Page 45 of Hunt

A deafening explosion rocks the ballroom as a massive fireball erupts from behind the bar. The force of the blast sends shattered glass and splintered wood flying, the heat searing my skin even from a distance. Thick, black smoke begins to pour out, rapidly filling the room with an acrid haze.

Through the chaos, I hear Hector's booming voice cut through the din. "Bella! Get out of here, now!" His eyes are wild with fear as he gestures frantically towards the stage where Rosa disappeared.

I nod, turning on my heel to run after my sister. My heart pounds in my throat, adrenaline surging through my veins asI dodge fallen bodies and burning debris. The smoke stings my eyes, making them water as I struggle to see through the thickening cloud.

But just as I reach the edge of the stage, a cold voice stops me dead in my tracks. "Not so fast, you little bitch."

I spin around to find Liam emerging from the haze, his once immaculate suit now torn and stained with blood. His eyes glitter with malice as he levels a gun at my chest, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. "You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?"

Time seems to slow as I stare down the barrel of the gun, my breath catching in my throat. I see his finger tighten on the trigger, the tiny movement sealing my fate.

The crack of the gunshot splits the air, the sound drowned out by the chaos erupting around us. For a heartbeat, I feel nothing. And then, a searing pain lances through my abdomen, stealing the breath from my lungs.

I look down in disbelief to see a crimson stain blooming across the ivory silk of my dress, the fabric quickly turning dark with blood. My blood. The pain hits me then, a white-hot agony that sends me staggering back, my hand pressed to the wound.

Liam's laughter cuts through the haze of pain, cold and cruel. "Not so untouchable now, are you?" He sneers, the gun still trained on me as I sink to my knees.

The world swims around me, the ballroom fading in and out of focus. I hear my mates shouting my name, their voices raw with fear and rage. But they sound distant, muffled, as if I'm hearing them from underwater. All I can focus on is the burning pain radiating through my body and the cold, hard floor beneath my knees.

Smoke billows around us, thick and choking, stinging my eyes and searing my lungs. The flames behind the bar are spreading, licking up the walls, the heat intense even from adistance. The sprinklers have kicked on, but they do little to quell the inferno. Water rains down, mingling with the blood and ash on the floor.

I’m going to die tonight after all.

CHAPTER 19

SILAS

The gunshot pierces the air,a thunderclap of violence and death. My heart seizes in my chest as I see Bella crumple to the ground, crimson blossoming across her dress.

"No!" The scream rips from my throat, raw and primal. I abandon my rifle without a second thought, my legs pumping furiously as I race towards her fallen form, leaping from the ledge of the balcony.

In my peripheral vision, I see Hector and Sam fighting their way to her, twin expressions of anguish and fury contorting their faces. But they seem impossibly far away, the distance stretching out before me like an endless fucking chasm.

Liam stands over Bella's prone body, his eyes glinting with malice as he points the gun at her head. His finger tightens on the trigger, ready to snuff out her life once and for all.

Desperation claws at my chest, a yawning abyss of helplessness. I'm not going to make it in time. I'm going to fucking lose her.

Suddenly, a blur of movement catches my eye. Motherfucking Nicolai of all people, lunges forward, throwing himself between Bella and the barrel of the gun. The sharp crack of the shot rings out and he jerks backward, the bullet meant for Bella finding a home in his flesh instead.

"Nic!" Bella's anguished cry rends the air as Nic crumples to the ground beside her, his blood mingling with hers on the cold concrete. He was shot in the head, and the light in his eyes is gone immediately.

Nic is dead. Fucking gone, just like that.

Bella is screaming, but it turns into a gurgle as blood begins to spill from her parted lips. I reach her just as Sam appears behind Liam. Sam doesn’t say a damn word as he pops Liam in the back of the skull with his Glock, sending the alpha’s brain splattering everywhere.

I drop to my knees in a pool of Bella’s blood, scooping her into my shaking arms. Rage battles with terror as her eyes roll back in her head, her dark lashes fluttering against her blood smeared cheeks.

I let out a roar of anguish, the sound tearing from my chest like a wounded animal. "Bella! Bella, stay with me," I beg, my voice cracking with desperation as I cradle her limp form against my chest. Her blood is hot and slick on my hands, the coppery scent choking the air.

Hector and Dante reach us, their faces ashen with shock and grief as they fall to their knees beside me. Sam stands frozen, his gun hanging limply at his side as he stares at Bella's broken body in my arms.

"No, no, no," Dante chants under his breath like a prayer, reaching out with a shaking hand to brush Bella's blood-matted hair back from her face. "Bella, don't do this to me."

Smoke begins to fill the room, acrid and thick. The fire is spreading, the flames licking hungrily up the walls. But none ofus can move, paralyzed by the sight of Bella bleeding out in front of us.

"You can't leave me," I rasp, my vision blurring with tears that scald my cheeks. "Bella, please. I love you. I fucking love you."

A scream rends the air and I look up to see Rosa shoving her way through the debris, her black hair wild around her face. She stumbles to a halt, her eyes widening in horror when she sees Bella's blood-soaked form cradled in my arms.

---