“What should we do?” Jason asked me, his eyes dark with worry.
I sent a pulse of uncertainty his way. Jason and I knew basic battlefield casualty treatments, but nothing that could help Anna in her current condition.
“We bring her home,” James ordered. “There’s no reason for us to linger in an unknown and unpredictable environment.”
I nodded to myself just as much as to him. Step one was to get Anna to a safe place. Once we were in a secure area, we could get her appropriate medical treatment.
“The sat phone should start picking up signal once we get out of this fucking magical mist,” Jason added. “We’ll call for transport once we’re in range.”
“We’ll take turns carrying her,” I announced as I motioned in Jason’s direction.
James grunted. “Pack up and let’s get moving.”
I checked Anna’s pulse and breathing one more time before handing Jason my bag. Our return journey wasn’t going to be easy, but the marines hadn’t prepared me for an easy life. Adapt, improvise, overcome. We got this. Anna was going to be okay. She had to be.
Chapter 18
Caleb
I glanced over at Anna, sound asleep in my bed with her pups snuggled up beside her. The two of them had refused to leave Anna’s side ever since she was brought back to the house unconscious.
Anna had agreed to let the twins rename Tigger and Eeyore as Thor and Loki a few months ago. Honestly, I think the little pups appreciated it. Who wanted to go through life with the name Eeyore? Loki was so much better.
I didn’t pretend to understand what was wrong with Anna. I’d seen her injured before, when the barrier on her magic had initially broken, before we knew she was half-fae, but this was different. Her body felt empty, like she wasn’t really in there. My mate bond with her felt faint, as if she was far from me, not laying ten feet away.
The twins were beside themselves with worry. They hovered over Anna, distressed that there was nothing they could do to help. I had to kick them out of the room, because they were too much for me to handle. They were fighters. Point them at an enemy, and they’d destroy anything that got in their way. However, without a target or outlet for them to take their frustrations out on, they were driving everyone insane. Idle marines were a destructive force under regular circumstances, add in repressed battle rage, and it was a recipe for disaster.
Austin and Cody had alternated between laying at her side, and meeting with other pack masters. Word was spreading that our pack had the means to build and defend self-sufficient compounds. We were sharing building plans, materials, and knowledge with everyone who expressed an interest. Austin was using those opportunities to win hearts and minds to our cause, but not everyone was receptive.
A shiver went down my spine as I was overwhelmed with a sudden sense of danger. I turned away from Anna, and hurriedly switched through the perimeter security feeds. Anna had placed a barrier over our territory that gave us a warning when someone who meant us harm crossed through. This was the warning.
“Caleb,” Austin said through our bond. “Where’s the breach?”
I heard the sound of distant gunfire, and dread hit me like a punch to the stomach.
“Fourth quadrant,” I told Austin as I looked at the live video stream. “Coming in from the west. I count three trucks, each carrying at least five men.”
I felt James, Mason, Jason, and Cody all tap into the pack bond to coordinate our counterattack together.
“Wait,” I said urgently. “There are two more trucks coming, third quadrant from the south.”
More of our team leaders joined the open bond.
“Trevor, take the third quadrant with teams two and three,” Austin ordered. “Blaze, you take teams four and five to quadrant four. Team one, stay near home base.”
It went unsaid, but Austin wanted the six of us to stay close to Anna. She was the reason why our group would keep the house in sight at all times. If anyone got past our initial defenses, they wouldn’t get past us.
The sounds of gunfire outside still sounded distant, but it was coming closer.
“Trucks were disabled,” Blaze said through the bond. “Permission to shoot to kill? They certainly are.”
There was a moment of hesitation.
“Granted,” Austin said. “Defend yourselves and this pack.”
I sensed sadness and reluctance from him, but there was no other choice. Austin would do everything in his power to prevent war,