Page 147 of Shadows of Obsession

Jaxon's head snapped up, his eyes locking with mine for a fleeting moment. In that instant, I saw everything—love, fear, fury, determination. It gave me strength I didn't know I had left.

But that brief distraction was all Daniel needed. He shoved Jaxon away and lunged for the knife on the bedside table, his fingers wrapping around the handle.

The fight exploded with renewed intensity, the two men locked in a desperate struggle. My heart raced as I watched, my breath catching with every blow exchanged. Even in my weakened state, I could see the difference in their motivations. Daniel was driven by crazed, destructive rage, while Jaxon fought with single-minded determination to protect me.

Daniel slashed the knife toward Jaxon in a vicious arc. Jaxon blocked the attack, grabbing Daniel's wrist and twisting him away, struggling to dislodge the weapon while gripping his other arm. They strained against each other with everything they had. Jaxon needed to get the knife.

As the struggle escalated, my mind raced with terrifying outcomes. I prayed silently, begging any higher power listening to give Jaxon the strength to prevail, to save us from this nightmare.

Daniel moved fast, whipping his elbow backward into Jaxon's face. I heard the sickening crack of contact and saw Jaxon's head snap back. His grip loosened just enough—

The knife plunged into Jaxon's side.

"No!" The scream tore from my damaged throat, raw and desperate.

Jaxon grunted in pain, his face twisting, but he held firm, clamping down on Daniel's wrist to stop the blade from going deeper. Blood bloomed across his shirt, spreading fast.

With a brutal punch that landed with devastating force, Jaxon sent Daniel crashing to the floor. The knife slipped from Daniel's hand and clattered to the ground. I watched, terrified.Don't let him—

Daniel's gaze darted between Jaxon, now clutching his wounded side with blood seeping between his fingers, and me, still bound and helpless on the bed. I saw the calculation in his eyes, the twisted determination.

Daniel lunged for the knife, fingers wrapping around the handle. And then, in a movement that seemed to happen in slow motion, he threw himself toward me, the blade poised to strike.

This is it. He's going to kill me.

I couldn't even flinch away, couldn't move, could only watch death coming for me.

The sound of a gunshot ripped through the room, so loud in the confined space that my ears rang immediately. I flinched, eyes squeezing shut instinctively as something warm and wet sprayed across my face and chest.

A heavy thud shook the floor.

Silence.

I opened my eyes slowly, afraid of what I'd see.

Daniel's body lay crumpled on the floor mere inches from the bed, so close I could have touched him if my hands were free. Blood pooled beneath his head,spreading across the hardwood in a dark, viscous puddle. The knife had fallen from his lifeless fingers. My mind reeled.

Is he actually dead?I couldn't process it, couldn't fully comprehend that the nightmare was finally over.

Then Jaxon was there, stumbling to my side, hands working frantically to cut away the ropes that bound me. His movements were urgent despite the pain radiating from his wounded side, despite the blood still flowing from the knife wound.

"Anna... Anna, baby, I've got you. You're okay. You're safe now." His voice was rough, tight with emotion and pain.

As the last of the restraints fell away, feeling rushed back into my numb limbs in painful tingles, I threw my arms around his neck, clinging to him like a lifeline, like he might disappear if I let go.

Jaxon lifted me from the bed, cradling me against his chest as he carried me away from Daniel's body, away from the blood and the horror. I buried my face in his neck, breathing in his familiar scent.

We only made it a short distance, just through the bedroom doorway into the hall, before Jaxon's strength gave out. The blood loss from his injury was taking its toll. I felt his legs buckle, felt him sliding down the wall.

"Jax—" Panic seized me as he lowered himself to the floor, his back resting against the wall with me still clutched in his arms.

I could feel the warmth of his blood seeping through his shirt, soaking into my skin. A new kind of fear gripped my heart—sharper, more terrible than anything Daniel had ever done to me.No.

With trembling hands that barely cooperated, I tore the remnants of my shirt from my body. The fabric was already ruined, stained with my blood, Daniel's, and now Jaxon's. I balled the tattered cloth and pressed it firmly against his wound. The once light-colored material quickly turned crimson as it absorbed the flowing blood.

Jaxon winced at the pressure, his face going pale, but I couldn't let up. I had to stem the bleeding. I had to keep him from slipping away.

"Stay with me," I begged, my voice breaking. "Jaxon, please. Stay with me. Don't you dare leave me now."