Page 131 of I Replaced His Husband
"Kay…" Rain’s voice sounded off, slow and slurred, like he was drunk. "We have to get up… something’s wrong…" he groaned, barely louder than a whisper.
"B-b-b…" That’s all I could manage. Even through the thick haze, a part of me understood something was seriously wrong. I felt his hands trying to grip my shoulders more firmly.
"Please, we have to get up…" Rain gasped with difficulty, as if his mouth was gagged. I made an effort to turn onto my side and grabbed his shoulders. He half-collapsed to the floor, pulling me with him more by his weight than by strength. Through my heavy eyelids, I saw he could barely move. He fumbled for his phone, but it dropped to the floor. In the dim light that shone from the display, his face looked feverish, slightly swollen, and disoriented.
"Rain," I managed to croak out, but I couldn't do more. My consciousness kept slipping away. Only the awareness that something horrible was happening kept me somewhat alert.
"Please, Kay, we have to…" came another hoarse plea. But I really couldn't move. I saw Rain growl in frustration, trying to muster more strength.
He slid his other hand under my thighs and pulled me off the bed, so I fell into his arms. But he was sitting on the floor, unable to stand, holding me as we both lay halfway on the ground. It took him five attempts to place the phone on his stomach next to me. Then, Rain began crawling toward the door, very slowly, moving in a strange way, sliding his butt on the floor like a crab and supporting himself with his hands behindhim. I was on his thighs, my head resting on his chest. He slowly dragged me out of the room, inch by inch.
Only then did I realize I was about to lose consciousness. Fortunately, he managed to slide us over the threshold, and we found ourselves in the hallway. I sensed that whatever was paralyzing us was concentrated in the room. Outside, I could take a deeper breath and… immediately started coughing.
Rain continued his strange method of moving, dragging himself on the floor with me on his stomach. I saw how much effort it took him. The pale light from the garden lamp glowed through the hallway window, highlighting Rain's face, beet red with effort, veins bulging, and sweat streaming down his temples. I stared at his strained, tense features in fascinated disbelief, almost a trance. His teeth were clenched, his entire body fighting against some weakening force that was preventing him from standing.
He began to descend the stairs, sliding his butt down one step at a time, his hands lowering to the next step. In this awkward position, he gradually dragged me down. I couldn't move or help him, though my mind was still partly conscious. My body was so heavy I couldn't even twitch.
It seemed to take an eternity. Rain tried to shout, producing a hoarse sound that resembled "Adam." I knew he was trying to call my brother, maybe to warn him or ask for help, but Adam was sleeping in another part of the house, far from us.
Rain got close to the terrace door, which was… not locked, and it gave me pause: it should be closed! In a weak attempt to get his attention, I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. He probably wanted us to get some fresh air and was well aware that whoever caused this could enter the house anyway. Rain twisted his wrist awkwardly and, after several clumsy attempts, pulled the door handle. A gust of fresh air hit us.
It helped my alertness slightly, but I still could barely move. Rain had to drag me out onto the terrace, into the dim light of a solar lamp.
"What… what happened…" I stammered, still trying to understand what was going on.
Rain fumbled with his phone, but his fingers just didn't work right. Then he lifted his head and mumbled, "Gas! Kay, it's bad—"
And I understood what he meant.
Panic and sheer terror washed over me.
From the direction of the forest, three silhouettes were approaching.
Such moments are unforgettable, forever ingrained in people's memory.
The black figures carried baseball bats, walking like wild cats on a hunt. I had a flashback to when Maurice and I were attacked by drunk alphas near the student campus. They also had bats. They beat Maurice, who fought like a lion and eventually drove them away.
I realized history was repeating itself, with Rain taking Maurice's place… but Maurice hadn't been immobilized by gas then, and Rain was.
Those bastards, attracted by mycursed beauty… I hated them and the animal nature that could not be completely eradicated from alphas, though it could be tamed in some. Countless milligrams of testosterone coursed through their veins, robbing them of their humanity. Beasts, hideous beasts.
My eyes were fixated on their figures. As they approached the steps leading from the lawn to the terrace, stepping into the pale light from the lantern, I saw dark masks covering their faces.
The bats they held were the classic model, the cheapest training kind, but very effective nonetheless. I tried to make asound, scream, protest, beg, curse—curse my fate, curse them—but it was pointless, as only a pathetic squeak, like a helpless chick, came out.
My eyes rested on Rain's face, who was looking at them with raw, vivid terror in his eyes. He knew the worst moment had come; the worst scenario was unfolding.
He was incapacitated, paralyzed by whatever gas they had released into our room. I had no idea what it was, but it had affected his ability to defend us. He couldn't even stand. And yet he made the effort, slid me off himself, letting out a terrifying scratchy growl of effort, and tried to kneel.
I saw him shaking, veins bulging on his forehead. I could hear his heart pounding like a war drum. Through our strange, quasi-telepathic link, I felt everything: his pure despair, the sense that he had failed me, the looming horror of what was about to happen, something unimaginable, and he couldn't move his body, wasn't ready to fight.
Whoever attacked us must have known we were True Mates, so they used measures to prevent Rain from shifting into his fighting mode. Realizing this shocked me even more because they were clearly prepared. The first attacker's steps echoed on the patio surface, then the second and third, and now they were standing in a small semicircle, like a Greek phalanx ready for battle.
Rain spread his arms as if to shield me with his body and made one more attempt to stand. It took all of him, I knew it, and I saw the visible proof of his superhuman effort as a stream of blood flowed from his nose, a capillary bursting from the strain. He managed to get into a half-kneeling position, blood dripping over his lips, but then weakness caused him to collapse back onto the terrace with a devastating groan.
Our Bond told me everything. Rain felt with all his body that he had ultimately failed as my protector, and it crushed him.Then he did the only thing he could in the last jolt of remaining strength: he rolled over toward me and covered me with his body.
Now his face was over me; our eyes met in silent horror. "For-give-me…" he groaned.
