Page 148 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)

KNOX

I clung to Bishop, wishing I was also in physical contact with Audrey because my insides were squeezed so tight I could barely breathe.

The cavern was bigger than the ballroom in the Residence where I could have spent an hour with only four other people in it, but it could have been as big as the arena and it still would have been too small right now. There weren’t any windows and the only way out was the door where we’d entered and that led to an even smaller, windowless room.

My soul hadn’t been steady since Bishop had been poisoned, and the only reason I hadn’t shifted into my wolf and raced outside was because my brother and my mate needed me.

It was actually a miracle I was even in the cavern, but my smart mate had known exactly what I needed to fight through the fear threatening to crush me into nothing.

She’d called on my wolf’s need to protect her. He would go through anything, do anything whether I wanted to do it or not to keep her safe, even if that took us to the edge of losing our humanity. And we were barely holding on.

“Make it quick,” I growled at Whil as my wolf surged even stronger and pushed me farther back into my consciousness which also pushed back the primal feralness that would completely take over if he released even a fraction of his hold on me.

“That’s the idea,” Whil replied, scanning the book’s pages.

Bishop groaned, his already twitching muscles contracting tight, arching his back, and pushing his chest out of the water.

More of the horrific black and red veins burst, oozing thick, viscous pus that clouded the pristine water, making me grit my teeth. All I could do was hold him. I hated that was all I could do while everything else was up to Whil.

“Come on, Bishop,” Audrey murmured, pressing her forehead to his. “Just a little longer. Please.” Her voice cracked, making both me and my wolf furious.

She shouldn’t have to go through anything like this. Not now. Not ever. Yes, she’d proven she was strong — in her quiet, persistent, always-gets-back-up way — but if my wolf and I had anything to say about it, she’d never have to endure heartache and fear like this again.

It didn’t matter that she had a powerful alpha locked inside her. Even if she finally broke her curse, I wouldn’t allow her to suffer.

“Okay.” Whil handed Deacon the book, knelt by Bishop’s head, and placed her hands on his forehead while Cyrus crouched beside her.

“If things go wrong,” he said, glancing at Deacon, “you grab Whil. I’ve got Audrey.”

Whil gave him a tight nod, her perpetual golden glow growing brighter as she focused on gathering her magic.

Blue light flickered in the water around us in response, cutting through the growing cloud of black pus. Then she closed her eyes, whispered a prayer to Ninti whose power imbued this water with magic, and light burst from her hands.

Bishop’s head jerked back, threatening my grip, and a desperate howl of agony tore from his throat and ripped through our twin bond.

“Oh, God,” Audrey gasped, her face suddenly white, her expression tight with Bishop’s pain.

For a second, he was trapped in that horrible scream, his body locked in agony, then the pain flared stronger, whitening out my vision, and he thrashed with the full strength of an alpha shifter.

“Hold him still,” Whil cried.

I tightened my grip and blinked my vision clear just in time to see Bishop slam his elbow into Audrey’s face.

Her head snapped back and panic, stronger than Bishop’s pain, shot through my bond with her. It vanished a second later and she went limp, unconscious.

“No,” I lurched forward to rescue her.

“Stay!” Cyrus commanded with a blast of power, keeping me in place, and he grabbed Audrey’s arm and hauled her head out of the water.

Blood poured from her nose, and I grabbed both of Bishop’s arms and pinned them to his sides before he could accidentally hit her again. Thankfully, Deacon leaped in and secured Bishop’s head so I didn’t have to worry about drowning him.

“Come on, Audrey,” Cyrus said, pushing Audrey’s wet hair out of her face. “Your mates need you.”

She groaned, her expression dazed for a moment before her eyes finally focused on Cyrus. Then realization, horror, and pain swept in before turning into determination.

She shoved out of Cyrus’s arms and threw herself on Bishop as best she could with me in the way.

More blue light flashed through the water and Whil’s breathing turned ragged. Sweat slicked her skin, soaked her shirt, and dripped into her eyes, but she kept her hands pressed against Bishop’s forehead even as he bucked and twisted in my grip. The red and black veins pulsed, hard and fast and more of them burst, sending more black pus into the water.

Bishop screamed and gasped for what felt like forever but was probably only a few seconds. Then his flailing started to slow and his breathing grew labored. But the veins still covered him and they weren’t going away.

He was losing strength, losing the fight against the poison. I could feel the exhaustion and agony in our bond weakening his body and soul.

He wasn’t going to give up and stop fighting. I could feel that, too. But he wasn’t going to be able to go on for much longer and break my mate’s heart.

“Fight it,” I snarled at him. “Don’t you dare fucking die.” I shoved him against the stone slope. “Fight it. Don’t. You. Die.”

He groaned and his eyelids fluttered as if they were finally going to open after five days of unconsciousness. But instead, he sucked in a shallow breath, gurgled it out, and stopped breathing.

“No,” Audrey gasped. “No. Please.”

“Whil,” Cyrus barked.

“Almost there,” she ground out.

“He isn’t breathing!” Cyrus snapped. “He?—”

Audrey lurched forward and pressed her lips against Bishop’s with a final kiss that made me want to scream.

This wasn’t happening. No way in hell would this be their last kiss.

Except instead of actually kissing him, she breathed into his mouth.

“Audrey,” Cyrus said, his voice breaking on her name, his alpha-in-control mask gone and his affection for her clear in the pain in his eyes.

“We’ll save him. We just have to keep him alive long enough.” She pulled back and felt for a pulse. “Too slow. I need him on a flat surface.”

“He has to say in the water,” Whil gasped.

“Fine,” Audrey said, her expression fierce with determination. “Knox, start CPR. I’ll keep doing the breathing.”

Deacon shot her a wild look. “What the hell is CPR?”

“You don’t—?” Her eyes widened then narrowed. “Knox, I’m teaching you CPR. Move aside. Hands here.” She clasped her hands together, one on top of the other, and placed them on his chest. “Lock your elbows and push hard and fast, like this. Fifteen times. You’re pumping his heart for him. Now show me.”

I repeated her movements fifteen times and she gave Bishop a breath.

Another fifteen.

Another breath.

The golden glow around Whil’s hands flared, and blue sparks jumped out of the water and sank into Bishop’s face. More blue light flared around us, the flickers snapping faster and faster and I pumped my brother’s heart while Audrey gave him breath. Again and again. Fifteen. Breathe. Fifteen. Breathe.

More of the black and red veins burst, except this time they didn’t stay or get bigger, they drained their horrible pus into the water, shrinking until they were ugly black and red bruises under his skin.

“Come on, Bishop,” Audrey said over and over again like a prayer, tears streaming down her cheeks while blood still oozed from her broken nose. “Please. Please. Come on. Please”

“Almost there,” Whil gasped, her body trembling, her glow faint and flickering. “Just a little more.”

Bishop gasped and his eyes fluttered open then closed again.

“Oh, God,” Audrey cried, cupping his face and looking desperately at his closed eyes. “Tell me he’s okay. Tell me he’ll live.”