“What’s wrong?” Ryland asks after they leave.
“Nothing, I think I am just getting nervous,” I tell him.
“That’s understandable,” he says, grabbing my empty plate. “Come on; we will watch a movie,” he says, holding my hand. I let him lead me to the living room room, and we watch a movie. After the second movie, I hear the pitter-patter of rain on the roof and jump up, running for the laundry.
Ryland jumps up, alarmed. “What is it?” he asks, following me.
“The washing is on the clothes line.”
“Leave it; we will get it later,” he argues, but I ignore him, grabbing the basket and rushing out the door to the clothesline. I start pulling the clothes off the line, looking nervously at the darkening sky as night begins to fall. Storm clouds move across the sky when I see lightning. “Just leave it, Evelyn; you and your nesting is driving me nuts,” he says but helps drag the clothes off.
We end up leaving half of them as they become too wet, and Ryland runs the baskets back inside while I waddle toward the house, my clothes damp and sticking to me as I shiver from the rain.
Ryland walks out when I hear a loud alarm go off, causing me to look toward the house when Ryland runs at me.
I stand there, shocked, wondering what he is doing when his body suddenly lands on me, knocking me to the ground on the wet grass. He makes a gurgling noise before I feel something hit him, knocking the air out of his lungs. Ryland rolls off me, and a sharp pain radiates through my stomach, making me scream. Ryland tries to get up when I realize he is covered in little red dots. My eyes snap to our surroundings but I can’t see anything when Ryland’s voice chokes out.
“Run,” he chokes, coughing up blood.
He pulls on my arm, sitting me up, and I can hear people running through the trees and the dirt driveway. He stands up, and I see his shirt is soaked with blood. His pain radiates into me through the bond, and I don’t understand how he is able to force himself up.
“Ryland!” I squeal, pressing my hand on his wound, trying to stem the bleeding.
“Run, now, Evelyn!” he screams just as I hear guns start going off everywhere. Ryland shoves me, and I hear the bullets whiz past me as I stumble, get up, and run, bolting for the tree line of the forest.
I hear Ryland groan loudly and then hear a ferocious growl ring out, echoing off the trees. I don’t dare look back; instead, I concentrate on running without falling. My hand is trying to hold my belly as I move; pain runs through my stomach and groin with each step.
I see the tree line get closer, I can hear people yell and scream when I feel it; feel like I have been punched in the shoulder. Ignoring the pain, I keep running when I feel my muscles go funny, my body becomes weaker, and I feel something hit me again, but this time in the lower back, making me gasp as I clutch at it.
My hand comes in contact with something, and I pull it out to look at it. I can feel my surroundings become a green blur as I stare at the dart I have just pulled out of my back. The dart slips from my fingers, and I see the ground rush toward my face.
My entire body goes numb, and I feel my limbs become heavy before I hear voices, the voices getting closer and closer until they sound like they are right on top of me. “Got her, bring the other one,” I hear a deep male voice call out.
I try to open my eyes, yet they feel too heavy; even breathing feels hard as I fight to take each breath. I feel movement, my head rolls back as someone grabs me.
“Ryland,” I breathe. I try to talk, but the words come out slurred and muffled.
“Hurry, we need to get back before their mates get back here.”
I feel the darkness creep in, black swallows my consciousness as I slip into oblivion.
Waking up, I find myself on the ground. The cold concrete floor makes my limbs ache. Sitting up, my eyes are blurry, and I can smell a strong smell that reminds me of chlorine. I gasp when I see Ryland braced to a wall by cuffs holding his arms to the wall. His body slumps over, and I can see blood pooling around him. I roll onto all fours, trying to crawl my way over to him. Each movement sends searing pain across my stomach that takes my breath.
“Ryland,” I stammer, trying to breathe through the overwhelming pain. I am weak; I have to lay down on the cold ground. My limbs are unwilling to do what I need them to do. “Ryland,” I ask again, my voice cracking and sore as I try to speak. I hear him groan, and I turn my head to see him move his head before he suddenly starts jerking his arms trying to free himself. The braces don’t budge. I notice his wrists bleeding, and I can’t help the sob that leaves my lips at seeing him so badly injured.
“Silver,” he mutters, his eyes going to me. “Don’t cry; I am fine,” he says, though I can feel he isn’t fine through the bond. His pain radiates into me with my own. He looks around the room and starts coughing. Blood sprays out of his mouth onto the floor, and his breathing wheezes when I notice the wound on his chest pouring with blood.
“You’re not healing,” I tell him, and he coughs.
“Don’t worry about me. Can you get over to me?” he sputters out, blood dribbling down his chin.
I try to get up, falling face-first into the concrete, my limbs feel like jelly, but after a few attempts, I crawl over to him, putting my head on his lap when I feel it.
My legs are becoming saturated, and I feel like I have wet myself. “No, no, not now,” I cry.
Ryland looks down at me and gasps. “Shit, your water just broke,” he coughs out, as he tries to free his arms but fails.
He starts screaming out for someone. I’m screaming, trying to get their attention when I hear footsteps on the ground behind the steel door. Pain moves across my abdomen, so sharp my body jerks when I feel my insides tear, and I let out a bloodcurdling scream of agony. Ryland is screaming out when the door suddenly opens.
“Help her; she is in labor. You need to let me out, or she will die.”
“Nice try, Lycan,” says a voice, but I am lost to the pain, unable to concentrate on anything but the agony I am in. I feel someone grab my arms and legs. I writhe in pain, as the pain rushes throughout my body when I hear a sickening crack; my ribs break, and I scream as I feel her move within me.
“Get her to the infirmary now!” I hear an unfamiliar female voice call out as I am placed on something cold and hard.