Page 82 of Simply Yours

A flash of movement. A strike.

A piercing, razor-sharp sensation exploded across the top of her foot, a searing pain so intense it sent a shockwave through her entire body. A hiss of breath left her lips as her mind scrambled to catch up, to process.

I’ve just been bitten…

The thought barely formed before panic slammed into her chest like a freight train. Her vision blurred, her heartbeat a wild, erratic drum against her ribs. They were in the middle of nowhere, on the farm, in the middle of God’s country.

Jason was already moving. His knife flew, spinning end-over-end before embedding itself in the ground near the snake. Maybe it would be enough to make it slither in another direction away from them? She didn’t want him to feel this pain, to end up getting bitten too. In the same breath, he was grabbing her, yanking her back, shielding her from another strike.

She wanted to ask something—anything. "What do I do?" "Do we have antivenom in the saddlebags?" "Should we make a tourniquet?"

But her lips wouldn’t move. Her brain wouldn’t cooperate. She was completely shocked and horrified.

I’m going to die in front of Jason…

“Jason… I think it bit me," she whispered, voice distant, detached from her own body.

Jason’s hands tightened on her arms, his expression turning fierce, frantic. "Youthinkor youknow?" His voice was rough, edged with something that made her stomach twist—fear.

"It burns… my foot feels like someone scalded me…"

Jason cursed under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck as he scanned the field, his mind racing. The horses had backed away, ears flicking in unease. The snake was still coiled, motionless now, its threat lingering in the charged air between them.

And Jason cursed angrily, rubbing the back of his neck and looking around, before looking back at her. She never saw the snake against the dirt and debris from the dead sunflowers.

He grabbed his phone, gripping it so hard his knuckles turned white, dialing 911 in a rush. "My girlfriend got bit by a rattlesnake. We’re in the field." His voice was sharp, urgent - panicking. "I’m gonna get her down to the road… uh-huh… yeah… no tourniquet… gotcha."

The pain surged, white-hot, rolling over her in unbearable waves. It clawed its way up her leg, sharp and unrelenting. Jason was looking around him in a panic, still on the phone, walking one of the horses toward her where she stood. It was like they were talking about someone else because this couldn’t be happening to her.

Not to her.

Not today.

A sharp, searing pain ripped through her leg, turning her blood to fire. The world around her tilted, blurred at the edges, but she refused to accept it. Not yet. Not like this. He was tugging at the horse who didn’t want to come any closer – and she understood.

Things were going south… fast.

“I love you,” she whispered, the words barely making it past her lips. They trembled in the air, fragile and desperate, as she felt her body betray her—locking up, rebelling against her will. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes, and she saw Jason turn back to her. His sharp, alert gaze landed on her, and the second their eyes met, all the color drained from his face.

Panic. Raw and unfiltered.

“NO!”

The word ripped through the air like a gunshot, sharp and commanding. Jason was on her in an instant, his hands gripping her shoulders—strong, unyielding, desperate. His touch was fire and ice all at once, grounding her even as the world around her spun out of control.

"Caitlin! Catnip,sweetheart, you gotta hang on." His voice was raw, frayed at the edges, with something dangerously close to panic. "I know it hurts, but?—"

A strangled, gasping cry escaped her lips as another wave of agony crashed over her, stealing what little breath she had left. Her knees buckled, the ground tilting beneath her like she was tumbling into some dark, endless void. But Jason didn’t let her fall. His arms banded around her, solid as steel, anchoring her to something real, something safe.

She wanted to tell him she was fine. That this wasn’t happening. That she could shake it off like she always did. But the words wouldn’t come. Logic was slipping through her fingers like sand, washed away by the blinding pain twisting up from her foot, clawing at her calf, her thigh—sinking its merciless teeth into her very bones.

It felt like her sneaker had turned into a vise, crushing her inch by inch, strangling the breath from her lungs. She tried to inhale, but it caught in her throat, too tight, too shallow. Stars danced in her vision.

Jason’s grip tightened, his arms shifting as he scooped her up like she weighed nothing. She barely registered the motion.

Jason never got scared. Not like this.

"I've got you," he swore, and she believed him. Because Jason had never let her fall before, and she knew, deep in her bones, he wouldn’t start now.

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