The scent of the outdoors was like a drug, and I kept huffing it in deep breaths. The greens of the leaves spun around me and I almost had the urge to giggle.
“The world is blurry.”
“Keep it together,” Genevieve hissed.
Finally, she came to a stop, and we both tumbled to the forest floor. I lay back on the ground, the damp pine needles acting as my bed.
My mind wandered. Hints of the dark sky peeked through the tree branches. A flash of lightning illuminated our surroundings for a split moment. A drop of rain landed on my face. I raised my hand as if I could touch the sky.
“The rain should cover our scents,” Genevieve said. I realized she was ripping her skirt into strips. “Josie, talk to me.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but all that came out was a whine.
“You were amazing in there,” she said. “And I wish you could rest, but we have to keep going. Do you know anywhere we can go? I have no idea what part of town we’re in.”
Her words came to me as if through a fog. I heard a chattering of teeth and realized the sound was coming from me.
“I think you’re in shock,” Genevieve said, tying a strip of cloth around my thigh tightly. “And I’m very sympathetic, but it’s also very inconvenient right now.”
I snorted out a laugh. “Sorry for being an inconvenience with my gunshot wound.”
Her head appeared in my field of vision. “You always were a bit dramatic.”
“Fuck off.”
Genevieve grinned. “Since when do you swear?”
“Since I left the DA. Also, my alphas think it’s hot.”
Her smile fell. “Were you happy with them?” she whispered.
“So happy,” I whispered, the lump in my throat stopping me from saying anything else.
“I’m so sorry,” Genevieve responded.
There were no more words to say. The loves of my life, my soulmates, were gone. And with them, my hopes for ever getting a happily ever after.
She finished binding up my leg and helped me get into a seated position. She framed my face with her hands, forcing me to look at her.
“You want revenge for their deaths, yeah?” she asked, a dark glint in her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Good. The first step is to get us the fuck out of here. Now, do you know where we are?” Her words were sharp, forcing me to focus.
I remembered Genevieve had grown up about an hour outside of the city. Navigating to a safe location was all on me. We were fucked.
“We’re in Forestside,” I said, looking around at the woods.
Dizziness assaulted me as I turned my head. I glanced down at my leg, averting my gaze when I saw blood already seeping through the binding. My skin felt blistered and burned.
“Aptly named,” Genevieve responded dryly.
“My parents don’t live too far from here,” I said, fighting the urge to lie back down.
“Well, that’s not helpful,” she said.
The rain fell harder now, the smell of the pine trees and damp forest floor permeating the air.
