Shifters (Shifters series Book 1) (25 page)

He’s touching her face so tenderly, so sweetly we all look away. We leave them to their private moment.

“
Kai,
” I say, climbing into the front seat, stepping on Kyle as I do. “We need to get her to a hospital. A safe hospital.”

Kai shakes his head at me. “We can
’
t go to a hospital. And we
’
re too far from—”

I cut him off before he refers to that vile nurse. “We can
’
t leave her like this.”

Kyle pipes up, “If the bullet went straight through, all we need to do is seal the wound to prevent infection.”

I turn to Kyle with my eyebrows raised. “How do we do that?” I ask, shocked at his sudden medical knowledge.

“Go to 2130 P St NW, apartment 315,” Kyle says, ignoring my question.

Kai goes immediately, trusting Kyle has a plan.

“Can you please tell me what we
’re doing?
” I ask.

Kyle turns to me then, still holding Solé lightly. She’s pale, and her eyelids are fluttering open and shut. “We’re going to a Keeper safe house. They’ll have the first aid kit I need to treat Devon.”

“Are you trained to treat gunshot wounds?” Tanner asks from the backseat of our newly-stolen vehicle, concerned.

“My dad trained me to deal with most anything that can be treated outside an emergency room,” Kyle says quietly.

“Wait! We
’
re going to a Keeper safe house?” Kai demands, almost stopping the car.

“There shouldn
’
t be anyone there,” Kyle says quietly.

“Shouldn
’
t?” I snap, not believing what I
’
m hearing. “What if there is?”

“Don
’
t worry,” Kyle replies.

I can
’
t believe this. If Kyle gets us killed before we can even make it to our world-changing meeting, I swear I’ll haunt him forever. He’ll have no rest. Tanner is the one who
’
s supposed to get us killed, not Kyle.

Chapter 39

Promises We Can’
t Keep

–TANNER–

“Don
’
t worry?” Ryland yells at Kyle. “Devon’s hurt, and you
’
re taking us straight to the enemy?”

“Shut up, Ryland!” I yell. I yell so loudly I don
’
t even recognize my own voice. How could she be worried about anything right now when Devon is bleeding and crying in pain in my lap?

My sister stops talking immediately and looks at me, shocked. She softens and looks at her feet. Our eyes meet, and she starts to tear up. She looks at Devon bleeding in my lap and gives me a pleading look. She turns around and stares out the windshield.

“Can you do it?” I ask Kyle. “Is it safe?”

He looks back at me, then down to Devon. I can
’
t really read his expression. He glances at Solé in his lap who has just come back around. He turns back at me and says, “Yes, I can. It should be safe.”

Ryland’s about to say something, but I cut her off, “Tell Kai how to get there.” Kyle turns around and tells Kai to turn at the next street.

I lose track of where we are. I can
’
t focus on anything except the fragile girl in my lap. Every tear that streams down her face feels like it
’
s ripping the heart from my chest.

“Tanner,” Devon says in a weak voice.

“I
’
m here. I
’
m right here,” I tell her, not holding back my tears. I know she
’
ll be okay now, but I can
’
t believe how much it hurts to see her in pain. We hit a bump going around a curve, and she writhes in pain, clutching my hand.

“You have to leave me,” she says as she fights the pain. “I
’
ll slow you down now. You need to be safe.”

I shake my head at her, muttering a series of unintelligible arguments. I can
’
t even make a coherent sentence. How can she say that? “I can
’
t,” I tell her with tears streaming down my face.

“You have to,” she pleads.

“Not a chance,” I tell her, trying to smile through the tears. “
You can
’
t get rid of me that easy. I
’
m afraid you
’
re stuck with me.” I bite down hard and say, “Wherever you go, I go.”

She winces and tries to give a brave smile. My heart aches at her agony.

“Why?” she asks.

“Why what?”

“Why do you see me?” she asks. She starts to shiver and complains, “It
’
s so cold.”

I yell up to the front, “She
’
s shivering. Get me something to cover her.”

“She
’
s going into shock. We
’
re almost there. Get him something to keep her warm,” Kyle says.

Ryland scrambles around, picks a jacket up, and throws it back to me.

I wrap it around her and say, “Here you go, baby.” I smile and tell her, “Here
’
s a nice stolen jacket from the stolen car. Does that help?”

She lets out a small chuckle and winces in pain.

“Tanner,” she says.

“Yes, Devon?”

“Thank you for finding me.”

I have no idea what she’s talking about. Since seeing her for the first time, I’ve barely let her out of my sight. From the moment I saw her silhouette backlit on her family
’
s porch, I knew she was the one. How could anyone ever treat her as poorly as they did? Even now, it makes me so angry to think of them. She’s the smartest, toughest, most beautiful person who’s ever lived. Now I can
’
t imagine how I ever survived without her.

“You
’
re thanking me?” I ask.

She looks up at me, biting her lip like she’s unsure about something. I can
’
t help but look at her beautiful lips, then her amazing eyes before looking back at her lips again. God, what is she thinking? She starts to say something and stops herself. I can
’
t help but think I did something wrong.

She opens her mouth again, but stops. Then, she says, “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course, you can tell me anything,” I say, trying to reassure her. I really have no idea what she
’
s going to say. The last time a girl talked to me like this, she told me she wished I was her brother. Please don
’
t let that be it. If that happens, I may just die right here.

“Come closer,” she says.

I lean my head down toward her, and she slowly reaches her hand up and caresses my cheek. Her gentle touch sends an electrical charge through me. My entire body feels like it springs to life.

Please don
’
t stop. Please don
’
t stop. Please don
’
t . . .

She moves her hand slowly to the back of my head, then pulls herself up to me, and her lips reach mine. I can
’
t believe this is happening. A million thoughts are rushing through my head. Her hand, her lips—oh, my God—her smell, her gentle tongue finding mine through her slightly parted lips . . .

I close my eyes and cradle her head in my arms. It’s truly the most exciting, yet the most relaxing, feeling imaginable. I’m completely lost in her. I have no idea how long it lasts. I never want it to stop. We only pause to breathe, and she kisses me again.

I can
’
t believe this is my first kiss. I can
’
t believe it’s with this girl. I can
’
t believe I’ve found the perfect one, and
she
is kissing me.

I would’ve never imagined this moment in a million years. I would’ve never thought it would happen as she was bleeding in my lap, but I can
’
t imagine this moment being more perfect.

She pulls away and looks at me, wincing slightly, as our idiot chauffeur targets every single bump in the road.

She opens her mouth slightly like she
’
s going to say something and then thinks better of it. She hesitates once more before saying, “I love you, Tanner.” She bites her lip like she’s waiting for something bad to happen.

She loves me! I can
’
t believe she loves me. The most amazing girl in the entire universe loves me. I look up to see if there are any witnesses to this amazing event. Nobody.

I must’ve taken too long to respond. She begins to deflate. Oh, no! You, idiot! Say something!

“Me too,” I say.

Me too? This amazing girl tells you she loves you, and you respond with
me too
? What the heck does that mean anyway? Am I telling her I love me too? Fix this, you moron.

“I mean . . . I love you too, Devon.”

She gives me an unsure smile.
Tell her how you feel before you totally screw this up!

“I love you more than life itself,” I tell her. “I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you, and everyday, I love you more.” I look her deeply in her perfect eyes and say, “I promise you I always will.”

Just then, the car screeches to a stop, and Kyle and Kai jump out.

Kai opens my door and says, “Come on. We
’
ve got to get her inside.”

–RYLAND–

I can
’
t believe I’m here right now. I’m on the balcony of this beautiful apartment in DC.

I can
’
t believe I’m here right now. I
’
m waiting to hear if I just got my brother
’
s girlfriend, and my friend, killed.

I can
’
t believe I’m here right now. I’ve lost my family, my friends, my life, everything I ever held dear.

I can
’
t believe I’m here right now. I’m a warrior; I
will
avenge my parents
’
deaths.

My mind is spinning with all of these different thoughts. I’m so lucky to have been given such a gift. I can fly. I’m the unluckiest girl to ever live. Yet everyone I love is gone.

I’ve been deserted by God or the gods or mankind. I’ll fight because I have nothing left to lose. I’ll go into a battle from which I have little chance of leaving alive in two days. There’s nothing else for me to do, so I will fight.

I find myself thinking of Achilles. Yes, from
The Iliad
. Pretty girls can read. I mean, I also saw the movie with Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom, but I
did
read it too. Anyway . . . I think of how he didn
’
t want to fight. He wanted to love and be loved. He wasn
’
t going to fight, but his cousin died. That spurred him to action. He could no longer be still.

I wonder who my version of that cousin is. Is it my family taken captive? My friends? Is it Devon lying on the couch, bleeding? At what point does the death and loss around you numb you completely?

When can I give up the fight? At what point do I become a heartless, ruthless killer who’ll stop at nothing to destroy my enemies?

Who am I anymore? Do you know?

The glass door behind me slides open, and I see Sol
é step out. She looks weak and tired. Her shirt and hands are coated with thick red blood. I feel myself crumble, but I
’
m standing still. I feel my knees hit the concrete while my hands still grip the rail, holding me up.

Solé smiles weakly. “She
’
s going to be all right, you know.”

I could weep in relief, but no tears come. I just stare mutely at her small smile, expressionless.

“Kyle says the bullet didn
’
t knick any major . . . anything, and it hardly even damaged her muscles. He says it’ll be sore for a while, but she’ll be able to use it almost immediately,” Solé continues when I don
’
t react.

I finally turn to see. Devon’s resting, smiling weakly at Tanner who’s holding her small, pale hand. Tanner’s speaking in a whisper. He leans forward and gently kisses her messy sunset hair.

Kyle and Kai are in the kitchen, cleaning up at the huge bronze apron sink. They’re laughing and splattering water all over the marble and granite. It almost seems as if they’ve been friends their entire lives rather than mortal enemies.

“I thought . . .”
I don’
t finish my sentence. There’s a part of me that doesn
’
t want to know.

Solé looks at me patiently like a kindergarten teacher would look at a petulant child. She says nothing to prompt me, but I feel her waiting for me to continue.

“I thought, maybe . . . I thought that was what you had seen. That Devon died. That I didn
’
t stop it,
” I rush through my fears, my heartbeat hammering in my chest.

Solé stares at the ground, face reddening. She’s embarrassed. “I . . . I
’
m sorry. I should’ve told you—then—what I saw. I should—”

She
’
s crying now. She
’
s crying so hard she can
’
t speak. She can
’
t breathe. I take her into my arms and rub her back gently.

“Shh,” I croon. “It isn
’
t your fault. None of this is your fault.”

Solé shakes her head vehemently and pulls herself violently from my arms. “You don
’
t understand. You don
’
t know what I see.”

“Is Devon going to die?” I ask slowly, unsure I truly want the answer to this question.

“Tanner is going to lose her,” Solé says weakly. She turns away without meeting my eyes and walks back through the sliding glass doors.

As she disappears into a bedroom, I watch Tanner and Devon for a moment. They
’
re both smiling now, though I wonder what pain medications Devon is on. They’re clinging to one another
’
s hands as though it’s the last line of defense they have.

I can’t let that happen. Tanner can’t lose her. She can’t lose him. He’s the first person to truly see her. She’s the first person to truly choose him. They need one another.

I make myself a promise in that moment. Whatever happens, I will not let her die. Even if that means I die in her place. Tanner deserves that much.

I take a deep breath to compose myself before reentering the apartment. “We should get out of here soon,” I say. “It might not be safe here indefinitely.”

Kyle nods.
“But first,” he says, “we all need to clean up, especially Kai,” and shoves Kai toward the open bathroom.