I pressed my forehead to his jaw. “Thank you. Thank you so fucking much.”
“Fee!”
Cora? Uri released me as Cora came striding into the clearing.
“Motherfucker, look at this mess,” she said.
Super vamp body parts littered the clearing, and my Loup stood about, naked and bloody. I spotted the Magiguard huddled in a corner, and then there was another flash of blinding light as a tear opened up in the world. Ursula led the charge of Magiguard, coming in hot.
Ponytail ran up to her to give her the lowdown, no doubt.
“Great timing,” Jasper said coolly, appearing by Cora’s side.
Grayson joined me. He was naked, but he didn’t give a shit, and neither did I. It was the nature of the Loup to be untethered and free.
Cora’s gaze flicked to Grayson’s crotch then back up, eyes round. Fucking hell, even at a time like this, she could make me smile.
“Looks like you didn’t need us after all,” she said.
Us? My gaze slipped over her shoulder, and I saw him, Hunter, his hand around a scrawny human’s wrists. His dark eyes locked with mine, and he smiled, smug and cocky.
“Took your sweet time, didn’t you?” And then he promptly collapsed.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“What’s wrong with him?” Grayson asked Petra.
“Is it the serum?” Cora asked. “I made the scientist give him an antidote, but the serum was never designed for Loup. It’s for vamps.” Her gaze flicked my way. “Hunter knew that it could kill him, but he took it anyway. He knew it was the only way to help you guys. Juice up and get me to the ward symbol.”
She said you guys, but she meant me. He’d done it for me. My throat pinched. He’d risked his life for me…again.
“Is it the serum?” Grayson asked Petra.
Petra shook her head. “The man you brought with you took samples of Hunter’s blood. It’s clean. The issue isn’t biological, it’s mystical.”
“The Tribus…” Grayson exhaled heavily.
“Maybe the stress he placed on his body kick-started his decline, or maybe he would have declined anyway; the fact is, now that it’s begun, he will continue to weaken and eventually pass on, unless…” She slid a glance my way. “The decision is yours.”
There was no decision. “It’s not a choice. We can’t let him die.”
“No,” Grayson said. “We can’t.” His throat bobbed.
“The curse removal?” Cora said. “Are we doing that today?”
With everything going on, I’d forgotten about the fucking curse. The wound on my neck had healed now, but the memory of Grayson’s devastated face was still sharp in my mind.
“Yes.” I nodded. “Can you call Vi?”
“I’ll go get her.” She winked out.
Petra patted my arm. “You’re doing the right thing, Fee. A Tribus is a rare and powerful thing. It’s considered a gift. Some say it only occurs in times where great turmoil is on the horizon. To spurn it would be foolish.”
“I get it. I’ll do what needs to be done.”
I’d hoped for more time to get to know Hunter. To help him get to a better place emotionally before we took the final step to bond, but saving his life trumped that.
Petra left Grayson and me alone outside Hunter’s room.
Grayson stroked my cheek. “You should do it now before he’s too weak to…”
I nodded quickly.
“It’s my duty to the Tribus.” My stomach quivered with nerves. “I’ll get it done, and then we can all relax and figure this thing out together.”
Grayson pulled me into a hug and held me for long minutes. “I’ll be in the lounge when you’re…When it’s over.”
He kissed my cheek and then walked away. Fuck, this was hard for him. Hunter was his twin, but they’d been estranged for so long that the bad blood between them would take time to clean up.
But there was no doubt in my mind that Grayson wanted to save his brother. They deserved a second chance at a relationship.
I took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and entered the room. The blinds were closed, but the gray light of predawn filtered in through the gaps, providing enough illumination for me to see Hunter propped up against several pillows in bed. His chest was bare, and a sheet covered him up to the waist.
He was awake, though. Dark eyes pinned on me.
I approached the bed, and then his lip curled. “What are you doing?”
“Completing the mating. You’ll die if we don’t.”
His throat worked for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed. “Always on hand to do the saving, aren’t you, Fee?”