My hands shook as I tried to move, to shield her and pull her close, but my muscles weren’t listening anymore. The vitalsync core delivered another wash of fire, tangling with the flames already blazing in my bloodstream, hissing with heat as it escaped through the hole in my chest.
The action of filling my lungs suddenly felt far too dangerous—almost as if the dagger pricked my lung. Every instinct screamed to tear the blade out, to get medical aid,to not die, but I wanted this to look bad.
I needed this to look like I was dying because only then—only if I was moments from death—would they risk taking me out.
Another thunderous roar smacked my ears as Whisper launched at the redheaded guard—James—as he tried to get to me. James was one of the regulars who came to collect my blood on harvesting days. He’d always been pleasant and polite but never once cared that I was trapped and tortured and today, hewouldpay for that.
“Call off your beast!” he bellowed. “Let us help you!”
Whisper’s hackles turned his sleek pelt into a wire brush of rage, his tail whipping in the rain. With a snap of his fangs, he stalked toward me and stood directly over me and Rook. His black legs braced over my body, his giant paws planted on the grass.
I chuckled even though it cost me.
The dagger fuckinghurt.
I hadn’t been prepared for it to drain me of energy so quickly. To bleed me far too fast.
Glancing down my body, I focused on Rook. Her skin was ghostly pale and icy, her lips colourless and parted.
I wanted to curse her for being so useless.
To rage at her for letting stress control her system but...a different kind of emotion cloaked me instead. A fiery kind of ferociousness that centred directly in my heart that had nothing to do with the vitalsync core.
“Lucien. Mr. Ashfall.Please.” James tried again. “Mr. Ward is on his way. Let us get you inside. He’s bringing doctors to treat you.”
What?
In here?
No.
Fuckno.
That couldn’t happen.
I’d done all this to get outthere.
My heart pounded, triggering another dose from the vitalsync core.
Black spots danced over my eyes as my system singed with fresh misery. The flames in my blood did their best to compete with the savage steel in my chest, overloading me, making me twitch. Fat droplets fell from the sky, splashing onto Whisper then onto me, diluting my blood until it ran in pink rivulets into the grass.
If they didn’t take me out of here...
If all of this was for nothing?
I couldn’t fucking breathe.
Whisper glanced down as I choked on twenty years of panic. His whiskers twinkled with droplets, his eyebrows drawn together so tightly.
If this plan was failing...I’d just have to go with another one.
And that meant, I needed her again.
Looking away from the panther’s golden eyes—blocking out the guards as they continued to fight amongst themselves on how to remove Whisper without harming him or getting bitten—I arched my leg just enough to bump Rook off my stomach and send her rolling onto her back.
Her backpack arched her spine as she lay half on it, half on the grass.
I went rigid as my gaze landed on her slack, gorgeous face. Wet thick eyelashes like phoenix feathers. Dusky perfect skin like honey.
