Page 80 of Fractured Mates
Astor is already back on his feet, and his fingers grip the hair at the base of my neck, jerking me back up.
I push up, relieving the pressure on my skull and this time when I face him, my claws are out and ready for blood. A partial shift takes strict concentration, and while there is still plenty of fighting happening around us, all I see is Astor.
“Don’t worry. You’ll see your parents again real soon,” he taunts, no longer armed and not seeming prepared for a bloody fight.
Instead of engaging in a pointless conversation, I lean into his grasp, ready to finish this nightmare, but before I can rip his heart from his chest, a gunshot goes off, the boom loud and painful on my sensitive ears. There’s a reason that wolves prefer blades over guns, and this is one of them.
My head is stunned, and it takes another moment that I don’t have to keep moving. While Astor no longer has a hold on my hair, there’s now a searing pain in my chest.
One glance down and I see there’s blood pooling through my shirt. No. Not me. Not now. Not when I’m so close to…
Astor leans in, smirking, then grabs my throat, keeping me upright when my body would prefer to fall to the ground. “I told you I would have my revenge. I stupidly allowed your mother to convince me to let you go all those years ago so that I wouldn’t draw the attention of the protectors, allowing them to ruin the bigger picture. I did, however, promise her that if you ever showed your face here that I would kill you.”
His chuckle casts hot breath across my face, and I’m close to vomiting on his shiny, black shoes.
“And you couldn’t have returned at a better time,” he continues. “With your death, I’ll have everything I’ve always wanted.”
“You’ll still be nothing,” I spit. “Even more, you’ll have nothing. Even if the protectors don’t stop you and by some crazy chance the pack doesn’t revolt against you, they won’t respect you. They’ll only fear you. And if you think that’s something to be proud of, you’re even more of an idiot than I thought.”
His hold around my neck gets tighter, and the pain in my chest expands, moving to my stomach and down my arms. If Astor weren’t holding me, I’d be in a heap on the ground.
The bullet went all the way through, my wolf says. As long as we don’t bleed out, we can survive this.
Or as long as we aren’t choked to death, I reply, not really seeing a way out.
That’s right when Kyler’s wolf finally sees me. The growl that thunders through the room rivals any other, but he won’t make it to me in time.
Spots start to dance in my vision as he yells for me in my mind. I hate to do it, but I shut him out of my mind even further than I already had.
I close down the mate bond, not wanting him to carry my pain or fear with him when he’s still under attack. I won’t be the reason both of us die today. Plus, my wolf is much too excited, and concentrating on anything other than surviving isn’t possible right now. Not even for our mate.
“You’re going to die, Sophie,” Astor whispers into my ear. “Just give in and allow the world to move on, like you should have done.”
What is your plan? I ask her, ignoring his delight at the possibility of my death.
Give up, she says, taking me by surprise and filling me with disappointment. She scoffs. Seriously? You think I’m ready to die when we’ve only just begun to live? Give up and let me take charge, you idiot.
That, I can do. Though I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.
Because I’m the brains of this operation, she jokes. You’re just the body.
Not bothering to argue with her, considering the fire that’s beginning to burn through my body, shutting my organs down, I close my eyes and let my muscles relax.
The energy of the shift begins to shimmer around my skin, but it’s weak thanks to my injuries and lack of oxygen. Possibly too weak.
Don’t be so quick to believe we’re hopeless, my wolf says, her presence stirring stronger within my mind. I’ve got this.
Astor’s nails start to cut through my skin. “That’s it. Just fucking die.”
The venom in his voice, the desire to get what he wants… It’s enough to send a surge of adrenaline through me. That boost intensifies my shifter magic, and the change finally takes root.
It’s slow and Astor catches on too quickly, but he can’t stop me. Not now.
“Shoot her again,” he roars, but no other gunshots go off and he adds, “Put that down, child. You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Yes, I do,” Jules’s voice sounds from behind me. “I’m doing what I should have done long ago.”
By the time I’m on all fours and can see my little sister, there are tears in her eyes and her hands are shaking as they hold the pistol between them.