Wild Hunt - Kali Argent Page 0,8

she began limping toward Cade’s window, still holding onto the hood to keep her upright. “I just need a ride. You can drop me off at the next town. Just, please, help me!”

“We’ve been here too long.” Miles’ fingers squeezed around the leather steering wheel. “Whatever we’re going to do, we need to do it quick.”

Cade had his door open before the vampire had finished speaking. He didn’t understand it, couldn’t explain it, but the need to comfort the female was powerful and unyielding, overpowering both instincts and common sense.

“Thank you,” she sobbed when he approached her. “Oh, thank you.”

“Whoa, easy, I’ve got you,” he said, catching her when her knees buckled, and she fell into his arms. With one arm around her shoulders, he hooked the other behind her knees and lifted her off the ground. “Guys, a little help!”

The back door swung open, and Rhys exited the vehicle. “Come on, in the back.” He waited for Cade to slide into the backseat with Thea, slammed the door closed, then jumped into the passenger seat beside Miles. “Let’s go.”

As the vehicle lurched forward, the female draped across Cade’s lap fisted the front of his zippered jacket and buried her face against the side of his neck. “Thank you,” she muttered. “Thank you.”

“Here.” With a pinched expression, Thea passed him a thin, brown blanket from one of the canvas bags in the back. “We need to get her warm.”

As Thea draped the blanket over the female, Cade unzipped his jacket and spread it open. Then he wrapped his arms around the redhead and pulled her closer to share his body heat. It took a few minutes, but eventually, her trembling subsided, and she began to breathe a little easier.

Jesus, someone had done a number on her, and for the first time since the Purge, it didn’t matter to him if she was human or Gemini. She was suffering, and all he wanted to do was ease her pain.

“We need to get her back to the hospital.”

The Revenant had dozens of safe houses scattered across the country, and the nearest one happened to be a small rural hospital in a nowhere town south of Denver. Not only would she be protected there, but the place had an actual doctor on staff with the equipment and supplies needed to help her.

Thea cleared her throat. “If we do that—”

Cade shook his head, cutting her off. He knew what was at stake better than anyone. As much as he wanted to be there to help rescue Abby from the Ikande lion shifters, getting the female help had to be their new priority. Besides, it wasn’t like they could take her into battle with them.

“So, what are we doing?” Miles asked as he eased his foot off the gas.

“Back to the hospital,” Rhys answered. “We can decide what to do from there.”

If the rest of them chose to go on, Cade wouldn’t blame them. In fact, he hoped they would. The rest of the team needed every abled bodied person they could get, but he wouldn’t be going with them. As much as it pained him, and as little as he understood why, his decision had been made the moment he’d locked eyes with the female in his arms.

“Rest,” he whispered. He stroked her matted hair away from her face and rested his cheek on the top of her head. “You’re safe now. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He tightened his arms around her to emphasize his promise. “What’s your name?”

“Mackenna,” she answered after a pregnant pause.

“Mackenna, I’m Cade.” He lifted his head and tilted it to the side. “This is Thea.” He nodded toward the front. “That’s Rhys in the passenger seat, and the driver is Miles. They’re Revenant, so you can trust them.”

Her grip moved from his jacket to his shirt as she looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “They’re what?”

“Revenant,” he repeated, but with much less certainty this time.

The valley between her eyes deepened, and she shook her head. “I don’t…”

“It’s okay,” Thea interrupted. “We’re going to help you.” She placed a hand on Mackenna’s bent knee. “You’re running from something, aren’t you? Can you tell us what?”

“Was it Raiders?” Rhys asked from the front seat.

“Or Ravagers?” Miles added.

Mackenna tensed, and she pressed closer to Cade’s chest. Instinctively, he rounded his shoulders, cocooning her, but his gaze was continuously drawn back to the hand on her leg. He liked Thea, but right then, it took all