Chapter 24

Everything hurt. Goddess, everything hurt.

I ached all over, and I could tell I had a few very severe injuries that were going to land me in a long hospital stay.

But I didn’t care about any of that.

Because I had my Cos.

I had my Jude.

I had my life.

I hadn’t expected to make it out of that. I really, truly hadn’t. And if it hadn’t been for the soul bond Cos and I shared, I wouldn’t have.

I didn’t think I’d ever been so very grateful for that stupid bloodstone before in my life. It had bonded the two of us together in a way that was unheard of, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I kept a tight grip on Jude’s hand but stared up into my mate’s eyes. His eyes were red and swollen, his face filled with tear tracks, and a pang of guilt ran through me. How long had I been… unalive? How long had Cos thought I was gone forever?

Goddess, my poor mate.

“I love you, kitty cat,” I whispered. My voice was messed up, likely from the blast, so I couldn’t raise my voice any louder than that.

His eyes met mine. “I love you, too.”

I felt my lip tremble a moment before a small sob came out of me, and tears fell from my eyes like a damn waterfall.

“Oh, baby,” he whispered as he pulled me into a tight hug. It hurt, but it felt too good to complain, and I definitely didn’t want him to stop. “It’s all going to be okay now. We’re okay. We’re safe.”

I nodded against him, but I couldn’t speak.

Goddess, we’d been attacked in our own home. I shuddered. What could have happened if we hadn’t had that shield up to warn us of the intrusion? How many more of our pride mates would’ve been killed?

Oh goddess.

Ben.

Harriet.

I gasped. “D-did Ben…?”

“He’s… alive. We won’t know… but he’s going to pull through. Scar called for an ambulance. EMTs are already with him. Several more ambulances should be here soon.”

I nodded, worry and relief warring within me. “Wh-what about… about Harriet?”

“She’s not in good shape, but Lilibeth has her. An ambulance will be taking her, too.”

“She’s not… she didn’t…”

“No, baby. She’s hanging in there.” The for now went unsaid.

I took a shaky breath. “Okay. Is anyone else…?”

“There are other minor injuries, but nothing you need to worry about.”

A loud breath of relief left me.

“An ambulance is coming for you and Jude, too. Zara spoke to dispatch. They know they have to take you two together and that they have to fit three shifters in the ambulance with them.”

I had no idea how they could possibly accomplish that, but I didn’t much care. Not my problem. I only cared about keeping Jude and Cos within arm’s reach for the foreseeable future.

I glanced at Jude, taking him in for a long moment, and my dyad met my eyes. The moment they did, more tears spilled down my face, and I watched my wonderful, amazing, stoic Jude let a few tears fall down his.

He squeezed my hand, and I felt a surge of his love travel through me. I sighed, then sent that same love right back to him.

He whispered in Magi, “Better than the tallest tree in the world, bubba.”

I let out a wet laugh. “And you’re better than all the clouds in the sky, Judikans.”

He sent me a small smile, but his mates distracted him, and I turned back to my own, meeting his golden eyes and basking in his warmth for a long moment.

Jude was alive. Cos was alive.

Ben and Harriet were… going to pull through.

Everyone else was safe.

But…

Had I? Were we really safe?

I knew I needed to see—needed to know—needed to be certain. So I tore my gaze from Cosmo’s and looked on the other side of us. It didn’t take me long to find his body, and I swallowed thickly.

Anderson.

He was lying there, half his body burned to a crisp, his face turned toward me. Half his face was… just gone, but on the other half, his eye was open, staring unseeing.

I held in a shudder.

Dead, then.

Definitely dead.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned away from the monster, grateful that I’d never have to look at that bastard ever again.

Cos hugged me and whispered, “We’re safe.”

I nodded. We were.

We were safe.

I knew there’d be things to do after this, more witches to kill, but we’d cut the head off the snake, or rather, we’d cut off two heads. We could win this war between us and the witches now. We had the advantage. Finally.

But those were worries for another day.

Cos kissed my forehead, and I sank into it, into his love and warmth, letting everything else go. At least for a little while.

I tried not to fall asleep, but I kept nodding off, only to be jerked awake when Cos said my name or jostled me a little. He didn’t want me to sleep, and I could feel his fear that I wouldn’t wake back up every time I closed my eyes. But I was so, so, so very tired that I couldn’t help it. My eyes kept shutting of their own accord even though I was trying so hard to keep them open for my Cos.

“Come on, baby, just wait until the EMTs get here. If they say you can sleep, you can sleep. But I need you to stay awake for me right now.” His hand brushed through my hair. “Let me see those pretty eyes of yours.”

I did my best to blink them open. It felt like my eyelids weighed a ton, but I managed to squint up at him. At my beautiful mate. Goddess, he was so gorgeous. I didn’t know what I ever did to deserve him, but damn was I thankful for him.

A few tears slid down his cheeks as he stared at me, and I wanted so badly to brush them away, but whatever energy I’d had before had been wiped out when I’d helped Jude. My body and my soul felt like they were in tatters, and I just wanted to sleep.

“Not yet, cat lover. Stay awake.”

I let out a groan, but it sounded more like a whimper.

“I know, but I just… I’m afraid to let you sleep, okay? Stay awake. For me, yeah?”

I took a breath and tried to nod, unsure if I was successful.

The EMTs arrived in a flurry of movement and talking that I couldn’t keep up with. They put an IV in me, and when they went to put me on a stretcher, Cos held me tight to his chest.

He said, “I’ll carry him.”

“Sir, we have to transport patients to the hospital on stretchers.”

“You’re aware these two are dyads, yes?” He didn’t wait for a reply; he just kept speaking. “You can only fit one stretcher in the ambulance, and Jude is worse off than Mads. Plus, he’s bigger. It makes more sense to put him on the stretcher. I’ll carry Mads so he and Jude aren’t separated.”

There was a tense hesitation before the man blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine. Whatever. But you’re taking the blame for it, okay? I’m not getting in trouble because some alpha shifter council member won’t listen to me.”

“That’s fine. I take full responsibility.”

“Good.”

While that was going on, the other EMT put an IV in Jude’s arm, and they moved him to a stretcher and hauled him across the yard and into an ambulance. I had to let go of his hand when they did that, and I held in the whimper that wanted to escape. Jude made a strangled noise that broke my heart.

Cos said to him, “Mads is right here. He’s coming with you, Jude. He’ll be right by your side in a minute.”

As soon as the EMTs were out of the way, Cos hopped into the ambulance, sitting on one side of Jude while his mates sat on the other side. Cos moved my hand into Jude’s, and we both sighed in relief. I nuzzled Cosmo’s chest a little to show my appreciation, and because I liked him and his scent.

He kissed the top of my head and murmured, “I’ve got you, baby. You’re safe.”

I nodded and closed my eyes, not worried in the least with my mate protecting me and my dyad by my side.

When I woke up,I was in a hospital bed. I was aware of hands holding each of mine, and I didn’t even have to check who it was. Cos was on one side, Jude on the other. The way it was meant to be.

“You’re safe, baby,” Cosmo’s voice said, but I’d already shut my eyes so I couldn’t see him. “Go back to sleep, Mads. I’ll keep you and Jude safe.”

I tried to respond but all that came out was a soft grunt.

Sleep pulled me back under before I could hear Cosmo’s response.

The second orthird time I woke—I had no idea how many times, to be honest, because everything was a jumble in my brain—I was actually able to lift my eyelids, although the brightness of the light made me squint.

“Hey, baby,” Cos whispered when he realized my eyes were open. He stood but didn’t release my hand. “Let me get you a drink.”

He went to pull away, but I held his hand tighter, not letting him go.

He sent me a soft smile. “Alright. I can do it one-handed.” He moved around without releasing me, then came back with a cup of water a few minutes later. He pressed a straw to my lips, and I opened up to take a few drags.

The liquid hit my throat, and I closed my eyes in relief. I hadn’t even realized how parched I’d been. I took a few more sips before nodding at Cos.

He set the cup down, then came back to stare at me. He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” His eyes welled up again.

“Oh, honey,” I whispered, giving his hand a tug. “Come here.”

I pulled on him until he climbed on the bed, letting him release my hand once he was touching me, and he wrapped me in his arms. I kept my other hand in Jude’s, but I turned my body into my mate and let my soul finally start to mend back together.

I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I could tell that my soul hadn’t fully healed from being torn from my body. It felt like it was a thousand puzzle pieces trying to find their way back and make themselves fit together inside of me, but none of them were quite the same shape they’d been before.

It would take time to heal.

I wasn’t sure how that was going to affect my magic, but I knew it wouldn’t be good for a long time. That would take time to heal, too.

But… a worry for another day.

All that mattered today was that I had my mate and my dyad here with me. And that the rest of our pride was safe and okay.

“How’re Harriet and Ben?” I asked, whispering into Cosmo’s chest.

He sighed. “Harriet’s still in surgery. Ben came out about an hour ago and is stable.”

“I’m glad Ben’s okay.”

“Me, too. Harriet’s gonna pull through. I know she is.”

I nodded in agreement. Harriet had to pull through.

“Both of them will be in the ICU—Ben’s already there. Visitors are limited, so Scarlett’s with Ben, and Lilibeth will stay with Harriet once she’s out of surgery. Right now Lilibeth, Charlie, and Ash are in the waiting room, waiting to hear about Harriet’s surgery. Char and Ash will stop by here once they have news. Everyone else has been checked out and stitched up and is in a hotel room right across the street, including all the animals. Logan, Haiden, and Zara went back home to get Mango and Dorito since we already had the others. All four cats and the dog are unharmed and safe. The NHSO is putting us up there until they finish examining our home and get a cleanup crew there and everything.”

That was a lot of information, so I took a moment to absorb it. “Okay.”

Cos seemed amused as he kissed the top of my head. “Go back to sleep, baby. Everyone’s safe for the moment, okay? Rest.”

Since I was beyond exhausted and I trusted my mate implicitly, I closed my eyes and let sleep claim me once again.

The next time I woke,Charlie was in the room, whispering quietly to Cos. When I moved around and opened my eyes, Char said, “Sorry, Mads. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

I tried to wave him off, but one hand was still in Jude’s and the other was stuck between Cos and me, so I cleared my throat instead. “It’s fine. How’s Harriet?”

“The surgery went well, and she’s in recovery now, but they said she’s not out of the woods yet. She lost a lot of blood and there’s a big risk of infection, so she’s in the ICU. Ash and Wren used healing spells on her, but obviously, we all know magi magic can’t really help with the big things. Lilibeth is going to keep healing her, too. It might not fix anything, but we figured it couldn’t hurt.”

I nodded. “Yes. Keep doing that. It’ll help.” Only a very minuscule amount, but that was better than nothing.

“I’ll make sure they know.” Charlie cleared his throat. “How are you feeling, Mads?”

I took a breath and examined my body, soul, and magic. “Um… not great. Maybe a little better than before, but I feel… weak.”

For a moment, I couldn’t believe I’d actually said that out loud, but then I chastised myself because this was my family. Charlie was like a brother to me, and both he and Cos deserved my honesty.

“That’ll get better with rest and probably a shit-ton of food. I’m so glad you’re okay.” Charlie’s voice cracked on the last sentence, and I leaned away from Cos to look at him.

After only a split-second, I said, “Come here.”

Charlie didn’t hesitate to dive on top of Cos to hug us both. He was careful not to squish me, but from Cosmo’s grunt, I was pretty sure he’d successfully squished his brother. But my mate didn’t complain.

He nuzzled my hair and Cosmo’s, and we hugged him for a long while before Jude woke up, too. Charlie went through the same thing with Jude, Kulani, and River, and the four of them ended up in a hugging huddle.

And still, Jude and I held hands.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever let Jude or Cos go at this point.

Throughout the day,the rest of my pride mates came in to visit us. There were a lot of tears and plenty of hugs and scenting, and I loved every moment of it. I was so damn grateful they were all okay.

But there was a noticeable absence without Ben, Harriet, Scarlett, and Lilibeth there.

Ben was doing much better, and there was talk of putting Jude and me in wheelchairs so we could go visit him. But Harriet’s condition was still in question, and we weren’t allowed to visit her yet.

Not only had Anderson gravely wounded her, he’d used her blood and sucked out a lot of her life force. She was going to take a long time to recover—because she had to recover.

I really wanted to just sneak into her room and try a few healing spells on her. But considering I needed Cosmo’s help to make it the three feet to the bathroom, I didn’t think that was a viable option at the moment.

When Eva brought the kids in, Teo didn’t even hesitate to climb into the already overcrowded bed. Cos laughed and hauled the cute tiger shifter up and deposited him between us, although he was sort of lying on top of us since Cos and I were still touching. There wasn’t even an inch of space left to squeeze him in, not since Kulani had climbed into the bed on the other side of Jude, and River had shifted and climbed on top of their mates.

Jude and I were no longer holding hands, but only because our backs were pressed against each other. We couldn’t be separated for long right now. Even trips to the bathroom were horrible, although I was definitely grateful for Cos helping me shower off all the grime and blood before we had all these visitors.

Teo wrapped his small arms around me, and I wheezed out, “Loosen up, bud.” Geez, I might’ve been weak right now, but I was pretty sure that’d been his shifter abilities making themselves known. Damn. Such tiny arms for all that strength.

He loosened his arms a bit but didn’t lift his head from where he’d buried it in my chest. I heard a couple of sniffles, so I hugged him tighter, rested my cheek on the top of his head, rubbed his back, and whispered, “I’m okay, sweetie. Everyone’s okay and safe.”

He nodded against me but didn’t let go or stop crying.

Cos moved around a little so he could wrap us both in his arms, sandwiching our cute little tiger between us. He kissed my forehead and the top of Teo’s head, and just held us firmly together.

Elzanna only waited about two minutes before she jumped on top of our little hug pile. She literally just… flung herself on top of us. Eva yelled at her—not that El knew since she wasn’t looking at Eva—but it made Cos and me laugh.

Teo groaned out, “Why is she on top of me?”

“I think she wanted in on the hug,” Cos said.

Teo sighed loudly and for a long time but didn’t try to push his sister off or anything like that. Cos and I each wrapped an arm around her, fully bringing her into our huddle. Teo sighed in resignation, and hearing that sound come from such a small person made Cos and me share a grin of amusement. Adorable.

After a little while, Teo spoke into my chest, making him sound muffled. “Dare went to get all of us food, but he said we can only eat with you if you say it’s okay.”

He finally looked up, nearly headbutting Cos in the chin—luckily my mate had super-fast reflexes, even after being exhausted from a battle.

Teo said, “It’s okay, right? He’ll be here soon, and I don’t want to leave yet.”

I placed a kiss on his forehead. “I’d love to eat with you, little man.”

He smiled brightly at me, and his earlier sadness seemed to seep away. I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy to keep his fears at bay, but at least he’d have a moment of peace.

Throughout the next few hours, my pride mates came to visit us, giving us hugs and scenting us and filling us with love. It was exactly what my soul needed.

That was the only way it would heal.

Thank the goddess I was always surrounded by so much love these days.

After everyone else went back to the hotel, the nurses brought wheelchairs for Jude and me. Cos was allowed to push my wheelchair, and Kulani pushed Jude’s while River stayed in their snow leopard form and walked beside Jude. My dyad kept a hand in Riv’s fur as we moved through the hallways.

Since we wouldn’t fit beside each other, Kulani walked his group in front of us so I could keep an eye on my dyad the whole way to Ben’s room.

When we got there, Scarlett jumped from her seat beside Ben’s bed, ran over, and threw her arms around Jude’s neck—although Kulani caught her arm before she could hurt Jude’s wound. After a few sniffles, she moved over to give me a tight squeeze.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered into my ear.

“I’m glad you are, too.” I patted her back. “How’s Ben?”

She released me and stood. “Hanging in there. He’s been asleep for a while, so he might wake up for you.”

Cos pushed me forward to the side of the hospital bed, and I reached out to grab Ben’s hand. “Hey, Ben,” I said quietly—my voice was still messed up, so I couldn’t really speak louder than a whisper. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Ben blinked his eyes open and found me after a moment. The second he smiled at me, tears started leaking from my eyes. Goddess, I’d thought… I’d really thought…

“Thank the goddess you came back to us,” I whispered, then leaned in and rubbed my cheek against his hand… like a cat would. I was turning into my mate. Geez. But also, I didn’t hate the scenting thing.

Ben squeezed my hand. He couldn’t talk because of his injury, but I knew he was grateful, too.

“Cos, help me.” I released Ben’s hand and started to push up in the wheelchair.

“Mads, you shouldn’t?—”

“I need to hug him.”

That shut my mate right up, and he pulled me to my feet and helped me give Ben a gentle hug. It wasn’t the tight squeeze I wanted to give, but it was something, and Ben seemed to appreciate the effort.

We stayed in his room—and Ben slept almost the entire time—while we waited for Harriet to move out of recovery and into an actual room. And when we were finally allowed to see her, I started crying again.

She’d been so, so still when Anderson had started… pulling out her life force. I didn’t think I’d ever get to see her again. I’d thought she’d already been… gone.

She wasn’t awake, but I still made Cos help me up so I could give her cheek a kiss. She was in… bad shape, and the doctors said she could be asleep for a long time, but they also seemed hopeful. They wouldn’t tell us that she would recover, not yet, but I was confident she would. Or at least, I was trying to be.

“Are you sure we can’t just stay in here?” I asked Cos for the tenth time after we’d sat with Harriet for over an hour.

“No, we can’t. You and Jude shouldn’t have been out of bed this long as it is. You need sleep, baby.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“You’re practically asleep already.”

And… that was fair because I could no longer keep my eyes open. “Will you stay in bed with me?”

“Of course, sweetheart. And I’ll wheel you back here to visit Ben and Harriet tomorrow, okay?”

“Deal.”

Cos kissed the top of my head, gave Lilibeth a hug since she was staying with Harriet, and pushed me out of the room with Jude, Kulani, and River following behind.

I was absolutely no help when he got me back in bed, and I was out like a light the second he pulled me into his arms because I knew I was safe, and so was everyone I loved.