Page 148 of The Lycans: Vol Four

Sebastian let him fall to the floor. The human’s hands immediately went to his neck. He was making wet, gurgling sounds as if he were trying to close the wound.

But there was so much blood, the carotid artery having been severed so there was no hope for him.

We didn’t wait to watch him die. Sebastian took my hand, and we left, running back down the corridor to the exit. If anyone got in our way, Sebastian easily took them out. He snapped necks, ripped out tracheas, or broke their backs and let them suffer. No human or Otherworld was safe from my mate’s wrath if they got in our way.

I felt like we ran and ran and ran and there was no end in sight, the smoke filling the tunnels so thickly I was having a hard time breathing. Then there it was, twenty feet ahead, the large bay-style doors burst open as if massive bodies had slammed against them over and over again.

A crazed-sounding sob tore out of my throat at the sight and we ran faster.

The metal hung off the hinges, bent and broken. Finally our way out.

We burst through the exit, and I stumbled, twisting my ankle and crying out. A second later Sebastian lifted me easily into his arms, cradling me so I was pressed to his chest and his mouth was at my temple.

“Almost. Almost there. You’re almost safe.” He kept saying that over and over again as if like a mantra, as if trying to convince himself that we were truly going to get away.

It was only when we broke through the tree line that he slowed and finally stopped. But he didn’t put me down right away as he turned to face the burning facility.

The majority was underground, but there was a small shed-type structure, ordinary enough that a passerby would never know the true horrors that were underneath.

I squirmed in his arms, and he let me down but kept his arms wrapped around me. My ear was pressed to his chest as I stared ahead, hearing the rapid beat of his heart and the rush of air in his lungs.

The flames and smoke billowed up toward the night sky.

Otherworld creatures were pouring out of the building, and any humans stupid enough to try and escape were swiftly dealt with in the most brutal ways.

We stood there and we watched. And only when the embers started to fade did Sebastian look down at me. He cupped my face, smoothing his thumbs over my cheeks, and I knew it was finally done.

No more. Never again.

“It’s over,” I whispered, tightening my hold on him. “Finally.”

“It’s over,” he confirmed. “And I’ll make sure you never have a fucking nightmare again. Never.”

It was now my turn to get a happily ever after. It was now both of our turns.

21

Sebastian

“Sebastian!”

When I heard Ada’s screech across the house, I felt my grin spread slowly and thoroughly over my face.

I leaned back in the leather chair, lifted my hands to rest behind my head, and stared across my office.

Three.

Two.

One.

The double mahogany doors burst open, and my fierce little mate stood there, her eyes narrowing as she took in my expression.

“Where are they?” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me.

“Where’s what, sweetheart?”

She took a step inside and lowered her head slightly but kept her gaze on me. “My keys. Where are my keys, Sebastian?”