Chapter 744

"Whoa,” Ben says, holding his hands up at the door, his eyes going wide when he sees the vicious expressions on his friends' faces. "Guys, calm down. Obviously, you know I'm not going to hurt her."

With a concentrated effort, Rafe reels in his protective instinct and swallows. "I'm sorry," he says through his teeth. "It is...difficult. She's hurt, we're —"

"No, I get it,” Ben says, nodding as he takes a single step into the room. Jesse too settles back, just a little, though his muscles still stay tensely wound, ready to pounce. "I um...I went to the Captain and told him you needed a phone? I didn't tell him why - he wasn't happy about it, but he handed it over."

"What?" Jesse says, blinking, still trying to put all the pieces together.

"Thanks," Rafe says, solid, holding out a hand. "Bring it here. Shut the door."

"I thought you might want to...call your mom," Ben murmurs for Jesse's sake. "This seems beyond our capacities." He puts the phone in Rafe's hand and then slips his hands into his pockets.

"What do you mean?" Jesse asks, looking back down at Ariel, reaching out a hesitant hand and stroking it softly over her hair. Fear rushes through him again as Rafe dials the number and puts the phone to his ear, passing the first-aid kit to Jesse. Jesse frowns as he takes it, running his eyes over her blanketed form, wondering if there are more wounds than he's seeing besides the one on her neck. "Is she hurt elsewhere?"

"No," Ben says with a shrug. “I mean, I don't think so. I just – I mean, do you know what to do? When a girl gets rejected by her mate?"

Jesse just stares at Ben, blank. Ben shrugs, glad he takes his point.

"Would you please clean up her neck?" Rafe snarls, glancing at Jesse as the phone connects and begins to ring.

Jesse jumps a little and then does as he's told, getting out some gauze and saline solution and turning Ariel's head to the side so that he can inspect the bite. He gently begins to pat at it, cleaning the blood away, his stomach sinking for his poor sweet cousin who tries so hard and has been through too much these past few days.

"Where's Jackson?" Jesse murmurs, glancing up at Ben.

"Um,” Ben says, standing straight and grimacing as he runs his hand through his hair.

"What?" Jesse asks, going still with predatory focus. "Tell me."

"He...kind of went after Luca?" Ben says, awkward. "And says he's going to kill him?"

Jesse stays perfectly still for a long moment before he nods and looks back down at Ariel, continuing his work on the wound. "Good." "Good!?"

"Yeah, Ben," Jesse snarls, not looking at him. "If you seriously think Luca is getting away with this with his head, let alone his balls -" "Jesse!"

et

"I'm serious!" Jesse barks out, whipping his head up to glare at Ben. "This is fucking Ariel Sinclair! Not only is she the sweetest goddamn person on the earth, she's our last hope in this whole fucking warf Luca Grant put her out of commission, he's to blame for everything that befalls Moon Valley! And even if he weren't I'd rip him to shreds anyway -"

"Oh my god," Ben groans, dropping his head into his hands, finally understanding the magnitude of this.

"Would you two shut up?" Rafe

snarls, glaring at both of them.

—

"They're getting her - Mom!" He sits up straighter when the sweet voice sounds on the other line, worried. "Mom - um - we're all alive, but we need you to get here. Right now."

—

S

There's a buzz of worry on the other end as Ella bursts out with questions.

"Ariel's unconscious," Rafe murmurs, trying to give her the details she needs. "Um - we'll tell you when you get - okay! Fine!" He sighs, shaking his head. "Luca - he fucking rejected her." He pauses. "What? Mom I don't know -"

Ben and Jesse watch in rapt silence.

"Mom!" Rafe bites out, his voice squeaking. "Look, I think she's going to be okay she's unconscious but she's breathing fine, and her pulse is steady can you just..." He sniffs hard, looking down at his little sister. "Can you just get here? Please? We're out of our depth. She needs you."

Rafe nods once and then hangs up the phone.

"What did she say?" Jesse whispers, breathless.noveldrama

"She's coming," Rafe says, nodding once, not looking at either of them. "And, um. That we should try to feed her when she wakes up. Keep up her strength."

"I've got peach rings," Jesse says, immediately springing out of bed and heading for the secret stash in his dresser, desperately glad to have something to do.