Blood Rites

  For a few moments it was eerily quiet except for the rapidly growing fire crackling in the air, smoke rising like a beacon declaring their crash site to all around. Finally Sally groaned and began to try to move. She shifted her legs, experimenting to make sure she was still intact.

  “Everyone okay?” It was she who spoke first.

  “If by okay you mean are my ears ringing out of my head, is my leg all scrapped to hell, did my seat belt cut a gash in my neck, and did our stinking car just do the tango down the side of a ditch, then yes Sally, we are okay,” Jen answered.

  When Jen didn’t hear Jacque respond with a snarky come back she knew something was seriously wrong.

  “Jacque, are you with us?” Jen asked. There was still no answer.

  Then Sally spoke up. “Ms. Pierce, are you okay?”

  “I hit my head pretty hard but otherwise I'm good,” Lilly answered. She looked over at Jacque in the passenger seat and saw that she was unconscious, very pale and had blood trickling down her face. Lilly sucked in a deep breath and let it out slow as she reached over, hand shaking, to check for a pulse and although she could feel one she didn’t think it was as strong as it should be.

  Just then they all jumped as a loud popping sound erupted, drawing their attention to the front of the car. The engine was on fire and the flames seemed to be growing hotter and getting taller.

  “Ok, so I’m thinking that’s not a good thing,” Jen said, her voice quivering despite her resolve to hold it together.

  “Jen, I must say your powers of observation astound me,” Sally said dryly.

  “Dammit girls, neither of you are helping with the smart ass remarks,” Lilly growled, which was completely out of character for her. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for,” she told them.

  “It’s okay Ms. P. Not many of us handle being burned alive very well, it’s a little traumatic,” Jen said, trying to lighten the mood, “Okay, here is what we are going to do.” Jen started taking charge, realizing that Lilly was going into shock and Sally was, well, being Sally. “Ms. P, I need you to get your seat belt off and crawl to the back seat to climb out because the fire is going to keep you from climbing out the front. Sally, you need to get your seat belt off as well and crawl out your window. I’m going to crawl to the front next to Jacque and help get her turned so we can slide her out of her window. Sally I need you to go around and pull her from the outside.”

  “But what about the fire? We will get burned. How will we slide her? What if her neck is broken? You aren’t supposed to move someone who might have a spinal injury. What, OWWW HOLY CRAP! What was that for, you psycho cow?” Sally screamed as she placed a hand across the cheek Jen had just slapped.

  “GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, MAN! Do what I tell you. We can’t worry about her spine because it won’t matter if she burns to death, dammit!” Jen yelled, snapping Sally out of her spaz attack.

  “Okay, okay. I’m good. I just needed a minute to lose it but I’m good now,” Sally said as she began to climb out the passenger side window. Lilly was also making her way to the back seat to climb out the window. She didn’t say anything, she was moving on auto pilot, numb from shock. Once Sally and Lilly had made it out and Sally was going around the back of the SUV, Jen began to climb to the front of the vehicle.

  “Jacque babe, you with me?” Jen asked gently, pushing Jacque’s fallen hair from her face. Jacque didn’t respond. “Okay, chickadee, here is what’s going to happen.” Jen was talking to Jacque as if she were conscious because it was the only way she could keep from falling apart. She couldn’t believe this was happening, couldn’t believe that her spunky friend was lying limp, all spark gone out of her. “I’m going to grab you under your arms and turn you so your legs are facing the passenger window, then Sally is going to grab your legs and help me drag your ass out of this royally screwed SUV. Do you hear me, Jacque? You have to be okay, you have to be because someone has to argue with me, and tell me when I’m being a pervert. Jacque, Fane will go crazy without you and we both know how much damage a crazy ass werewolf can do.” Jen continued to talk out loud to Jacque as she began to reach around her, sliding her right hand behind her back and underneath her right armpit. She then slid her left arm under Jacque’s left armpit, and bracing her back against the side of the driver’s seat to gain leverage, she lifted and began to turn Jacque’s body. “Holy crap, your little frame is deceiving, hoss. Did you hear that, Jacque? I basically just called you a fat ass, so wake up and chew me out already!” There was nothing but silence to answer Jen’s monologue. Sally was trying to get close enough to grab Jacque's legs but the flames from the engine kept jumping out. Sally almost felt like they were alive and determined to keep her friends trapped in the burning tomb.

  “Jen, what do I do? The flames are going to burn all of us if we pull her out,” Sally yelled over the roaring fire.

  Jen was wracking her brain for ideas, knowing time was running short. “Hey Sally, is there water anywhere in that ditch?” Jen asked, remembering that it had recently rained. She watched as Sally took off at a run. As Sally ran, Jen temporarily let go of her burden and stripped off her shirt. Good thing she had decided to go with a sports bra today. Then as gently as she could, which wasn’t very, but crap the car was on fire, she pulled Jacque’s jacket off.

  Sally was back, winded. “Yes, there’s water.” She was bent over, hands on her knees, gasping with all the smoke swirling around.

  Jen threw her shirt and Jacque’s jacket at Sally. “Take off your shirt and take these and get them wet, then put your shirt back on and then throw me these two back. We will cover Jacque’s body in them to protect as much of her as possible as we pull her out.”

  “What about you?” Sally worried

  “DAMMIT SALLY JUST GO!” Jen hated yelling at her but she had to keep her focused, she was also beginning to realize that she cursed a whole lot more when she was under pressure. Oh well, could be worse, Jen thought.

  Sally was back, dripping wet in her shirt. She threw the jacket and shirt to Jen and did her best to cover Jacque. She figured her face and stomach, where there were vital organs, would be the most important which left Jacques arms partially bear and her legs completely uncovered, but it couldn’t be helped. Jen once again got her arms underneath Jacque’s armpits and lifted. Sally grabbed Jacque's legs and on Jen’s count of three Sally pulled and Jen pushed. With strength that neither could have ever dreamed they got Jacque’s limp form moving forward out of the window. Jen saw the flames leap forward and scorch Jacque’s legs. She figured this would wake her friend up but Jacque never stirred. Finally, Jacque's upper body was making it through the window which put Jen directly in the line of fire, literally. Jen felt the flames on her bare skin and couldn’t help the scream that forced itself from her lungs. The flames hitting her skin acted like a whip slashing her forward into motion. She heaved with all her might, lunging forward, but just before she could get her and Jacque far enough from the flaming SUV, there was a huge boom, a flash of light, searing pain, and then Jen saw no more.

  Sally screamed as the engine exploded; the smell of gasoline permeated the air. She suddenly felt part of Jacques body go slack and she realized the explosion had pushed Jen forward and onto her stomach. Both of her friends were unconscious and laying on the ground next to a burning vehicle.

  “MS. PIERCE!” Sally yelled. When she didn’t get a response she turned, looking for Jacque’s mom. Finally she saw her through the haze of smoke billowing from the burning vehicle, sitting and staring into the flames, her face as blank as a freshly painted white wall. “LILLY! GET UP AND GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE AND HELP ME!” The urgency and desperation in Sally’s voice snapped Lilly out of her shock and she ran over, realizing what was happening.

  “Grab Jen’s arms, flip her on her back, and start pulling as fast as you can. Don’t worry about her skin, it will heal. We have to get them as far away from that vehicle in case it blows again.” Lilly jumped into action, finally realizing that
the stuff had hit the fan and she had to pull it together.

  “Okay, okay, let's do this,” Sally said as she grabbed Jen and flipped her on her back and began to pull and walk backwards as fast as she could.

  Lilly grabbed Jacque by the arms and began to drag her back away from the flames as well. When they had finally gotten a good distance away, they fell down next to the two unconscious forms. Sally immediately checked to see if Jen was breathing. She was, but it sounded labored. Both girls were severely burned, but they were alive, and at that moment that was all that mattered. Sally could hear sirens blaring and figured somebody who had seen the smoke must have called 911. The sirens seemed really close but that wasn't what she saw first. Suddenly through the smoke Sally saw a form racing towards them, moving faster than she thought possible. Fane came to an abrupt stop in front of Jacque’s prone, still form. He knelt down next to her and, taking a deep breath, he let out a mournful howl of sadness and fury.

  Chapter 5

  Fane was sitting quietly next to Jacquelyn as the ambulance, fire trucks, and police came blaring onto the scene. He didn’t dare touch her for all her burned skin. The ache in his chest felt as if a sharp wire had been wrapped around his heart and was being pulled tighter and tighter. He hadn’t even heard his father walk up, nor did he realize when the rest of the pack had arrived. Not until he heard Decebel’s deep growl did he finally snap out of his grief. Fane’s eyes jerked up as he saw the huge wolf kneel down next to Jen’s unconscious body. She was only in a sports bra and every inch of her exposed skin was burned, red, angry, and blistering. Fane didn’t know what to make of Decebel's behavior but that could be dealt with later, after Jacquelyn and Jen were taken care of.

  Fane walked beside the gurney the EMTs had loaded Jacquelyn's damaged body on. He wasn’t letting her out of his sight. He didn’t care that he wasn’t a family member as the EMTs kept telling him, he was riding with her, and once he let them see the wolf in his eyes they quit arguing with him. Fane heard his father tell Decebel to ride with Jen. Fane could only assume that he had picked up on Decebel’s earlier show of emotion and decided to use it to his advantage for now. After all, a good Alpha always utilized his wolves to the best of their ability. Fane could only hope that his Alpha was utilizing the other wolves to figure out exactly what had happened. Sally and Lilly were being taken in another ambulance and Fane saw his mother climbing in to ride with them.

  Fane’s father walked up to him just before they closed the ambulance doors. “I will follow you to the hospital. Sorin, Skender and Boian are going to stay here and see if they can get some idea of what happened and if it was truly an accident or not.” Fane simply nodded. His wolf was on the surface and Fane did not trust himself to speak for fear that he might let lose the barely contained rage that boiled close to the surface. In truth, at this moment anyone near him was in potential danger. That’s what you get when an Alpha’s mate is injured. The EMTs shut the ambulance door and a few moments later Fane felt the vehicle begin to move.

  The ride to the hospital was tense, the air thick with Fane's fear and anger. Being in the small enclosed area without much room to move if he needed to defend his mate was making the wolf restless. The EMT who was riding in the back with Jacquelyn and Fane kept shooting Fane nervous glances. Humans often knew they were in the presence of predators when around werewolves, even though they didn’t know werewolves existed. When they finally arrived at the hospital, Fane was more than ready to get his mate out of the enclosed box and into a more defendable place.

  The EMTs lowered the gurney to the ground and began rolling Jacquelyn quickly into the ER. They had a mask over her face, providing her life-giving oxygen to her deprived lungs. Her face, despite the burns on the side that had been closest to the flames, was ashen. Her arms hung limp at her sides and were covered in blisters from the flames that had raked over them. Fane felt a growl rising in his throat again and only kept it in check when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder and his Alpha’s power roll over him. His wolf submitted immediately. Fane continued to follow the gurney that carried its precious cargo and even continued on when they rolled her into the operating room. Just as he stepped into the room a hand came up on his chest, pushing him back. His response was swift. He snarled at the one who would dare come between him and his mate. Fane’s father was there in an instant. “I apologize for my son’s behavior. That is his fiancé’ and he is really worried,” Vasile told the doctor who was still brave, or stupid enough to have his hand on Fane’s chest.

  “I understand he is worried but he cannot be in here, it’s a sterile environment. As soon as we have information you will be the first to know.”

  “Thank you,” Vasile told him as he grabbed Fane by the arm, pulling him out of the operating room. Vasile let out a low growl, pushing his power into Fane to force his obedience. Fane reluctantly backed out of the room, never taking his eyes off Jacquelyn’s still form until the doors closed and he could see her no more. Just then they heard a loud crash and a ferocious growl down the hall. Vasile backed Fane against the wall and glared at him, using his Alpha power he told him, “Stay.” Fane’s wolf met Vasile eyes for three counts before they finally dropped in submission. With that, Vasile turned and took off, moving towards the vicious snarls. He came around the corner into another operating room to find Decebel crouched in front of Jen’s body which lay still on the gurney. “What the hell?” Vasile growled. Decebel was snarling uncontrollably, his eyes glowing gold. Several humans in blue scrubs stood in front of him in defensive postures trying to explain to him that they were trying to help her and had to touch her in order to do that. Decebel wouldn’t budge. His wolf was in control. Vasile stepped forward, gently pushing one of the blue dressed humans out of his way. He growled at Decebel and just as with Fane pushed his Alpha power forward. “Stand down Decebel, they have to help Jen.” Decebel didn’t move, he turned his head slightly giving a small view of his neck but it wasn’t total submission. “DECEBEL, MOVE. NOW!” Vasile snarled, throwing power at his Beta. Finally, with the Alpha order given, Decebel had no choice but to move out of the way. It was almost as if an invisible force was pushing him aside to allow the medical staff access to Jen. As soon as he was out of the way the humans moved into action quickly and efficiently, like a well oiled machine. Decebel watched, shaking with suppressed rage as they stuck Jennifer with needles and put a mask over her face that he assumed would give her oxygen. As soon as they started cutting off her clothing he snarled and turned, pushing Vasile out of the room, pulling the doors closed behind him.

  “Decebel, what was that about?” Vasile calmly asked his Beta.

  Decebel averted his eyes in submission as he answered his Alpha. “I was just watching out for her. You were with Fane, Alina was with Sally and Lilly. There was no one but myself to make sure the humans didn’t harm her.” Decebels words sounded true to Vasile, but he picked up an underlying emotion that he didn’t think Decebel was even aware of.

  “Her family will be here soon, Alina has called them. When they get here you can let them take over her care. Until then I would ask that you stand outside this door and if the doctor comes out before her parents are here, get any information he has so you can pass it along. Are we clear?”

  “I will deal with her family when they get here. We are clear,” Decebel responded, his voice emotionless, his expression hard.

  “One more thing, Beta. Keep your wolf under control,” Vasile warned.

  “Yes, Alpha,” Decebel answered as he backed up against the wall, folding his arms across his chest. He stood as a sentinel to the operating room where Jen was being cared for.

  Vasile turned to walk away. Decebel watch him go, seeing him shake his head in confusion. Decebel was confused as well but he wasn’t in any shape to look too closely at why. Just leave it alone Dec, he told himself.

  “What was that all about?” Fane asked his father as Vasile walked up to him. Fane was still standing exactly where Vasile had le
ft him, in front of the operating room where Jacquelyn was being treated.

  “Decebel was protecting Jen. He felt responsible for her since all the rest of us were elsewhere.” Vasile noticed his own voice didn’t sound like he believed what he was saying.

  “Really? That’s what he said?” Fane asked skeptically

  “I don’t know what to make of it either, but when I came around that corner into the room Decebel was guarding her, not letting any of the staff near her. When they began undressing her he shoved me out of the room,” Vasile explained, his brow furrowed, his voice heavy with disbelief even though he had seen it all with his own eyes. Fane didn’t know how to respond to that, but he knew he couldn’t worry about it right now because all he could think about was his mate. He just kept seeing her limp form, the only sign of life her breathing and pulse. No spunky attitude, no gentle touch. He closed his eyes, shutting off his emotions so he could keep his wolf in check.

  “Fane, Vasile, where is Jacque and Jen?” Fane heard Lilly ask as she was walking towards them.

  “Jacque is in this operating room and Jen is just down the hall. Decebel is guarding her door,” Fane told her. Lilly’s shoulders slumped and her head fell forward as silent tears fell to the floor. Fane walked up to the woman who had brought his precious mate into the world and folded her into his embrace. She squeezed him tight as if her life depended on it. Fane couldn’t help but think it should have been Jacquelyn’s father standing here consoling Lilly, but what had happened wasn’t his fault. He and Lilly had made the choice to stay together knowing that he would probably one day have to walk away. It still sucked.

  Finally Lilly pulled back, she looked up into Fane’s face and patted his cheek, “Thank you Fane, thank you,” her voice hoarse with emotion.