Page 30

I wake up to a world on fire.

My skin burns like I've been doused in gasoline and lit with a match. Every nerve ending screams for relief that won't come. I try to focus, to remember where I am, but my thoughts scatter like frightened birds.

My eyes flutter open to harsh fluorescent lights that make my head pound.

I'm standing, but not by choice. Hammond's arm is wrapped around my waist, holding me upright against him.

The pressure of his body against mine makes me want to vomit.

Something sharp pricks my neck, and the realization sends a jolt of terror through me.

"One more step," Hammond says, his voice vibrating against my back, "and I push this plunger."

I blink through the haze of drugs and hormones to see Onyx standing in the doorway, his massive frame filling the space. His eyes burn gold with rage; his hands curled into claws. Behind him, I can make out more shapes of Leo, Axl, Evan, and some more men.

They came for me. They all came.

"Let her go, Hammond." Evan steps forward. "It's over. The facility is surrounded. Your research is being confiscated as we speak."

Hammond's grip tightens, making me gasp. "Nothing is over until I say it's over, Blackthorn."

The needle digs deeper into my skin. I feel a warm trickle of blood running down my neck.

"You see," Hammond continues, "I'm holding something far more valuable than research. I'm holding the only known Omega compatible with multiple Alphas. Do you have any idea what that's worth?"

“She’s not something you can buy or trade,” Leo snaps, his jaw tight. “She’s a person, you bastard."

"She's the future," Hammond corrects. "And if any of you take another step, I'll pump her full of enough pheromone booster to send her into a heat so intense she'll beg the nearest Alpha to mount her.

" He laughs, the sound cold and clinical.

"And there are plenty of shifters in this facility who would be more than happy to oblige. "

My stomach turns at his words. The heat already coursing through my system is bad enough. It's like a fever that's consuming me from the inside out. I can barely think straight. If he injects me with more...

"What do you want?" Evan asks.

“I want safe passage,” Hammond says smoothly. “A helicopter on the roof, no trackers, no tails. Once I’m out, I’ll give you her location.”

"You're taking her with you?" Axl steps forward, his hands clenched into fists. "That's not happening."

"Well, you can prepare for the consequences," Hammond smiles, and I can feel the curve of his lips against my hair.

"And if we refuse?" Onyx asks.

Hammond presses the syringe harder against my neck. "Then I push this needle, and Dr. Baldwin becomes a willing participant in my breeding program right here, right now. Her scent will call every Alpha within a mile radius. Do you think you can protect her from all of them? Even from yourselves?"

I see the struggle on their faces. They want to tear Hammond apart, but they can't risk my safety.

I need to do something. I can't be the damsel in distress waiting for rescue. Not when I have four men ready to risk everything for me.

"Please," I whisper, letting my body sag against Hammond. "It hurts so much. Just make it stop."

Hammond's grip loosens slightly. "What was that, my dear?"

I turn my head, looking up at him with what I hope appears to be drug-hazed submission. "The heat... It's too much. I can't fight it anymore."

Confusion flickers across his face, quickly replaced by smug satisfaction. "You see, gentlemen? Even the brilliant Dr. Baldwin knows when to surrender to her beast."

While he's distracted by his gloating, my hand slides along the medical tray beside us. My fingers close around a scalpel. I grip it tight and hide it against my palm.

"Just tell me what to do," I plead, playing into his God complex. "You're in charge. You know what's best."

Hammond's eyes gleam with triumph. "I knew you'd see reason eventually. You're too intelligent not to understand the importance of my work."

"Dahlia," Evan warns, taking another step forward. "Don't listen to him."

Hammond jerks me back, the needle pressing deeper. "Stay where you are, Blackthorn!"

"It's okay," I say to Evan, hoping he can read the intent in my eyes. "I understand now that this is bigger than me."

Hammond relaxes his grip just slightly, believing he's won. It's the only opening I need.

I drive the scalpel into his thigh with every ounce of strength I possess.

Hammond howls, his grip on me faltering. I try to twist away, but he grabs my hair, yanking me back against him. We struggle, his strength surprising for a man his age. The syringe wavers dangerously close to my neck.

"You fucking bitch!" he snarls.

"Now!" I scream at the others.

Onyx and the others surge forward. Onyx grabs Hammond by the collar and wrenches him off me, slamming him hard against the wall. The syringe clatters uselessly to the floor.

Hammond tries to fight back, but Leo and Axl are already there, pinning his arms, forcing him down. Evan kicks the syringe away, far out of reach.

I collapse to the floor, breathless and shaking but uninjured, as the burning fear inside me gives way to relief.

Onyx looks down at me, "You did well, Dahlia. We’ve got you."

His words don’t feel very reassuring because even cool tiles do nothing to cool my burning skin.

"We need to get her out of here," Evan orders someone. "Now!"

"Don't touch her," Onyx growls at someone I can't see. "Nobody fucking touches her but us."

Through the haze of need, I see Hammond being restrained by the team. Blood soaks his pant leg where I stabbed him, but he's still smiling, watching me writhe on the floor.

"It’s too late," he calls out. "She's already gone. The dose I gave her was meant for an elephant; that's why I put her to sleep earlier. You'll have to fuck her soon, or she'll die from the strain. I wish I could watch. Fuck!"

"Shut him up," Leo snarls.

Someone gags Hammond, but his words have already taken root. The pain is getting worse; my body temperature is rising to dangerous levels. I can feel sweat soaking through my clothes.

"He's right," I manage to gasp. "It's too much. I can't…I need…"

"We've got you," Axl says, his voice tight with restraint. "We'll take care of you, baby."

"Not here," Evan says firmly. "Get her to the chopper. We need to move now."

Someone carries me off the floor, and it's hard to tell who. Every touch sends shockwaves of pleasure and pain through my body. I bury my face against his chest, inhaling his scent desperately. It's Onyx.

"Please," I whimper, not even sure what I'm begging for.

"Hold on," Onyx murmurs against my hair. "Just hold on, Dahlia."

He carries me through the corridors, and I'm vaguely aware of other people moving out of our way, of orders being shouted, of doors opening and closing. None of it matters compared to the fire consuming me from within.

"Her temperature is too high," Leo says from somewhere beside us. "We need to cool her down."

"The helicopter has medical supplies," Evan replies. "We can stabilize her until we reach the safe house."

"Will she make it that long?" Axl asks.

No one answers. The silence is answer enough.

We burst through a final door onto a rooftop where a helicopter waits, with the blades already spinning. The rush of cool air against my skin provides momentary relief, but it's still not enough.

"Get her inside," Evan commands.

Onyx carries me into the helicopter, laying me on a padded bench. The others climb in after us, the door sliding shut behind them. The confined space fills with their scents, and I moan, arching off the bench involuntarily.

"Jesus," Axl mutters. "What did that bastard give her?"

"Some kind of synthetic heat amplifier," Evan says, rummaging through a medical kit. "It's forcing her body to produce pheromones at a dangerous rate."

Leo presses a cold compress against my forehead. "Her skin is on fire."

"We need to get her temperature down," Evan agrees, filling a syringe with clear liquid. "This should help with the fever, but not the rest."

I feel the prick of a needle in my arm, and it's gentler than Hammond's cruel jab. The medication spreads relief through my veins, but it does nothing for the desperate ache building between my legs.

"It's not enough," I gasp, clutching at whoever is closest. "Touch me at least…I need…"

"We know what you need," Onyx says, "But not here. Not like this."

"I can't wait," I sob, twisting against the hands trying to hold me still. "Please, it hurts."

The helicopter lifts off, the vibration of the engines only adding to my torment. Every sensation is amplified a thousand times: the brush of fabric against my skin, the press of hands trying to help me, the mingled scents of four Alphas driving me wild with need.

"How long to the safe house?" Leo asks, pressing another cold compress to my neck.

"Ten minutes," Evan replies.

"She won't last ten minutes," Axl argues. "Look at her."

I'm beyond caring about their discussion. My body moves of its own accord, seeking relief that won't come. I tear at my clothes, desperate to cool my burning skin.

"Stop," Leo catches my hands. "Dahlia, you need to stay still."

"I can't," I cry, tears streaming down my face. "I can't think. I can't breathe. Please, please help me."

"We're here," Evan says, taking my hand and pressing it to his chest. "We've got you. But you need to tell us you want this. That you're choosing this."

Even through the haze of need, I understand what he's asking. They won't touch me without consent, no matter how desperate my body is.

"Yes," I gasp. "Please, yes. I choose this. I choose all of you."