The sound of water drew him as he cut across land where the river bowed outward and then twisted inward ahead. Large boulders helped lead the way too. He adjusted his direction toward another set of large rocks where the old den lay.

Be there, damn it, he silently pleaded. Alone and alive. An image surfaced of what would happen if the Vampire found the cave entrance. They’d never constructed a door of any sort to keep anything out and there wasn’t a secondary escape. She’d be trapped if the damn Vamp crawled in after her.

Almost there. He sniffed the air and the faint stench of Vampire filled his nose. It was close—and so was Kira. He jumped over a crevice in the earth and landed hard on the other side. His bare feet hit rocks, cutting into flesh. The pain was minimal but he’d heal fast.

He rounded the boulders and stared at the dirt leading to the entrance under the overcropping rock. It was disturbed, a sure sign someone had been there.

His nose flared as he breathed and picked up Kira’s scent. She was inside.

He turned, his glare searching the darkness because he also smelled that damn Vampire.

A new smell reached him and he howled again. Lavos was closer now. He dropped to his knees and cursed over how large he’d become since the last time he’d visited the den. The hole wasn’t wide and his shoulders were. He tore at the earth, digging to make the entrance bigger.

“Kira? I’m here. It’s Lorn. Are you okay?”

His keen hearing detected faint breathing inside.

Something thumped behind him and he snarled, twisting his head. His brother had landed in a crouch from above, almost seeming to fall from the sky.

“I took to the trees,” Lavos explained. “The Vampire is on the run.” He jerked his head. “I caught a glimpse of him. Do you want him, or should I go?”

Lorn was the older brother, and it was his place to take on the enemy first.

A soft female whimper came from inside the den. He was torn between going to Kira or doing what he’d been trained to do all of his life. His mouth opened but then another pained noise came from her.

“Kill that son of a bitch,” he ordered his younger brother.

Surprise widened Lavos’s eyes but he only hesitated for a heartbeat before racing off into the night.

Lorn attacked the narrow opening of the den faster with claws that shot out from his fingertips. He needed to reach Kira. The blood smell wasn’t strong but she didn’t answer him. That couldn’t be good.

The frantic digging widened the entrance enough for him to ram his broad shoulders into the space. Loose debris rained down his back but it didn’t matter. The inside was larger than the exterior hole. He pushed through and had to belly crawl down the next eight feet since the roof wouldn’t allow anything else.

His vision adjusted to the darkness and the sight that greeted him seemed grim. A small form huddled in the fetal position under what appeared to be the childhood blanket he’d once borrowed from his twin bed. The print of cars had faded, the red dulled against the mostly blue material. He’d forgotten about ever bringing it here; Kira used to become cold after some of their swims.

Her long hair was wet, appearing darker than the light brunette with its sun-streaks of blonde that he’s always found fascinating. One pale hand clutched a fistful of the blanket. She moaned, twisting more to her side, as if she wanted to roll onto her stomach but couldn’t quite make it.

“Kira?”

He made it to her and gently gripped her hand. It was chilled to his touch, proving she’d been in the water too long. He scooted until he lay next to her lengthwise and pressed against her. She needed body heat immediately. He released her hand to hook his arm around the curve of her back and pull her closer, until she was curled into him, flush with his front.

“Lorn?”

Her voice came out so weakened it didn’t even qualify as a whisper. The scent of her blood filled him with rage but none of it smelled fresh. Whatever wounds she’d suffered couldn’t be too bad. Her human healing was slower than a full VampLycan’s. The relief that swept through him was great. He could warm her and she’d be fine.

“I’m here,” he assured. “You’re safe.”

“I’m sorry.”

He strained to catch her words. “It’s not your fault. A guard should have relieved you.” He silently swore to find out who had been scheduled to cover the night patrol and beat the asshole to a pulp. He rubbed her back with great care, hoping it would help speed the process of regulating her temperature. “The Vampires invaded our territory but they’re dead.”

She shivered and he wrapped around her. Kira fit against him perfectly, in his opinion. He hated the damn blanket and tugged at it, wanting to see her. She refused to release the thing though and burrowed tighter to his chest.

“It’s not working. Not Lycan enough to…”

Lorn barely heard her soft words. “What? Release the blanket. Let me look at you. Where are you hurt?”

“Don’t kill me.”

Head injury. That was the only reason she’s say something so outlandish to him. Kira must be mistaking him for the bastards who’d attacked her. He turned his head to peer up at the hole but nothing moved at the top. Why hasn’t help come? He needed them to arrive quickly but no one did. He looked down at her wrapped body.

“It’s Lorn, sunshine,” he crooned. “You’re safe.” She had once hated him calling her that endearment but he wanted to convey to her that he was real. “I’d never hurt you.”

Her hand unclenched from the blanket and she blindly gripped his chest near his heart. The soft sob that came from her had to mean she was in pain. All kinds of horrific reasons for the symptoms she displayed tormented him. A skull fracture wouldn’t cause much blood loss but it could kill her. It would explain her confusion regarding who was the enemy and who wasn’t.

His fingers trembled from fear of discovering the worst when he tugged at the blanket to free her head. Silent prayers dashed through his thoughts that whatever she’d suffered wasn’t too bad.

I can fix her, he swore. Decker and his rules be damned.

He wouldn’t allow Kira to die. He’d rip open a vein and make her swallow some of his blood to heal, if that’s what it took. It was forbidden to use any of their blood to heal anyone except a severely injured family member or a mate. But as long as he didn’t take her blood as well, it wouldn’t bond them.