I hated myself for taking away her choice. I swore I’d never bite anyone ever again, and yet, here I was. I’d do anything to have her back.
Last time I nearly killed her. This time maybe I could save her.
Save us.
I bit my hand, and then let the blood drip into her mouth.
And then I bit her hand.
I kept doing CPR. Kept hoping. Kept waiting to feel the bond slip into place.
“What’s mine is yours, and yours is mine. From earth to air to fire to water. Moon and sun. I will be yours to the end of time.” The words were old. It didn’t matter the language that you said them in, but the magic of them always worked. They’d been joining wolf to wolf for thousands of years.
Usually, a werewolf would see the past of their mate as the bond formed, but this time, I didn’t see flashes from her past. I didn’t see anything. I didn’t feel anything.
I tried to tell myself that I didn’t need to. I already knew the past. I just needed the bond between us to be found.
One.
Two. “Knowing what I have to offer, will you accept me and this bond?”
Three.
Four.
Five.
Breath. Breath.
One. I needed her to answer. She was supposed to answer. She was supposed to give her consent to the bond.
Four.
Five.
Breath. Breath.
I kept doing the chest compressions and looked up at the werewolves.
“Just finish it,” Lucas said. “The magic will work. She already said yes once. Nothing will change that.”
I hoped Lucas was right. I really needed him to be right.
I stared down at my mate. The fake form that she was wearing had faded more, and with my hands on her, I could see Tessa. The real Tessa.
Her skin was pale, her cheeks sunken in, and there were dark circles under her eyes. It terrified me that she looked like death. Worse. She looked like she’d already been dead for weeks.
This couldn’t be it. We’d been apart for so long. I couldn’t accept that I might never get to talk to her again before we die.
Please, God. Let this work.
“With these words, the bond is complete. I share all my power with my mate.”
Everyone was silent as we waited.
There wasn’t a flash of light.
There was no zing of magic on my skin.