Mated

Twenty-Five

The healer leaned into my face and I stiffened at his sudden closeness, as his eyes roamed over my features.

"You look nearly identical to her," he said. Then he turned to his table and gave us his back. "I have enough for only one elixir. I hope that it can be enough to save you from him."

"Thank you," I clasped my hands together and raised them to the tip of my nose. The weight that had settled over my chest was lifting and I felt a small sliver of hope again.

"Masa," I turned at the voice. The Alpha stood at the doorway of the room.

"We're finished, Ottis," the healer, Masa, said looking in his direction.

"And?" The Alpha asked.

"I will give them the dosage."

"Fine. You two wait outside," Ottis beckoned for us to follow. The healer turned to me as I stood.

"I know I can't stop the army of Rogues coming your way but at least it's something, I trust you will use it wisely," he said.

"What?!" Ottis belted, stepping forward. "You led Rogues to my compound?"

"No, we—" I started but he cut me off in his outrage.

"If they followed you here so help me I will kill each of you myself!"

"We need to wait for the remedy," James said in an unhurried tone. I looked at him, unsure how he was able to keep such a calm stature. Then I remembered he too is an Alpha. Ottis didn't intimidate him. He was probably sizing him up as they stared each other down.

Masa had already gotten up and began collecting things from around the little room. He grabbed a wooden bowl and spoon from a bookshelf and placed them among jars of herbs he pulled from beneath his table.

"It won't take long," I said, not even knowing if this was true. "Then we'll get far away from here." Ottis glared at me but said nothing. Instead, he turned and stormed out of the room.

James and I waited for the healer to conjure up the concoction. We watched him pour a dark liquid from a vial into the bowl of mashed herbs and seconds later, a thin haze drifted out of the mixture. Carefully, he poured the contents into a vial and sealed it shut.

He dropped the vial into my palm and I peered at it. The glass was clear and its contents were gray and white clouds swirling around inside. I gave it to James and he produced a clean handkerchief from his pocket, wrapped the vial inside, and tucked it away. I was afraid it would shatter if he forgot about it, I had faith we would find something to put it in soon. I couldn't ask the healer, or Ottis, for another favor.

"Thank you," I bowed my head again.

"Good luck." The look in his eye didn't at all look encouraging.

We stepped back through the hidden door. The twins still stood where we had left them, not trusting these wolves enough to have let their guard down. Cort on the other hand, was leaning against the arm of a chair tossing a solid pebble back and forth in his hands like he didn't have a care in the world.

"We got it," James told them. "Let's go." Cort pushed off from the chair and we walked through the pack. Before following them out, I faced their Alpha.

"Thank you."

He turned his head to the side and released a wolf-like growl, the corner of his mouth lifting revealing his sharp teeth. Brent turned the doorknob, but before he pulled the door, it was kicked in from the otherside, ripping it from its hinges and throwing him against the wall.

Brent's face planted the floor as he detached himself from the wall, a big dent in the shape of his body behind him. Wooden stairs creaked as boots clambered up and a man stepped into the door frame. Dead, reddish brown Rogue pupils immediately landed on me.

Cort, who had still been tossing his pebble between his palms pulled his arm back and pitched it at the man's temple. He didn't flinch when it whizzed through the air and smacked his skin with a sharp thwack.

"That probably would have hurt a little if you weren't human," he said in a chill, raspy tone that pierced the air.

"Huh," Cort said as if he himself was also stunned at his failed attempt. Then the man lunged for me and the men who flanked him charged into the house.

James was already one step ahead, suddenly in front of me and shielding me. He grabbed a set of shoulders as the Rogue tried to claw at him with an outburst of snarls. A patchy hand wrapped around my arm and I screamed, turning around and punching the Rogue who had snuck up behind me square in his jaw with all of my strength like I had been taught to do. He was lifted off his feet as he fell backwards. Then it was a whirl of Ottis' pack swarming into the foyer toward the Rogues.

Another man jumped in my direction but Hugh had him in a headlock and pinned against the wall before he could make it very far. With a swift squeeze and thrust to the right, he snapped his neck and dropped the lifeless Rogue on the ground.

"Cort! Get Malia out of here! Go, NOW!" James yelled, dodging another guy. Cort had my arm and pulled me into the dining room, pushing at my back for me to run faster. We found a hall with a staircase and bolted through the first door we saw on the next floor. It was a bedroom with a great big window. He flew to the other side of the room and threw it open. I ripped the screen out of the frame and tossed it over the edge. We were high, he would have to risk breaking a bone.

"Okay, we'll have to jump," I turned to him.

"You go ahead I'll...tie up some rope to climb down."

"Where are you going to find rope? We'll jump together. Hold on to me." He didn't answer and instead looked back over the window pane.

"We don't have time for you to be afraid of heights." He still said nothing. "Come on!"

I threw my leg over and sat on the ledge. Cort followed my lead and sat beside me just as the door was flung open and a Rogue charged toward us. I wrapped my arms around him and, holding my breath, rocked our bodies forward and we were falling through the air. I shifted my body just in time as we hit the ground so that my back made the impact and he landed on top of me.