Blane (Stratham Shifters Book 5) Read online

  “Here goes nothing,” she said wishing she wasn’t alone. This wasn’t the first time she missed having someone to talk to, but there was no one that could help her through this.

  The one person who should have been there for her, left when things got too tough. True love didn’t exist. If it had, Derrek wouldn’t have abandoned her within the week the appointment that had changed her life. But now wasn’t the time to think of the man who made her lose all faith in humanity. She could do this—on her own. Just as she did everything else. She never involved her sister or asked for help.

  One foot in front of the other, she eased to the entrance of the emergency room of Stratham. The doctor’s office was on the third floor; the same as the maternity ward. She wondered why he chose that spot to be his. Did he need innocents to help him cure her? She hoped not. She didn’t want to steal from new life to make hers whole again.

  She’d die first.

  Chapter 2

  Anxiety crept down his spine. Sophie screamed and the sound tore through his mind. Agony like he hadn’t felt in so long burst through him. The pain ripped through his body in ways that should never even be possible. He sucked in a breath and clutched his gut. “Holy fuck,” he muttered. To his surprise, he didn’t scream. But oh, how he wanted to. His stomach was on fire. It was almost as if he was carrying her child.

  Why did he agree to this again?

  He should have stayed at home, as far away from her as he could, but then she said the magic words.

  “I need you there. You keep everyone calm—and I need calm.”

  He sighed and nodded before thinking it through. “Okay, but I may have to leave.”

  She nodded with tears streaming down her cheeks. “That’s all I ask.”

  When he would have backed off she grabbed his hand. “You’re like the brother I always wanted.”

  He smiled then realizing she was a great sister. He was only a couple of years older, but it didn’t matter. They had a bond no one could compare with.

  Sophie cried out and sobbed. “Blane, you don’t have to stay,” she said.

  Her pain swirled through him. But he wanted so badly to be there for her, but there was no way he could do it. White spots danced before his eyes and his body broke out in sweat. He swayed and slammed his hand against the wall to stay on his feet.

  “I gotta go,” he said not bothering to wait for a response as he grasped the handle to the door. He needed air, and he needed it now. He yanked the door opened and slipped out of the room. As soon as he closed it behind him the feel of her pain dampened some, but it was still there lingering around his soul, darkening it. He stumbled down the hall not caring how it looked. Bile rose in his throat but he held it back.

  He would not be sick in the middle of the maternity ward. That was for the weak, and he wasn’t weak.

  Well, he might feel that way now considering he felt Sophie’s labor pains.

  And how the hell did women do it?

  It didn’t help matters that she was terrified that something was wrong…

  And he couldn’t help but wonder if she was right. Being a few weeks early wouldn’t be that bad, he didn’t think, but the amount of pain she was in—couldn’t be normal.

  Could it?

  His body broke out in a sweat, but it wasn’t from Soph any longer. Her pain had either subsided or he wasn’t close enough now. Blinking, he straightened his body, alert, but not sure what exactly he was looking for. The hairs on his neck stood and he shivered.

  He scanned the room and sucked in a breath when a scent surrounded him. It was like nothing he’d ever smelled before. It was sweet and spicy. His eyes shifted and he blinked surprised by how easily he lost control in public; that had never happened before. The beast’s head rose from his slumber. He rose to his feet and purred—much like a giant cat—to Blane’s dismay.

  A wave of dizziness rocked through him and again he reached out to hold himself up. Luckily there was a wall to catch him. He fell against it hating how weak he felt. It was more than just Sophie’s pain. This wasn’t the same as what he felt in the room before. His heart stopped beating. Only for a second, but enough for him to feel the life leaving him. He gasped when the beating returned, but much slower than normal.

  This reminded him of what happened to Aris, only it took Soph’s touch to bring him back. He realized then, that somewhere close by—was his mate. His beast paced huffing that his host hadn’t found her yet. He looked to find a woman sitting on a small couch by the large window that overlooked most of Stratham. She nibbled her lower lip and he was caught off guard by such big hair. Ringlet curls covered her head in a messy array, yet it was beautiful. He wanted to run his fingers through the curls and see if they bounced back in place. As crazy as it sounded he wanted to see if her hair was as soft as it looked.

  As if she could feel his stare she brought her eyes up and sadness slapped him in the face. She was worried. He felt her fear, yet acceptance.

  Acceptance for what though? She looked ill. His heart hammered in his chest. There she was.

  ‘Mate.’

  He wanted to roll his eyes and say “duh”. But their eyes locked and she gasped just as surprised as he was. Only she had no clue what was about to happen. How her life would change, and how much he needed her, now more than ever. Now that he’d found her, it was essential to bond.

  ‘Ours.’

  Blane found himself nodding in response to his dragon’s words. She was theirs. But why was she here? And what was wrong? She had a guard up bigger than any human he’d ever been around.

  He stalked to the chair that sat next to the small couch and he sat down. She glanced at him with a raised brow.

  “Can I help you?” her voice was low and husky.

  He shivered ignoring how her voice made his insides tighten. “Are you okay?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I asked if you were okay. You look rather stressed.” It was true she did.

  “I’m fine. Just waiting.”

  “For?”

  Again, her brow raised. She wasn’t young like the others. He sensed a maturity within her. She was older than him. He wondered how that would play out. Certainly, his age Shouldn’t matter. Humans were strange and used trivial things like age as excuses, but the idea of an older woman—now that was appealing to both him as a man and him as the beast.

  She sighed and opened her mouth almost as if she couldn’t help it. He straightened giving her his undivided attention letting her know he was listening.

  “I’m here to find out if there is any hope or if I’m going to die.” Plain and simple. She didn’t mince her words.

  His beast growled, but it came out as more of a cry. ‘We must save her.’

  Blane agreed, but was it even possible.? Fate wouldn’t be so cruel to send him his mate, only for her to die leaving him alone and hollow…would she? He swallowed. “What do you mean?” It was hard to come off as just a curious stranger. But he wasn’t going to rush things with his mate. Or he hoped that maybe he wouldn’t be like the others. Maybe because he already suffered so much Fate wouldn’t make him fall apart even more now that he’d his mate. Maybe he’d be lucky.

  “Well, not that it’s your business, but I’m either going to die—or I’ll beat my cancer.” She shrugged as if were no big deal, but he could see that it was.

  His heart raced in panic. “Cancer?”

  “It’s bad. But I’m supposed to see Dr. Carlyle. Hopefully he can help.”

  He’d heard of the new doctor from Bev. She wasn’t happy that a witch was so open with his abilities, but she had no control. He was sanctioned by the council. Or that’s what the witch said. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but it made her quite irritable.

  “I hope he can help.”

  Her lips parted, but she licked them.

  “Dallas,” a nurse said holding a white clipboard. She wore scrubs with cupcakes on them.

&nbs
p; The woman, presumably Dallas stood. She kept her eyes on him as she eased away. “That’s me,” she said.

  He nodded realizing he was letting his mate go and deal with the crisis on her own. It wasn’t in him not to want to help, but it looked as though she already had more problems than she needed—he wasn’t sure how he wanted to approach this.

  He watched her walk away. Her hips swayed drawing him into a trance. She was all woman—all his. She just didn’t know it yet. And he would find a way to save her. There had to be a way.

  ***

  What a strange man. He was young she could tell. His hair was bright red in tiny braids and he had the most severe gray eyes. He was a man that knew pain. She could tell by how tense he was, and she wondered why he engaged her. He seemed to want to say more, but was holding back.

  It made no sense.

  She didn’t know him, nor him her. She would remember him if she’d met him before.

  No, he was a stranger. One that seemed to be drawn to her. Even as she walked away she felt his eyes on her, watching her, but not in a creepy way. It was almost as if he were watching over her, in a protective way. A tingle of awareness dipped down her spin and she shivered. She stopped herself from looking back at him. Nothing good could come of that. She didn’t come to Stratham for a man. Hell, that thought alone made her laugh. She would probably never be with one again. She ignored the nurse’s strange look and shrugged. No need to talk about her inner monologue.

  “This way, please,” the nurse said.

  She smiled that smile. Dallas knew it was the one that all nurses had to adapt to. Cancer was a scary and horrible illness. The nurses had to be tough to help their patients. Most of the time it was the nurses the sick relied on the most. They were the ones who held their hand. The ones who sat with them while they were sick. Hell, it was them who held back their hair, if they hadn’t already lost it due to the chemo, while they vomited. Not the doctor. No, doctors only came around when they had bad news. When there was no hope left to be had.

  When the door shut skewing the man’s view of her, she could relax. It didn’t make any sense. Who was he, and what did he want? She didn’t think he looked like the type to hang around the maternity ward to pick up women. But what did she know? She hadn’t ever had the best judgement in men.

  “Have a seat, he’ll be in to see you shortly,” the nurse said. Then she left her alone in the tiny sterile room. It still smelled of the disinfectant the nurse probably used minutes before. If any place had to be clean, it was the cancer ward. It was all too easy to get sick.

  Silence filled the room and she sighed. It echoed against the plain white walls. There weren’t even any paintings hung to brighten the room. They were bared much like her soul. This was her last chance at survival.

  She hated being so pessimistic, but really, what choice did she have? Each day became bleaker and the tiny ray of hope she held on to so tightly it might pop, was shrinking day by day. Soon there would be nothing left.

  What did one do when there was nothing left?

  That was the question that floated in her head more times than not. Did she fight to stay alive and suffer a horrendous death, or fade away in her sleep never having to feel the pain again? Would she even be able to take her own life if it came down to it?

  Yes.

  She could if it would mean her sister didn’t have to watch her fade into the sickness.

  A light knock on the door pulled her out of the morbid thoughts of death, and she took a deep breath. Her last hope was literally right outside that door. Would he save her? But the bigger question, could he?

  When the door opened, she came face to face with a small man, much smaller than her five foot-eight frame. He wasn’t tall at all, and she raised a brow when his eyes switched to a strange lavender color before going right back to dark brown. She’d been told he was a witch doctor, but she’d thought it was just a joke since he practiced alternate healing instead of regular healing and medications that had so many ingredients in them, she wouldn’t’ be able to function.

  “You’re very sick human.”

  She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing while he stared her down. He didn’t move closer. But the room gradually warmed. A sweat broke over her body and she gasped.

  “What are you doing?” Her breath came out in pants, and white blotches danced in front of her eyes. She swayed to the side, but just as she would have fallen to the side, everything stopped and she was frozen. Unable to move she watched him come to her and hold her in place.

  “You are weak, for sure. This could be complicated. I don’t know.” He tisked shaking his head.

  That didn’t sound good. She needed this to work. “Please,” she whispered. Her voice was barely there, but the plea couldn’t be missed. A tear slid down her cheek.

  Dr. Carlyle sighed. Almost as if it pained him, but he nodded. “Normally, with a case like yours I would say no, but there is a spark of something I cannot ignore.” He held up a hand. “I will try, but I won’t make any promises. This could very well kill you.”

  Dallas blinked back her tears. No matter what she would die, why not die trying to fight for her life? That was what she needed the most. To fight. And if she failed…then there was nothing to be done. Too many cancer patients gave up without looking into other options. She wasn’t one of them. She was willing to do just about anything to live. She had so much she wanted to do before she passed on. This doctor, no matter how unnatural some found him, might end up being her saving grace.

  She’d take the chance.

  Chapter 3

  He hadn’t moved since she’d gone behind those closed doors. Behind the doors where many never came back out. The part of him that knew she was his mate needed to be near her, but the part of him that was still rational, for the time being, realized pushing now would only make things worse. He felt if he followed the same path as the others in the tribe that had already mated, Dallas would flee. And with her sickness, he didn’t want to push her over the edge. He needed her alive and well. He needed to make her see that being with him would save her. As far as he knew that was true. The changing saved them all from a sure death. He’d never encountered something so severe though so he wasn’t 100 percent sure he was the cure for her disease.

  It didn’t make it any easier to sit back and watch her walk away, handling all of this on her own. It broke his heart. This had to be some sort of test to see what he could handle. Sometimes he didn’t like having to hide who—and what he was. If the world knew of their existence then it wouldn’t matter so much. Now he hid behind his human face. Behind his human like body. When all he wanted to do was show the world that he existed and that even though he was a giant beast with magic didn’t mean he should be something that was feared among the humans. But were they ready?

  No.

  Would they ever be?

  Maybe.

  It was that maybe that kept him going every day.

  When Aris strode towards him, he still hadn’t moved.

  “Are you okay?”

  He glanced up at his king and shook his head. A sigh left his lips before he could stop it.

  “I’m fine,” he said but both knew he was lying. “I met her.”

  Aris raised a brow and smirked. There was no need to say more. Nothing else could make a man this weak—especially one of them.

  “Why are you sitting here then?”

  Blane pointed to the door she went through. “She’s back there, with that new witch doctor Bev has been harping about.”

  “She’s sick then.”

  “Cancer.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yep,” he replied and pushed the braid behind his ear.

  “Okay so what do you want to do?” Aris asked, with authority.

  It was his thing. Being the king of their tribe came with many responsibilities, and he always went with logic. Even though logic never really worked in these situ
ations. That had been proven multiple times.

  “I’m going to do this my way. It’s delicate.”

  “Fair enough, but if you need anything—”

  “I know; thank you.”

  With that his king gripped his shoulder squeezing before he stood. “Sophie’s hurting, and she’s struggling pretty badly. The baby is stubborn and doesn’t want to come out. She’s resting now, so I just wanted to come check on you.”

  “She’s okay though, right?”

  Now it was Aris’ turn to sigh. “I don’t know; something’s going on, but she’s strong.”

  “Do you need me in there with you?” He hoped not. He wasn’t sure if he could handle her pain again.

  “No, but stay close.”

  “Will do.”

  With that the other man nodded and paced back the way he came.

  Great.

  Seemed this day was full of surprises, both of which were wrapped in negativity. Things that should have been happy, life changing moments.

  And he felt torn. He knew Sophie needed him, but he couldn’t bring himself to go back in that room, and it wasn’t even because of the pain, he could handle pain; he wanted to catch another glimpse of his mate. He wanted—no he needed to be around her.

  The scent he’d caught earlier filled him and he raised his face just as the door opened. Dallas came out, with puffy cheeks, and red eyes. He wanted to run to her, but he knew better. Knowing she’d been crying irked him beyond belief. He wanted to destroy what made her cry.

  It took everything in him to stay planted in the chair. His nails bit into the leather and he held back his beast. The dragon was fierce, and even now Blane struggled to stay in control. He learned from the others that once the dragon took the driver’s seat, it would always try. He didn’t want to battle with his beast. They were supposed to be one. And so far, they always had been. He planned to keep it that way. There was no need to have a conflicting relationship with his dual nature. It was meant to enhance him, make him better than being a mere human. Not that he had anything against humans, but dragons were fierce and strong where humans weren’t. They didn’t get disease. Other than being a Halfling he was stronger, smarter, faster, and had better senses. That was something he always prided himself on.