Page 125 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)

AUDREY

I stared into his wolf-darkened eyes, falling into their bottomless depths surrounded by brilliant green stars and my heart soared at his words. He loved me.

He. Loved. Me.

No one had ever said those words to me and I knew deep in my soul that Bishop was mine just as much as Knox was.

“I love you?—”

But Bishop’s grip tightened, his body suddenly tense, and he shoved me to the side, hard.

I stumbled, lost my balance, and fell onto my butt as someone dressed head to toe in thick black clothing, his face hidden by a heavy hood, plunged the claws on both of his hands into Bishop’s chest.

Oh, God! My heart leaped into my throat and I scrambled to my feet.

Bishop roared, the sound a mix of pain and rage, pushed his hands up between the man’s arms, and shoved his claws away. The action made the man’s arms fly wide, and Bishop tore the claws of his right hand through the man’s side with a spray of unnaturally bright red blood.

The man screeched. The sound was barely human, sending fear racing down my spine and chilling my blood, and for a second, I feared this man wasn’t another shifter, he was something else, something dangerous.

But that didn’t make sense. Underneath his bulky clothes, he was shaped like a man, and his claws, while hard to see in the dim light, looked like shifter’s claws.

Bishop swiped his other hand at the man but he twisted out of the way to avoid Bishop’s attack and dragged both sets of his claws through Bishop’s side.

More blood splattered on the road by Bishop’s feet and oozed between his fingers as the man jerked his attention to me.

Time stuttered to a halt, my pulse slow, dragging thuds, crushing around my heart. With the hood pulled low and the dim illumination from the streetlight, I couldn’t see his face — all I could see were shadows — but his body language was threatening and I knew, without a doubt, that he wanted me dead.

I backed up a step, everything within me screaming to run. Run Now!

I couldn’t help Bishop fight. I didn’t know how to fight and I was slower than Bishop which meant I was slower than the man. I was better off screaming at the top of my lungs and finding help.

Except I knew the second I looked away, the man would jump on me.

With another screech, time lurched back to its regular speed, and the man surged forward. I scrambled back and slammed my back against the closest building, missing the alley behind me by three feet.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

The man raised his hands, ready to tear me open with his claws when Bishop snagged the back of his thick, oversized shirt and yanked. His claws grazed the front of my shirt, tearing the fabric but missing my flesh and before I could blink, the man had turned and rammed Bishop with his shoulder.

They both fell to the ground, the man on top, one set of claws already digging into Bishop’s chest, the other about to slash open Bishop’s throat.

“No!” I screamed, the sound tearing out of me, bringing the bitter acidic bite of bile rolling up my throat while sudden violent nausea erupted in my stomach.

The man froze, his attention snapping to me, and my stomach heaved as more bile burned my throat.

No no no.

Bishop raked his claws at the man’s chest, but somehow the man noticed even though he was still staring at me and leaped up and out of the way. His body shuddered and Bishop lunged for him again, fast enough to tear into his calf with another spray of too-bright blood.

More bile burned up my throat and my stomach heaved.

Another shudder swept through the man’s body as he dodged Bishop’s next swipe and then he raced into the closest alley.

With a growl, Bishop scrambled to his feet to chase after him but staggered and dropped to one knee after only a few steps.

I rushed to his side as he sagged to the ground, trying to swallow back the bile and not throw up. Blood soaked his clothes, a mix of his and the assailant’s, although the brightness in the man’s blood was quickly fading and was now almost indistinguishable from Bishop’s.

“Do you need a med pack?” I asked, trying to get a look at how deep the man had dug into his chest. “Where’s the closest one?”

During the first aid class, Nova had mentioned where the packs were, but I didn’t know any of the street names or the city’s layout and had planned to ask her about it the next time I saw her.

“There’s one—” He groaned and clutched his chest, making my panic spike.

Oh, God. Were his injuries so bad he actually needed an elixir?

“Can you shift?” Please say you can shift. Even if the shift didn’t fully heal his injuries, it would still help. Except if the injury was severe enough, he wouldn’t have enough strength to complete the transformation and it could kill him.

He groaned and shook his head, making my pulse spike. I had to get a vial of the healing elixir into him. Now.

“Where? Where is it?” I grabbed his arm, helping to steady him, and he raised his gaze to meet mine.

“It’s—” He sucked in a sharp, sudden breath and his eyes widened.

Fear and agony raced through his expression as strange black and red veins bulged under his skin and raced up his neck.

A strangled cry fell from his lips and he locked eyes with me, making my pulse stall completely.

“Love you,” he gasped. “I?—”

With another cry, he lurched back onto the road and started convulsing.

Oh no. Oh no no no.

This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not after he’d told me that he loved me. Today was supposed to have been happy and wonderful. I’d been overflowing with joy a moment ago and now… now I couldn’t catch my breath.

Something was horribly wrong with Bishop, more than just being beaten up in a fight, and it had everything to do with that man. The strange black and red veins meant he’d cast a spell or cursed him or… poisoned him.

That was the most logical explanation, more logical than magic even though magic was more prevalent in this realm than the mortal realm. That man had to have poisoned Bishop because if it was anything else there might not be a cure.

My breath caught in my too-tight throat. It was poison and there was an antidote. There had to be.

“Help!” I screamed, scrambling to get his head onto my lap to protect it from the stone road. I didn’t know where the med pack was, I couldn’t contact anyone telepathically, and I couldn’t leave him to get help, not without him bashing his head on the ground.

God, no. Please. I couldn’t be useless like Merrick and Sterling had said I was my entire life. I just couldn’t be.

“Please,” I sobbed.

Bishop was dying. It was obvious from the pallor of his skin and the way his body convulsed as the veins grew thicker, now covering his cheeks and forearms.

It had happened so fast, the attack, the poison. Everything… and just after he’d told me that he loved me, told his whole pack, really. He hadn’t been embarrassed of me for being so weak I couldn’t shift. He’d sung me a love song and kissed me in public and… God!

I bit back another sob and ground my teeth together.

I. Was. Not. Useless.

That was Sterling and Merrick’s poison. Not the truth.

I’d killed a grimalkin. It might have been by accident, but I killed one, and I sure as hell could save Bishop. If I couldn’t get help to come to me, I’d go to the help.

I grabbed Bishop under the shoulders and heaved. He was as heavy as I’d thought he’d be, which was heavier than I could realistically manage with him writhing in agony, but I was not going to let him die.

He convulsed again, jerking out of my grip and bashing his head against my foot. Pain shot through my toes, making me cry out, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. I had to save him.

I grabbed him again and dragged him farther down the street as fast as I could, my hands hurting with how tightly I gripped his shirt. It wasn’t far. I could make it and I wouldn’t let go again. I wouldn’t let go, ever. Just a little farther and someone would hear me.

Please, God.

“Help!”