Page 67 of Broken

Chapter 28

Ireland lost her hold on Cole as he wrenched himself out of her arms and headed for the woods.

“Fuck,” Boomer said. “He’s heading for the cliff path.” He pulled off his clothes, went wolf, and took off after his brother.

Karisma moved over to Ireland, putting a sisterly arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay,” she said. “Boomer knows how he gets. He’ll take care of him.”

Ireland shook her head. “No,” she said, stepping out of Karisma’s grasp. “I appreciate your support, I really do. But he’s my mate. It’s myjob to take care of him. And if he doesn’t understand that, I’m going to set him straight right now.”

A slow smile spread over Karisma’s face. “You go, girl.”

Ireland spun around, looking over the group gathered around them. “I need some clothes. Men clothes. And food.” She stopped and thought. What else? “And blankets. In a bag or basket or something.”

For a second everyone just stared at her. “For Cole,” she said. She didn’t have time to go around finding things. She could feel the bond between them stretching, feel the weakness starting in her. She held up her wrist, the bracelet glinting in the arc lights dotted around the main buildings. “Do it! He’s already too far away. And someone tell me where he’d go. What’s that way?” She pointed in the direction Cole had gone.

“The cliffs,” Sanchez said. “There’s a path that leads to an overlook, where some people go when they have mate crises.”

He glanced at Breanna, who was hanging on to Switch, still clearly freaked out at how close he’d come to death.

Sanchez gave an order, and people went running to collect things.

Ireland closed her eyes, trying to sense Cole through the turmoil in his emotions. She got a glimpse of a wide grassy area that ended in a rocky cliff, with the lights of a town far below.

He was right where Sanchez said.

“How far?” Ireland asked. It was dark, and she was sensing she didn’t have a lot of time. Cole was having a major crisis, and she needed to get there now.

“A couple miles?” he said.

Ireland thought, and then spun around and found DB in the crowd, human again. “You,” she said, striding up to him. “Dragon Boy.”

“Me?” He looked around, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“You can fly. Or make those doorway thingies? I need you to get me to the top of that overlook. Now.” She tried to modulate her voice to one less bossy, but it didn’t work very well. This was too important. “Cole’s in trouble, and he needs me.”

His face softened. “We’ll fly,” he said, and then raised his voice. “Clear, everybody. I’m going dragon.”

Everyone backed off and he Changed. Even as worried as she was, Ireland had a moment of awe when she got a good look at him. He was huge, with spiked ridges along his back, wicked sharp teeth, and bright green eyes with slitted pupils, like a cat’s.

Normally she would have been terrified to go near him, but right now she only had a moment of hesitation. She had to get to Cole. Madison appeared from somewhere and handed her a full duffel bag. “How do I get on?” Ireland asked, figuring she was going to ride on his back.

Instead, the dragon sat back on his haunches, reached out with one of his huge front claws and picked her up, setting her in the palm of his other ‘hand.’ Then he spread his enormous wings, bunched his muscles, and leaped into the air.

Any other time, Ireland would have been transfixed in wonder at flying through the air, the stars above her, and the shadowed ground below. But right now, all she could think about was Cole.

It was warm in the palm of DB’s dragon hand, and he kept the other one cupped loosely around her so his claws made a kind of safety cage. In a minute or two, they were past the forest and out above the cliff, and he was banking around to come straight at it.

They soared downwards. Just before they got there, he pulled his tail end under and backwinged to slow himself down, like a duck landing in a pond. He settled on the edge of the cliff, setting her gently on the ground.

Cole was still in wolf form, crouched down about twenty feet away. Boomer was kneeling next to him, arm around him, trying to talk to him. In the light of the moon, with her enhanced wolf vision, Ireland could see him worrying at the paw that wore the bracelet.

Boomer tried to stop him, and Cole snapped his jaws at Boomer, and then went back to gnawing at his leg. Even at this distance, Ireland could smell the blood.

Gods, she thought, as understanding swept over her. He was trying to get the bracelet off. Trying to break their bond—even if he had to gnaw his own paw off, like a wolf in a trap.

Her heart shattered.

He was so desperate, so broken, he’d do anything rather than let her inside him.