grass, his still, empty face staring up at the starry sky.
SIX
"You are not dead," Cynna was saying fiercely, her hands digging into Cullen's shoulders. "You are not. You are not dead. Dammit, Cullen, you - "
"I've got him," Nettie said crisply. She'd flattened her hands on Cullen's chest. "Cynna, get back. You're leaking. It interferes."
Lily couldn't feel her feet. She was standing, so they must still be there at the end of her legs, but she couldn't feel them. Her last breath had pulled something bad inside her, unreality spreading like poison through her body, paralyzing her. No, she wanted to say along with Cynna. No, he can't be dead. Cullen can't be -
Cullen's chest quivered. It lifted, ever so slightly, then fell. His eyelids drifted closed.
Lily sucked in a breath, too. This one dispelled the poison and she hurried to Cynna. "Come on, Cynna. Move back. Let Nettie work. You're right. You're right, he isn't dead, but you have to move back."
He wasn't dead now. Seconds ago, he had been. Or at least he hadn't been breathing. An atavistic shiver threw goose bumps along Lily's arms. She pulled on Cynna, who allowed it, lurching to her feet with Lily's arm around her waist.
"He's not dead." Cynna's face was dry but oddly slack, as if shock had cut the muscles.
"No, he isn't. Look at his chest. Look at his eyes, Cynna. He closed them. Nettie did her thing and Cullen's breathing."
A shudder traveled through Cynna like a minor earthquake. Lily tightened her arm as the woman's knees went soft, bracing her legs so they didn't both tumble to the ground.
A second later Cynna stiffened, taking most of her weight again. "I'm fine," she said. "I'm good. Cullen - "
"Nettie's got him. She isn't letting him go."
As if agreeing, Nettie spoke. "Helicopter." Her head was upright, her eyes closed, the frizzy waves of her hair hanging down on either side of her face like half-drawn drapes. "Medevac."
"Nettie - " Isen began.
"Now." There was no give in her voice. Iron couldn't be harder or more certain. "Stabbed in the heart. There's poison. It's interfering."
"I sent for the Rhej," Benedict said.
"Good." With that, Nettie shut the rest of them out, beginning a low chant.
Poison? Lily twitched, wanting to check for herself. To see if the poison had a magical component, because there were precious damned few things that poisoned a lupus.
But Cynna was leaning on her, and she didn't want to interfere with Nettie. Who was keeping Cullen alive.
Rule already had his phone out and was speaking into it. " ...need a medevac helicopter at Nokolai Clanhome. Stabbing victim, a heart wound, and there's some sort of poison involved." A pause. "That's not acceptable. We have a doctor on scene, and she says she needs a helicopter."
Lily glanced around. "Here," she said to one of the men still on his feet. Shannon was a freckled, redheaded guard who looked about twenty. He was probably twice that. "Keep her on her feet."
Cynna scowled. "I don't need to be passed around like - "
"Yes, you do." Lily waited until Shannon slid an arm around Cynna, then hurried to Rule, who was speaking with controlled fury to the person at the other end. She held out her hand. "Let me."
He broke off in midsentence and put his phone in her hand. His pupils had swollen, black overtaking color in his eyes but not swallowing the whites. Yet. The edges of that black quivered as he fought back the need to Change.
He wanted to hunt and catch and kill. She understood.
Lily took his hand so the mate bond could help him hold on to his control and spoke into the phone. "This is FBI Special Unit Agent Lily Yu. I need a medevac helicopter at this location. Immediately."
The 911 operator told her all the copters were out on other calls, but she'd send an ambulance. Lily had to let go of Rule's hand to retrieve her own phone from her pocket... not the pocket that held Cullen's present.
And she was not going to think about that. "I need a copter. You can divert
SIX
"You are not dead," Cynna was saying fiercely, her hands digging into Cullen's shoulders. "You are not. You are not dead. Dammit, Cullen, you - "
"I've got him," Nettie said crisply. She'd flattened her hands on Cullen's chest. "Cynna, get back. You're leaking. It interferes."
Lily couldn't feel her feet. She was standing, so they must still be there at the end of her legs, but she couldn't feel them. Her last breath had pulled something bad inside her, unreality spreading like poison through her body, paralyzing her. No, she wanted to say along with Cynna. No, he can't be dead. Cullen can't be -
Cullen's chest quivered. It lifted, ever so slightly, then fell. His eyelids drifted closed.
Lily sucked in a breath, too. This one dispelled the poison and she hurried to Cynna. "Come on, Cynna. Move back. Let Nettie work. You're right. You're right, he isn't dead, but you have to move back."
He wasn't dead now. Seconds ago, he had been. Or at least he hadn't been breathing. An atavistic shiver threw goose bumps along Lily's arms. She pulled on Cynna, who allowed it, lurching to her feet with Lily's arm around her waist.
"He's not dead." Cynna's face was dry but oddly slack, as if shock had cut the muscles.
"No, he isn't. Look at his chest. Look at his eyes, Cynna. He closed them. Nettie did her thing and Cullen's breathing."
A shudder traveled through Cynna like a minor earthquake. Lily tightened her arm as the woman's knees went soft, bracing her legs so they didn't both tumble to the ground.
A second later Cynna stiffened, taking most of her weight again. "I'm fine," she said. "I'm good. Cullen - "
"Nettie's got him. She isn't letting him go."
As if agreeing, Nettie spoke. "Helicopter." Her head was upright, her eyes closed, the frizzy waves of her hair hanging down on either side of her face like half-drawn drapes. "Medevac."
"Nettie - " Isen began.
"Now." There was no give in her voice. Iron couldn't be harder or more certain. "Stabbed in the heart. There's poison. It's interfering."
"I sent for the Rhej," Benedict said.
"Good." With that, Nettie shut the rest of them out, beginning a low chant.
Poison? Lily twitched, wanting to check for herself. To see if the poison had a magical component, because there were precious damned few things that poisoned a lupus.
But Cynna was leaning on her, and she didn't want to interfere with Nettie. Who was keeping Cullen alive.
Rule already had his phone out and was speaking into it. " ...need a medevac helicopter at Nokolai Clanhome. Stabbing victim, a heart wound, and there's some sort of poison involved." A pause. "That's not acceptable. We have a doctor on scene, and she says she needs a helicopter."
Lily glanced around. "Here," she said to one of the men still on his feet. Shannon was a freckled, redheaded guard who looked about twenty. He was probably twice that. "Keep her on her feet."
Cynna scowled. "I don't need to be passed around like - "
"Yes, you do." Lily waited until Shannon slid an arm around Cynna, then hurried to Rule, who was speaking with controlled fury to the person at the other end. She held out her hand. "Let me."
He broke off in midsentence and put his phone in her hand. His pupils had swollen, black overtaking color in his eyes but not swallowing the whites. Yet. The edges of that black quivered as he fought back the need to Change.
He wanted to hunt and catch and kill. She understood.
Lily took his hand so the mate bond could help him hold on to his control and spoke into the phone. "This is FBI Special Unit Agent Lily Yu. I need a medevac helicopter at this location. Immediately."
The 911 operator told her all the copters were out on other calls, but she'd send an ambulance. Lily had to let go of Rule's hand to retrieve her own phone from her pocket... not the pocket that held Cullen's present.
And she was not going to think about that. "I need a copter. You can divert
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