“Stay very quiet for just a moment,” Shea said softly, persuasively, and Sara recognized a slight “push” toward obedience. Falcon was there with her, sharing her mind, so she wasn’t as afraid as she might have been. She believed in him. She knew he would come, that nothing would stop him from reaching her side. “Mikhail Dubrinsky is my husband’s brother. Why are you seeking him?” Shea spoke casually, as if the answer didn’t matter, but once again, there was that “push” toward truth.
Sara made an attempt to raise her hand, wanting to remove the broken glass from her hair. Her head was aching so much it made her feel sick. “For some reason, compulsion doesn’t work very well on me. If you are going to use it, you have to use it with much more strength.” She was struggling to keep her eyes open.
Sara! Focus on her. Stay focused! Falcon’s command was sharp. I sent a call ahead to my people to alert them to find you. Mikhail did have brothers, but you must remain alert. I must see through your eyes. You must stay awake.
Shea was grinning at her a little ruefully. “You are familiar with us.” She said it softly. “If that is the case, I want you to hold very still while I aid you. The sun is falling fast. If you are hunted by a puppet of the undead, the vampire will be close by and waiting for the sun to sink. Please remain very quiet while I do this.” Shea was watching Sara’s face for a reaction.
There was a movement behind Shea and she turned her head with a loving smile. “Jacques, we have found the one we were seeking. She has a lifemate. He is watching us through her eyes. She is one of us, yet not.” Out of courtesy she spoke aloud. There was a wealth of love in her voice, an intimacy that whispered of total commitment. She turned back to Sara. “I will attempt to make you more comfortable, and Jacques will get you out of the truck so we may leave this place and get to safety.” There was complete confidence in her gentle tones.
Sara wanted the terrible pounding in her head to go away. She couldn’t shift her legs; the wreckage was entombing her as surely as a casket. Falcon’s presence in her mind was the only thing that kept her from sliding back into the welcoming black void. She struggled to stay alert, watching Shea’s every move. The unknown Jacques had not come into her line of vision, but she felt no immediate threat.
Shea Dubrinsky was graceful and sure. There were no rough edges to her, and she seemed completely professional despite the bizarre way she was healing Sara. Sara actually felt the other woman inside her, a warmth, an energy flowing through her body to soothe the terrible aches, to repair from the inside out. She was amazed that the terrible pounding in her head actually lessened. The nausea disappeared.
Shea leaned over to unfasten the seat belt that was biting into Sara’s chest. “Your body has suffered a trauma,” she said. “There will be extensive bruising, but you’re very lucky. Once we are safe, I can make you much more comfortable.” She moved out of the way to allow her lifemate access to the wreckage.
Sara found herself staring up at a man with a singularly beautiful face. His eyes, as he took off his sunglasses, were as old as time, as if he had seen far too much. Suffered far too much. He pushed the glasses onto Sara’s face, bringing a measure of relief to her burning eyes. Shea brushed Jacques’s hand with hers, the lightest of gestures, but it was more intimate than anything Sara had ever witnessed. She could feel the stillness in Falcon, could feel him gathering his strength should there be need.
“Hold very still,” Jacques cautioned softly. His voice held the familiar purity that seemed to be a part of the Carpathian species.
“He has the children. Go after him. If you’re like Falcon, you have to go after him and get the children back. He’s taking them to the vampire.” Falcon, I’m all right. You must find the children and keep them from the vampire. She was beginning to panic, thinking much more clearly now that the pain was receding.