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They had to somehow get out of the lab, if they were going to survive.
“We’ll go out and clear the area,” she heard herself say. “She and I.”
The protests from the men were immediate—but as she met C.P.’s eyes, the two of them were in perfect accord: Daniel couldn’t run, and out of the three of them who could, Gus was best able to keep Daniel alive.
There was just one thing that needed to be said before she went out there.
Lydia glanced down at her hand. The glass box with the little holes in the top was warm from her holding it, and the creature inside prowled around, pincers working like it was practicing the moves it planned to use as soon as it got a chance to get loose.
With grim intent, she looked at Daniel.
In response, he put up his own palm. “Go. And be careful. I’ll take care of the scorpion.”
His voice was as grave as she’d ever heard it, and she knelt down, staring into his eyes earnestly. “I believe Blade. I don’t understand him, but Ibelieve him. It’s your choice, though. When this is all over.”
Daniel reached up and stroked her face, his thumb lingering on her lower lip. “I will love you from the other side—”
“Don’t say that—”
“—because you’re claimed forever mine.”
It happened so fast. One moment, he was taking the box from her; the next, he released the scorpion and placed the thing right at the base of his throat.
“No! What are you doing!”
Lydia’s voice echoed around as she went for the deadly arachnid—which was stupid considering she wanted him to take the venom. Just not here, not now—
The sting was immediate, and Daniel gasped as if he’d been shocked by electricity—and his body certainly reacted as if there were volts going through it, his legs kicking out as his head jerked back and hit the wall behind him with a sickening thump.
“What the fuck are you doing!” Gus barked as C.P. also shouted—even though it was too late.
The scorpion was tiny and fast, and it marked its trail down the electrode pads that were still stuck on Daniel’s sunken chest. Three stings? Four?
Lydia tried to catch the thing, but then she stopped with that because what if she got stung? Ripping off her fleece, she used the folds of the pullover to brush the arachnid off his skin. But thatdidn’t work. In the end, the scorpion chose when to go, skittering off into the shadows.
And then she didn’t think about the damn thing.
Daniel’s body started contorting, his lips peeling back off his teeth as he writhed in agony. In a sickening bloom, sweat broke out all over him, and his eyes started to roll into their sockets, only the whites showing.
“What did you do…” She fell down beside him. “Oh, God, Gus—”
The doctor dropped to his knees and checked Daniel’s pulse at his wrist. Then he looked to the steel portal. “I need an EpiPen… and I don’t know what else, but none of it is in this fucking hallway. Jesus! He’s insane—”
“No,” Daniel gritted out as he jerked his head up, his hands like claws as he lifted his arms. “I want this…”
Lydia put her face into his. She wanted to yell at him, she wanted to kiss him, she wanted to pray—
His eyes focused on her. “I want… to go out fighting, not failing. Fighting… for us… not dying by a disease.”
Tears flooded her vision. It was the very essence of him, wasn’t it. He was a warrior, a man of strength. And he was right, dying while hooked up to tubes on a fadeaway by inches was not his way.
But, oh, not like this. Not here. Not—
Gus pressed two fingers to the side of Daniel’sstraining throat. “He’s going into anaphylaxis, I have to get that EpiPen. Right now.”
Lydia didn’t think a thing of it. She closed her eyes.
And shifted into her wolf form.
