Sharp, searing pain starts in my shoulder and radiates down my back. It’s so intense it almost brings me to my knees. I turn, causing the pain to amplify, and find a vampire behind us with his fangs out, but he’s also wielding magic like the fae do. Something hot and wet drips down my body onto the floor. I don’t need to look down to know it’s my blood. Another jolt of pain flares on my arm as my shirt disappears and my flesh cuts open then starts to peel back.
A blood-curdling scream wrenches from my lungs as Echo makes an equally horrifying noise beside me. I can’t stand any longer and fall to the ground in a heap. My head hits the wooden floor with a loud thud as darkness begins to creep in on my vision. Over and over, areas of pain break out on my body to the point I can’t call my wolf up to shift. I try so hard but it’s like I can’t reach him through the intensity of the pain I’m suffering.
The new cuts suddenly stop but the wounds don’t magically heal. They can’t unless I shift. A body is thrown across the room as I watch Aries’ wolf tear into the male on the ground. More wolves rush past me. Vicious yells tear through the air, but all I can do is lie here and watch as my blood continues to spread farther and farther from my body. With every additional inch it travels, I become weaker.
Echo falls down. His head cracks against the floor in a sickening sound. His face is cut wide open down one cheek and those eyes of his hold no life in them.
No. Please no.
Echo.
I try with all my might to reach out for him. I’m able to move my fingers then my arm. Blood seeps from me faster with my movement. Tears pool in my eyes as a lump forms in my throat. I try to call upon my wolf again to initiate the shift, but I can’t get it to happen. I’m not ready to die. This isn’t how I wanted to go out.
A wolf’s head rolls past us and I close my eyes, unable to look and see if it’s one of our own. I couldn’t handle it if it were.
Then Des is in front of me, coaxing me to look at him. His eyes hold so much pain. “Hold on, Cam,” he says with a shaky voice.
Des reaches into the specially made pockets of the vest he wears to pull out a syringe already filled with the serum he uses to save others. The one he created. He moves toward me.
“No,” I barely get out. “Echo first.”
Des turns then and must see the color leeching from Echo’s face. He pushes Echo to his back. Des doesn’t hesitate to drive the needle into Echo’s heart and inject it. I watch, unable to do anything else. Is Echo’s heart still beating? Is there any life left in him?
Aries fills my vision. He’s covered in blood. He cradles my face in his hands. “Cam, I need you to shift.”
“Can’t,” I say as I cough. Blood splatters from my lips onto Aries.
“Dammit, Cam, shift!” He uses that tone on me. The one of his alpha status that we’re all supposed to heed. I don’t think it will work, but then something stirs within me. Not something. My wolf. Tears slip from my eyes. Maybe I’m not going to die tonight. “Camden, you can do this! You have to shift!”
My wolf stirs some more but not enough to take over the shift. “Whit. Sorry.” It’s all I can get out before more blackness edges my vision until I can only see Aries’ hand in front of me.
“Do it again, Des!” Thay roars at the other male. It startles me enough to pull the blackness back slightly. Aries moves enough to allow me to see Thay on the ground with Echo’s head in his lap as tears pour down Thay’s face.
Des moves. Another shot, no doubt. I stare at them as Aries yells at me to shift. Then it’s Sawyer’s voice I hear, telling me to listen to our alpha. Not to give up.
“Give me the serum, Des,” Sevan states as he drops to the ground as well. But Des is doing chest compressions on Echo. It helps push the serum through the body faster when the heart can’t work enough.