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Obey.
34
THIRTY-FOUR: LILY
Terror fizzes in my bloodstream as a humongous dark wolf bowls down the door to the hotel suite. Wood splinters, but the monster merely shakes his fur to dislodge wayward shards and then advances, his yellow eyes glowing.
It’s hard to think of this creature as Orion. Orion—my Orion—is kind and soft-spoken. The peacekeeper. He isn’t as quick to smile as Jackson, but when his lips do quirk upwards, the entire world fades away. All you want to do is stare at him.
The wolf’s large, distorted head swivels from side to side, assessing the room and everyone in it, before it stops on Levi. A low growl rumbles through his throat.
No.
Orion’s strong and fast in this form, but he’s no match for a demon. If Levi and Orion were to go head-to-head, I have no doubt who’d win.
And it wouldn’t be my gentle artist.
“Orion, no!” I scream before I can stop myself.
My cry draws the wolf’s head in my direction. Blood is smeared across his muzzle, a stain of red on coarse black fur.
“Lily, step away. Slowly.” Brooks’s voice is soft, and he positions himself so he’s standing directly in front of me. His gaze never strays from his younger brother. “Jackson, see if you can move around him. I have a vial of serum in my jacket. Toss it to me.”
Orion bares his teeth, saliva dripping onto the floor. Levi’s apparently been forgotten, replaced by this new threat.
The wolf begins to advance on the oldest Bellua brother. The fur on his back stands at attention.
Jackson tries to move along the wall to where Brooks tossed his jacket on the loveseat. But the moment he makes a move, Orion’s gaze flicks around, and he snarls at his twin. The sound makes my knees shake.
I’m wide awake now.
Jackson tries to go for the serum again, but Orion’s claws swipe the air in front of him, sending him reeling. He’s not going to let his brother get to that jacket.
Brooks shakes his head at Jackson, and I can see him frantically searching for another way out of this.
“Lily,” Brooks hisses out of the corner of his mouth. “When he goes for me, you need to run for the door. Don’t look back. You got that?”
“Nope.” I grip his arm as hard as I can with my weary limbs. “You’re not sacrificing yourself twice in one day.”
I reach for my crossbow. I don’t want to hurt Orion, but maybe if I can get him in the leg, he’ll be trapped long enough for us to escape. But Orion will move faster than I can raise the bow to fire. If I can have a distraction…
As my fingers graze the weapon’s stock, I flick my gaze to Levi instinctively. I don’t know why. Logically, I know the demon won’t help us, but I’m also keenly aware that he’s the only one whocan.
But Levi only looks amused as he volleys his gaze between the wolf and the hunter, as if he’s witnessing an exciting tennis match. His strong arms are crossed over his chest, and he’s leaning against the wall with an almost indolent aura that makes me want to punch him.
Later.
I’ll punch him later. If we make it out of this alive.
“Orion, please! Come back to us. Come back tome.” I don’t care that I’m begging an animal. I don’t care that it’s been proven not a hint of the human remains when the werewolf takes over.
I don’t care, because if Orion doesn’t back away, then it’ll turn into a bloodbath. Brooks would never lift a hand against his brother, even in this form, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to either, even if I can pull the crossbow up in time.
My fingers tighten around the stock.
I can’t watch Brooks get ripped apart by his younger brother. Ican’t.
Orion pounces.
