes. It reflected exactly how serious the situation had been that their most powerful healer found himself so taxed.

"Put her to bed," the Ancient instructed him. "All is well with her and the babe." Gideon paused to survey his surroundings for the first time. "It looks as though she was engaged in a very difficult battle," he remarked, noticing burns that scored the walls and the complete tossing of all the objects in the immediate area, "but it is a lie."

"How do you mean?" Jacob asked, watching Gideon gently ease away from Bella, laying her out gingerly and with infinite compassion in his every touch. It had always baffled Jacob how the medic could be so cold and detached in his personality, and yet when he healed or touched an injured being he transformed into the epitome of tenderness and seemingly emotional caring. It was almost as though he saved the power of his feelings so he could use it to heal.

"Here …"

He reached to touch Isabella's chin as her husband came closer. Her head rolled easily aside, her sleep unable to be disturbed even if he had been harsh, because she was under his compulsion to remain so until she was healed and replenished. Gideon brushed back the wild tangle of her black hair from where it covered her throat, revealing two widely spaced puncture wounds in her neck.

"What the hell is that?" Jacob demanded hotly, reaching to touch the wounds.

"It looks like a bite from a Vampire!" Corrine said, her emerald eyes distressed.

"No … I do not think …" Jacob looked up at Gideon helplessly.

"You fought the Vampire wars. Have you ever known a Vampire to take the blood of another Nightwalker?"

"No … It is taboo. And I have seen Vampire wounds. There are more than just two incisors in a Vampire's mouth, and you can usually see their entire set of dental impressions for several hours after the bite."

"And all of her blood is on the floor and in our clothes. No. This is some sort of weak attempt at deception." Gideon shook his silvered head in puzzlement. "Also, the marks are burned, and they end just below the dermis. As an attack, it seems fairly ineffective an injury."

"Oh!" Corrine's gasp drew their attention as she leaned to brush her fingers over the suspect wounds. "I know this! Every New York girl knows this! It's a stun gun!"

"A stun gun?" Gideon asked. Because the Demons lived without technology, and Gideon lived secluded from humans entirely, he had never heard of this weapon. But Jacob had.

"I think you are right, Corr."

"Not a common handheld, though," Corrine added. "One of those distance guns with dartlike barbs that shoot out and stick into the target as power is conducted through wire. They're used in prisons."

"But why would a necromancer—" Jacob halted himself, clearly answering his own question in his thoughts.

"To circumvent her abilities," Gideon agreed with his silent but obvious conclusion. "Once she is hit by the gun, she is incapacitated, and the injury of that much voltage going through her would nullify her power with pain. Bella cannot use her ability if she is overrun with pain." Gideon looked up at Jacob with a coldness added to his implacability. "You had best call Elijah and have him investigate this further. The capture of necromancers is his domain and responsibility, not yours, no matter how driven by your sense of retribution you are to take care of it yourself. Your place is with Bella. She needs your presence, your strength, and to know that you are safe from danger. It will take a while before she will be conscious enough to tell us what happened. A longer while still if you do not follow my instructions in this to the letter.

"When she does awaken, she is not to have visitors or arouse herself from her bed. You can question her for Elijah as needed. Her immune system is going to be very fragile for a while. Demons may not manifest many common ailments, but it does not mean they do not carry the pathogens for them around with them. She is still part human, and this incident will leave her both powerless and vulnerable for some time. It is little different than when you were ill, Corrine, only she will recover quicker.

"Take her to a safe haven. Make it a very short distance and do not alter her molecular structure, Jacob. I will attend her tomorrow and will be making frequent visits for the next week, so be prepared for that. She should be fine as long as a trauma of this magnitude does not reoccur. I suggest you have Elijah post warriors for her protection, especially when you have to hunt. And when I say complete bed rest, I mean it, Jacob. I know how stubborn she is. Make it clear to her. No lifting, no bending, no cleaning, no cooking, no exertion whatsoever until I say otherwise."

Gideon didn't spend another second to see if Jacob had understood or moved to obey his orders. He immediately stepped over to Legna and leaned over her. He picked up her limp hand, folding it into one of his as he brushed several stray hairs that had escaped her braid off of her forehead.

" Nelissuna, " he murmured softly, leaning close to her. He sank his power into her quickly, assessing her current health once more just as a precaution that was no doubt overprotective. But she was becoming his other half, so it was to be expected that he would behave in such ways, he determined to himself rather clinically. She was exhausted, and the only thing he could do now was let her sleep.

He moved his position, carefully sliding his hands beneath her until he could lift her up into the cradle of his arms. He stood up in a simple movement, her weight nothing to him. He felt her head roll gently against his shoulder, her warm face resting against the side of his neck. There was an answering ache from inside of his chest, forcing him to realize he was a little more disturbed by her state than he had expected to be. It did not matter that with all of his expertise he knew she was fine. What mattered was that she had suffered great stress and discomfort, most of it by his urging.

Their Imprinting on one another was going to be a little more difficult than he had originally thought. He could probably manage his feelings of concern for her well-being and health eventually, but he sincerely hoped he would not be afflicted with the possessiveness Jacob struggled with. The hope extended to Legna's perspective, too. He did not think he could tolerate a possessive mate. Gideon could only take comfort in the idea that Legna was a professional at managing emotion and had studied how to do so almost all of her life. Nor did she seem to be the type to indulge in these kinds of jealous traits.

It was a terrible contradiction to Demon nature, this territorialism. Almost every Demon in existence used touch to share their abilities with one another. It wasn't always necessary, but they were instinctively compelled to do it, just as they were an instinctively affectionate race. Certainly, all Demons were possessive to a certain degree when mated, but the ability to control it should not be any different than any other irrational emotion. Gideon was also realizing that the possessiveness of Jacob toward Isabella was unique because of how Jacob's life had unfolded. It had been a difficult one, filled with the ostracism of his position in society. It was easy to see why he guarded his treasure so avidly.

"Gideon, I am going to take refuge at Noah's," Jacob said, lifting Bella from her bed of debris and battle. "I can take Legna."

"I would prefer if you brought Legna and me to the manse," Gideon countered. "Isabella requires peace and rest, as does Legna. I do not think that will last long with the two of them across the hall from one another."

"Point taken," Jacob agreed. "Corrine, will you watch over her? Also, are you in contact with my brother at the moment?"

Corrine nodded.

"He's right here," she said, touching her temple to indicate Kane had been monitoring the entire situation with his telepathic abilities. This communication ability was the male counterpart of Legna's empathy. "He is very concerned for both you and Bella. He says …" Corrine paused to concentrate on the voice of her mate in her head. "He is about to teleport to Elijah's home in order to speak with him on your behalf about Bella's attack. He will also warn Noah of what is happening. After he speaks to Noah, he will come here to hold watch with me until you and the warriors arrive."

"Thank you, Corr. And thank my baby brother for me as well."

"Consider it done," she assured gently. "Now let's hurry and put Bella to bed. I'll sit with her until it's time to go to Noah's. Kane and I will remain in England to be with you until she's well."

Jacob put Isabella to bed upstairs, under Corrine's watchful eye, then came back down to Gideon. He stood before the Ancient for a long moment, his expression eloquent with his gratitude. Gideon nodded his head silently in acceptance. Jacob reached to touch the other two Demons, turning them both completely weightless and flying the three of them out of the door toward Gideon's household. Since he was completely preoccupied with his wife's condition, Jacob did not think twice about Gideon's request to take Legna to his home rather than her own. The Enforcer, normally so observant, had not even noticed the significance of Legna's increased abilities and change in eye color. Gideon was grateful for that. He wanted more time with his intended mate before others began to interject their feelings and opinions into the matter.