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Mathis quickly reached to his hip, pulling out his gun.
We were dead if I didn’t do something. I took off at a sprint, knowing it was all for naught. I wouldn’t stand there while he killed my sister. I refused to wait for my turn to die. I wouldn’t go down without a fight, however meager a fight it would be.
Taking advantage of the moment, Adora threw her head back, knocking into Andreas’s nose, busting it. Mathis turned, taking a quick shot at my sister as she dove to the side. The bullet hit, sending her spinning and crashing to the concrete. She lay unmoving and my heart was ripped from my chest.
Seeing Adora fall to the ground knocked the wind out of me. I dropped to my knees as the world came to a screeching halt. The more I gasped for air, the harder it was to breathe. I coughed once, then twice, feeling a cold chill run through my body as bright red blood splattered onto the pavement in front of me. My hand tentatively reached for my abdomen, and I felt warm, thick fluid spilling down my stomach. When I turned my gaze downward, I collapsed in shock, feeling my body go numb.
Mathis stepped over to me, triumphant as he took aim and pulled the trigger again. I didn’t feel the pain—I only heard the explosion of the gunshot as it assaulted my ears. “Maybe now that you’re as good as dead, whatever curse was put on me for killing your father will be lifted, and my other son can be mated to a true shifter.”
“You . . .” It was all I could manage. My eyelids fluttered as I lay on the dirty street, watching Mathis and Andreas shift and run away.
I couldn’t feel my legs. My arms. I didn’t feel pain anymore. I just needed to let go. I closed my eyes, whispering to myself that it was okay. It was time.
“No, no, no.” A hand grabbed my face, shaking it, and I tried to open my eyes to focus. Adora leaned over me, covered in blood. “Don’t you dare let go, Danni. Please.” She lifted her head, taking off her shirt and pressing it where I couldn’t see. She looked around and screamed, “Fuck!”
“I . . . can’t . . .” I said, trying to form words but not able to breathe well enough to speak.
Tears leaked from her eyes while she held my cheek. “Shh. I’ve got you. I’m with you. Please don’t leave me,” she said. I couldn’t see her well anymore, and my vision swam. Another figure appeared, his outline backlit by a streetlamp and his face partially obscured.
“Markus . . .” I whispered.
My sister leaned over me, crying out from her injuries. “Get away from her,” she growled, trying to protect me. “If you come any closer, I’ll kill you where you stand, and I won’t think twice about it.”
“I’m not gonna hurt you, I swear.”
Their back and forth faded in and out, but pieces of it filtered through.
“I don’t trust you.”
“I followed Danni tonight to make sure she was okay. Nova was bringing me to her, but then she yelped and dropped to the ground while we were running. I don’t know what happened.”
A moment of silence spanned between them as she hovered over me, then she nodded, leaning back. Markus looked at me. “By the gods,” he said, taking in my injuries. “Keep pressure on it. We have to try to stanch the bleeding.”
“Don’t you think I fucking know that? That’s what I’m trying to do,” Adora yelled. “I need to get her a doctor. A healer. Anyone!”
“Blood and Beryl is our only hope. I’ll drive.”
“Nova . . .” I rasped, my eyes traveling to his face. I tried to speak again, but my lips just moved with no sound.
Markus looked down at me, resting his hand on my head. “I have her.” Looking up to my sister, he said, “Are you fast?”
“Of course I’m fucking fast,” Adora spat.
“Well, I don’t know what kind of shifter you are! No one does. You could be a fucking panda, for all I know!”
Adora groaned. “I’m not a godsdamned panda. What do you want me to do?”
“Bring her truck here. It’s parked?—”
“I’ve been shot and stabbed, Markus,” she snapped. “I can barely move this arm, let alone drive.”
“Shit, I didn’t . . . That’s your blood too?”
“Yes, that’s what happens when people get shot and stabbed!” she shouted. A little curl twinged on my lips. Even now she could make me want to smile. “You go. I’ll stay here.”
“I need her keys.”
My sister rummaged on my body where I couldn’t see, then slapped the keys into Markus’s extended palm. I lost track of one moment to the next. I tried to close my eyes. Breathing was becoming more difficult. The darkness coaxed me toward the safety of her shadowy blanket, and I reached for it.
