“Why isn’t she crying?” Tabitha says, sitting up in panic. The baby is all floppy in my hands. I rub its back, but nothing happens. My father comes over, looking down at the Baby and Tabitha is in hysterics screaming and wailing while I jam my finger in its mouth to see if its airways are clear and they are.
My father looks horrified and I place my mouth over its mouth and nose trying to remember the CPR training I had in school. I breathe a short puff into it and nothing. I do it again and nothing. I go to do it a third time when it starts screaming. I never in my life had I been so excited to hear a baby cry.
Tabitha stops screaming hysterically and reaches her hands out for her baby and I place her in her arms. Before looking at my father in relief. Tabitha cuddles her crying baby to her chest, and she starts to settle in her mother’s arms. She was beautiful with chubby little cheeks and blue eyes. I sit back, relieved when suddenly Tabitha pushes again.
“What?”
“The Placenta?” She says and I tug slightly on the cord. Suddenly a rush of blood, fluid and something that looks kind of like raw brisket comes out.
My father instantly runs for the sink as he chucks up again. I roll my eyes at him. Weak, bloody weak. I think to myself.
“Want to hold her?” Tabitha asks, looking at me to see if I want to hold my mate’s baby. I look at the slippery little bundle in her arms, debating whether I want to. When I hear an explosion at the front of the house.
The entire house shakes violently, and dust is blasted into the kitchen knocking half the wall out. My father, who was closest to the kitchen door being thrown into the window, getting knocked unconscious. I hear shouting and jump to my feet, feeling for Layla but come up empty. Men rushing into the room surrounding us, guns pointed at me and Tabitha. I put myself between her and them, fearing that they would shoot her.
When suddenly I hear someone chuckle before stepping through the door. A voice I never thought I would hear again, and my blood ran cold, icy cold.
“Well, that was easier than I thought, Hi Lily, miss me?”
Kade?
I growl at him, calling for Layla but I only get silence. I need to shift, but without her I can’t.
Lily POV
I keep my eyes glued on the man that destroyed my life, destroyed my wolf. Refusing to even blink, my heart pounding and adrenaline making me antsy as it pulses through my veins. Little red dots appearing through the dust directly aimed at both me and Tabitha and her newborn baby. When suddenly I heard Layla’s voice in my head, she sounded drugged and her words slurred, but she was furious and she wanted blood.
“Bout time you came to the party” I snapped at her, “we need to shift” I tell her but she shakes her head.
“We can’t”
“What do you mean we can’t shift?” I ask, keeping my eyes on Kade as he saunters into the room. The only thing separating us is the dining table in the centre of the room. I see movement out of the corner of my eye and hear my father groan.
“Darian is hurt, I don’t know why, but I am too weak to shift. I have tried, I think whatever is happening to him is affecting us,” She tells me.
Kade drums his fingers on the table and I see his men turn their guns on my father as he stands up, a hand on his head disorientated. His eyes snapping to mine in panic as he takes in the predicament we are in.
Kade chuckles before taking a seat at the table like this is a casual get together.
“Well, isn’t this fantastic, the only person missing is Aria” He says and I feel Layla growl loudly and it bursts from my chest loud and menacing and even makes goosebumps raise on my arms.
Kade nods to his men as seven men redirect their guns to me.
“Well that is a problem, see I drugged your mate and it should have taken down your wolf when he died. So I am a little confused, I must say” He says, rubbing his chin, his beady eyes looking at me, like I am some sort of science experiment. In many ways, I actually was.
“He isn’t dead, Lil” Layla says, when she feels my panic at his words.
“Let me forward,” Layla says, pulling at our link.
“What?” I ask, confused why she would want to come forward when she can’t shift.
“Let me forward, I am more than comfortable in your skin as I am mine” She growls again and Kade stands up nodding to his men and I feel a dart hit me in the centre of the chest. Layla lurches forward shoving me back before launching herself over the table straight for Kade but he moves just in time and she hits the ground before turning.
I feel us shifting only we aren’t, I couldn’t explain the sensation that rolled over me, but claws extended from my hands and I felt my canines protrude but we weren’t on all fours or in wolf form.
Suddenly guns start going off everywhere. All aimed at us but Layla was quick and it was like time stood still or slowed dramatically as I literally watched the bullets dodge past, but she was quicker moving with precision and speed as she started ripping the men to pieces. The mind link opens up suddenly and I hear Damien’s wrath flood me, which only spurred Layla on. Callie’s voice echoing in my head,
“Hold on, we are on our way” I was too focused on what was happening to reply. Suddenly I see Kade tackle my father straight through the roller shutter and they crash through the window in the backyard. My father is trying to fight back when he is kicked off the verandah. The distraction cost us, as I felt a knife slide between my ribs. Layla and I look down at the blade hanging from our side, our breathing instantly affected, and I cough. We stumble back into the table and watch as the man advances on us, a murderous glint in his eye and a sadistic smile on his face as he heads toward us to finish us.