When he pulled the knife free I felt the rush of blood and cried out, but I didn’t loosen my hold on his neck. He tried to stab me again, but I was ready this time. I grabbed his hand. His eyes flared with victory when I released his throat.
Until the blade sank into the soft flesh beneath his chin. I ignored the fiery pain that speared through me as I shoved with all my might, never taking my eyes from his shocked gaze.
“Then I’ll have an eternity to torture you,” I whispered. “I’m almost looking forward to it.”
He gurgled around the blade, his hands weakly tugging at the hilt. Then I watched the light go out of his eyes.
I didn’t like killing. I never had.
But in this case, I felt none of my usual pity for the wolf that lay before me. He didn’t deserve my pity.
I pressed my hand to the wound on my side, unsurprised by the amount of blood. Still, it gushed far more than I thought it would. Shit, I knew it was bad.
I ripped the bottom of my shirt and packed it against the wound. I reached into my pocket, looking for my phone. Maybe I could call for help.
My hands were sticky from the blood and the touch screen refused to work. I wiped both my hand and the phone on the only clean spot on my jeans and only then would the phone work properly.
I saw that Calder had called. With shaky hands, I tapped the screen with my thumb to automatically call him back.
He answered on the second ring. “Where are you?”
“In the…woods,” I answered, suddenly breathless.
“Where?”
I glanced around. “Southeast of town. I don’t know exactly where.” My voice was soft, weak, and I hated it.
“We’re coming for you. Are you hurt?”
I glanced down at the blood seeping around the edges of the soaked piece of my shirt. “Yeah. I, uh, I don’t know if I’m going to make it until you get here,” I replied.
“Goddammit!” Calder snarled. “I don’t wanna fucking hear you say that again. You hold on. Finn is with me. He can heal you.”
“He can’t heal the dead, Calder,” I muttered, my vision dimming. I blinked, wondering if a cloud had covered the sun, but realized it was my eyes. I was losing too much blood too quickly and the world was going in and out of focus.
“Shut up, Chloe. You hang on.” I heard him say something to Finn, but my ears were buzzing. “Finn is coming for you. Once he’s locked on to your location, he’s going to cast a spell to take him there.”
“Calder,” I whispered. “Tell I-I-Ian that I’m sorry,” I stuttered over Lach’s first name as a shiver wracked my body.
“Tell him yourself,” he replied sharply.
I couldn’t argue with him because I fell into oblivion.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Lachlan
The sound ofthe shotgun going off in the distance made my blood run cold in my veins. I ran faster, not bothering with stealth any longer. I knew in my bones that something was wrong.
The minutes it took me to reach Chloe stretched into hours. Time was elastic, my fear making each step seem to last an eternity.
When I reached the clearing, I knew immediately that Brayden was dead. The knife sticking out of his chin was a clear indication. I skidded to a halt next to Chloe’s prone body, my throat closing at the sight of so much blood.
Falling to my knees, I pressed my hand to her neck. The pulse was there, but it was so weak. I covered the wound on her side with my hand, trying in vain to staunch the flow of blood.
I could hear Calder’s voice in the distance, but my focus was solely on Chloe. At the sound of a light step behind me, I whirled with a growl. Finn lifted his hands in a gesture of peace and it took me a moment to recognize him.
“Help us,” I demanded.
