Page 92 of Savage Games

Through the haze, I make out Jax's voice, urgent and commanding."We have to get him to the clinic.Now."

Strong arms drag me across the dirt, the only way they can move me in my condition.The movement sends agony tearing through me, and I let out an involuntary shout as they haul me over a rock that digs into my wound.

"Hang on," Dash murmurs, his voice thick with concern."Naomi did it, and you need to stay alive so she can compete in the next round, you stubborn bastard."

She made it.

I try to fight the darkness, to hold on just a little longer.I need to see Naomi again, to hold her, to tell her I love her one more time.To feel the silky weight of her hair between my fingers, to breathe in her scent, to kiss her.

My last clear thought before darkness claims me is of Naomi, racing through the forest toward victory.

“Jax, you take care of her and Maddie.Keep Brad away from them.”The words scrape my throat raw, but I have had to say them.Have to know they'll be protected if I can't do it myself.

“I will.I promise.”

It’s concerning that Jax is agreeing with me rather than telling me to do it myself, because it means even he’s not sure I’ll make it.

I feel a wave of desperate hope through our bond, though the distance has weakened the connection to a gossamer thread.

Naomi's emotions wash over me, fear and love so fierce, it takes my breath away.I feel bad that dying is going to hurt her, but at least she’s unclaimed by that asshole and has the freedom to go wherever she wants now.

And that’s good enough for me.

35

Wyatt

The world fades in and out like a kaleidoscope of pain and darkness.

"Stay with us," a voice commands me, cutting through the fog.Drawing back from the jarring sound, which hurts my eardrums, I attempt to move my limbs, fingers and toes, responding slowly.

"Trying," I grit out, my voice sounding like gravel, and my throat raw and scratchy.

I blink, trying to focus.Dean and Blake kneel beside me with grim expressions.Jax hovers nearby, his usual restless energy contained into tight, worried movements as his hands move efficiently over my wound.

His fingers probe at the bandage, and pain crashes through me like a lightning strike.

I clench my teeth against the howl that's building in my throat.The blood loss and poison have fucked me up good.My control is slipping along with my grip on consciousness.I could shift and bite his hand off if he attempts that again.

"You absolute idiot," Jax mutters."Silver and wolfsbane.And then you decide to play hero and run across a damn mountain?"He shakes his head, applying something that burns like fire to my wound."What the hell were you thinking?"

It feels unfair to be enduring a lecture while I'm suffering this much.Jax has been working in the clinic a lot, according to Jamie, but his bedside manner clearly needs more work.

"Had to protect Naomi," I manage, words slurring.Blood slides, warm and thick, down my back."She needed..."

The thought of Brad claiming her has my heart thumping again, and Jax curses, getting into my line of sight and pointing a finger in my face.

"What she needed was for you not to die," he interrupts."Which is still a possibility, by the way."

“You know, you’re still an ass when you’re working, but you’re much more controlled.It suits you.”

Jax narrows his eyes at my observations and turns away.It’s true though.Having something to focus on seems to steady him.

Blake shifts closer, his alpha presence a palpable force, even in my weakened state."Who was it?"His voice is quiet, but carries an edge of steel that brooks no argument.“Did you see who stabbed you?”

The Head Alpha's authority radiates from him in waves, his power subtle but unmistakable.

I open my mouth to name Brad for the piece of shit that he is, but another wave of dizziness sends the world tilting.Everything spins, and it takes everything I have not to puke or pass out.

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