Collin does one of his impossibly high jumps, the tall man catapults after him and ensnares Collin’s paw, forcing him down.
Yet despite the uneven fight, Collin is holding his own. And something tells me he’s holding back. I’ve seen how incredibly fast his wolf is. I know he can move faster.
Yet he’s not.
Course sand rubs against my splayed hands as I sit immobile on the ground. For a split second, Collin’s glowing wolf eyes meet mine. Desperation lines them.
He wants me to leave. He wants me to get up and run. That’s why he’s holding back. He’s creating a distraction right now.
Stifled breaths fill my chest.
I can’t do that. He knows that I can’t do that. I won’t!
“Chloe! Now!” one of the supernatural’s yells. A woman raises her gun.
“Collin!” I scream.
He whips around at the last moment and the shot misses him my millimeters. His wolf lashes out, fangs flashing in the moonlight. Blood-curdling snarls come next.
Chloe screams and buckles. Blood gushes from a tear in her leg as she falls to the ground. The gunfire increases, but somehow Collin manages to jump and dodge, missing all of it.
The entire circle moves inch by inch away from me. It’s as if the team has forgotten I’m there. All of their attention is focused on Collins’ wolf, and he’s steadily forcing the circle back.
The sparkling dome above the team and Collin moves with them. When it washes over me, I shiver, but the heavy feeling in the air disappears when it passes, and then…
All sounds of fighting stop.
I gape. What the hell? Several yards away, the magical dome encases the group, but I can’t hear anything happening inside it. I can still see them, but that’s it. The action within the dome is like watching a silent movie.
I’m truly alone now.
No one is watching me.
I frantically look around, searching for something I can do that will help Collin.
One of the team members reaches behind him. A deadly looking arrow appears. The tip glistens, and I know something magical coats it. He locks it into a bow, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m pushing to a stand and sprinting toward him.
He pulls the arrow back. All of his attention is focused on Collin’s wolf.
I leap through the magical dome just as he lets the arrow loose. Chaotic sounds fill my ears, but I’m already flying through the air.
Something hits my shoulder.
Pain tears through my arm. An agonizing burn follows.
I land on the ground. Hard.
A moment of complete silence follows before a shimmer appears above me, and Collin’s face swims into my vision.
“Brianna!” Terror lines his words, but I can’t respond.
He cradles me to him, his large arms encasing me as fear lines his face.
Then fire takes over my body. I’m dying.
I’m burning alive from the inside out.
Then everything goes black.
Chapter 29 – Brianna
“Give me the serum!” a man yells.
“It’s too late. We can’t save her.”
“Yes we can!”
“No, I don’t think so. The magic is already in her bloodstream. Do you see the lines streaking up her arms? We can’t stop it now.”
“Shit, then we failed.” The first man groans. “I failed. My arrow is the one that hit her.”
“It may not be too late,” a woman says. “That healer Daria Gresham could save her.”
“Then get her,” the first man says. “Use portal keys if you have to. We have to do everything we can to save this woman.”
Darkness claims me again. I’m in an inferno. Fire consumes my body.
I don’t know how much time passes before the voices around me come in and out of focus again, like a radio station I can’t find the channel for.
“Brianna.”
I tense when that achingly familiar voice washes over me.
“Brianna! Please! Look at me!”
Agony lines Collin’s words. Rattling sounds come next. I jostle from wherever I lie, and the movement makes me wince. So I’m lying down. I’m aware of that much, but I’m not stationary. Rough movements make the pain unbearable.
“Brianna!” Collin’s snarl tears several yards away followed by more rattling.
“You can’t break those chains, Rogue, so quit trying.”
“Fuck you! She’s dying! You need to let me go to her—”
“So you can kill her? I don’t think so. Shut up you murderous rogue!”
My stomach lurches when whatever we’re traveling in abruptly drops.
“We’re almost there,” a female says. “Wes was able to reach Daria. She’s on her way and will meet us at headquarters. And Douglas is ready. He’ll help Brianna cross the portal once we arrive.”