Page 61 of Forsaking All Others

Natia has been shot through the heart.

Turning my attention back to Catriona, I’m just in time to see her turn to face me as her knees buckle. It’s only then that I see just how much blood is covering her suit, and the scent hits me like a physical blow. But I’m not the only one. Starlen’s fingers curl, and his fangs descend instantaneously.

Lurching forward, I zip in and catch her before she can hit the ground. Her breath is coming in short, sharp gasps. My own, I’m holding. Reaching into her suit as I head towards the waiting ambulances, I remove two more guns, noting as my hand accidentally brushes her breasts that she’s burning up.

As I get to the nearest ambulance I jump into the vehicle and deposit her upon the trolley and into the care of the waiting medic. But although turning to leave immediately, I find the doors have already been slammed behind me, and the vehicle is starting to move off.

“Get me the fuck out of here,” I growl to the medic standing beside me. “Before I smash my way out.”

He nods and takes out a walkie-talkie, presumably contacting the driver.

Covering my nose and mouth to block her scent, I look down and realise she’s still conscious, but barely. I know I probably just undid all the hard work she’d done to ensure she won without making all the other contestants her enemy, but I can’t worry about that now. All I can think is that if I didn’t get her into this ambulance, either Starlen or I would have drained her there and then.

‘I may still. God, I want her so badly.’

The ambulance comes to a halt, and as the doors open I take a deep breath of clean, unadulterated air before turning to give her one last look.

“You have to live,” I murmur. “I have to know what this is.”

Her moan reaches my ears as I jump to the ground.

“Don’t let him take me.”

“Who?” I frown as the doors close.

But even with that between us, I hear her sigh.

“Valentino.”

49

I wake, and as usual I’m confused about where I am and need to take a few moments to assess my surroundings.

I’m in a shared hospital room; that much is clear. Valérie’s in the bed to my left, Miranda to my right, and across the room, Silke.

‘Great.’

“The bitch is awake,” Miranda says loudly.

I give Miranda a deadly look before turning my attention to Silke.

“We’re all here because of you,” the German snaps.

“How so?”

Her expression becomes incredulous.

“You shot Miranda in the arm and me in the leg.”

“I didn’t shoot Miranda; she was hit by a ricochet from Khutulun,” I murmur, noting I’m hooked up to an IV, unlike the others. “I shot Khutulun in the head. You’re welcome.”

“Ricochet or not, if you hadn’t held us all up like a bloody bushranger, neither of us would be hurt,” Miranda snaps. “And you deliberately shot Silke in the leg, so you can’t wriggle out of that one.”

“Yes,” I nod, “and I shot Natia in the heart. At least it was a quick, clean death, unlike what you did to Laura. Just be thankful I spared your lives, although I’m prepared to rectify that at any given moment.”

I don’t bother adding that I hadn’t wanted to shoot Natia, but she’d come at me like a bull in a ring when I’d taken out Khutulun. Her quick responding shot had taken me in the side only because I’d stumbled. If I hadn’t, it would be me with a hole in the heart now, and not her. As it was, she missed mine by a wide margin, the bullet going straight through my side, grazing my ribs on the way through and nicking an artery.

‘And I’ll bet that, once again, I’d needed a blood transfusion. Oh, Christ, please say he didn’t leave another note.’