weren’t getting enough air, and the drugs overtook me.
CHAPTER TEN
Jacob
The tranquilizer pushed me to the edge of consciousness. Part of me wanted to invite the quiet dreams inside, their whispers so tempting to my tired body, giving an illusion of safety and peace. My muscles were weak from their effects. If I didn’t burn through the chemicals, we would be stuck here while the guards had a chance to recover or, worse, if reinforcements arrived.
I blinked a few times, but the dreaming state never seemed to lift. Raising a hand to my lips, I bit into it. The painful sensation brought me back from the twilight of sleep, and I sighed a relief. Yet, I knew my war against the chemicals was just beginning.
Fighting the haze of drugs, I shoved myself off Kelly’s chest. Her breath came out in quiet gasps of air once I moved. I wanted nothing more than hold her and tell her everything would be okay, but right now, I wasn’t so sure if I believed that.
The chances of defying my body’s need to submit to an induced sleep were slim, but I had to try. With an effort of will, I pushed aside my pain and the complaints of my already strained body. Growing up among other young wolves in a Pack had granted me much worse beatings.
Incoherent thoughts filled my mind about the earlier part of the evening, the studying, and our argument. If I hadn’t been such a jerk earlier, none of this would have happened. She was in this mess partly because of me. Her life had been changed, and there was no going back. If I failed now, we’d both be locked up again.
I refused to give these people that satisfaction. They would all suffer in due time. After I got her out of here, the Pack will be back to rescue the others and fulfill our need for revenge.
Kelly whimpered next to me, and it sped the pace of my heart. The wolf in me struggled to get its bearings and assist me. We both knew what was on the line. When I laid eyes on her, both of us, the man and the beast, knew what we wanted. Both of us had fought, in our own way, for this piece of paradise. Feeling her heartbeat made my blood flow stronger and faster.
I had someone to take care of, to protect, and I refused to fail her again. My beast snarled in agreement, pushing ever closer to the surface, until my eyes were his eyes. He expanded within me until I was almost afraid that I would shift again. If that happened, I would be able to get away, but I couldn’t get Kelly to safety.
I rolled to my stomach, then got one leg under me at a time. Little by little, I slowly rose to my knees, and then up. The effort narrowed my vision until I nearly blacked out. Taking in the deep breath of air, I stood up.
The scents of the unconscious guards were the only signs of life. Two were knocked out, the third hadn’t been so lucky. While I didn’t like killing humans, at least we’d bought ourselves more much needed time. We could not, would not, get caught again.
I scooped up Kelly, nearly falling to my knees in the process. She groaned in my arms but didn’t make any other movements. Getting her in the car took a while since she nearly toppled out of the car. If I’d thought this through more, I would’ve laid her in the backseat, but my brain wasn’t functioning much better than my limbs.
The effort to move her now wasn’t pleasant, but the amount of time it took might mean the difference between running free and being locked up. The words they spoke came back to me about me being the key to their breeding super soldiers. I refused to let them have any pups I might have, and I certainly wouldn’t allow them to experiment on my mate.
I climbed into the driver seat. My body desired nothing more than to just slump over the steering wheel and sleep off the drugs, but I refused to give in. With each moment that passed, I feared hearing the sound in heavy footsteps close in on us. My senses were hyperaware of every breath, hoot, and scurrying creature in the forest.
My hand
Shyla Colt
Beth Cato
Norrey Ford
Sharon Shinn
Bryan Burrough
Azure Boone
Peggy Darty
Anne Rice
Jerry Pournelle
Erin Butler