AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The thought startles me because it isn’t my own, but I don’t have a moment to rejoice in the fact that I’d heard someone as I watch Lyle collapse on the ground in front of Garrett and Sol, having taken the hit for him.
Never, for as long as I’ve known the guys, have I seen one of them go down so easily.
Get up! Damn it, get up!
I urge, watching Lyle for some sign that he’s alive, breathing, moving, anything! But nothing happens, and he lies there even as the guys go to him, no doubt worried as well.
“Please, let it fail,” Ryker’s whispered words sound like a prayer, and I don’t know what he means by that, but it can’t be good.
I don’t know how long we stand, fighting on the cliff, but eventually, my body gives up, and I collapse. This time, Ryker doesn’t hold me up; instead, he sinks to the ground with me, never releasing his hold on me. I’m not sure if I’m grateful or if I want to punch him. Not that it matters. I’m so worn out that he probably wouldn’t even feel it. So much has happened in just a few hours, my emotions going from one extreme to the next, that I’m left with bone-deep exhaustion.
Ryker’s arms move from around my waist up to hold my arms tight against my chest, almost as if he’s hugging me from behind. It’s only then that I realize I’m crying, clawing at his arms to try and escape even through my exhaustion.
“Shh, Darling, not all is lost,” he says, rocking me gently.
I can’t find my voice to reply, but even if I could, it wouldn’t matter. Nothing matters right now besides getting to them, being with them, but I can’t do that, and I know they wouldn’t want me to anyway.
Lyle wouldn’t want me down there.
It feels like a lifetime passes, but I know it’s probably only been a minute or two based on how much distance the chimeras have gained before something happens that causes the guys to move back, once again granting me a window to Lyle.
He still lies on the ground, but he’s no longer motionless. Slowly, he begins to stir. His movements are jerky, and the sounds he makes tell me he’s in pain, but he’s alive, and that’s more than I dared hope only a moment ago.
I don’t want to look away, fearing this is all a trick, a hallucination my brain thought up to make me feel better. I’m terrified that when I look back, he’ll be back on the ground again.
I don’t want to, but I have to.
Whatever Draven did to him really fucked Lyle up, but that was all he did, and that doesn’t sit right with me. From everything we know about Draven, he wants revenge; he wants destruction. So why wouldn’t he attack while everyone was distracted?
We’re missing something.
I scan the village, but it doesn’t take long to find him. He’s in exactly the same spot he was before, standing on the roof looking down at the guys. I’d read about villains in books but never met one. I thought I had with Pike’s father and Harlow, but Draven isn’t just bad. He’s insane. I see it in the twisted, sinister smile that curls his lips up almost unnaturally while he looks down at the damage he’s done.
He’s enjoying this.
The look on his face twists my stomach, and rage washes over me, replacing my sadness.
I feel eyes on me and turn to meet Garrett’s gaze across the village. Emotions swirl in his eyes—relief, fear, and sadness—before they settle on anger. I’m unsure if my calling to him worked or if he just happened to spot me, but it doesn’t matter. I was too late, too weak, and because of that, Lyle paid the price.
Too soon, Garrett turns away, once again tending to Sol and shouting something at the others that I can’t hear from here.
"He wants to get your other mate back to the castle,” Ryker tells me. “It’s a good idea. If anyone might know a way around the chimera’s effects, it would be the queen.”
I nod, ignoring the fact that he called Sol my mate; he’s not, but that doesn’t make him any less to me. A deep growl sounds, echoing up through the cliffside, and I snap my attention back to where Lyle now stands on unsteady feet.
I’m happy to see him up, but something tugs at me, telling me we aren’t out of the woods yet. I scan the rest of the guys, counting heads to ensure I haven’t missed something when my eyes come to a stop on Pike.
He’s still shifted, his giant wolf standing in front of Lyle, but instead of appearing happy to see his friend up, he looks ravenous. He’s crouched in front of Lyle, looking ready to pounce, his fur ruffled and standing on edge, teeth bared.
Storm is in a similar stance to his left, focusing on Lyle. Blair's large body coils around them, his lower half near Garrett and Sol like a wall of defense while standing tall behind Pike and Storm, ready to provide backup wherever it might be needed.
What is happening?
“We have to go,” Ryker urges, pushing to stand with me still in his arms.
“No, we can’t leave them,” I argue, finally finding my voice.
“There isn’t anything you can do to help them right now,” he says, pleading with me to understand. And I do, I get it. He only wants to protect me, but these guys are a part of me; I need them.
