a car. He needed to have his vital organs checked for punctures, internal bleeding was definitely a concern. He would also need a few blood transfusions.
She could only hope that she could drive fast enough to win precious seconds.
As she sped down the road, her eyes kept sliding to Shaw. His heartbeat was low and thready. His breathing was sparse, and when she heard it, it was a raspy sound that made her heart clench.
There was no question about it. Shaw would definitely die from the wound in his side. It was gushing blood, and he was clearly fighting to stay conscious.
“I think I’m going to die,” he grunted painfully. “But I have this serum. Glove compartment. It’s shifter stuff.”
Her head snapped back to look at him. His skin was deathly pale and covered in sweat as he fought off his end.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Bennett and the others. They changed. Stole the serum from Nick. Need it.” He passed out then.
Poppy swore as she continued driving. She riffled through the glove compartment until her fingers closed around the cold, slim vial. She pulled it out. The green liquid sloshed around.
“What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?” she grunted. “It’s not like I carry a needle around with me to go injecting people with shifter serum.”
Shaw was still out, and wet, angry tears covered her face.
If he was her mate, if he died, she would bring him back to life only to kill him her damn self. Was what he had done to piss off Curtis enough to warrant murder? Her head was reeling, but she pushed it all down, like she had to do during particularly difficult work shifts at the nursing home.
A car drove up beside her, honking the horn like mad. Poppy turned and cried out in relief when she spotted a terrified and angry looking Dakota with a half-eaten burger clutched in her hand. Poppy pulled the car over, nearly pitching it forward into the ditch. She leaped out the second it had come to a stop.
“What the fuck, Poppy?” Dakota shouted as she joined her. Her friend got really quiet when she saw a very naked Poppy covered in blood. “What happened?”
“Shaw. Dying. Back seat. This is the shifter serum.” Poppy showed Dakota the vial.
“Give it to him!” Dakota shouted, rushing forward.
“How? I don’t have a needle.”
“Shit. Then give it orally.”
“Will that even work?”
Dakota shook her head. “Do you have a better plan? The hospital is another seven minutes out. Does he have that long?” She opened the door and gasped in horror when she saw Shaw. “Poppy, sweetie. He’s dead.”
Poppy felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. “No.”
“I don’t feel a heartbeat,” Dakota said with a soft voice, her fingers pressed against Shaw’s bloodied neck.
“No. He can’t die.”
All of her medical training was telling her that Dakota was right.
It was too late.
Chapter Thirteen
Poppy
Poppy’s entire body was trembling. She knew it was shock, but that didn’t help her. She was vaguely aware that Dakota was on the phone, hysterically shouting to someone. It was probably Bennett. Her mate.
Her mate.
Shaw was in the back seat, his guts all but spilling out of his body. Poppy crawled into the car to be closer to him. He wasn’t dead, but he was close to it as could be. He had seconds. She knew that. It didn’t change what he had done, no matter what that was.
She clenched the vial in her hands and took a deep breath. Making a decision, like the kind she had to make when a patient was coding, she went into full action mode. She tipped Shaw’s head back and poured the serum down his throat. She went so far as to cover his nose and mouth. It was difficult to do, hurting her heart, but it was the only way to make the dying man swallow. It worked.
But would it be enough?
That was seriously doubtful.
Poppy knew that Bennett, Dakota’s mate, had been in a bad way when he had gotten the serum. But there was no way he had been this close to death. She also knew that Dakota had injected him with more than just a vial.
The car began to move, speeding toward a direction she didn’t know. All Poppy knew was that she had to keep holding onto Shaw’s hand.
“You cannot die on me; do you hear me?”
Poppy was having some very serious bad flashbacks as she watched blood steadily pouring out of Shaw’s wounds.