The male chuckles. “This isn’t the kind of message that can be delivered with words. Not effectively, anyway.”
“Then what?” Carmen asks, exasperated. She drops her gaze to where Lacie’s sprawled out on the ground, still gripped tight by the first wolf, and sees that she’s crying. Her blood flows heavier now, her skin and shirt around the wolf’s mouth near-black with the mess of it.
Lacie watches Carmen intently as tears stream down her face, her lips moving to round out the words,I love you.
Carmen throws her a hard look, as if to say,None of that.
“It’s a message that can only be delivered through pain, I’m afraid,” the male says, drawing Carmen’s attention back. He looks at his companion and nods before shifting back into his wolf form and stalking toward her.
Carmen takes a step back. She’s unarmed, unable to defend herself or Lacie with anything but her anger and fists. But the wolf doesn’t pounce. He doesn’t growl or show his teeth—he simply watches her, taking one step forward for every backward step she takes.
She realizes much too late that the wolf is herding her away from Lacie, growing the distance between her and the other wolf. When the wolf in front of her lets out a dark bark—a command—the wolf holding Lacie growls.
And then rips away the flesh from Lacie’s neck.
Lacie screams out a bloodcurdling cry that feels like a dagger to Carmen’s heart.
“NO!” Carmen shouts, launching to close the distance between them. The wolf in front of her pounces to stop her, swiping his sharp nails at her thigh, claws sinking deep into her skin. But his fight to hold her back is half-assed—he knows the damage has already been done.
Carmen tears herself away from his grasp and runs to Lacie, falling to her knees where she lies on the ground. The dark wolf moves away, leaving Carmen to look at her wounds, at the jagged shreds of flesh and tissue in ruins along Lacie’s neck and shoulder.
There’s so much blood . . . it’s everywhere.
Carmen tries to stop it from flowing out of Lacie’s body, tries to press her hands down around the crude marks of teeth. Lacie whimpers in pain. “Carmen,” she says, panicked. “How bad is it?”
“You’re going to be fine,” Carmen promises her. But there’s already a lick of doubt curling inside her gut—she’s losing way too much blood.
“That looks pretty bad.”
Carmen whips around to find the copper wolf has half-shifted back into his human form. “Fuck you!” Carmen shouts. “I’m going to fucking kill you!”
He smirks. “You can try. But before you do, make sure Warren knows this is what happens when he sets out to kill our family. Tit for tat, and all that.” He gives her another crude smile before shifting himself back fully into his wolf form, and he and the dark one race off into the night.
Carmen turns back to Lacie, finding her face pale and eyes dull. “Lacie, hold on, okay? I’m going to get you some help . . . we just have to make it to the car. I’m going to carry you, okay?”
“I love you,” Lacie says through a rush of breath before coughing as blood fills her mouth. “I love you so much, Carmen.”
“No!” Carmen shouts, grabbing hold of her chin. “Absolutely fucking not, Lacie, don’t youdarethink you can just leave me like this.”
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” Lacie continues, ignoring Carmen’s pleas. Her lips curve in a small smile. “You’re the most beautiful and kind person I’ve ever known.”
“Lacie! No!”
“There’s a ring I’ve been saving for—” She flinches, swallowing roughly as more blood pools in her mouth. “I was going to find the perfect moment. To make you mine for good.”
Tears fill Carmen’s eyes as she wipes blood away from her chin and cheek. “I am yours for good, Lacie. I’ve been yours since the day we met and will be yours for the rest of this life and the next.”
Lacie smiles, eyes closing. Her breaths are shallow, and she starts to pant to get more oxygen. Carmen knows the internalbleeding is only getting worse by the minute, and they’re so far from the nearest city . . .
“Tell my dad I’m sorry,” she gurgles through another rush of blood. “Tell him it’s not his fault. Make sure he knows this isn’t his fault.”
“I’ll tell him,” Carmen says, voice breaking. “Lacie, please don’t leave me,” she begs through watery tears. “Please don’t leave me alone.”
Lacie strains to reach her hand out, to cup her palm around Carmen’s cheek. “You’ll never be alone, Carmen. Never.”
Carmen watches in horror as her hand drops to her side, her eyes growing distant. Lacie rattles out one last gurgling breath, and then goes completely still.
Carmen feels her entire body shudder with the most excruciating pain she’s ever felt. It’s like her heart is ripped clean out of her chest, her soul utterly shredded. She doubles over, pressing her forehead to Lacie’s warm chest, and sobs for what feels like hours, until her eyes grow dry and there’s nothing left to expel.
