Sherman had finally come to grips with…everything. Well, maybe not the fact that vampires existed but everything that had to deal with Dalton. They were bonded, a life-long commitment that no longer scared Sherman, and he wasn’t going to lose Dalton because some whacked-out vampire had a score to settle.
Why the hell couldn’t he catch a break? First his mom and now Dalton. He couldn’t catch a break with bad guys, either. Something had to give, and soon, or Sherman just might lose it.
They pulled behind the vet clinic. Sherman shouldn’t have been surprised when Ben hauled Dalton out of the truck, hoisting the bear shifter’s immense body over his shoulder, but he was. It still freaked him out how powerful nonhumans were.
“Get the door,” Ben said, breathless. “Your mate weighs a goddamn ton.”
Sherman scrambled forward, yanking the glass door open before Ben carried him inside. Dalton had to be at least three hundred pounds of solid muscle, yet Ben got him in and laid him down on a steel exam table. Dalton’s arms and legs dangled over the sides, and he’d yet to open his eyes.
He looked like an oversized rag doll lying there.
“I told him not to leave,” a gorgeous blond in a lab coat said. “I told him to keep his heart rate down or the poison would work faster. Why the hell are some people so damn bullheaded?”
Sherman moved aside as the vet checked Dalton’s vitals. He wrung his hands and bit his lower lip, his heart thundering. “Please tell me you have an antidote. What was he even poisoned with?”
The vet turned to Sherman and gave him a warm smile. “First, I’m Dr. Evan Scott. It’s nice to see Dalton finally mated. Second, yes, I know what he was poisoned with. I knew five minutes after he’d left, but he didn’t answer my calls.”
“What is it, Doc?” Ben’s brows were drawn together as he leaned in while moving closer. “What’s wrong with the chief?”
“Silver poisoning,” Dr. Scott said. “I have an antidote, but he let the infection get too far.”
“What does that mean?” It was Sherman who moved in closer, needing to be near Dalton. “Does this mean he’s going to die?”
Sherman staggered backward, falling absently into the chair next to him. He cradled his head in his hands, cursing the fact that Dalton had left the clinic to come rescue him. The doctor had warned Dalton not to go anywhere, not to let his heart rate climb, yet that was exactly what his mate had done. He’d sacrificed himself in order to save Sherman.
He swallowed several times against the burning lump in his throat, fighting back the tears as he prayed like he’d never prayed before.
“There.” Dr. Scott said a few moments later. “Antidote administered.” He turned to face Sherman when Sherman looked up. “As far as the damage, we’ll have to wait and see. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you better news.”
When the doctor got up, he squeezed Sherman’s shoulder. The gesture brought little comfort. Sherman didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. He wanted Dalton to get better, to be as good as new.
“I’ll wait out in the hall,” Ben said. “Hang in there, and if there’s anything you need, just ask.”
Sherman wiped at the tears in his eyes. God, he’d cried more over the past twelve hours than he had in the past twelve years. This had been an emotionally draining day, and Sherman never wanted another day like this.
He searched Dalton’s pockets and borrowed his mate’s phone to call Payton. His cousin answered on the third ring. “Hello?”
“It’s me.”
“How’s Dalton doing?”
Sherman started to ask how Payton knew about Dalton, but did it really matter? He told his cousin what the vet had told him.
“Oh, hon,” Payton said. “Do you need me to come to you? I can be there in a matter of minutes.”
This time Sherman didn’t want Payton at his side. It was nothing personal, but he wanted this time with Dalton by himself. His heart had already bottomed out, and his stomach was wrapped in dull pain. He didn’t want Payton to see him so distraught or he just might fall apart. He couldn’t do that. Dalton needed him to be strong, and that was exactly what Sherman would be. “No, but I’ll let you know if I do need you. Have you heard about my mom?”
Too bad Sherman couldn’t have them both in the same room so he could check on them at the same time. But his mother was at the hospital and Dalton was at the vet. The two buildings were at least fifteen minutes apart, and as badly as he wanted to see his mom, Sherman couldn’t make himself leave Dalton’s side.
“I haven’t heard anything yet about your mom,” Payton said. “I’m here for you. Just let me know what you need me to do.”
All Sherman wanted was his mother and his mate to get better. That wasn’t asking too much. It wasn’t as if he were asking for a million bucks or eternal life. He just wanted the people he cared about to not leave him.
“Okay. Thanks.” Sherman cleared his throat. “I’m gonna go, in case Dalton wakes up.”
“I love you,” Payton said.
“Love you, too.” Sherman hung up and stared down at the phone as he continued to pray. Would fate be cruel enough to bring Dalton into his life and then take him away before they even got to know each other?
Sherman grabbed Dalton’s hand and rubbed it against his cheek. “I’m right here, you damn fool. You should have listened to Dr. Scott. I’m not worth rescuing, Dalton. I’m not worth you losing your life over.”
He gasped when Dalton’s hand turned into an oversized furry paw. Dalton had shifted into his bear form, and the table groaned under his weight.
“Doctor!” Sherman let the paw fall from his hand. “Doctor!”
Dr. Scott and Ben rushed into the room and looked around, as if they expected some kind of threat.
“He shifted,” Sherman said. “I don’t think that table is going to hold him. Should we put him on the floor with some blankets?”
“Shifting is a good sign,” Dr. Scott said as he hooked the bear up to an IV. “It means his body is trying to heal. I’m just going to give him some fluids to hopefully help flush the poison out.” He looked at Ben. “Help me move him. Dalton is a big bear, and I don’t want to drop him. There’s room in the kennel area for an animal his size. We’ll put him there. That way his mate can stay with him, if Sherman doesn’t mind yapping dogs. I have a few overnight guests in there.”
Sherman would deal with whatever he had to in order to stay by Dalton’s side. He also wanted Raphael dead in the worst way.
“Don’t worry,” Ben said to him as he moved in closer. “I have men guarding the clinic. No one is going to get past them. You and Dalton will be safe here.”
Sherman followed them as they carried the bear—which looked to weigh around six hundred pounds—to the kennel in the back. Once they got Dalton comfortable, Sherman turned to Ben.
“Has anyone found Raphael?”
“No, not yet.”
Ben and the doctor left Sherman to be with Dalton. A small white dog yapped and wagged his tail, batting at the cage with his paws. Any other time Sherman would have been all over him, wanting to play, but he wasn’t in the mood.