“What’s sepsis?” Eve’s brown eyes were wide and fearful.
Shepherd crawled next to me and created a private huddle. “I still don’t know what the hell they used for poison. He looks okay, but he might still have system failure. Heart attack, breathing problems… I don’t know. But I sure as hell don’t have the supplies he’ll need in my bag. Look, I’m not a doctor. I know basic shit that I picked up by watching doctors in the ER. What if he needs a blood transfusion or antibiotics?” Shepherd glanced over his shoulder. “He’s still not moving his legs very well. He won’t make it if he goes into shock. We need to get this kid medical care and fast.”
This was disastrous. I didn’t know a damn thing about medicine, but Shepherd’s concern gave me enough reason to worry. Paralysis was bad enough, but what if he died?
“Run!” we heard someone shout.
It was distant and spread all around us. Viktor was in wolf form, so that left only one person: Christian.
I didn’t wait for a second warning. Neither did Shepherd.
He hooked his arm around Adam and launched him to his feet. “Let’s roll.”
Claude squatted in front of Eve. She climbed onto his back, and he stood up, her legs wrapped around his waist as she clutched his neck.
Shepherd was struggling between his gear and the boy. “Help me.”
I got on the other side of Adam and put my arm around him. We took off as fast as we could, Adam’s feet dragging behind. He tried to run, but he mostly held on and let us do all the work.
“Run!” Christian yelled again. This time it was closer.
I looked back and saw the lion coming for us. Viktor’s wolf got between us, and all I heard were snarls and roars as I ran my ass off. For a brief moment, I entertained the idea of going back and helping, but then Adam whimpered in pain.
That was all I needed to hear.
“We got you,” I said as we powered up a hill.
Claude was ahead of us by maybe twenty feet, the girl riding on his back. If this were flat pavement, he would have been long gone already.
Shepherd stumbled and almost dropped Adam in the process. When he got his footing again, we ran so fast that I thought my heart would explode in my chest. Once we crested the hill, the terrain leveled off.
My light pulsed against my palms, and I fought to control it before I accidentally blasted Adam.
On the flat terrain, Claude and Eve suddenly swooped upward in a blur. Leaves showered all around, and Eve screamed. Something clicked below our feet, and the next thing I knew, we launched into the air. As I felt myself twisting at an odd angle, a loud thud made me shudder.
Upside down, I stared at the forest floor beneath me through gaps in the thick rope netting. Our bodies were like one giant pretzel, my left arm and leg hanging from the open gaps, making it impossible for me to change position. This was like one of those traps I’d seen in the movies, only on a larger scale.
Now I knew what a fish felt like in a fisherman’s net.
“What the fuck!” Shepherd growled.
I noticed a mechanism painted brown against a tree, and a steel cord going up to the top of our netting. A large log sat at the foot of the tree and must have been part of this contraption.
“Someone’s sitting on my fingers,” Adam complained, but all I could see was his leg.
With my free arm, I struggled to reach my push dagger. Sweat beaded on my brow, and once I removed my knife from the sheath, I made a sawing motion against the strong rope. The blade was too damn short. When I tried to put it back, fearing it might cut Adam by accident, it slipped through the net and landed on Shepherd’s bag.
Something approached. I tucked my free arm and leg against the net so my limbs wouldn’t become a snack for a hungry lion.
“Where’s your gun?” I asked Shepherd.
“I can’t reach it.”
Is this how it all ends? Slowly eaten by a lion while dangling over his head? Bleeding to death as he laps at my bloody stumps? This wasn’t in the brochure.
When I turned my head and looked through the gap, I was greeted by a man with a sparkling smile and big brown eyes.
He walked all the way up to the trap, just an inch from my face. “You made it. We’ve been waiting for you.”
