Page 2 of Escaping Rejection

The basilisk yanked me backward, but Abel held strong. With the death grip he had on me, I could focus on breaking free rather than fighting for the exit. I pushed my free foot into the jaws of the beast, shoved my boot into its mouth, and pried its mandibles open. One of its long, delicate fangs snapped off beneath the heavy rubber sole of my boot. The pain must have surprised it because the creature’s mouth burst wide open and an alien screech—a mix of a rooster’s crow and a hiss—erupted in the narrow tunnel, threatening to burst my eardrums.

The release allowed Abel to pull hard and drag me free of the tunnel. I sucked in huge lungsful of air and pulled myself up against his body. The second I was on my feet, I dragged him away from the hole before the goddamned thing in there could emerge and finish what it had started. We ran together until we couldn’t see the tunnel exit.

The basilisk’s venom had already wormed its way into my body. My vision blurred, fading in and out, and a ringing like a high-pitched insect screaming echoed in my ears. I did my best to ignore it.

Gasping, I bent over, hands on knees. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Uh, yeah,” Abel said, panting. “If I hadn’t been, I think you’d be about halfway down a giant snake’s throat.”

“It’s not a real snake,” I said, shaking my head. “They’re magical creations from millennia ago. They’re like a combination of a cobra, chicken, and alligator. No legs, though, so that’s why people think it’s only a giant snake.”

Abel gaped at me. “Um, okay, Professor Monster-lady. Anyway, are you all right? Did it bite you?”

I pulled my pants leg up, showing him the vivid red puncture wounds on my calf. “Hurts like a bitch.”

“Come on, I’ll help you.” Abel gingerly placed one of my arms over his shoulders. He put his arm around my back and supported me as we headed down the path.

“Have you… ugh… seen Wyatt?” I asked between gasps of pain.

“No. Was he with you? Did he get stuck in that tunnel?”

I winced as a hot ice sensation lanced up my leg. “No, we got separated. Last I saw, he and a feral shifter were fighting.” I didn’t add that the feral was Leif. One thing at a time.

We had to be close to the end of the course. The tree line indicated we were near the mansion. Abel helped me through the last few obstacles, my leg growing heavier and more leaden with every step. The venom slowed me and made my brain all fuzzy. Fire ran through my veins. Were I not a shifter, I’d probably already be dead.

Even as I struggled with the agony and the obstacles, I tried to catch Wyatt’s scent, desperate for even the faintest whiff—but nothing. Images of Leif ripping Wyatt’s throat out flashed through my mind, but I pushed them away. He had to be okay. I refused to believe anything else.

“Look!” Abel cried out, his voice thick with relief. “The mansion! We’re almost there.”

I could see the courtyard ahead of us, less than fifty meters away through the trees. Not even the pain clawing at me could make me forget what happened the last time I crossed the boundary into the courtyard without someone I cared for. The showrunners would never let me back into the jungle to go after Wyatt. They hadn’t for Zoe, so why would this be different? If I stayed, I could backtrack and try to find him.

Abel noticed my hesitancy and tugged me gently. “Are you okay? Need me to carry you?”

“Let me!” a voice called from behind.

Abel jerked in surprise, and I turned toward the voice. Every movement was slow and sluggish due to the venom slowly creeping through my veins. Gavin was jogging up the path, a cavalier smile on his face.

“Where’d… you come from?” I wheezed.

He threw a thumb over his shoulder. “Made it through the last of the obstacles. Did you guys see that damn basilisk?”

“We did more than see it,” Abel said, gesturing to my leg.

Gavin’s eyes went wide when he saw the punctures. “Oh my gods, Kira. We have to get you to the healers. Even your metabolism isn’t enough to flush that kind of toxin out.”

“That’s what I’m telling her,” Abel said. “The courtyard is right there. I think she’s too tired to go farther.”

The pain and lethargy of the venom was too great for me to argue. It took all I had to stand. My exhaustion wasn’t entirely about me being in pain, though. Most of it came from thinking about Wyatt.

Too weak to fight off his offer of help, I let Gavin scoop me into his arms and held onto him as he hurried the last few yards along with Abel. We crossed the boundary into the courtyard, and a small part of my mind cried out.

Wyatt was stuck out there. I would be of no help to him.

We’d come in last. Chelsey sat off to the side with Mika, J.D., and Tate. They all looked pretty dirty and beaten up, but to my chagrin, none looked like they’d needed to be carried like an invalid.

“And here is our other prize mate,” Von said as Gavin gently set me on the flagstones. “You had us worrying for a bit.” He wagged a finger at me in disapproval. “You may need to invest in a map the next time you go out. You’reverydirectionally challenged from the looks of things.”

I wanted to spout some smartass comment, but all I could do was moan as the healers worked over me.

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