Marshal Law by Kris Norris Page B

turned to him and Jude damn near died. Compassion, love. Everything he’d ever searched for but never found gleamed in her eyes as she watched him watch her. The stunning smile she gave him made his knees weak, and he thanked god he’d taken the time to sit down.
    “Jude? I…”
    Her eyes rolled slightly as her body collapsed backwards. Jude caught her, cradling her head as he gently laid her on the bed, Ethan lifting her legs. She stared up at them, dampening her lower lip as she seemed to drag in her next breath.
    Jude thumbed her cheek. “Rest. We’re here.”
    Her chuckle morphed into a groan. “I told you names were dangerous. They make you care.” She swallowed with effort. “I don’t want to care.”
    “But you do, don’t you?”
    Those blues eyes gazed at him. “You’re not like the others. You make me feel…different. Whole. Is Ethan a wolf, too?”
    Ethan reached for her hand, holding it to his chest. “Yes.”
    Her smile lit up the room, though it took far too long for her to shift her focus to the other man. “What color are you?”
    “I’m darker than Jude. Charcoal to his silver.”
    “I bet you’re just as beautiful.”
    Ethan laughed. “Not my first choice of a descriptive word, sweetheart. Doesn’t make me sound all that imposing.”
    “You can be beautiful and strong.”
    “We know. That’s you.” He brushed more of her hair back from her face. “Sleep. Give your body time to heal.”
    Her eyes drifted closed. “Not going to be enough this time. The pain…it’s deep. Burning.” She shook her head. “I’ll try, but…”
    Jude eased her face other toward him. “How do you know about shifters? Are you…”
    She grinned, her mouth quickly curving into a grimace. “No. My great-grandmother. But I can’t…”
    Her voice keened into a cry as her back arched upwards, her muscles tensing before she collapsed, her head lolling to one side, eyes shut.
    “McKenna!” Jude reached for her neck, his heart thrashing against his ribs until he felt the faint thrum of her pulse against the pad of his fingers. “God. I thought…” He scrubbed a hand down his face, focusing on Ethan. “She’s not going to make it.”
    “Jude…”
    “You heard her. She knows. Whatever special ability being some kind of hybrid has afforded her, it’s not enough to heal this kind of wound.” He took a few heavy steps away before glancing at the bed over his shoulder. “We have to do something.”
    “And what, exactly, would you have us do? It’s not as if we can transfer our healing abilities to her. I wish we could.”
    “Not transfer them, but enhance hers… That we might be able to do.”
    Ethan frowned, pushing to his feet. “What the hell is going through your head?”
    “Nothing. Everything.” He fisted his hands, resisting the urge to punch one through the wall. “All I know is that since we met her in that saloon, my wolf has been hounding me. Filling my head with thoughts, images. I ran twenty miles and couldn’t get her scent off my skin. Couldn’t forget the soft press of her lips against my back. It’s like I can feel her heartbeat inside my chest, her breath fill my lungs. I close my eyes, and it’s her face I see.”
    Ethan’s mouth pulled tight, accentuating the small lines around the edges. “I know you’re confused—”
    “I’m not confused. I know exactly what I want.” He moved over to the bed. “It’s McKenna.”
    Ethan kicked at the floor, strangely quiet for several moments before releasing a loud breath. “I want her, too, but—”
    “But what?” Jude pushed a hand through his hair. “Whether you’re ready to acknowledge it or not, she’s our mate. Plain and simple. And I can’t stand here and watch her die…not without trying everything to save her.”
    “You think I want to sit here and watch her die? You’re not the only one who’s drawn to her. And yeah, I’m admitting she’s more than just feral attraction. But what more can we