\[Nadia’s POV\]
I watch in horror while Ben raises a gun and then aims it. I want to scream at Rosco to watch out, but since my mouth was bound, I couldn’t. I was going to kill him. I was going to rip him to fucking shreds when I got out of this. This wasn’t what we agreed on! He was going against my demands!
Beginning to fight, I continue to watch until gunfire rings out around us and a bullet crashes into Rosco, causing a look of shock and then pain to flash across his features.
NO! I scream inwardly, drawing on all my strength in an attempt to break free. I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!
I begin to shift, deciding that this is the best way to escape, and when I’m completely wolf, I rip into my bindings. Once I’ve managed to tear them apart, I attack, using my seat as a launching board, and crash into Ben, sending us both rolling on the ground.
When we stop, I’m on top, and I’m raking my claws across his face as anger radiates through me. All I can see is red, and all I want is blood. Who the fuck was he to go against what we agreed to and shoot my man? I was going to kill him! He wasn’t going to make it out of this.
YOU BASTARD! I roar, knowing fucking well he can’t hear me. “YOU LOW LIFE PIECE OF SHIT!
Again and again, I attack, drawing my claws through his skin until his face is in pretty tatters. Only then do I begin to move, diving into the water and then swimming with all my might until I spot him. However, he doesn’t see me; all he sees is Denali, whom he is fighting to free despite all the blood that he is losing.
Idiot! Fucking idiot! Even when he was in danger, he was only thinking about her! Dammit! This was so fucking frustrating. And right now, I couldn’t even think about myself. I needed to get him out of here, and I knew doing that would mean helping that bitch.
Biting back everything in me that screamed to leave her here to die, I begin to move again, and when I reach, I grab the back of Rosco’s shirt with my teeth and kick, using all my strength to get us to the surface of the water.
As I burst through, I release Rosco, who is holding Denali close while gulping in deep lungfuls of air. When he manages to get enough, he turns his gaze toward me, and I hope to see appreciation there, but all I see is hate.
“I’ll deal with you later,” he growls, beginning to swim toward the edge.
Deal with me later. HA! He knew it was me. Of course he would fucking know; he was smart. That was one of the reasons I loved him so much. But if he didn’t have evidence, he couldn’t do anything to me, and anyone who could plead my guilt was dead.
Good luck! I giggle, starting to swim. However, before I can reach the edge of the pool, my teeth wrap around my ankle, and I’m being drawn under.
Gasping, I look down to see a shark with its mouth wrapped around me. Shit! Ben was being serious when he said there were sharks, and now that Rosco’s blood was in the water, they were going on a frenzy.
Just below the shark attacking me are more, and they’re rushing up, ready to attack.
‘HELP!’ I shriek through mindlink. ‘ROSCO!’
No! He wouldn’t leave me here to die! He couldn’t! I saved him!
‘PLEASE!’ I continue, lifting my gaze to watch him climb out and then pull Denali out behind him. ‘YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE ME!’
‘This was your doing;’ I hear him say. ‘Get yourself out of it!’
His words pierce into me, and they quickly overpower the pain I’m feeling from the shark that is trying to turn my leg into food.
Fine! If he wanted to be this way, then I would let him, but he still wasn’t aware that he would need me.
‘IF YOU LEAVE ME, YOUR WIFE WILL DIE!’
As much as I would rather she rot away and be out of my life forever, I don’t want to die.
‘What?’
His reply is full of doubt, and I begin to wonder if he is actually going to believe me. I had no proof of what I was saying, and that was an issue.
‘She will die!’ I push. ‘They injected her with a slow-acting poison, and only I know the cure!’
With each passing minute, my panic was growing, and I was actually close to telling him everything, but if I did that, then I would have no other leverage in the long run.
‘Why should I believe you?’ He growls, taking the turn I knew he would.
‘I don’t have an answer to that.’
As the words leave me, another shark bites down, this time on my side, and I let out a gasp, which allows water to begin to fill my lungs. Shit! This would be it if he didn’t believe me.
‘Please,’ I whimper. ‘SHE WILL DIE AND IT WILL FALL ON YOU!’
With just that, a bullet comes flying, followed by another and another until all the sharks around me are freeing me and allowing me to weakly swim to the surface of the water. And when I burst through, Rosco’s dark gaze is on me.
“If you’re lying,” he huffs. “I’ll return you to this fucking place.”
“I’m not,” I gasp after shifting back to my human form. “I swear I’m not. Please, Rosco…”
The words are weak as they leave me, and before I can even finish them, he is collapsing. Eyes widening, I reach out with my senses and realize just how weak he is.
“Ambulance,” I gasp, understanding that he was dying. “We need an ambulance.”
Scrambling out of the water, I pull myself toward where Ben lies, and when I reach him, I grab his phone and dial 911. The minute the operator answers, I’m letting out a sob.
“We need help!” I gasp. “We’re at 1121 Waterway Dr. The old meat warehouse, please send an ambulance now!”
I don’t bother listening for a reply from the woman before I’m hanging up and scrambling to Rosco. When I reach, I take in his complexion, which is much too pale, and the amount of blood that is pooling beneath him. Fuck! He was going to die before the ambulance got here unless I did something. But what could I do?
Mark him. The small voice in the back of my head urges. If you do, you can share your energy with him.
Eyes widening, I realize that this would be the best solution, but he hates me. If I marked him, then there would be no way he would ever forgive me. But was there any other way? I couldn’t share my energy with him without doing so since he wasn’t a member of my pack.
“Dammit,” I hiss, beginning to war with what to do. “I…”
Before I can finish, I lift my gaze to find Denali crawling up beside Rosco, and as I watch on, she wraps her lips around his neck and does the thing I hesitated with doing. She marks him right then and there without thinking twice about it, ruining my chances.