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Oliver returned to the hallway and was about to barrel back down the stairwell when a wall of flames rose to obstruct his way. The snapping and crackling, the increasing heat, the stinging of his eyes and nostrils, as well as the smoke prickling his lungs was enough to make the common man erupt into panic.
But Oliver was not a common man. He was an alpha shifter. His job was to solve problems and see the practical solution in every situation. He scoured the hallway and realized he only had one option … the fire escape.
Lillian’s apartment didn’t have a balcony, but it did have a window that was about six feet high with tiny bars installed to prevent falling. So Oliver kicked the screen out, sending it hurtling through black space, then looked over to measure the distance he needed to jump.
It was a fair amount for a human. All Oliver had to do was squat on the bars and turn to his right, then spring himself forward like a flying squirrel and grab hold of the balcony next to Lillian’s.
In other circumstances, he would have spent more time thinking about it. But time was a luxury Oliver didn’t have right now. By the second, Lillian inhaled more and more smoke. Her human lungs could only take so much.
With Lillian securely over his shoulder, he tightened his hold around her. He needed one arm free to grab hold of the bars, so he let that one hang as he mounted them, easily perching like a gargoyle over the side of the burning building.
Fire trucks turned the corner onto the street, blue and red flashes piercing the darkness. The moon was bright and white above.
“Now or never.”
Oliver sailed through the night, not a single thought of failure holding him hostage. His left hand latched around the bars of the balcony and then curled like a talon to suction his grip. He clenched his teeth as he pulled up his entire body weight, as well as Lillian’s, to get to the balcony and climb over to reach the fire escape.
The Alpha was pumped with adrenaline as he found the ladder and then once again, used one hand to scale down the building until his feet hit concrete. Relief washed over him as Lillian began to stir and eventually erupt in a nasty coughing fit.
“Lillian? Lillian?” Oliver considered taking her to the local hospital, carrying her over to the fire team, and letting the paramedics help before returning home. She certainly needed medical attention, and he intended to get her that immediately. They also couldn’t stay in the city, not as long as Uziel was a threat.
Oliver ran with Lillian in his arms to find a place away from the building and the crowd that had gathered outside. She continued to cough when he stopped, hidden beneath a tall evergreen in a park across the street. He laid her on the ground gently, stroking her hair as she struggled to regain her breath.
“Try to breathe slowly,” he said. “Cough it out, but breathe through your nose. It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Oliver was beginning to think he should get her to the paramedic when the coughing stopped, and she began to breathe in a staggered, stifled manner. It still frightened him to no end to have seen her completely helpless on the floor of her apartment like that.
“What happened?” She stared up at him, her face pale. “Where’s Uziel … What?”
Her eyelids fluttered, then her eyes began to roll back. Oliver picked her up again and hurried to where he had parked his car a short distance away. He was angry with himself for letting her go back into the city. He was trying to be mindful of her needs, but he should have been adamant. If he had made her stay, she wouldn’t be struggling to breathe in his back seat.
Then again, Oliver was pretty sure that no one could make Lillian do anything. She was stubborn to her core. He would have had to physically restrain her. And that would have done wonders for their relationships, right?
The alpha tried to stop scolding himself as he brought bottled water to her mouth, encouraging her to drink slowly. She didn’t pass out again, which was good, but she needed help.
“Lillian,” he whispered, caressing her cheek. “I am going to get you help, okay? I think you need a hospital. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you, okay?”
Lillian nodded, continuing to drink her water steadily. She was pale and breathing shallowly, which scared Oliver to no end.
“Take me there. We need to go now,” she said, her voice scratchy and ragged.
Oliver made sure she was comfortable in the back seat. He put her backpack next to her before racing out of there. He knew all of the side roads that would get them there as fast as humanly possible.
His thoughts of revenge pinged around like a pinball machine as he blasted through the night.
SEVENTEEN
OLIVER
With his heart in his throat, Oliver drove well over the speed limit. He needed to get medical help as quickly as possible in case Lily’s condition took a turn for the worse.
Her hand pressed against her chest, and her breathing seemed labored. It worried him.
“Are you all right?” he questioned, his eyes going from the road to look at her in the rearview mirror and back again.
She nodded once. “Yes …”
“Don’t talk. Just focus on taking deep breaths.”
