Lord of Rain (The Dragon Demigods #5) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,5
human and then finish Lyre. I turn and launch myself at her. I feel a sting on my thigh and am thrown back a step or two. I’m not sure why, but I don’t care.
Kill.
I need to take her out.
“Freeze!” she yells. Is she fucking stupid or something?
I try to get to her again, but once more, I fall back. I frown. Both my thighs hurt. I feel something warm gushing down my legs. I smell the coppery scent of blood. Then someone wraps their arms around me, but I pull away. My eyes are on her. The human. The threat.
“Stop! Don’t!” the human shouts. She’s trying to tell me what to do. She threatens my woman and then throws commands like I’m going to listen.
I charge, noticing at the last second that she is holding a gun. It only incites me further. If she is armed, she is more dangerous to Gabby. I hear an explosion and am thrown off my feet. The bitch shot me. I need to get up. I have to protect Gabby. I have to—
“Stay down!” Lyre yells. He is kneeling next to me.
“No!” the human shouts. I hear another gunshot. Pain blossoms in my chest all over again, even though I know it wasn’t me who was shot this time.
My love! My Gabby. I see how blood begins to soak her shirt.
No!
No!
I’m not sure if I am shouting the words out loud or if they are merely in my head. My beautiful woman coughs, blood trickles from her mouth.
“Gabby!” I shout. “No! Gabby.” I see the horror in her eyes. I can see the pain she is feeling. I feel it too. I can feel us being ripped apart. “My love. My love. What did you do?” I shout at the human. “Kill you!” It’s getting harder to talk. To think. I can still feel. I can feel my soul ripping from my body.
Gabby coughs again. I know she is dying. I can feel it. I’m trying to get up, but someone is holding me down. I can’t see clearly. Everything is fuzzy. I have never felt pain like this in all my life. It isn’t physical. If only it were physical. It’s almost a relief when I sink into oblivion. My last thought is to hope this excruciating pain will have subsided when I wake up…if I wake up. I don’t want to wake up. I can’t live in a world where she does not exist. I just can’t!
2
Three and a half months later…
Ashley
I watch as my best friend’s eyes widen, her mouth falls open for a couple of long seconds. “No! You’re shitting me.”
“I’m serious.”
“No!” Candice gasps out the word.
“Yes. It’s not what I want but,” I shrug, “what choice do I have?”
“I never thought I’d see the day. I thought you were in line to take over the running of the place one of these years. Besides that, you absolutely love your job,” she says, picking up her piña colada and taking a long sip. “I have no idea how or why you love it,” she makes a face, “but you do.”
Candice and I met five years ago when she started as a cashier at my parent’s bakery. Those were the good old days. The days when Buns and Breads did extremely well. Candice lasted all of three weeks on a part-time basis. She hated every minute of it. Hated dealing with the customers. Hated the three pounds she put on because sticking to any kind of diet while working in a bakery is impossible. The only good thing that came from her time at Buns was that we hit it off immediately and have been besties ever since.
“I do love my job. I love the smell of baking bread. I love decorating cakes. I love coming up with new pastry ideas, but my parents can’t afford to keep both Simon and me on the payroll. They’re planning on letting Simon go at the end of this month.” I look down at my frozen margarita, using my straw to stir through the ice.
“That is rough,” Candice admits.
“Especially since he just found out his wife is pregnant.”
“Again?” Candice gasps. “How many is that now?”
“Five. This will be their fifth child.”
Candice widens her eyes. “It’s time to close shop.”
“It certainly is. He said something about her having her tubes tied after this one is born.” I sigh. “You see my dilemma? Simon needs this job. They barely make ends meet as it is.”