Page 153 of Roaring Flames

“Lacey, stop talking,” I hiss, fear tunneling into my throat and forming a thick ball of tension that’s impossible to swallow around.

Lacey turns towards me with tears in her eyes. “Christian, I love you. I won’t let you die.” She turns her attention back to the gunman. “I saw her go into the woods?—”

“Lacey, stop.”

“Over there.” Lacey points a trembling finger towards where I last saw my brother and mate. “She’s with another wolf shifter—Ashton.”

“Lacey!” I roar, my wolf fighting to break free.

Lacey refocuses on me. “She may be your mate, but I loved you first. All I want to do is protect you.”

“Mate, huh?” The masked man suddenly seems to find me interesting. He kneels down, and all I can see is a balaclava obscuring his features from view. “You’re Isabella’s mate?”

I don’t answer, though mentally I’m wondering how Lacey could be so fucking stupid to let something of that magnitude slip.

“I think everything is finally starting to make sense.” He straightens and tilts his head to the side, studying the two of us. “You’re in love with him, but he’s in love with his mate. Interesting.”

“Please, just let us go,” Lacey sobs.

“But you were more than willing to have his mate killed in order to have him for yourself.” He chuckles like the entire situation amuses him. “Do you think that he would go to you if he no longer had her? If he knew you were responsible for her death? Bitches like you never learn, do you?”

He tsks his tongue in mock disapproval before turning towards two men standing near the back of the crowd. He jerks his chin once, and the two of them head in the direction of Izzy and my brother.

No.

No.

No.

“What do you want with her?” I demand, knowing I should stay silent but unable to hold my tongue.

It feels as if an elephant is sitting on my chest and compressing my lungs. I can’t breathe.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He chuckles yet again.

Then, without any fanfare or warning, he aims his gun and shoots Lacey in the head.

Her blood explodes in all directions, wetting my cheeks and forehead. I can’t move, can’t think, can’t breathe.

No. No. No. No. No.

Panic, horror, guilt, and a multitude of other emotions claw at me, raking their jagged talons down my spine, leaving behind deep wounds that will never heal.

No. No. No. No. No.

Lacey’s dead. Izzy and Ashton are being hunted as we speak.

No. No. No. No. No.

I try with all my might to hang on to my human self, to keep my wolf contained. Because if I let him out, those children are dead. It’ll be a goddamn bloodbath.

My wolf claws and howls and scratches. I can’t contain him for much longer.

Please don’t.

Please.

But my plea falls on deaf ears.

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