Page 68 of Eternally Yours

I dropped to the ground as Cat fired her weapon, hitting the doctor straight through his hand. He screamed as the device fell from his grasp. Taking advantage of the distraction, I swiped out my leg and kicked in his kneecap. He flew backward, hollering in pain.

Fangs descending, I rushed toward him, ready to tear out his neck, but something tackled me from behind and I fell hard across the floor as a clawed hand ripped through my back muscles.

Fighting through the paralyzing pain, I managed to roll to my side and was about to scramble to my feet when Loren came barreling toward me once again. I had less than a fraction of a second to react as she landed on top of me, jaws snapping at my face. It took every ounce of strength I possessed to keep her and those sharp teeth away from my throat.

Boots thumped as Cat moved in with two Iron Guard soldiers, Andres and Victoria. A shot boomed and a bullet grazed across Loren’s cheek. But she didn’t ease, her strength threatening to overpower me. There was no way to escape her claws unless I went on the offense. And I didn’t want to hurt her.

Another shot rang, this one grazing my thigh.

“Cat,” I shouted, “Don’t shoot. It’s Loren!”

Catherine cursed, the sound pulling Loren’s attention for a brief moment. It was all I needed to heave her off me, flinging her against the wall. The crunching sound made my insides turn, but it had been the wall that cracked. Loren jumped back on her feet, unscathed.

Cat and the two guards closed in, cornering her as they pointed guns and swords straight at her head.

“Don’t,” I said, fear locking my legs in place. “Lower your weapons.”

“I’ve seen what she’s capable of, Nic. I’m keeping mine aimed.”

“Kill them,” a strained voice clamored.

I turned to find the doctor a few feet away. He tried not to put weight on his injured leg as one of his men helped him up. The remote was back in his hand and he didn’t hesitate to push the button.

Sparks of electricity shot over Loren’s collar and her body dropped to the ground, muscles convulsing. When the seizing stopped, she slowly rose back to her feet. Face contorted in a series of snarls, she was almost unrecognizable. Her eyes glowed with one mission.

Kill.

Loren charged the Iron Guard soldiers, somehow dodging the swings of their blades. She grabbed Andres by the leg, her jaws clamping down and snapping his bones in half as she tossed him aside like a toy.

Another gunshot sounded, making Loren jerk her head toward Cat.

The look in Cat’s eyes iced my blood. She raised her pistol and aimed it at Loren’s head.

“No!” I sprinted toward them, knowing that if Cat missed, Loren would make a quick snack out of my best friend. And if she didn’t, she would kill my mate.

Loren was lightning fast and pounced before Cat could pull the trigger. Slamming into the side of Cat’s body, I was able to knock her out of the way before Loren could swipe her claws. But we didn’t have much time to get back on our feet before Loren was rushing toward us again, jaws snapping.

Victoria and another guard guard stepped in between us and raised their swords, but they may as well have been made of paper. Loren plowed through them, ripping straight through their armor, a mist of vampire blood raining down over her. There was no stopping her rage. The collar needed to come off. Locking her gaze on us, she stalked, eyes blazing red.

“What are we going to do?” Cat asked, breaths sawing out of her chest. I’d never seen her so frightened in her entire life. “She won’t stop until she’s killed us all.”

“Not us. Me.”

Cat’s eyes widened, figuring out my plan. “No. We’re not doing this.”

“It’s the only way,” I said, gripping her shoulders. “I’ll keep her focused on me while you go chase that fucking son of a bitch and get that device. We need to disarm that collar.”

“What if it doesn’t work?”

I pointed to my temple. “Then you kill us both.”

Cat shook her head no, eyes welling up with tears.

“Cat. Promise me. You will kill us both.”

She bit her bottom lip, but kept silent, knowing there was no other choice. She pounded a fist over her heart. A signal of her vow.

Puffing my chest in a resigned breath, I turned toward Loren. Her fangs dripped with saliva as she flexed her clawed hands. My heart pounded so hard, the thumps echoed in my ears. To see her this way was more painful than the gashes she’d inflicted on my back.

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