"Yes. But I don't think I can walk."

He looked at her and she saw the concern in his eyes. "You must be in a lot of pain. We'll move as quickly as possible, but I doubt we'll make it back to the Falls tonight without shifting into wolf form. And I don't think you should walk on that leg any farther than you have to." He scooped her up into his arms. And immediately she felt warm and safe once more, no longer alone.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against Trey's shoulder. "Rainna sent you didn't she?"

"No, I offered to come, but Rainna sends her love."

"But not Carson." She tried not to think about the look on his face and his last words to her before she bolted out of the house.

"Petra, he loves you. But what happened to Sybilla and then seeing those files ... I hope you'll give him a chance to apologize when we get back."

"I'm tired, Trey. So tired."

"I know. You've been through a lot these last weeks. We'll get it all sorted out when we get back. I'll try to get us as far143 as I can tonight. I don't have anything right now to help with the pain. The problems of traveling in wolf form. But there may be some herbs to help along the way. I'll get you home, Petra."

He turned in what she a.s.sumed was the direction of Vampyre Falls and began to jog through the forest. Petra sighed, feeling safe in his arms. Thank G.o.d for the superior strength of werewolves. The pain in her leg was a throbbing reminder of the traps that could lay in wait in the forest.

"Be careful, Trey. The world is so dangerous."

"I know, babe, believe me I know."

"Goodbye, Jamie, I love you," she whispered against Trey's hard chest.

"What did you say?" Trey asked.

Her arms curled tighter around Trey's neck. "Nothing.

Nothing at all."

144

CHAPTER 18.

Carson paced the floor of the living room, waiting for Rainna to appear. He'd been forbidden by both Rainna and Donovan to try to track down Trey and Petra. After the way he'd raged at Petra, he could find no good argument, and was forced to listen to what they had to say.

Once again he'd let his emotions get the better of him.

Fool that he was. He'd struck out at the one person who hadn't deserved to feel the sharp edge of his anger. She was probably right in not trusting him. He didn't deserve her trust.

He hadn't protected her from the one thing that had cut her to pieces. Himself.

The front door opened and closed, and he walked into the hallway. Donovan had a large stack of papers and several books in his arms. Rainna had dark circles beneath her eyes and she looked exhausted. It had been twenty-four hours since Trey had left and still they had no word. Carson knew Trey's absence took a toll on Rainna. And this was all his fault.

"Let's go into the living room," she said. "I think I have some answers. I want you to know the whole of it before Trey gets back with Petra. There are things you need to understand-so you can at least grovel intelligently."

Leave it to Rainna to twist the knife. "Thanks," he said, an edge to his tone, and then he felt ashamed. She was right. He was in the wrong and it was up to him to make things right with Petra.145 "Where did you go?" She and Donovan had been out for most of the day. When she sat on the couch, Carson dragged a footstool over and lifted her feet onto it. Then he removed her shoes and began to rub her swollen feet. "You can't do this, Rainna. Trey will kill me if anything happens to you or the baby. All of this is my fault."

She gave him a tired smile. "I'm fine. It's just getting closer. Mmmm. That feels really good. You've got nice hands, Carson."

He looked at Rainna and grinned. Pregnancy had made her even more beautiful, if that were possible. She was a good mate for his brother. And she was a strong enough woman to keep them all in line.

Donovan set the pile of doc.u.ments on the couch next to her. "I'll go fix us something to eat."

"That would be wonderful. You men are going to spoil me."

Donovan knew just as well as Carson did that Trey would not take it well if Rainna was in poor condition when he returned. It was in all their best interests that she be happy and flourish. They were all looking forward to the birth of her baby.

Donovan brought in a tray with gla.s.ses of lemonade and sandwiches. Carson stood and moved to a chair. He wasn't the least bit hungry, and he tried to be patient as Rainna ate.

Her plate and gla.s.s finally empty, she looked at Carson.

"First of all, Petra was drawn to us by more than Sybilla's heart and blood. Her destiny is here with us. All the operation did was fuel what was already inside Petra. It sort of jump- started her DNA."146 "What do you mean?" Carson was perplexed.

She turned to the pile of books resting next to her and pulled out several sheets of paper. "That file Donovan managed to get us with all his sweet talking contained a wealth of information on both Petra and Sybilla. Blood types, DNA strains, brain scans, the works. It also provided a certain amount of history on Rainna, like her family ancestry. At least to a certain point." She stopped and looked at Carson.

"Well, what did you find?"

"I asked Morganna to go down to meet with one of the specialists in the Sheriff's Department in Silver Creek so I could find out if he agreed with my interpretation. They are on our side, you know." She looked pointedly at Donovan.

"Since none of you will let me go down to Silver Creek right now, that was the only way to confirm what I surmised from the information. And it turns out I was right about my interpretation. There is a strain of wolf in Petra's DNA that was there before the operation. Before she was transfused with Sybilla's blood. The odd thing is that there were certain matches that seemed to stand out that identified her ancestry as matching your own. Thank G.o.d she was blood typed before the operation so there was something to compare Sybilla's blood results with."

"What does all this mean?"

"Boiling it down, Petra's ancestors had to have come from the same village that yours did. Her wolf blood isn't as strong; in fact, it was quite diluted which is probably why she never exhibited shifting abilities before the operation. And which probably saved her life. But after the operation, well,147 I'm guessing a series of things occurred which finally kicked in her wolf DNA. I would say probably her heightened stress levels were certainly a factor as well."

"She was werewolf before all of this?" Carson was having a difficult time wrapping his mind around what Rainna was telling him.

Rainna nodded. "Just as with your own ancestry and the way you all gravitated together through the call of your blood.

Petra was called here also, although she may not realize it.

Things happen that we can't possibly understand. Sometimes they make sense, sometimes they don't. But everything I've discovered is supported by the information I've found in this file. Petra is a part of this pack. No matter what happens, that's a fact supported by the data."

"You still won't let me go after them." Now more than ever he needed to find Petra. He had to try to explain. Yet he wondered if anything he could say would take away the pain he'd caused her.

"There's no need. They'll be home tonight."

"How do you know?"

She smiled. "Let's just say I know." Rainna might be human, but once mated to the pack, Carson noticed she had developed a certain link with her mate, a unique line of communication that only existed between true matches. He'd had a strong link with Sybilla. But with Petra he'd just began to develop a connection-until this had happened. The ritual could enhance the link. Trust had to come first before the ritual could have any effect. At this rate that might never happen.148 Suddenly they heard the front door open and Carson sprang up from his chair. They were home. Trey burst though the entry way and into the living room, carrying an unconscious Petra in his arms.

"My G.o.d, what happened?" Carson saw the anxiety expressed in Rainna's eyes.

"She was caught in a wolf trap," Trey said. "She needs help. Donovan, go for Morganna. She's burning up with fever.

I think an infection may have set in."

Carson helped Rainna to stand. "Get her upstairs," Rainna said. She turned to Carson. "I need hot water and a clean cloth. We need to clean the wound. I need to see how bad it is." She walked across the room to Trey and laid a hand on Petra's forehead. The woman in Trey's arms moaned, but didn't awaken. Rainna's glance shifted to Petra's leg, which appeared to be swollen twice its normal size. "Hurry, get her upstairs. We need to get this tended to immediately."

Donovan flew out the door as soon as Rainna told him what she needed. She looked meaningfully at Carson. "Water and clean cloths. Meet us upstairs. Hurry. We have to be ready before Morganna gets here."

Carson ran toward the kitchen to get the supplies. He had to believe Petra would be all right. He couldn't lose her.

Words he wanted to take back filled his head. The shattered look in her eyes when he'd flayed her with his thoughtless anger.

He gripped the side of the sink, pain thrashing through him. Then a steadying hand gripped his shoulder.149 "She's going to be all right. Between Morganna and Rainna's healing abilities, she'll be fine. She's a strong woman. She won't give up."

If only he could believe that he hadn't destroyed the heart in her. He looked his brother straight in the eyes. "If she dies I'm the one who's killed her." And then the tears that he'd been unable to shed when Sybilla and Kyle were killed fell like a dam had burst inside him. His heart was shattering for the hurt he'd caused Petra, a woman he'd come to love even before he'd met her. Why is it a man only recognized a precious gift after it had been taken from him?

"Go upstairs, I'll take care of this. Tell Rainna I'll bring it up as soon as it's ready. You should be with Petra and give her your strength. She's not going to die."

Carson only wished he could be so certain of that. He wished he had the power to turn back time, to take back the terrible words he had spoken. Quickly he made his way toward the stairs and then vaulted up the last few steps when he heard Petra's piercing scream of pain.

150

CHAPTER 19.

The first thing Petra realized when she awoke was the heat of the body wrapped around her and the fact that the pain in her leg had lessened. It was now more of a dull ache. The second thing she realized was that she was wearing a nightgown and lying in a soft bed.

She recognized the scent of the man whose arms were wrapped around her. Carefully, she turned onto her back and stared around the room. The angle of the light coming from the window told her it was early morning, but she wondered how long she'd been here. She also realized she was back in Carson's bedroom. Trey had obviously made it home with little help from her.

She had vague memories of the return trip, carried in Trey's arms. She thought she remembered a night spent inside a cave ... in his protective embrace. But she'd been too far gone by then to be afraid of the darkened recesses. She remembered Trey trying to cool down her fever when they stopped next to a stream. At one point he must have left, because he came back with clothing for them to wear and a bandage for her leg. But beyond that, there was nothing until she awoke just now.

She knew she should be angry, but somehow she didn't have the strength to send Carson away. Not just yet.

His arms tightened around her. "Petra, I'm sorry. There's no excuse for what I did and what I said."151 "How can I know that it won't happen again, Carson? That you won't look at me and think about what happened to Sybilla? That you'll make me the scapegoat for the loss of her?"

"I don't know that I can ever make right what I did.

Coming so close to losing you is something I never want to experience again." There was a pause, but his arms pressed her closer.

She could feel his hot breath against her ear. "I love you, Petra. I know you won't believe that, but it's true."

She wanted to believe him. She wanted it to be true, but she was afraid to trust her emotions. "How can I know it's not just the parts of Sybilla that are inside me that you love and I'm just a sh.e.l.l for the woman who was your mate, a mate you think you can have back through me? I'm not Sybilla, Carson."

She felt his deep sigh. "I was drawn to you before I ever met you, Petra. Remember we had information about you. I knew your routines; I memorized the color of your eyes and your hair. I even know that your favorite drink is raspberry iced tea with a twist of lemon. I memorized everything I could about you without really understanding why I did it. I tried to ignore the arousal I experienced when I saw your picture. But I stole one of them from the file and it's been with me ever since."

Finally, he'd surprised her and she turned her head to look at him. His dark eyes blazed down at her. Hungry eyes, and a look on his face that told her he had experienced just as much pain in his life as she had. This was a man who felt152 things deeply. Sybilla was right, he was ruled by emotion.

Deep, pa.s.sionate emotion. Was she willing to take the chance? That's what it came down to.

"You have my picture?"

He reached down to the side of the bed and yanked his wallet out of his pants pocket. He opened it and pulled out a photograph and handed it to her.

He really did have the photo. She looked up at him.

"When you came running across that field, trying to escape from the Dalwin brothers, I knew. I didn't know how, or why, but when you ran straight into my arms I knew you belonged there. It wasn't Sybilla's scent I responded to-it was yours.

It wasn't Sybilla's body I craved-it was Petra Thornton's.

He shifted in the bed and towered over her, gazing down at her with his hungry, black eyes. "Maybe someday I can make you believe what I'm telling you, because it's the truth.

I never thought I'd find love again after Sybilla was murdered. But I did and I don't want to lose you. I need you, Petra, more than you can imagine. I need you in order to breathe, just as much as I need the heart in my chest to beat. You are my heart and I promise you I will never hurt you again. And I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for what I did."

Looking at him, she couldn't not believe he meant every word. There was still a lot about herself and these brothers that she didn't understand. But she did love this man and his family.153 She cupped his face and drew him down, claiming his lips.

She inhaled his scent and felt the familiar heat pervade her entire body, consumed by the fire of his pa.s.sion.

"Make love to me, Carson. I need to feel you inside me."

The heat roared through her, fueled by his male scent, lit by the blazing need for her mate to possess her.

He lifted the nightgown over her head and tossed it to the floor. His hands gently stroked her as though she was made of priceless Venetian gla.s.s. His warm hands cupped her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and teased her nipples. But it was almost as though he was afraid to touch her.

"I'm not going to break." She needed all of his pa.s.sion, not this restraint that he was using.

"You've been ill, I don't want to hurt you."

She wound her arms around his neck. "Believe me, you won't hurt me." She spread her legs and arched her pelvis, feeling the brush of his erection against her opening. "Now, Carson, now."

He wasted no time and entered her quickly. She heard the familiar rumble in his chest. And then he was moving powerfully inside her, in and out, over and over again. She met each of his thrusts, rose up to nip at his throat, tasting his flesh, savoring his blood.

She would find a way to forgive his painful words. She would find a way to trust him. Maybe if she had dared to trust him to begin with and told him the truth about that last encounter with Deborah, some of this could have been averted. In the end they needed to trust each other.154 She felt herself rising toward the pinnacle once again. That place of pa.s.sion only this wolfman could take her to. Her nails dug into his back, dragged downward to cup his a.s.s. And then she felt him pulse inside her, spilling his seed into her womb.

She pressed her lips to his, claiming the groan that escaped from his throat, swallowing it, and then driving her tongue deep inside searching and tasting.

One of his hands wedged between their bodies, a finger stroking across her engorged c.l.i.t and she burst apart, climaxing. The beat of her heart increased ... she heard it, felt it, and somewhere inside she knew that Sybilla's spirit was with her, urging Petra to take every bit of pleasure that life had to offer, because sometimes it was so fleeting.

She wrapped her arms around Carson. Her fingers traced the furrows she'd left on his back, and she dipped into the lifeblood of her savage lover.

I'll take care of him. She spoke to Sybilla's spirit.

I know. It was a whisper of sound inside her head. And then the sense of Sybilla lingering inside her was gone. And it was just her and Carson wrapped in each other's arms.

Protecting and nurturing each other.