Black Moon (Alpha Pack #3)(81)

For the first time in his life, he embraced what and who he'd become. For all of his loved ones, he could do this. They were worth any price. He would die, and it would be okay. The Sluagh froze in confusion, perhaps barely gleaning the loss of their leader when they, too, began to sizzle like bacon. And they exploded, hundreds of them, with such force that his brothers and the remaining soldiers were hurled to the ground. Stunned, many injured, but all right.

It was over.

Kalen Black had finally done something truly good. He'd fought the evil and won, had severed the bond of darkness between himself and Malik. He'd protected his own, and that's all he wanted. His mate and baby were safe. Now he could let go.

His heart stuttered in his chest, the agony tearing him apart. He couldn't breathe. His knees buckled and he collapsed, falling through space, as the darkness took him.

* * *

Mac sat up, ears ringing, trying to clear her head. What had happened? The explosion!

She gazed out the SUV's window and spied the Pack guys and some soldiers struggling to sit up. Malik and the Sluagh were dead. She started to smile.

Then she saw Kalen's knees fold. Dropping the Sorcerer's staff, he collapsed, his duster fluttering around him as he tumbled from the summit.

Flinging open the door, she practically fell from it and ran. "Kalen!"

Slipping in the mud, she ran on, screaming his name again and again. She hit a slick spot and couldn't catch herself, went sprawling. Before she could get up, Nick and Sariel were there, helping her to sit up. She tried to pull away, but they held her fast.

"Wait!" Sariel ordered. "I need to check and see if you are all right."

"No! Kalen needs me!"

"The baby needs you too. Hold still."

That got her to cooperate long enough for Sariel to pronounce her and the baby safe. "Okay, help me find him! I saw him fall over there somewhere."

"We'll look together," Nick said. He shared a grim look with the prince.

Mac's pulse jumped, and her lungs seized. She had to find him. They picked their way through the debris-strewn field, the men holding her on each side. Others were up on their feet now, ignoring their own injuries to help in the search. Calling for Kalen.

She spotted him and cried out, jerking from their grasp, and ran. Her mate was lying on his back, unmoving. The rain had trailed off to a soft patter, and steam was rising from his battered and scorched leather duster, from his limbs and black hair. His eyes were closed, his face still and white.

Terrified, she dropped to her knees by his side and searched for a pulse. The beat was erratic, thready. Getting weaker by the second. "Kalen? It's me. Please, hang on," she begged. "It's over and we're all here. We're going to get you back to the compound and it's going to be all right."

But under her palm, his heartbeat slowed. And stopped.

Her world shattered. "No! Kalen!"

Sobbing, she started CPR while Nick tilted his head back, gave him breaths. One minute. Two. Agonizing minutes ticked by with no response. His lips were turning blue. She was losing him. She couldn't lose him!

"Mac, move over."

She found herself shoved aside by Zan. She barely registered that his ears were bleeding and his voice sounded odd. Her entire focus was on her mate lying there not breathing. "Help him, please."

She wasn't sure whether the Healer heard. He didn't answer, but seemed to talk to himself as he placed both palms on Kalen's chest.

"Burned himself out," Zan slurred, his voice odd and garbled. "Don't know if this will be enough."

A green glow began around Zan's palms and spread to encompass Kalen's whole body. For too long, the Healer's efforts didn't seem to be working. When at last her mate sucked in a breath, there was a collective cheer from the men. But their relief was short-lived.

"Lots of damage," Zan managed, swaying. "Maybe too much."

Then he slumped to the side, unconscious. The Pack jumped into action. Jax and Ryon grabbed Zander while Aric and Nick took Kalen. It wasn't until they started for one of the SUVs with her mate that she remembered her dad. She looked around frantically, calling for him, and he squeezed her hand.

"I'm right here, baby girl. Come on. Let's see to that man of yours."

She rode in the back of one of the SUVs with Kalen, and they had to pry her loose when Melina and Noah rushed out to take over. She tried to follow them into the ER, but Nick blocked her path.

"Let Melina and Noah do their jobs. You need to see to Zan."

"But-"

"That man just saved Kalen's life and now he needs your attention." His voice softened. "Go. Seeing to him will take your mind off your mate for a while."

He was right. All through Zan's examination, she worried for the Healer as well as her mate. By the time she concluded her tests and got him settled in a room, her heart was heavy with the knowledge of the personal mountain Zan now had to climb.

He was going to be all right-but it was going to take a long, long time to get him there.

Once Kalen was settled into a room, no one could pry her from his side. He looked dead, so still and pale, his chest barely rising and falling. He'd given everything to save them all, and there was a possibility he'd never open his eyes.

Taking one of his hands in hers, she stroked his skin as the tears fell. "Listen to me, please. You can't leave us," she whispered. "The baby and I need you. Please stay."