I closed my eyes again and tried to connect with Lily. I hadn’t made the blood exchange and I didn’t truly believe I could reach her mental pathway, but something zipped over my nerve endings, startling me.Lily?Fear slammed into me. Not mine. Hers. For the first time in my existence, I embraced my dark nature, and left the cage door open. There would be no mercy.
“You have her scent,” Fostine reminded him. “Maybe get a direction from that?”
“No,” he ground out, “I smell her inside, but in the parking lot there was nothing. Like there’s something blocking it.”
A commotion in the parking lot spurred me and Fostine into action. Once outside I caught Wyatt lifting one of the officers into the air. “Wyatt!”
My brother spared me a look filled with ice-cold fury. “Stay out of this.”
In two strides I was beside him. “Let Brandon go, goddamn it. What the hell has gotten into you.”
Brandon cursed. “All I said was that Tessa needs to be seen by a doctor.”
Fostine sidled up next to Wyatt. “Why is that a bad thing?”
“Creeg will see to her.”
Wyatt’s reaction was so out of character that we all just stared, unsure how to defuse the situation. Then it struck me. Could Tessa be Wyatt’s mate? “Miggs, call Creeg and tell him to be ready.”
“Yeah, sure,” he quickly agreed, pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket.
“Tessa,” I said, gaining her attention. “Creeg has all the latest equipment. You’ll be in good hands, I assure you.”
“I don’t doubt that, but—”
I leaned closer in order to keep my next words private. “Wyatt needs to see to your care. He won’t relax until you agree to go with us. I promise, you are in no danger.”
She glanced back at Wyatt, who still held Brandon off the ground, then let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, whatever.”
I looked at Brandon, as well as the EMT. “You heard her. She’s refusing treatment.”
“That’s not wise, Ma’am,” the young EMT said. “She could have—”
“Kid, if you value your life, stop talking,” I ordered.
Tessa seemed to catch onto the severity of the situation and reached for Wyatt, clutching his forearm. “Wyatt, won’t you please take me to your clinic?”
My brother’s head snapped around, as if coming out of a trance, then dropped Brandon on the ground. “You agree?”
“I do.” Tessa smiled, although I could see it was forced. “Always wanted to see the infamous Ravenbriar estate anyway.”
“It’s more of a compound,” Miggs argued. At Wyatt’s glare, Miggs shrugged and kept his mouth shut.
I nudged my chin toward Brandon. “I know you need a statement from Tessa. Would it be possible to come out to the house?”
“Fine.” He threw his hands in the air. “This is nuts, but fine!”
“In about an hour,” I added. “Give Creeg time to assess her injuries.”
Brandon nodded. “Wyatt, do I have your permission to come onto your property?”
Wyatt nodded, his gaze stayed on Tessa. “You will come alone, Brandon.”
It wasn’t a request and Brandon knew it. The officer shuffled off, then went to work dispersing the crowd of onlookers. Wyatt gently lifted Tessa off the gurney and into his arms and made his way to the car.
“Go, both of you,” I muttered to Miggs and Fostine. “We’ve made enough of a scene.”
Fostine seemed frozen though. “I’ve never seen Wyatt lose control in public like that. What’s gotten into him?”