away and--”
Matt turns to me, and I don’t even see his fist before the smack of it sends pain shooting through my jaw. His reflexes aren’t the only ones that are quick, because before I slam to the ground, Jax’s familiar growl sounds. I blink in shock as Jax sends Matt and Sean flying with a set of his own punches, and the pavement beneath me shudders before I snap up to my feet in a ready position to fight.
A car door slams hard in the distance, and I swear I hear more growling, but it doesn’t register, because the glint of Sean’s gun captures my attention instead. I scream, “No!” as the muscles in my thighs explode with power, and I launch myself through the air to get between the gun and Jax.
I’m midair when the crack of a shot deafens me. It’s followed by white-hot pain exploding in my chest before asphalt meets me with its agonizing hardness once again. Oh god. The world before me swims in front of my eyes as muffled noises carry to me. I think I hear a fight, and I know I attempt a scream when I slam my hand on my wound to try to stop the bleeding. I gasp for air, but it won’t come, and Jax’s face appears in my sight.
He scoops me up, and I hear his voice faintly as he says, “I need to bite you if you want to live. Say yes.”
I nod as the blackness takes over. I try not to shut my eyes so I can keep Jax as my last memory before I die.
11
W hen I was fifteen Rand took me out hunting. I’d been training on our courses for two years with a gun and was an excellent shot for both stationary and moving targets. But I’d never killed, and I was finally getting the chance to test my skills. The two of us waited in a deer stand set high in a tree. As I struggled to keep still, a doe walked into the clearing. Rand nudged me gently, and I lifted my gun to shoot. She was in my sights, and all I had to do was pull the trigger, but when her two fawns appeared, I hesitated. Our scent must have travelled to the doe, because she bolted.
That was the first time I’d ever experienced Rand’s anger. He grabbed my throat and slammed me against the tree so hard stars swam before my eyes. His strong hand squeezed as he said, “You’re dead. If that had been a werebear, they’d be shredding you to pieces, and you’d wish that I’d killed you like this instead.” He didn’t stop strangling me until I passed out. And apparently I almost died, because he crushed a portion of my esophagus. The damage to my vocal cords gave me my raspy voice for life.
As I breathe, my chest aches where I was shot. Last night, I recall wishing Rand had killed me as I had many fantasies of dying. Tori lied about the pain of the change, because there’s no way childbirth can be that bad. Women wouldn’t have children if it were. The sound of my bones breaking is still fresh in my mind, and I recall the torture of my body letting my bear out. My skin was stretched to the point it must have torn, and a whimper escapes my lips at the memory of the intense burning that made me feel as if I were being torched alive. Thank god I passed out.
The scent of Jax was the first thing I noticed when I woke earlier. He told me my senses would be intensified. Shame over trying to leave yesterday has made me keep my eyes shut so I don’t have to face him yet.
I stretch my leg a little to check on my pain level. It’s not too bad. Apparently my body is okay with being a werebear, but it’s going to take a while for my mind to accept this. I suppress a shudder as I hope I can learn to control my animal tendencies.
“I know you’re awake, Sasha,” says Jax. “You’re fidgeting. Talk to me.”
I whisper. “Fine.”
Jax chuckles, and the sound caresses me. I blink to clear my vision, and when I see Jax I smile. He asks, “How do you feel?”
“I bet you have an idea. That really sucked.”
My mate leans down over me and says, “Yeah. But you’re alive. The bullet punctured your lung and probably shredded part of your
Matt turns to me, and I don’t even see his fist before the smack of it sends pain shooting through my jaw. His reflexes aren’t the only ones that are quick, because before I slam to the ground, Jax’s familiar growl sounds. I blink in shock as Jax sends Matt and Sean flying with a set of his own punches, and the pavement beneath me shudders before I snap up to my feet in a ready position to fight.
A car door slams hard in the distance, and I swear I hear more growling, but it doesn’t register, because the glint of Sean’s gun captures my attention instead. I scream, “No!” as the muscles in my thighs explode with power, and I launch myself through the air to get between the gun and Jax.
I’m midair when the crack of a shot deafens me. It’s followed by white-hot pain exploding in my chest before asphalt meets me with its agonizing hardness once again. Oh god. The world before me swims in front of my eyes as muffled noises carry to me. I think I hear a fight, and I know I attempt a scream when I slam my hand on my wound to try to stop the bleeding. I gasp for air, but it won’t come, and Jax’s face appears in my sight.
He scoops me up, and I hear his voice faintly as he says, “I need to bite you if you want to live. Say yes.”
I nod as the blackness takes over. I try not to shut my eyes so I can keep Jax as my last memory before I die.
11
W hen I was fifteen Rand took me out hunting. I’d been training on our courses for two years with a gun and was an excellent shot for both stationary and moving targets. But I’d never killed, and I was finally getting the chance to test my skills. The two of us waited in a deer stand set high in a tree. As I struggled to keep still, a doe walked into the clearing. Rand nudged me gently, and I lifted my gun to shoot. She was in my sights, and all I had to do was pull the trigger, but when her two fawns appeared, I hesitated. Our scent must have travelled to the doe, because she bolted.
That was the first time I’d ever experienced Rand’s anger. He grabbed my throat and slammed me against the tree so hard stars swam before my eyes. His strong hand squeezed as he said, “You’re dead. If that had been a werebear, they’d be shredding you to pieces, and you’d wish that I’d killed you like this instead.” He didn’t stop strangling me until I passed out. And apparently I almost died, because he crushed a portion of my esophagus. The damage to my vocal cords gave me my raspy voice for life.
As I breathe, my chest aches where I was shot. Last night, I recall wishing Rand had killed me as I had many fantasies of dying. Tori lied about the pain of the change, because there’s no way childbirth can be that bad. Women wouldn’t have children if it were. The sound of my bones breaking is still fresh in my mind, and I recall the torture of my body letting my bear out. My skin was stretched to the point it must have torn, and a whimper escapes my lips at the memory of the intense burning that made me feel as if I were being torched alive. Thank god I passed out.
The scent of Jax was the first thing I noticed when I woke earlier. He told me my senses would be intensified. Shame over trying to leave yesterday has made me keep my eyes shut so I don’t have to face him yet.
I stretch my leg a little to check on my pain level. It’s not too bad. Apparently my body is okay with being a werebear, but it’s going to take a while for my mind to accept this. I suppress a shudder as I hope I can learn to control my animal tendencies.
“I know you’re awake, Sasha,” says Jax. “You’re fidgeting. Talk to me.”
I whisper. “Fine.”
Jax chuckles, and the sound caresses me. I blink to clear my vision, and when I see Jax I smile. He asks, “How do you feel?”
“I bet you have an idea. That really sucked.”
My mate leans down over me and says, “Yeah. But you’re alive. The bullet punctured your lung and probably shredded part of your
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