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“You can either kill Charles or possibly save her. What will you do?” Solange taunted. The ruby pendant hit the ground inches from Zoe’s face. She tried to reach out and grab it but couldn’t move. A sharp shoe heel stomped down. The ruby shattered.
A roar reverberated over the pounding in her ears. Pain exploded outward from the center of her chest. Her lungs seized. Her heartbeat slowed, each beat agonizing.
Then it stopped and the world went dark.
…
Devlin howled and yanked his hand back, letting the wolf fall to the ground at his feet. Zoe wasn’t moving. The mage’s words echoed in his ears.You can either kill Charles or possibly save her. What will you do?There was no choice.
Skidding to his knees, he gathered Zoe in his arms. He couldn’t hear a heartbeat. He couldn’t hear anything other than the pounding of his pulse in his ears. Her head fell back, her body limp.
“Don’t do this, baby,” he pleaded. He peppered her face with kisses. “Come back to me.” The world would be too dark without her to brighten it.
His wolf howled inside him. The tattoo on his chest began to throb.She carries a drop of my blood.They shared a link. His blood was healing. It was a crazy idea, one that could potentially kill her.
Death was already reaching out its cold, bony fingers. If biting her would turn her into a werewolf, he’d do it without hesitation, but that was nothing more than myth.
The tattoo throbbed again and began to glow. Manifesting a claw, he dragged it over the mark of the lone wolf and raised her head. “Drink from me, Zoe. Please.” He rubbed her lips over blood, unsure if she was ingesting any of it. The small wound healed, so he scored his chest again.
“No!” Solange screamed. “I want that power. Give it to me.” She ran at him, a gold jewel-encrusted knife clutched in her hand. Charles was on his side, breathing heavily, the flow of blood slowing but not stopping.
Devlin slammed his hand outward, catching her in the chest and sending her flying backward. She hit the floor hard but scrambled back to her feet.
Help me, he pleaded with whatever force existed inside him.
Will you die for her?
Yes. Anything. Just save her.
Solange came at him again and drove the knife into his back. His spine arched. A blinding light exploded outward from the wound. The knife flew out of his body, spun in midair, and sped back toward the mage. She tried to get out of the way, and almost succeeded, but wasn’t fast enough. It buried deep in her shoulder. The impact sent her skidding across the floor.
Light surged through every cell of his body, pouring out of his skin. Agony ripped through him. Energy slammed into the ground around him like bolts of lightning. Wild winds howled, whipping every inch of exposed flesh.
He held on to Zoe with all his strength. If this was to be his last breath, he wanted to be with her. Cradling her in his arms, he buried his face in her hair. “I love you,” he whispered, not even trying to make himself heard over the roar of the paranormal storm encircling them. “I don’t care if it was magic and greed that brought us together. I’m glad I found you. Even if it was only for a few days, it was worth it.”
She wasn’t coming back. Death had taken her. Throwing back his head, he howled his pain and defiance into the face of the storm. “Why?” he roared. All the fight bled out of him. There was nothing left for him here. He surrendered to the tempest and reached for death.
Mark her.The urge was too powerful to ignore. When wolves mated, the male marked his female. She was no wolf, but she was his mate. Lowering his head, he pierced her skin with his fangs.
A single tear rolled down his cheek and landed on her face. He withdrew and dragged his tongue over the marks to heal them. “I’m sorry I didn’t save you.” It was his greatest failure, and the only one that truly mattered.
If they couldn’t be together in life, he’d follow her. And if there was something beyond, he’d find her.
…
The light was blinding, even with her eyes closed. A curious floating sensation enveloped her. She sensed pain crouching nearby, waiting for her to drop her guard. For now, there was nothing but blessed relief.
She tried to pry her eyes open, but they were too heavy. As she sank back into oblivion, something nagged in the back of her brain.
A sharp pinch in her neck was followed by a flood of pure ecstasy. It seeped through her entire body like hot fudge over ice cream. Delicious. A deep sense of yearning followed swiftly on its heels.
A drop of salty water trickled across her lips. Not water, a tear. Was she crying? It was all so confusing.
Darkness beckoned—a place without fear or pain or struggle. Thoughts were impossible to grasp. There was something important she was missing. No, not something, someone.
Devlin!
How could she for even one second have forgotten him? It all came flooding back—the kidnapping, the mage, the battle with the wolf. Had they managed to hurt him? It was impossible to think of him as dead.
