Page 200 of Fractured Fate

Noah came toward them, and the rogue holding her from behind shouted at him.

“Stay the fuck back!” said the man with the ponytail. She recognized his voice. “Now, you!” He pointed the gun at Blaire. “Come with me or she dies.” The barrel pressed against her head again.

Aiden snarled, and she looked over at him. His eyes glowed, reminding her of a green pit viper. He pushed past Noah and ran toward them, teeth bared, fangs descended. Another rogue intercepted him, and they hurtled toward the ground, colliding with Charlotte and the man holding her.

Quickly righting himself, ponytail-man snatched her from the ground. His eyes darted all around, but he couldn’t find his gun. “Oh well, we’ll get better acquainted this way, then.” He opened his mouth, and she watched in horror as his canines lengthened.

Blaire called out her name and ran at them, crashing into her and dragging both her and the rogue to the ground again.

Blinking away the dazed feeling after her head smacked against a log, Charlotte focused on the body hovering over her, straddling her lap. It felt too light to be the rogue. She squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them to find a blurry veil of unmistakable blonde hair hanging over her.

“You’ll always be my sister,” Blaire said, panting, shielding Charlotte with shaking arms braced on each side of her head.

Before Charlotte could get her wits about her to respond, the rogue with the ponytail ripped Blaire away from her.

Her focus returned in time to scream as the rogue sank his fangs into Blaire’s throat.

42

WOUNDS

Aiden snapped the neck of the rogue beneath him and then rose to his feet, chest heaving from the exertion.

He needed to get to Charlotte.

Shame weighed down his heart. Seeing the gun against her temple had paralyzed him with fear. He thought his freeze reaction to the gun pulled on them in the courtyard earlier was a one-off, but no.

When faced with the same scenario he went through, but from a different point of view, he choked, unable to do anything to save the woman he loved, while Noah tried to reach her instead.

Noah.

Aiden had to acknowledge the guy’s resilience. Faced with everyone’s mistrust and threats of death, Noah still threw himself into the fray to help, protecting Aiden’s Korrena instead of allowing the rogues to harm her. In his eyes, that alone made Noah worthy of a second chance.

Charlotte’s screams ripped him from his thoughts.

She lay on the ground, face twisted with agony and fear. He followed her gaze to find the asshole with the ponytail sinking his fangs into Blaire’s throat.

“Blaire!” Lukas roared, shoving away from the rogue he’d been fighting. He ran for Blaire as Aiden cleared the distance to get to them.

When Aiden reached them, he tore the man away from her, allowing Lukas to catch Blaire when she collapsed.

Dominic closed in to assist Lukas.

Aiden and the rogue tumbled to the ground. The rogue snarled beneath him, sweeping his hands over the ground to reach the gun they landed near. Aiden’s hands wrapped around the man’s throat, but the rogue wedged the gun between them and pointed it at Aiden’s chest, forcing him to rise.

He wouldn’t let the fear of an inanimate object stop him. Not this time.

They grappled for control of the gun, snarling and grunting in their efforts until a crack shattered the air. His ears rang and buzzed as the surrounding sounds became muffled and dull.

The rogue beneath him stopped fighting, and the gun slipped from their hands, landing on the grass beside them. Aiden lifted his hands, and the fresh blood coating his skin shook him. His vision blackened around the edges, his breaths came in harsh pants, and his head swam as the buzzing continued.

He didn’t feel pain.

Patting his torso, he searched for the wound. The ringing in his ears disoriented him, making it hard to concentrate on the world around him and the task at hand.

His gaze dropped to the rogue beneath him, who had stopped fighting. Vacant eyes stared up at him.

He scrambled off the dead rogue and vomited onto the ground, his fingers digging into the grass as he continued to dry heave long after his stomach emptied.