3. KNOX

Vesper glared at me before he stormed away. The bedroom door clicked shut softly behind him, making my lips twitch. I knew how badly he wanted to slam it shut behind him, but he was being considerate of the others sleeping.

Pulling on a pair of sweats, I made my way into the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea.

Through the bond, I could sense Talia’s restlessness. Her sleep was being disturbed by the cat lounging in the tree not far from us. I should go back there and kick him out of the tree and then drive him out of town to make sure that he left.

But then I remembered Seth’s retelling of what happened in the bar, and I hesitated. Despite being young, Talia had a good head on her shoulders, and she had learned to trust her instincts. It was how we ended up in our current situation.

Her with four mates, three bonded and one almost bonded. We needed to figure out if Vampires could form bonds like other shifters, which was what Wilder had been working on the last week.

I poured hot water over the tea bag and frowned.

The cat in the tree seemed to know a lot about vampires. I’d watched long enough to see that he had been trying to teach Vesper how to hunt.

I took a sip of tea and then walked over to the window with the cup cradled in one hand. He chose a good hiding place, and he even took the time to hide his bike.

My brows dipped into a frown.

Seth said that the man said he was just passing through, but if that was the case, then why was he hiding in a tree? A wave of unease hit, followed by a lot of unwanted thoughts. Fear of the danger the newcomer could bring had me placing my cup down and exiting the apartment again.

I paused by the door to grab a set of keys and then headed into the cool air. My steps were silent, my breathing slow, and my eyes focused ahead of me.

What I wasn’t expecting was to find the man on the ground, barely conscious.

Curses fell from my lips as I hurried closer.

A groan fell from his lips when I leaned over him and touched his shoulder.

“Just let me go,” he whispered.

I frowned.

“I’m tired.”

“And I told you that I don’t have any more space to bury another body,” I growled.

His lips twitched. “Are you a serial killer?”

“I’ll do anything to protect my pack.” My words had the smile slipping from his face.

Eyes fluttering, they slowly opened and locked with mine. His eyes were similar to Seth’s, but I understood what Talia meant when she said he was like her.

Pursing my lips, I hooked my hands under his arms and pulled him to his feet. We both stumbled, but I managed to steady us. With a grunt, I guided one of his arms over my shoulder and wrapped my other arm around his waist above the bleeding wound.

The process to the garden shed behind the big building was made at a snail's pace. When we reached it, I helped him lean against the wood so I could unlock the door. The moment we were inside, he dropped to the floor with a low groan.

“Where did you come from?” I asked.

He didn’t answer.

Leaning forward, I slapped him gently on the cheek. The man didn’t stir. My hand moved down, fingers pressed to his pulse. He was still alive, but he wasn’t going to be for much longer.

“Is he dead?”

Jerking upright, I spun around to find Talia hovering in the doorway. One hand clutched the door frame, and wide eyes, brimming with tears, were focused on the stranger.

“You said he was okay!”

I winced, remembering the lie I had told her earlier when she asked about him.

“Sweetheart-”

“Get him inside the apartment; I need to heal him,” she ordered.

“Talia…” A sigh fell from my lips when she disappeared.

“I’d follow that order if I were you,” Wilder muttered as he appeared.

“I am not taking a stranger into the house where my pack is sleeping,” I growled.

“Knox, the man needs help.”

My lips curled back into a snarl. Wilder ignored me and leaned forward to grip the hem of the man’s shirt. He hesitated a second and then lifted it to reveal the bleeding wound.

I sucked in a breath, and Wilder muttered a curse.

“That looks…”

“Like an infection,” I finished his sentence for him.

It almost looked like the flesh around the wound was rotting. Indecision washed through me. I was torn between offering him help and protecting the people that mean the world to me.

“I know what’s going through that mind of yours,” Wilder said as he straightened and turned towards me. “If you don’t do as our mate says, she’s going to take things into her own hands, and if this is some kind of trap, she’s going to walk right into it, and that’s going to place her in danger.”

I looked away from him, but he wasn’t having any of it.

Gripping the back of my neck, he pressed his forehead to mine. His fingers tightened, and then loosened.

“I know that you’re looking out for us. I know that you fear a repeat of the last time we helped someone.” He paused. “But we both know how stubborn our mate is. She has been restless since she saw him in the bar. Trust her.”

The last time we had helped someone, Seth had almost gotten killed.

“We’ll keep the apartment dark so Vesper can keep an eye on him when we can’t. There won’t be a repeat of last time, Knox.”

There was no use arguing because he was right. Talia would sneak out to help the man if we locked him in here. She could either get kidnapped or hurt without our knowledge.

“Fine.”

Giving my neck another squeeze, he pulled away and leaned down to easily pull the man to his feet. Between the two of us, we carried him up the stairs and into the apartment where we found Talia waiting.

She pointed to the couch that had been covered with a blanket.

At least Wilder was good with his hands. All the furniture in the apartment had been handmade to fit our size and weight. The man was tall, but thankfully he fit on the couch even if his feet were a few inches from hanging over the side.

While Wilder and I carried the man upstairs, Talia had already set everything up. The first-aid kit we kept for emergencies was open on the coffee table, and everything she needed was already placed next to it.

“Can you move that lamp a little closer, please?”

Wilder stepped forward to follow the order and then moved out of the way.

I pursed my lips as she picked up the scissors and carefully cut his shirt in half. However, the moment his wound was revealed, she froze. For a moment, the bond flared to life with panic, but as quickly as it happened, she calmed.

“It’s wolfsbane,” she muttered.

“But he’s not a wolf.”

My eyes snapped over to Vesper, who appeared behind the couch. Curiosity flashed through his eyes as he stared down at the man.

I tensed, eyes locked on his face and body ready to jump into action if he lost control of himself.

“Wolfsbane is dangerous to a lot of shifters,” Talia explained softly as she reached out to touch the wound.

“Gloves!” I snapped.

She glared at me as she pulled on blue rubber gloves. My eyes narrowed, but she turned away before I could utter a word.

“I will make us all some coffee,” Wilder said softly and then disappeared into the kitchen where I knew he'd stay unless he was needed.

“Are you going to give him the antidote?” Vesper asked.

She nodded, steady fingers brushing over the edges of the wound. “I'll need to cut out these edges.”

I moved closer and reached for my own pair of gloves. Our eyes locked when I moved to her side and waited for her instructions.

We'd done it before, but never with a wound that was so badly infected.

“It's going to hurt,” she said softly. “You are going to have to hold him down.”

“Can't you knock him out or something?”

Talia shook her head, already reaching for the sterilized knife. Our eyes locked when she turned back around.

“Vesper–”

“I'll hold his feet,” he interrupted.

“I'd rather you go get Seth and then join Wilder in the kitchen,” I told him. “It's not up for debate,” I growled when his lips parted. “Now.”

Flashing me his fangs, he disappeared.

“We can't wait,” Talia said. “His pulse is weak. If I don't start now, we're going to lose him.”

I gave her a stiff nod as I gripped his shoulders and pressed him down on the couch. To our surprise, the man didn't even flinch when she started cutting away the infection. If it wasn't for the faint beat of his pulse I could hear, I would have thought the man was dead.

Dead skin cut away, she grabbed some gauze and pressed it over the wound to stop the bleeding. It took a few minutes before the bleeding started slowing. Swallowing, Talia carefully removed the gauze and then set out to clean the wound.

Once all the dirt was removed, we had a better view of the wound.

“It looks like someone tried to gut him,” Seth muttered, face twisted with rage. “I don’t know the man, but it has to be the worst way to end someone.”

“So you’re saying your infected wounds weren’t as bad?”

His lips parted, but then he pursed them again. “Well, I wasn’t being slowly poisoned.”

Seth had a point. An infected wound was one thing, but one caused by poison, that was two times worse.

Guilt flooded me, but I instantly pushed it away. I went back out there, didn’t I? Even if I had told the man to leave and threatened him. If I hadn’t gone back, would he have been dead by morning?

Pursing my lips, I moved back, but stayed close.

Talia was completely focused on the man. The bond from her side was flooded with emotions, but one that stood out the most was fear. I frowned, focusing my attention on her face as she covered the wound with her homemade ointment. Once done, she covered it with a bandage and then sat back, her eyes darting up to his face.

“Would you have let him die?” she asked.

“Knox went to get him,” Vesper said as he appeared again. “I could smell his blood from here.”

My mate’s eyes focused on me and narrowed. She’d know the truth even if I uttered a lie. Earlier when she asked, I told her that the man was fine because he looked fine.

“I told you that I wasn’t going to force him to talk,” I said as I stood and started pulling off the gloves. “You can’t save everyone, sweetheart, and the man clearly didn’t want to be helped.”

“Why do you say that?” Wilder asked from the kitchen doorway.

“Doesn’t matter.” I stood taller, eyes darting over each one of my mates. “We don’t need a stranger living here. You heal him, and then he leaves as soon as he’s strong enough. Got it?”

“I won’t know how far the wolfsbane has spread through his body until I’ve run some tests,” Talia said. “Until then, he’s staying here where I can keep an eye on him.”

My eyes darted over her face, noting the tilt of her chin and determination in her eyes. It was the same look she had given me the day we found Seth and then later when she stumbled upon Vesper. I was fighting a losing battle.

“We will keep an eye on him twenty-four seven,” Wilder said softly. “Until we know whether he can be trusted or not.”

“Maybe he can teach me more,” Vesper muttered. “He knows what I am and he…” His words trailed off when our eyes locked.

“Please, Knox.”

My eyes snapped back to Talia.

I blew out a breath and closed my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened them again, it was to find her standing a little closer.

“Fine, but the first time he tries something, he’s out, injured or not.”