Page 45 of Protected By Her Mate

It’s not your fault. Keenan’s tired voice sounds in my head.

I sit up straighter and Charlie eyes me.

You’re okay?I demand.

Vanessa was injured in the bombing. We’re at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

I’m on my way, I promise him.

Thank you, brother. He shuts down our mental link to focus on his mate.

“Your brother?” Charlie guesses.

I nod, and she touches my arm sympathetically. I don’t deserve her.

“No, but you have me anyway.” She gives me a weak smile and my heart thumps in response.

I decide then and there if we can’t fulfill our mating destiny, I will still watch over until the day she dies, making her life better in every way I can.

Several hours later, we enter the hospital together, leaving our bags behind in our rental vehicle. Keenan left my name on a list with reception, allowing us to easily pass through security to Vanessa’s room.

As we approach, a small woman with bright bubblegum pink hair steps into the hallway. Her nose twitches and she turns sharply to stare at me, her eyes widening.

“Keenan? But you were just…” She points at the door behind her, frowning. “Right, you’re the twin. Lennox. You have shorter hair.” She glares at me like my hair has personally offended her.

“Pinky.” We met at the wedding.

Her worried gaze darts back to the room. “It’s not… it’s not looking good.”

“I’m so sorry.” Charlie introduces herself, adding, “We’re here to help.”

Pinky nods distractedly. “Are you a doctor?”

“Bomb expert.”

This sharpens Pinky’s gaze. “Who do you think did this?”

Before I can tell Charlie to keep it to herself, she says, “ASHRA.”

Pinky’s eyes narrow. “Those shifter hating fucks.” Her gaze grows speculative. “They killed people in that explosion. Mostly humans, but a few shifters too.”

“We don’t need your help with this,” I growl, stepping toward her.

Charlie gives me a confused look, probably wondering why I’m posturing with a woman who looks like a stiff wind could blow her over. Looks can be deceiving. Pinky is the last of her kind, a true dragon shifter.

We spend a few minutes with my brother, who stands vigil next to his unconscious bride, his gaze never leaving her face. His gut-wrenching agony beats at my mind until I’m nearly insane with grief.

When Charlie suggests in hushed tones that we leave to check out the bomb site, I agree just to get away from my brother who barely notices when we leave. I can’t think with his emotions battering at me.

“She’ll pull through,” Charlie says unconvincingly as we climb into our rental, Charlie in the driver’s seat.

We get as close as we can to the bomb site, park and make our way to the officer running the show.

“Detective Lennox Wolven-North,” I introduce myself to Officer Hogan while Charlie beelines to the nearest fire truck.

“Don’t know why you were sent,” the lead officer says, annoyance clear in his tone. “We didn’t ask for help. You’re wasting your time.”

Ordinarily, I would finesse the situation. Make the other officer feel comfortable, like his turf was being respected, but today I have no patience with posturing. “You have no shifter division and this bombing is being claimed by an anti-shifter terrorist organization. My brother and his wife were caught in the explosion and it looks like she’s not going to pull through. Do you know what it means when a shifter loses his mate?”

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