MacRieve

FORTY-FIVE

Will leapt to his feet, Chloe unconscious in his arms, and gave a sharp howl. “No, no! Chloe, stay with me!” Nothing.

His beast was rising, along with Will’s panic.

—Protect.— “I want to protect!” he bellowed to no one. He well remembered the symptoms of venom. Why the hell would she have them?

All he knew was that this was somehow his fault.

The witches could help her. Surely. He just had to get Chloe to them. But what if she worsened on the long flight back? Not to mention that mated Lykae did not fly under a full moon. Fuck!

Worry stabbing at him, he whipped around, about to sprint to the keep—

Two succubae were standing not twenty feet away. The pair he’d seen outside the wall at Glenrial.

“Where the bluidy hell did you come from?” One looked to be in her mid-twenties, the other in her late teens. The younger one wore a sword at her hip.

His first impulse was to ward these two away from Chloe. He hated succubae—but he was frantic to heal his mate.

The older one said, “I’m Gisela, Chloe’s aunt. Her mother was my sister. This is my daughter, Nieve.”

Chloe had family besides Webb? She’d never spoken about her mother much. Not that he’d asked about Fiore—because Will hadn’t wanted to be reminded of where Chloe got her succubus nature from.

All he knew was that Fiore had died when Chloe was still a baby.

He turned to Gisela, who at least looked sympathetic. Her daughter was presently slitting her eyes at Will. Was that succubus actually carrying a weapon? “Chloe’s taken ill.” Between gritted teeth, he said, “Do you . . . can you help me?”

Gisela said, “She’s very sick, MacRieve.”

“How do you know my name?”

“All the Ubus peoples know of you and your brother, of the Woods of Murk.” Just as he was about to ask how, she added, “And, I have to admit, I listened to what you told Chloe. I did not know Ruelle, but you have my sincerest apologies in any case.”

And pity—he could see it in her eyes! Fury raged inside him. “I doona want your goddamned pity!” With Chloe secure in one arm, he lashed out uncontrollably, slashing at a tree. “I want my mate well!”

Nieve murmured to her mother, “Didn’t I say he was crazed?”

Gisela told Will, “She needs to come with us, her family. We might be able to heal her.”

“Go with you? You must be bluidy daft! I will never let this creature out of my sight. Do you understand me? Never!”

Nieve said, “Do you want our help or do you want her to perish in your arms?”

“Perish?” I canna lose her! “She’s immortal now. She canna.”

Gisela said sadly, “I believe Chloe’s dying.”

He chuffed with fear. My little mate . . . “What will you do?”

“Take her to my home in the Ubus Realm. I’m a healer, and I have medicine there. Our portal lies just over there.” She pointed to an area that looked like the rest of the forest.

But now he could scent a difference. The door to that plane was in his fucking forest?

It made sense—that’s where Ruelle had come from.

And this pair expected him to allow his mate to travel through that same portal? He’d heard that men who went to the Ubus Realm did not return.

The least of his worries. Could he trust these females with Chloe?

“MacRieve, I have a good idea of what’s happened to her.” Gisela held out her arms. “Give her to me, and I vow to the Lore that I will do everything in my power to save her.”

An unbreakable vow.

“There’s not much time,” she continued. “If I’m right, then she’ll sicken further with each moment we delay. I need my tools to diagnose her.”

“Lykae are stubborn, ignorant creatures,” Nieve said coldly. “He won’t do what’s necessary to save her.”

Will gazed down at Chloe. She had her wee hand pressed against his chest. Right over his heart. “Why must I give her to you?”

“Our portal guardians will not let you through on the night of a full moon, especially not in your condition”—shirtless, burned, wild-eyed, a heartbeat from turning?—“not unless we have some surety that you won’t harm others. Chloe is that surety. You must entrust her to me.”

—Trust.— his Instinct advised. But his history told him he should be running with Chloe.

The Instinct won. Will shuddered when he handed her over, wolven sounds erupting from his throat as he and his beast reacted.

Gisela clasped Chloe tightly, maternally. With a glare at Will, Nieve stepped through the portal, her mother behind her.

Though he might never return to his home again, Will was right on their heels, striding through without hesitation.

Where your mate goes, you follow. . . .