Page 112 of Awakened
I grabbed the chains at the top of the pole and yanked them down. Zach collapsed in on himself with a grunt, falling to the floor in a heap. There was nowhere on his body that wasn’t covered in sticky, dark red blood. The coppery smell turned my stomach as I tried to prop him up, my hands slipping and dropping his arm against his side. He screamed, and the sound echoed through the room. Concerned we would be found out, I ripped a part of my shirt off and shoved it in his mouth.
“Zach, listen. I need you to try to stand. I promise to get you out, but I need your help. Please, baby. We need to get out of here.”
His hazel eyes were full of tears as he nodded. Hefting his arm over my good shoulder, I took on all his weight. Sweet Moon Goddess, he was heavy.
Panting, we staggered out of the room, his feet landing on mine more often than not. My muscles screamed under the strain, but stopping wasn’t an option, and neither was my window escape. With a heavy sigh, I made my way to the stairs. It was time to stealthily sneak a bloody mountain of a man out the front door.
Or a back door. I wasn’t picky.
Setting Zach at the foot of the stairs, I tiptoed up the steps to the door. Cracking it ever so slightly, I saw two massive bodies run by, followed by two gigantic black wolves.
What the fuck?
My nose twitched. Something was on fire. Rushing back to Zach, I pulled him back up, wedging myself under his arm. I struggled up the stairs, every step feeling like it would be our last. The smoke I had smelled minutes ago started to pour into the basement. I squatted down, trying to keep us out of the thick of it.
Zach’s coughing nearly knocked me over, but I pulled him harder and made it through the door. I laid him on the hardwood, said a prayer, and took his hands in mine. Dragging him would be the only way to get him out.
Looking around the small hallway, I spotted a sliding glass door on the other side of the kitchen. As I struggled with Zach’s dead weight, Alpha Stewart rushed past me with his son tossed over his shoulder, not sparing me a glance. I wanted to celebrate, but the flames licking the hallway walls were getting closer and closer. We needed to get out ASAP.
The windows burst from the pressure of the heat, sending glass into Zach and me, but I continued dragging him toward our salvation. “Damn it. When we get out of this, you’re giving up the weight room. No more muscles for you, big boy.”
The heat slowed me down as I reached the tile. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the doorway wide open. I grabbed Zach’s forearms, bracing for the final pull across the room. Smoke clouded my vision as Zach’s bloody skin slipped from my hands. Thekitchen floor caved in with a loud crack, and Zach hung on the edge, inches from falling into the basement we’d just escaped.
I grabbed his wrists and, with the last of my strength, yanked him. His body raked against the jagged floor edge and landed on top of me.
Panting on the floor, I couldn’t summon the energy to sit up, let alone crawl out of the kitchen. My shoulder was utterly destroyed, as if I never healed at all. Staring at the ceiling, trapped under Zach’s weight, I made peace with it being the end.
As my eyes slid shut, a montage played in my mind—my family and friends, the Amazons, all the places I had called home, and then finally, Seth. I could feel him like he was right there in my final moment. Light flooded all around me, and I let everything go.
TWENTY-TWO
An explosion woke me. Startled, I thrashed around as much as the enormous arms holding me would allow.
“Shh. It’s okay, Les. You’re okay.”
Soot and dirt covered Seth’s face, and blood oozed out of a large gash that ran through his eyebrow. I jostled in his arms as he favored his right leg.
What the hell happened to him?
“Wh-where’s Zach?” My throat burned as I spoke, and my lips stuck to my teeth as I formed the words.
I really need a glass of water, or better yet, a whole fucking bucket.
Seth’s frown deepened, his mouth pulling into an unattractive sneer. “He’s fine, don’t worry. Aiden already has him safe and sound behind our line. Our best doctors are working on him. Not that he deserves it.”
“Clearly, I-I’m missing something.”
Seth stopped walking and looked at me like he hadn’t seen me in years. His big brown eyes were no longer slits but wide and vulnerable. “Les, you almost died. Zach left you alone to go play hero, and then you were taken, and you . . . you . . .”
His arms tightened around my legs and shoulders as hecrushed me to his chest. My face wedged in his neck, putting my shoulder at an awkward angle.
Tears stung my eyes as I mumbled into his neck, “You’re hurting my shoulder.”
Panicked, he loosened his hold, allowing room for my shoulders to spread out.
“Fuck!” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and let out a shaky breath. “I’m so sorry, Les. When I thought I lost you, I-I.” His tears landed on my cheeks. “Let’s just get you to safety.”
He carried me in silence for what felt like an hour until we reached a clearing that appeared vacant. Seth sharply whistled, and Aiden stepped out from behind a tree. His bloodshot eyes scanned our abused bodies.
