The ride didn’t take long, not the way Viktor was driving. Or maybe she had lost her sense of time. Graham had mentioned she had hours, and suddenly, every minute flew away from her like a sparrow. She gave Matteo an impassive smile. He stared down at her as if he were looking at a corpse, and she didn’t like it.
She turned away, listening for the voices of her ancestors. Their spirits beckoned her, and never had she felt more detached. She was no longer tethered to the living world and yet was not part of the spirit world. The connection to her falcon was blocked, leaving her terrified. She clung to the memories of her sons, imagining what their final moments must have been like. Neither died with fear in their eyes, but had they felt any peace?
“Maybe the lion should have killed me,” she muttered.
Shepherd leaned over. “What?”
“Maybe it was my time.” She looked back at Matteo. “Maybe you weren’t supposed to save me that night. Maybe we have to follow the order of things.”
Matteo glanced at Shepherd. “She’s delirious.”
Blue smiled. “So what if I am?” It gave her a lot to consider. If it angered the spirits to defy destiny, perhaps there was a reason for death. Maybe her sons were called to a greater purpose.
The ride was quiet aside from Shepherd occasionally asking if she felt any different. It was nice to lie on the soft mattress, listening to the hum of the road beneath the tires. It kept her mind off the pain in her chest, and suddenly, she had to catch her breath every so often.
When the van finally stopped, the back doors flew open. Blue sat up, and Shepherd helped her scoot out into Matteo’s arms.
“I can walk,” she insisted as he cradled her close.
“Balderdash. You can’t even lie convincingly. I can smell your pain, female.”
“Pain is life.”
Shepherd closed the van doors. “Bring her into the medical room. I’ll do what I can.”
She handed him her phone. “Take this in case Raven calls.”
Viktor appeared in her line of view. “Give her to me.”
“I’ve got her,” Matteo said.
Then Viktor did something unexpected. He drew in close and put his arms beneath her. “She is not yours—she is mine.”
Blue tried to get down, but the next thing she knew, she was in Viktor’s tight embrace. It was then that she relinquished any notion of walking on her own. Resting her head against his shoulder, she could faintly smell his cologne mixed with an earthy scent. Maybe it was his natural smell. Blue stared at his facial hair, always so neatly trimmed except for the scruff on his chin. The silver stubble against his tan skin held her attention.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m always getting hurt lately. I don’t mean to cause all this trouble.”
“Nyet. You are not problem,” he said, his broken words trailing off into Russian. She warmed to his soft and comforting tone, the texture of his voice reaching deep into her soul.
Once inside, the smells changed from greenery to the lingering aroma of charred hamburgers. When they entered Shepherd’s medical room, she wrinkled her nose at the scent of alcohol and bleach. He kept the room as sterile as a hospital. While Shepherd cleaned something, Viktor set her on the metal table.
“You really need a blanket or a pillow on this thing,” she said, trying to lighten the somber mood.
Viktor put his hand on her forehead and stroked her hair back.
Blue rolled toward Viktor when Shepherd approached her with a needle. “Don’t you have any pills?”
“You swallowed active carbon, so they won’t take. This’ll work quicker. It’s a blood thinner to prevent clotting. Just don’t cut yourself. Let me see your arm.”
“Do as he says,” Viktor said softly.
“I’m not afraid of needles,” she explained. “I just don’t like the idea of medicine being forced into my body. The last one made me sick.”
Shepherd flicked the syringe. “It was supposed to.”
Blue coughed a few times and then let Shepherd give her the injection. After a light prick, he checked her blood pressure and clipped a plastic device on her fingertip.
“How is she?” Christian asked from the doorway.
Shepherd returned to the cabinets and opened them. “I’m working on it. Did you tell Switch to keep Hunter and the kids out?”
“Aye. Claude’s helping with that. They won’t be disturbing you. How do you feel, lass?”
Blue stared up at the ceiling. “Like I ate a really bad hot dog.”
“Raven will find him,” Viktor assured her. “She will bring us the remedy.”
Blue shut her eyes, unwilling to argue the glaring truth that Graham likely didn’t have a cure. Why would a Relic be walking around with both a poison and the antidote? He’d targeted those people with the intent to kill. At least it wasn’t a virus, but those poor children.
An unexpected calm swept over her. This wasn’t nearly as painful as the lion attack. Yet going out by poison was the cruelest fate. There was no glory in it—no honor. This wasn’t a warrior’s death.
Overcome with rage, Blue roared and swung her arms. The clip on her finger went flying and struck Christian in the chest before falling to the floor. She forced herself to sit up, unwilling to die on her back.
Shepherd ignored her reaction and checked her pulse again.
Viktor circled the table. “What can I do?”
Blue clutched her chest, the pressure building. It felt like she had swallowed a large bite of something, and it was stuck halfway down. “He promised I had hours,” she said bitterly, realizing she was declining rapidly.
Viktor leaned into view. “Can you shift? Try again.”
Blue tried but didn’t want to waste her energy repeating the effort. “It’s not worth it. You know shifting won’t help with poison. Where did Matteo go?”
Christian folded his arms. “The pussycat’s outside. He doesn’t belong in our house without an escort, and he sure as shite isn’t invited in here.”
Viktor regarded her for a moment. “Do you want him? I can make exceptions.”
Blue shook her head before falling back. Viktor caught her, and she rested gently against the table. “I don’t want to die in this room. It smells like a hospital or something. Don’t let me die in this room.”
Viktor collected her in his arms. “We’ll be in the gathering room. See if Gem has found anything in her books.”
Shepherd briskly marched out like a soldier taking orders. Viktor followed behind but parted ways with Shepherd in the foyer. The lanterns guided the way, and when they reached the dining room, all the candles on the chandelier had been snuffed out.
“Bring a blanket,” Viktor said, but not to her.
When they reached the gathering room, he placed her on the sofa and went to the fireplace. She watched him kneel before the massive hearth. It wasn’t cold enough for a fire, but it wasn’t unusual to find one burning in this room. Candles were insufficient to light up the large space, and they spent a lot of time in here talking, reading, and drinking. She thought about some of those memories and cherished them, realizing she’d taken so much for granted. Viktor had given her a second chance with Keystone in more than one way. This had become her home.