Out of Darkness Ch. 08

Xylon knew his friend was going to need his help. Silvano's son could be dying, but he couldn't be with him. He'd made a promise. So Xylon took it upon himself to give him as much back-up as possible.

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How long had it been since she'd heard the cars drive up? But no one had tried to break down the door. Were they biding their time? What were they waiting for?

She'd be better off dead than going back to "The Boss". She went through her bag, looking for anything she could use. Maybe she could slit her wrists. But there was nothing here, nothing! She sat there in the corner of the room, crying softly to herself. "Oh, Drago. You must be dead or you would have come back." She whispered it to herself. "I love you, Drago."

The soft knock on the door made her jump to her feet.

"Kelly, he loves you too."

Her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped in surprise. Whoever was out there had heard her!

"Kelly, I'm Drago's father, Silvano. He's on his way to the hospital, but he wouldn't let me go with him. He wanted to be sure I would take care of you. Will you unlock the door?"

Was this a trick? She could hear his Italian accent, so like the others "The Boss" employed. But Drago had said she could open the door for his father. But they could have assumed that and be pretending. She walked hesitantly to the door, putting her ear to it, not hearing much but a little movement. "How do I know you're really Drago's father and not one of the men sent to take me back?" Her voice was shaking.

"Drago said you were smart. He told you to open the door only for him or his father. Would they know that?"

Kelly waited for a second. What could prove it to her? "What is Drago's favorite movie?"

Silvano thought of all those years, and that damned movie, over and over, and smiled. "Terminator." He backed up as he heard the bolt sliding back on the door.

The heavy door opened slowly. Silvano caught a glimpse of long black hair before she came into view. He took a deep breath. It was important not to upset her any more than she was already. He tried to smile even as he felt his son's growing pain. But he had to be able to tell him she was alright, and soon!

Kelly's heart was pounding. She stood in the open doorway and saw Drago's father for the first time. He looked exactly the same as he did in the picture she'd seen, tall, muscular, blond hair, handsome face. She moved her feet towards him, but they felt like lead. Drago wasn't with him. She knew she was going to hear bad news. She burst into tears and fell forward into his arms.

Silvano held her tightly. She was his to protect until Drago could take over. He took that very seriously. He stroked her hair and whispered to her, "Shhh, Kelly, you're going to be alright. Everything will be alright." Her whole body shook as she sobbed and within seconds she had collapsed into his arms. He picked her up easily and held her against his chest.

She looked up at him and saw a kind man through blurry eyes. "Drago, is he..." She couldn't even get the words out of her mouth.

"He's on his way to the hospital. They are doing everything they can for him, Kelly. But until he knows you're safe, he won't rest." He held her close. He could see some redness in his footsteps in the sand; the blood had soaked through already.

{Drago, I have her. Rest, my son. She will be there when you are well.}

In the ambulance, racing towards the compound, the large black wolf took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes.

Logan took another set of vital signs. "James, if you can go any faster..." He set up a new bag of fluids.

"On it." James was grateful the highway was deserted. He looked down at the speedometer - 110 miles per hour. They were passing Battle Mountain now. "We're about thirty minutes out."

"Drago, may I give you the pain medication now?" He watched the pained eyes closely. He could barely see a small movement of the wolf's large head. He quickly pulled out the syringe and watched the medication move through the fluid line. He monitored his patient's reactions, his breathing slowed, his eyes closed. For now, at least, he didn't feel the pain. {Trina, are you ready for us?}

Trina looked around their emergency room before answering her mate. {I think so. I'm ready for the cross match first, and I have plenty of type A and B blood ready. But if he has a rare type, we're in trouble, Logan.}

Logan thought for a moment. {Has anyone done any blood typing on the Bertrand/Kardos pack yet?}

The nurse smiled. {No, we haven't. I'll start now.} She grabbed her supplies and ran out the door.

Kelly sat quietly in Silvano's lap on the ride to...where? Where were they going? She had no idea. But she was safe. And Drago? He was on his way to a hospital. She vaguely remembered being carried through the outer room on the other side of her protective door. The wolves were gone.

But where did the sand come from? It hadn't been there when Drago had brought her here. But she had noticed the red footsteps that the men left in the sand. She wondered who they all were. They surrounded her as Silvano had carried her to the car. And there were police cars. Did Drago find his way to a phone and call his father and the police too? She'd had the feeling he didn't trust police. He'd never called them while they ran for the their lives through Europe.

Silvano held Kelly carefully in his arms. His son's mate was fragile in comparison to a werewolf female. He didn't want to crush her in his arms. He whispered, "We'll be there soon."

"I want to be with Drago. Will they let me see him?" She had to see him. She had to see for herself he was still alive.

Xylon took a quick look at his friend's face. What would he tell her? She couldn't possibly see him. She had no idea what they were. And Drago wouldn't be able to shift for some time, if he lived.

"Drago is very badly hurt, Kelly. You won't be able to see him right away. But I promise you, as soon as the doctors feel he is able to have a visitor, you will see him."

Carr, in the front seat, had just heard from Logan. "Silvano, they're at the hospital. Logan says he's a fighter!"

Silvano smiled and squeezed Kelly a little tighter. "See? He will not stop fighting until he can see you again."

Carla had been waiting impatiently for her son to arrive at the hospital. When the makeshift ambulance had arrived, Katy had had to grab her to keep her from running to her son's side. She was so grateful for Katy's friendship and support, but she needed to see Drago's face. She needed to touch him. He hadn't been able to speak through their bond. There had only been silence. They had told her he was still alive, but she had to see him to believe it!

The back of the truck had immediately been surrounded by nurses and orderlies. They had a gurney and monitors and machines. Carla stood on her tip-toes, trying to see around them. She thought she could make out his black fur. She clearly saw the Doctor climb out, covered in blood, Drago's blood. She tried to pull away from Katy, but the smaller woman was stronger than she looked.

"Carla, you have to let them work. They're going to do everything they can." Katy tried to do her best to keep her from getting in the way. She just prayed Carla didn't shift in order to escape from her. She knew it was going to take more than just her to keep this anxious mother away from her cub. {Jenna, I need your help. Jenna? Do you hear me?}

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{I must run! I have to get away, off the island, find my white wolf. Where will I go?}

{The sleek black panther had found an unattended boat moored at the dock. She looked around her, and seeing no one, leapt into it and shifted to her human form. The petite female picked up the oars and sat down, immediately using the oars to take her as far from this island as she could go. Her surprising strength was to her advantage as she sent the little boat cutting across the still water.}

{She had no idea where she was going, but knew that, wherever it was, it would lead her to her white wolf.}

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{Jenna? Do you hear me?}

Jenna bolted upright in bed. Katy! She shook her head, trying to clear the dream from her thoughts. Ever since she had shared her mind with her panther, she'd been plagued by these dreams.

{Yes, Katy, I hear you. What's wrong?}

Jenna fumbled around the nightstand for her notebook and pencil. She always had them ready now to jot down what she'd dreamt. Maybe someday she'd figure out what it all meant. Was it the future? Or the past?

{I need your help. Carla wants to be with her son. I can't say I blame her, but she'll be in the way.}

Jenna gave up the hunt for the notebook and started grabbing her clothes instead.

{I'll be right there.}

Jenna looked back at the bed and saw her mate, her white wolf, sleeping soundly. She was so glad she'd been able to talk Alistair into laying down with her for a nap. He never got enough sleep. Since she'd been feeling so tired lately, and taking plenty of naps, she made him nap with her whenever she could. She'd let him sleep for now.

Jenna got to the hospital just in time to keep Carla from breaking away from Katy. The mother wolf's instincts were to go to her cub, no matter what. Jenna had a feeling she and Katy wouldn't be much different soon. But they had to stop her for now. "Carla, the doctors and nurses here are amazing! Please, let them do their jobs. We'll stay here with you." She took Carla's hand and squeezed it tightly, trying to lend her some of her strength.

"Let's keep the fluids rolling until we can start some blood. He has no volume right now. As soon as we have some blood into him, we'll start with the neck wounds." Logan washed his bloody hands and put on some gloves. He watched as Trina managed to find a vein to draw blood for typing and cross-matching.

Logan worked on assessing all of the wolf's injuries as he waited for word on the blood type. He didn't dare take the bandage off his neck until he had some blood in him. It seemed like forever before Trina spoke up.

"Blood type is AB Negative. Packed Cell Volume is 9, total protein is 2.2." None of this was good.

"Do we have any AB Negative blood?" {PCV of 9! } Damn, they were in a hole, and he didn't know if there was any way to dig their way out.

"They're finishing up drawing it right now. The whole Bertrand/Kardos pack is AB Negative except for the Alpha, at least the males are. I'll have two units for you in about two minutes. And I'll grab the rest of them and get them started right away." Trina ran out of the room. They should be done with the first two units by now.

Trina grabbed one of the orderlies on her way out and sent him back with the fresh units of blood while she went looking for Guillame to ask for him to send all of the tested males over to give blood. And while she was at it, she asked that they send everyone else over to be tested. This poor wolf was going to need a hell of a lot more blood if he was going to have any chance of living. Unfortunately, were blood and human blood were not compatible.

Logan waited impatiently as the blood dripped into his patient. As soon as the first unit was in, he went to work. He knew Jeff was going to be busy with the two prisoners, but Drago had the more severe injuries, and if Logan thought he needed Jeff, the prisoners would be on their own.

Jeff arrived with his two patients and came in through the back entrance. This end of the hospital was reserved for prisoners and was more secure. He had been amazed at how much damage Drago had been able to do to six wolves! The fact that four of them were dead was incredible. And Drago was still alive!

If Drago made it, Jeff knew the Betas would love to spar with him and see just what he could do. The Baxter Pack had always prided themselves on being well trained, but none of them could believe what they'd found.

Carla didn't want to sit and wait. She paced in the room outside the surgery where they'd moved Drago.

{We're here, cara.}

Carla didn't wait a moment before running out the door to meet her mate. She watched as he slowly got out, still carrying their son's human mate.

They had a wheelchair waiting for Kelly, which Silvano gently lowered her into before putting his arms around his mate. Carla began to cry as soon as he enveloped her in a tight embrace. He looked over at Kelly. "This is my...wife, Carla. Carla, cara, this is Kelly, the woman Drago saved from Erobos."

Carla walked slowly, her mate's arm protectively around her shoulders, to the human female her son had risked his life for. She looked down at her and smiled, placing a hand softly on the woman's face.

Kelly reached up and held her hand, whispering, "I love him."

Carla breathed deeply. If her son lived, this would be his mate. "And he loves you!" The nurse waited to take Kelly into the hospital. Carla patted her shoulder. "We'll be waiting for you." Carla held out her hand to Silvano, who twined his fingers with hers. The three of them would wait for Drago together.