“Katia. It’s nice to meet you, although I wish the circumstances were a bit different.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that,” he said with a half-smile that didn’t come anywhere close to reaching his eyes. “Katia, huh? You’re Russian?”
“Yep. From a long line of Russian mafia, apparently.”
She’d just been making a stupid joke to distract herself from the pain, but hell, thinking that her family was the mob was more normal than what was going on at this very moment.
“Mafia, huh? Nice. So… you’re Colton’s mate?”
Her brow furrowed thoughtfully. “I mean, he hasn’t called it that, but we’re together, if that’s what you mean.”
“I saw the way he looked at you. That, combined with you being together, means you most likely are.”
“I wonder why he didn’t tell me.”
Justin replied, but her mind was far away as her thoughts started getting hazy. Shit. She’d been injured much worse than she thought. At least it didn’t hurt as much as it had, but she didn’t think that was a good thing either, since her body was starting to feel a little numb.
The fighting outside stopped, and it was the sudden silence that got her attention and brought her back to the present again. Her mind still felt foggy, but she fought to focus, needing to know Colton was okay.
The fight really hadn’t lasted long, but then, he was a dragon. She hadn’t expected it to.
He strode into the barn, naked as the day he was born, and she ran her eyes over him, looking for any injuries. He had a wicked looking cut on his arm that was bloody, but other than that, he was fine. And maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed to be healing right before her eyes.
No, wait. He’d told her shifters heal fast. She’d known that, but somehow, it had gotten lost in the foggy recesses of her mind.
Her eyes grew heavy, and with it came the knowledge that she might not have long on this earth. It was a fucking shame, and it felt like it was just her luck.
She’d finally met the man of her dreams, but now she was dying. Life was so damned unfair.
“Fuck,” Colton cursed as he fell to his knees beside her. “Katia? Sweetheart. Please. Open your eyes, beautiful.”
She hadn’t even realized she’d closed them. Forcing them open, she gazed up at him, putting everything she felt for him in her eyes. “I didn’t want it to happen like this,” she whispered, not even having the strength to speak normally. “I wanted a lifetime with you. But I have to tell you something.”
She paused, winded, and he touched her cheek gently, his eyes tortured. “Don’t try to talk, love. We’ll fix you.”
“This is important, though. I love you, Colton. So much. More than I ever thought I could love anyone.”
Colton stared at Katia, lying against the car, her life’s blood seeping out onto the floor, and he wanted to yell and rage and throw shit. He wanted to destroy the fucking world in that moment, because if he lost her, his world would be destroyed.
But he kept all of that out of his gaze, not wanting her to see it, and when she whispered that she loved him, his soul felt like it healed just a little bit, and determination settled over him. He would not let her fucking die.
Never.
“I love you too, sweetheart. But you’re not dying. Not if I have anything to say about it. How do you feel about becoming an owl shifter?”
He saw Justin stiffen with surprise, but he ignored him, all his attention focused on his mate. His dragon was tearing up his chest, urging him to order Justin to turn her now. But as long as she was conscious to give her approval, he was going to hold out.
“An owl shifter?” she whispered, her eyes wide and hazy.
“Yes. I’d change you myself, but dragons can’t turn humans. Justin can, though. Come on, Katia. Say yes. Spend forever with me. Hell, even if you don’t want that, just let him turn you so you can live. Even if it’s not with me. I just need you to live.”
“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes starting to slide closed before she forced them back open. “I want to spend forever with you.”
He smiled at her, relief nearly knocking him over, and then he looked over at his cousin. “You heard her. Turn my mate.”
To Justin’s credit, he didn’t hesitate. He lifted his uninjured hand and then paused. “You should claim her first before I do this. I don’t want to give my owl any ideas.”
Fuck, he hadn’t even thought of that. He started to ask Katia if that was okay, but her eyes were closed, her breathing choppy and shallow, and he didn’t think she’d be able to answer him. Hell, she’