Page 81 of Isabelle’s Forbidden Love

“Orlando, I—”

“What kind of bomb is it?” Thomas interrupted Samson, his voice tense. “Are there any electrical circuits? Electrical cables? A cell phone attached to it?”

Orlando looked over his shoulder, careful to keep Isabelle shielded by his body. “Electrical cables. I also see a circuit board. Why?”

Thomas didn’t reply. Instead, he addressed his mate, Eddie via the comms, “Eddie, can you generate an electromagnetic pulse directed at the part of the building where you picked up Isabelle’s heat signature last?”

“I need at least three minutes, probably more to reprogram a new drone. But it’s never been done. I’m not sure it’s gonna work,” Eddie said, concern in his voice.

“Just do it. We’ve got nothing to lose.”

More noises drifted to Orlando’s ears now, not only through the comms, but also from somewhere down the hallway outside the room. But Orlando ignored them and looked at Isabelle instead. He knew the EMP was a long shot. Not all electronic equipment was susceptible to an EMP. Often smaller electronic devices kept working despite an EMP. And this bomb might go off before Eddie was able to even try such a maneuver.

Looking into Isabelle’s eyes, he realized she knew it too. Tears shimmered in her green irises.

“We don’t have much time,” Orlando said to Isabelle, not caring that the rest of the Scanguards team could hear him. “I want you to know that I love you with all my heart. And that I would never have hurt you, no matter what I did in the past. There’s no time to explain now why I had to kill Margarite. Only to say that it broke my heart doing it.”

“Orlando, please, you still have time to get out.”

He shook his head. “No, baby, I don’t. Living without you wouldn’t be living. I’d rather die. And I pray that you’ll survive.”

The steady beeping of the bomb echoed in the room like a constant reminder that his time was up.

“I love you,” she murmured. “I don’t care what you’ve done in your past. Only today counts.”

Orlando smiled at her for a moment. “I wish that were true. But I’ve forfeited my life because of what I did. But you, you still have a long life ahead of you. I want you to be happy. I ask for only one last thing.”

She looked into his eyes, a red tear now running down her cheek. “Name it.”

“Drink my blood one last time,” Orlando begged. “Let me go to my death feeling your love.”

She nodded and stretched toward his neck, but he shook his head. “Your head will be exposed if you do that. Bite into my chest instead.”

With one hand he ripped his shirt open so she could get to his pectorals.

Through the mic, he now heard Patrick’s voice. “Haven, where are you? Give me the bolt cutter.”

Isabelle lowered her head and drove her fangs deep into Orlando’s flesh. For a few seconds, the feeling of her feeding from him overwhelmed him and drowned out everything around him. Pleasure coursed through him, but that wasn’t the only reason why he’d asked her to drink from him. His blood would strengthen her injured body. As a hybrid, both vampire and human blood had the ability to heal her. And the stronger she was when the bomb went off, the better her chances for survival.

“Patrick, no!”

It was Amaury who was yelling through the mic, nearly piercing Orlando’s eardrum and pulling him from his bliss.

“Orlando,” Patrick said through the earpiece, “I’m almost there. I’ll toss the bolt cutter into the room.”

“Fuck, Patrick!” Orlando cursed. “You’re gonna get yourself killed!”

“Yeah, well, so are you!” Patrick countered dryly.

Isabelle was still drinking from him, when there was a sound at the open door.

“Here!” The sound of a heavy object sliding across the floor accompanied Patrick’s announcement.

“Get out, Patrick! Run!” Orlando yelled.

Isabelle suddenly withdrew her fangs, and Orlando turned on his heel, now shielding Isabelle behind his back. The bolt cutter had landed right in front of Orlando’s feet. As fast as he could, he reached for it and whirled back to Isabelle.

His heart pounding like a sledgehammer, Orlando cut the silver chain around her left wrist, then her right.