Page 80 of Forbidden Devotion
Tearing the gun from the grip of the man who’d shot Nathan, Mitchel let out a guttural roar. He reared back, commanding his right hand to shift, calling on the wolf’s claws to finish the job.
He swung. A mighty slash ripped into the man’s gut, mangling the flesh and tearing his innards out in a hot rush.
The coppery tang of blood filled the air.
The man had only a moment for the shock to register on his face before agony contorted his features. He collapsed, a bloody, shrieking mess.
The urge to keep shredding threatened, but Mitchel bit it back. Let the man bleed out slowly.
Nathan!
“Are you certain there were only six?” Luther was asking Sinclair.
“Yes,” Sinclair answered.
“All six are vanquished.” Luther holstered his gun. Their voices sounded hollow, like echoes.
Sinclair dropped the fire extinguisher. Mitchel startled at the clatter. Sinclair was safe. Thank the moons. Nathan was not. He was lying motionless under Josh. What had he done? Sending his pack mate into danger like this? He was responsible for Nathan’s safety, and he’d gotten the wolf shot.
They all converged around Nathan.
Josh pressed his hand tight to the wound in his gut. Blood trickled through his fingers.
Mitchel forced his hand to shift back to normal and knelt next to Nathan, cradling his head.
Luther’s voice, muted and surreal. “Becket, bring the car around quickly and alert our medics.”
Nathan's brown lashes fluttered. He opened his mouth to speak and was promptly shushed.
“Don’t try to talk,” Mitchel said. “Help is coming.”
Sinclair settled next to him, one comforting hand on Mitchel’s shoulder.
Blood dripped down Nathan’s side and puddled beneath him. Josh kept both hands pressed on the wound, his features stricken with worry. Nathan’s ashen face was as pale as the vampires’. Mitchel feared the worst.
“You’re going to be okay.” If he said it aloud, it had to be true.
Nathan gazed up at him, panic clear in his eyes.
“Let me.” Ann’s voice from right beside him. But Mitchel sat frozen. She made room for herself somehow anyway. “Nathan, look at me. My saliva can close the wound and stop the bleeding for now. That will buy us some time until we can get you to a doctor. Don’t be afraid. Are you ready?” she asked.
Nathan’s eyes locked with Mitchel’s, questioning.
Was he really about to let a vampire in striking distance of a wounded pack mate?
Yes. Yes, he was.“Please,” Mitchel said. “Help him.” His words were for Ann, but his eyes never left Nathan’s.
Nathan managed a feeble nod.
Ann gently removed Josh’s hands. The blood flow increased. She pushed aside his shirt, revealing the wound.
The bullet had entered his stomach. Mitchel couldn’t tell if it had exited his back or remained lodged inside him. The vampire knelt and brought her mouth to the wound.
Nathan flinched, and Mitchel stroked his hair.
When she lifted her head, her mouth was perfectly clean of any traces of blood. She looked to Nathan, her expression deadly serious. “You must drink from me. You’ve lost too much blood. My blood contains healing properties, which will keep you alive until we get you to a surgeon.”
How did she stay so calm? Mitchel’s chest was going to explode. From adrenaline, fear, worry, guilt. He was a mess.
