Page 21 of Adoring Fletcher
“I didn’tdoanything!” I snapped back, my lynx hissing beneath my skin. Claws tipped my fingertips, but I forced my fingers into tight fists. “You’re the ones who lured me intoAdam’s manor and then set off the alarms so you could use me as a scapegoat!”
“Hilarious,” Themis snorted out. “You were just too slow. Always too slow. And you’ll be too slow this time, too.” He grinned, showing fangs.
“Huh?” What was that supposed to mean?
They crowded closer, growling softly under their breath. Jacks reached out and shoved me, causing me to stumble back a couple of steps.
“If I were you, I’d start running,cat,”he said, his voice low and dripping with acid. “I’ll even be kind enough to give you a head-start, if only because you used to give killer blowjobs. You have to the count of five.” He grinned wickedly. “Five…”
My heart leapt into my throat. Shit, he was serious. They were going to chase me down!
I spun on my heel and bolted toward the manor. My shoes slapped against the pavement with each step, sending jolting shockwaves up my legs as I silently counted down from five.
The pack was faster.
They were on me in an instant, their fangs digging in, claws scraping over my skin.
I screamed, a blood-curdling sound, as Jacks’s jaws clamped onto my side. He bit down hard. The cry that tore from my throat was equal parts terror and pain: “ADAM!”
Their fangs ripped at my skin, agony ricocheting through my soul. I covered my head with my arms, trying to protect my face and throat the best I could. They were all over me, digging at me with their claws, biting and snapping. Vicious.
They were going to kill me.
Their snarls and growls echoed in the air. Paws scuffled over the pavement. Pain throbbed through me with each bite, each ripping yank as my flesh was flayed open. All I could smell was blood.
I let out a soft sob, screaming again for help, but it petered out into a weak whimper. No… Not like this. I gasped for breath, tears blinding me.
And then, suddenly, overhead—BLAM!
A gunshot sounded so loud my ears rang. Warm blood splattered across my neck and back.
A dog yelped out in pain, followed by whines, whimpers and growls. Claws scrabbled over the ground as the pack retreated, leaving me alone with whoever had come to my aid—but was it too late?
I gasped for breath, pain pulsing through me with every heartbeat, my mind a haze and my vision blurry.
I cowered on the sidewalk, still covering myself. Hands gingerly touched me, rolling me over onto my back, and I stared up at Adam, my chest cracking open.
I began to cry harder.
He was already on the phone with 911, barking orders. He dropped to his knees beside me and gripped my hand gently in both of his.
“God, Fletcher, I’m sorry,” he said, his voice tight. “I’m so sorry. Hold on, sweetheart. Help is on the way.”
A whine wheezed out through my nose as I let my head loll back against the pavement, too exhausted to move. My whole body trembled with pain. Adam squeezed my hand.
“Stay with me, baby,” he crooned. “I’m right here. Stay awake.”
Even in my dazed state, the word punched through the fog like a lighthouse beacon:Baby…
13
ADAM
On the outside,I was calm and in control.
On the inside, my wolf was shrieking. It felt like my entire world was shaking right out from under my feet.
I gripped Fletcher’s hand and crooned to him, kneeling on the cement as the Omega gasped in shallow breaths.
