Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Isabella’s POV
I heard nothing but the ringing in my ears.
My hands were clamped tightly over Adele’s ears, my entire body covering hers as I tried to process what was happening.
One moment, I was laughing at something Adele said about the sparkly dress we’d just bought her.
And the next… the world exploded into chaos.
A body had slammed into us from behind, sending us sprawling onto the pavement.
I didn’t see his face, but his scent was familiar, though I almost didn’t register it amidst the chaos that ensued and the terror that engulfed me.
My only thought was Adele—protecting her, shielding her from whatever was happening.
When the ringing in my ears stopped, I was finally able to hear it: the sharp cracks that split the air, screams from nearby pedestrians, the screech of tires on asphalt. But Adele’s terrified whimper cut through everything else.
“I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.” I pressed her face into my chest, one hand cradling her head.
Almost immediately, strong hands gripped my shoulders, hauling me to my feet. They were gentle yet urgent. And then I registered the familiar scent. The familiar presence.
Dimitri.
His face was a mask of controlled fury as he physically lifted both of us, half-carrying, half-dragging us toward his black Mercedes that was parked at the curb. He yanked open the backseat door, and we climbed in.
Dimitri practically slammed the door, ran around the car, got in, and zoomed off.
Adele was sobbing now, her small body trembling violently against mine. She looked up at me with wide eyes filled with terror, and my heart broke at the sight.
“Mommy,” her small voice sounded shaken. “Wh—what was that sound? Did someone want to hurt us? Why was everyone screaming?”
I pulled her to me again, wiping the tears from her eyes and holding her tightly. I felt as though, if I let go, she’d disappear. “I don’t know, baby, but we’re safe now.” I pressed a kiss to her head, even as my own heart hammered loudly against my chest and my brain tried to catch up.
What the hell had just happened?
I looked at the rearview mirror to see Dimitri watching us. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping. His eyes were wild, almost feral, darting to the side mirror, scanning the streets around us as he drove.
My gaze dropped to his shoulder. There was blood seeping through his crisp white shirt.
“You’re hurt,” I said, my voice coming out strangled.
“I’m fine.” His attention shifted from the side mirror to the rearview mirror.
“Dimitri…” I started again but stopped when he turned briefly to look at me, then at Adele. His gaze softened fractionally. And without saying the words, I knew exactly what he meant. We—I—needed to stay calm for our daughter. I could demand explanations later. And I sure would.
The rest of the drive to God-knows-where was silent, but my thoughts kept circling back to the man who had pointed the gun at us—to what? Shoot us? Kill us?
The thought made bile rise in my throat.
Dimitri took every side street and back alley in the city, doubling back multiple times. He’d made a call for a few seconds, demanding doctors at “the house”. By the time we finally pulled up to a nondescript building in a part of town I didn’t recognize, my nerves were completely shot.
“Where are we?” I asked as Dimitri opened the door.
“Somewhere safe.” He stepped out, then opened the back seat to help us. “Come on.”
Adele and I got out.
The building looked like an old warehouse from the outside, but the interior was something else entirely—clean, modern, clearly recently renovated. Dimitri led us inside, where two people in white coats were waiting.
Doctors, I presumed.
“Check them out,” Dimitri ordered, gesturing to me and Adele. “Full examination. I want to make sure they weren’t hurt.”
“I’m fine, Dimitri,” I said, not needing to be checked out.
“You’re getting checked out.” His tone left no room for argument.
One of the doctors—a kind-faced woman in her fifties—approached us with a gentle smile. “Hi there, sweetheart. My name is Dr. Lucy. Can you tell me your name?”
Adele pressed closer to me, her earlier sobs having quieted to occasional hiccups. “Adele,” she whispered.
“That’s a beautiful name. How about we make sure you’re all okay? Would that be all right?”
Adele looked at me, and I reassured her with a smile, letting the doctor lead her to one of the sofas in the living room.
The examination was thorough but quick. Adele was checked for bumps, bruises, or any other sign of injury. They checked her vitals, her reflexes, and asked her questions to assess for shock or trauma. She was physically fine—shaken, terrified, but fine.
I was cleared just as quickly. A few scrapes on my palms from the pavement, nothing serious.
Dimitri stared at us the entire time without saying a word. His eyes were filled with anger and something else—determination. Like he was calculating in his head what he would do to the person responsible for what had happened earlier.
“Mr. Ravencrest, we need to look at that shoulder,” the other doctor said, pulling him out of his thoughts.
I noticed the blood trickling down his arm. But it wasn’t the usual red color. It was black. Panic flared in my chest, and I moved toward him immediately. “Dimitri, please, you need to check that out. You’re bleeding badly.”
He glanced at his shoulder. “It’s nothing. Just a graze. I’ll heal.”
“But you haven’t, which means it’s no ordinary bullet. That’s why it’s taking longer to heal. And from the color of the blood. Wolfsbane, perhaps?” the doctor said.
Wolfsbane? The bullet had been laced with wolfsbane?
The implications of that made my stomach turn.
This hadn’t been random. This had been targeted. Deliberate. Someone had come after us with weapons specifically designed to kill shifters.
Dimitri shifted, clearly ready to leave, but I stepped into his path, blocking him before he could even pretend to walk away.
“No. You’re not going anywhere until they examine you,” I said, my voice trembling but firm. “I’m not losing you over pride.”
Instead of showing concern about the wolfsbane coursing through his veins, his lips curled into a slow smile.
“You’re cute when you’re feisty, you know?
” He leaned forward and caressed my chin—a gesture meant to reassure, but it did anything but.
Something flipped in my stomach at his touch, an electric sensation running down my spine.
“Don’t worry about me, sweetheart,” he said, his words slow and intent.
“It’s just a graze to me. I’ll be fine.”
Before I could respond, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, then back at me. “I’m sorry. I need to take this call. It’s the security team calling with updates from the incident.”
He turned to leave, but Adele’s voice had him glancing over his shoulder. “Uncle Dimitri, are you going to be okay?” she asked, her gaze lingering on his bloodied arm.
He passed her a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine, dear. I promise.”
He hit the answer button, mumbling words that resembled threats as he disappeared upstairs.
By the time they’d finished examining us, exhaustion had crashed over Adele like a wave. The adrenaline had worn off, leaving her limp and drowsy in my arms.
Dr. Lucy showed us to a bedroom and helped me get Adele settled. Within minutes, my daughter was asleep, curled up under a soft blanket, her face still tear-streaked but peaceful.
I sat on the edge of the bed, just watching her breathe. Making sure she was really okay. But the questions wouldn’t stop circling in my mind. What had happened? Who had attacked us? How had Dimitri gotten there so fast? And why the hell had someone used wolfsbane bullets?
After making sure Adele was deeply asleep, I slipped out of the room.
I wandered around the house, taking in the sparse décor. Why did Dimitri just happen to have a house in the middle of nowhere?
As I walked further, I noticed a door left slightly ajar, light streaking from it.
I made my way toward it and peered inside.
It looked like the master bedroom, and Dimitri was inside.
He was shirtless, trying to clean the wound on his shoulder.
It was worse than I’d thought—a deep graze that had torn through muscle, the edges already showing the telltale darkening of wolfsbane poisoning.
I felt guilt at seeing him wince in pain. But it wasn’t just guilt. It was something more. Fear. Fear of what could have happened if the bullet had hit him anywhere other than his shoulder. If—
I shook my head vehemently, as though to literally shake off the thoughts. The back of my eyelids burned, but I ignored that.
I pushed the door wider, and he looked up, noticing my presence.
“You said it was just a graze,” I said.
He chuckled to himself, dropping a bloodied piece of cotton wool into a steel pan. “Wolfsbane injuries take longer to heal, that’s all. It’s nothing, my love.” He reached for the bandage pile, and I stepped inside.
“Let me.”
His fingers grazed the back of my hand as I took the bandage from him, and it took everything in me not to shiver the way my entire nervous system did. I cut out a piece and slowly started wrapping it around his shoulder.
The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken questions and barely contained emotions.
Dimitri’s bare torso was a distraction I didn’t need right now. I’d seen him shirtless before—years ago, in another lifetime—but somehow this felt different. More intimate.
“What happened?” I asked, forcing normalcy into my voice. “And don’t tell me you just happened to be there. I want the truth, Dimitri.”
He was quiet for a long moment, his jaw working like he was trying to decide what to tell me. How much to tell me.
“I was nearby,” he said finally. “I saw the rogue moving toward you and Adele. I reacted.”