Page 55 of Pack Ruin
“Peace, little brother,” the beast with the glowing eyes rasped, then let go of me.
I scrambled away on the floor, trying to stay quiet. I had to get Luke out of here, away from this. The creature pulled himself out from under the bed and lay panting, propped up against the wall.
Only it wasn’t a creature. It was a man. One I knew.
“Joaquin?”
“Grigor,” he corrected with a soft groan.
I shook my head as he pulled himself up to sitting. He looked awful, his normally bronzed skin almost gray, his face drawn. “What the fuck were you doing under Luke’s bed?”
“I was… keeping him alive.” He rasped out a few short sentences that were so ridiculous, they had to be true. Crazy, cruel shit. Torran cutting into Luke, the machines being taken away. “He’s only alive now… because I breathe for him. My power is moving the blood through his veins, pumping his heart.”
“How?” I stood, skirting Joaquin until I stood next to the bed again.
“Magic, little brother. I am Grigor Dimitri?—”
“No.” I cut him off. “I don’t want to hear that name. I’m not going to stay in a room with the fucking boogeyman of all wolf shifters.” His eyes flew to mine, and I immediately dropped my gaze.Damnit.I forced myself to look back up, though I had to stare at his nose. “You are Joaquin Villalobos, from the Borderlands. Got it?”
He nodded and tried to stand, but pitched over. I caught him before he could hurt himself, helping him up onto the bed beside Luke. Joaquin was shorter than Luke, his skin dark against the white sheet, and he looked almost innocent as he lay there, panting. But when he opened his eyes, and the red flames there danced…
“Close your eyes,” I snapped.
He sighed heavily. “You’re here for me.”
“For Luke,” I corrected.
“Of course. But Flor came for me, when I called, yes?” I just sneered, not willing to answer. “I won’t be able to leave this room and go to our mate with my eyes closed.” He hesitated. “Or not in my current state, in any case.”
“Cryptic fucker,” I muttered, checking on Luke again. He was no closer to waking up than he had been, though his skinfelt slightly warmer. When I remarked on it, Joaquin looked resigned.
“I had to… connect our souls, in order to save him.”
“Youwhat?”
He snarled, the fire in his eyes flashing like red and blue lightning. “He was dying. No, he wasdead.His wolf was all that was left, and I wasn’t certain I could even save that part of him. But our queen will need all of her mates to be whole. So I made the choice. I bound myself to him. I brought him back.”
“His wolf?”
“I think… I think he will be whole. I’m not certain. He hasn’t awoken since. I’ve poured everything I have into him, to try and heal both of his natures.”
“Why would you do that?” I was beyond shocked. I’d known that Flor felt an unrealized mate bond to this guy, though I’d tried not to think about it, hoping that if she had to let one mate go, it would be this one.
But he’d tied himself to Luke, to save his life.Why?
His mouth turned up at the corners, and I saw the answer in his flickering eyes. “Is there anything you wouldn’t do to keep her from harm, from pain? I would burn down the world.”
I blinked at him for a moment, understanding. Wishing I didn’t. “Again. I heard you already did it once. Heard you killed more shifters than all the wars since time began.”
“How could I have done that?” he asked calmly, trying to sit up, but failing. “I’m only Joaquin, an unimportant shifter from the Borderlands.” Against my better judgment, and ignoring the way my wolf cowered inside me, I leaned over to help him up.
This time when I touched him, it felt like grabbing a live wire. Energy began to pour out of me. “Let go,” he ground out, his jaw tight. “Let gonow!”
The command in his voice was so much more powerful than any Alpha dominance I’d ever felt that my body obeyed before my mind could process the words.
“What was that?” I stared at my hands. They didn’t look burned. The weakness I’d felt vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
“Apologies, young brother. I didn’t mean to pull your strength away. I’m weaker now than I’ve ever been, and it was instinct.”
