Blood Trinity by Carol Lynne

was to grab Galena and run, Kern had a suspicion Flick was after something more. Not that Kern could blame him. If Flick was right and Juniper had been responsible for the death of Flick’s mate, Kern might just help Flick seek his revenge.
    In the lead, Haig suddenly yelped and fell to his side, shifting to his human form. “Stop,” Haig cried in a voice barely above a whisper.
    Kern shifted and started to take a step towards his mate.
    “Stop!” Haig growled, holding his palm out to Kern. Haig’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he lost consciousness.
    Kern looked towards Flick, who had also shifted. “Stay here.” He slowly picked his way towards Haig, unsure of what had happened. Grabbing Haig’s outstretched arm from where it had fallen, Kern pulled Haig towards him, wincing as Haig’s bare skin scraped across the ground.
    As soon as Kern thought they were far enough away from whatever had hurt his mate, he dropped to his knees and turned Haig over. “Haig.” He rubbed Haig’s chest and neck before leaning over to kiss him. “Come on. Open your eyes.”
    It took several seconds, but Haig eventually opened his eyes a mere slit. “It’s warded,” he rasped before falling unconscious once more.
    Kern’s eyes rounded. He looked up at Flick. “How long have the fae been a friend to the pack?”
    Flick shook his head. “I don’t know. It must’ve happened after we left.” He picked up a stone and tossed it towards pack land. The stone splintered in mid-air.
    If the ward was strong enough to obliterate a stone, what had it done to Haig? “We need to get Haig to The Realm.” Kern didn’t waste any time. He picked his mate up off the ground and carried him towards the truck. He settled Haig’s head on his lap in the backseat without worrying about clothes.
    Flick, however, took enough time to throw on a pair of jeans. When he jumped into the truck he handed Haig and Kern’s jeans back. “Haig’s phone was ringing a second ago.”
    Kern fumbled in Haig’s pocket and removed the cell phone. A quick press of buttons and he was in to Haig’s messages.
    Audric’s frantic voice sounded in Kern’s ear. “What’s happened? I felt a shooting pain and then nothing from Haig.”
    Kern nearly dropped the phone. How was that possible? He hit redial as Flick tore out down the dirt road.
    Audric answered on the first ring. “Haig?”
    “No, it’s Kern. On the way to the pack lands Haig ran into a ward like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
    After a brief pause, Audric’s soft voice asked, “Is he dead?”
    “No, but he’s unconscious. I need to get him to The Realm. If anyone can help him it’s Spiro. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to get him there.” Although The Realm was a real place, most Blessed Creatures never ventured onto what they considered the holy ground. “Can you take him?”
    “No, but Neo can. Bring him to the hotel. I should have Neo here by the time you get here.”
    Hearing the emotion in Audric’s voice threatened to break what little control Kern had left. He wanted to ask Audric how he knew about Haig. The two weren’t mates, and even then, it didn’t normally work that way. If it had, Haig would’ve found Kern in LaMont’s dungeon immediately. The only possibility was inconceivable to Kern.
    Haig groaned before falling silent. Kern swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Hurry, Audric . I’ve never seen Haig like this and it’s scaring the shit out of me.”
    “I won’t let you down,” Audric said before hanging up.
    Kern stared down at his mate. A single tear slipped from his eye.   “Don’t you die on me. We have a lot more leaves to add to these tattoos. You can’t expect me to walk around with a half-finished work of art on my back.”

Chapter Seven
     
     
     
    Covered from head to toe in the comforter from the hotel bed, Audric knocked on Neo’s front door. When it didn’t immediately open, he tried the handle only to find the house locked