Winter's Wrath: Sacrifice (Winter's Saga #3) by Karen Luellen Read Free Book Online

should be completely evacuated from the house inside five minutes.  The bags were already loaded in the cars, so the only thing they needed to do was grab the infirmed, their guns, ammo and themselves.
    Farrow stirred as they lifted the corners of the bed sheets on her gurney to move her to a stretcher for transport.  Meg watched the girl’s eyelids flutter and heard her moan.  If it weren’t so necessary for her to concentrate of Williams and his rabids, Meg would have taken advantage of Farrow’s partial consciousness to probe her emotions.  But as it was, Meg couldn’t risk taking her emotional eyes off their enemies. 
    Cole looked as pale as the sheets on which he lay.  His lips were taking on a purplish hue, but he was also feverish.  It was the strangest combination of symptoms. 
    “I’m going to have my hands full getting this guy well once we’re safe,” Evan mumbled to no one in particular as he situated equipment around his two patients in the back of Paulie’s van.  The boys had torn out the seats to make room for the stretchers.  Evan sat on his knees as he monitored the two patients . 
    Meg was just helping Maze into a second vehicle when she sensed Creed.  She turned and saw him, dressed in full jungle camo—painted face and arms.  Everywhere was camouflaged except his dark-blue eyes, and the dark-red blood trying to pour from his thigh.  He had taken off his belt and used it as a tourniquet.  He could stop the pain by sheer will, but that didn’t stop the blood from flowing. 
    “Creed, thank God.  Get in,” Meg motioned to the SUV.
    He shook his head.
    “Creed, we have to go.  Get in the truck!” Meg willed him to listen to reason and held out her hand for him to take it.
    “Meg, you and your family are not in the clear yet,” he said solemnly.
    By then, the rest of the family was clamoring into the vehicles.  Dr. Andrews was driving the SUV with Margo and Maze.  Paulie was driving the van with Alik, Evan, Farrow and Cole. 
    “We can talk about this later, Creed,” Meg pleaded while walking closer to him.  A cold shiver of fear slipped up her spine as she felt what he was feeling.   
    “I have to take this chance, Meg.  I have to stay and try to finish this.  You have to escape.  It’s our destiny.”
    “Bullshit!” Meg yelled.  “You are not going to sacrifice yourself, Creed Young.  You are too important.  We need you.  I need you! ”  By now, Meg was standing close enough to feel the heat radiating off his tense body.
    A flicker of emotion slipped across his face.  Just a moment of doubt at hearing her words was all he afforded them.
    “I’m going back out there to find the van. I can pick off the rest of his rabids but in the end, he’ll just make more.  I need to kill Williams.  Cut off the head of the snake.” His voice sounded disconnected.
    “We will do that, but not today.  Today we have to get to safety.”
    He reached around and held her tightly, briefly leaning his heavy head down to the h o llow of her neck, allowing himself the safety of her scent.  Without giving an emotional warning, he lifted her and gently tossed her into the SUV with Maze and slam med the door closed.  He slapped the metal twice as a signal to Dr. Andrews to leave.
    “No!” Meg screamed.
    “Meg, we have to go.  This is his choice.  You have to respect him enough to allow him this,” Theo was craned around in his seat, eyes pleading for Meg to let go.
    The car backed up fast, peeling back down paved driveway before swinging around to face forward.  The other van was right on their tail, but Meg paid attention to none of that.  All she saw was the face of her avenging angel staring back at her.  A bump in the road ripped him from her sight momentarily.  By the time the vehicle righted itself, Creed had vanished.

 
    Chapter 7  No Going Back
     
    Meg sobbed, salty, angry tears.
    “Mom, we have to turn around!  We have to go back and get