Page 1 of His Deadly Devotion

1

Fear. It’s not something I’m accustomed to feeling. I can’t remember a time I’ve felt the bone-chilling, panic-inducing fear that I’m experiencing right now. I’m frozen to the spot. I know I need to get up. But even as my brain is yelling at me to run—to get up and run—I can’t.

Connor lies limp on top of me. He’s not moving. I’m not moving.Weare not moving. I can hear my name being yelledin the distance but it sounds foggy, as if I’m underwater and someone is trying to pull me to the surface.

I heave in a lungful of air, struggling against the full weight of Connor’s body. Why? Why the hell would he do that? Why would he put himself between me and a bullet? Doesn’t he know that his life is worth far more than mine?

His lifeismine. If he isn’t breathing, then I shouldn’t be breathing either. Because there isn’t a god cruel enough to make me face living in this world without my soul. And that is something that Connor completely stole from me. Whether he intended to do it or not, he has it and I don’t want it back.

I still can’t tell if he’s breathing…

I try to focus all my attention on his chest, see if I can feel movement there. Instead, I feel his weight being pulled off me as I’m forced to look up into a pair of dark, furious eyes.

“Enzo?” My voice is raspy, my lungs still struggling to maintain airflow.

“What the fuck are you doing, Aurora? Get up.” My brother drags Connor off me. I grab on to his shirt and try to keep him there.

“No. I’m not moving,” I say.I can’t leave him.

“We need to get out of here now.” Enzo pulls at my waist. My fingers continue to cling to the fabric of Connor’s shirt. Two shots. I heard two shots. He’s been shot twice. I need to do something.

“Let go of me. I need to help him.” I buck against my brother’s hold.

“They’re his family, Aurora. They can help him,” Enzo says.

“They’ll kill him,” I reply. My hand lands on the rise and fall of Connor’s chest. “He’s still breathing.” Relief washes over my entire being as my own words hit me.He’s breathing.“Where are they?” I need to find the holes, stop the bleeding, and sew him back up. I’ve done it before. I can do it again.

He’s not gone. He’s still alive.

“Fucking hell,” Enzo growls. “Fine, move. I’ll get him.” My brother bends and somehow manages to lift a six-foot-something Connor and throw him over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Be careful,” I hiss.

“Move. Now.” Enzo glares at me while gesturing a hand to the left. “That way.”

“Okay, just… don’t drop him.” I do as I’m told, looking back over a shoulder every now and again. I need to make sure Enzo is actually bringing Connor with us.

After ten minutes of navigating the dense woods, we make it to an SUV parked on the other side of the cabin. I open the back door and wait for Enzo to place Connor on the seat, which he does without any grace or care.

“If he dies because you were rough with him, I’m going to kill you,” I tell my brother.

Enzo rolls his eyes. “The bullet hit his shoulder. He’s not dying.”

“Why’d he pass out, then?” I ask, climbing in and inspecting the upper part of Connor’s body. I don’t see anything until I turn him to the side. I rip my shirt over my head and hold the fabric against the entrance wound. “There’s no exit. The bullet is still in there somewhere.”

“You are aware I don’t give a fuck if he lives or dies, right?” Enzo says as he maneuvers us out of the woods and onto a main road.

“Well, I do. Very much. So start caring.” A silence falls over the car as I focus on watching Connor’s chest again. “I need you to wake up. I can’t yell at you if you’re asleep,” I whisper.

“Probably wise he stay asleep then.” Enzo chuckles.

“Not funny,” I tell my brother. “Why isn’t he waking up?”

“Don’t know.”

“We need a doctor. Where are we going?”

“I’ve got a place, not far from here. I’ve already been in contact with Pops. He’s gonna have a doc meet us there,” my brother tells me.