Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
Dani
Ipush through the underbrush, completely lost in the dark. I got turned around maybe ten minutes ago, and I have been trying to find my way to where I last saw Kayden ever since.
When he was shot, I let loose a scream as the world slowed and my heart completely stopped beating.
All I could focus on was Kayden as he looked at the blood staining his shirt at his shoulder.
He stumbled as he looked back at me and the second shot had me jerking back into realtime, my heart beating out of my chest as it tried to keep up with the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
I lost sight of him when he dropped to the ground, and I’m hoping against all odds that he’s still alive.
Gunshots go off to my left and I debate where to go.
Could Kayden be laying somewhere, dying?
Or is there a chance that those gunshots are his?
I have to believe that Kayden survived. I make my decision and start fumbling toward the sound of gunshots until they suddenly stop.
Fear grips my heart as I stop to listen for any sounds.
I stoop down behind a large prickly bush and strain to hear anything besides my own heartbeat and ragged breathing.
I stay there for a few minutes as I try to control my heart rate, knowing I have to find Kayden. I can only hope that he brought his team with him. If it’s just him and he’s wounded, I doubt we’ll make it out of this alive.
A few minutes later I hear footsteps coming from the direction I came from, and I hide deeper in the bush, the thorns cutting my skin.
Whoever it is stops just on the other side of the bush I’m hiding in, and I peek through the branches to get a clear look.
I can just make out Andrei’s face and he looks pissed.
He holds a handgun at his side, and I do my best to control my breathing.
Andrei’s gaze swings over to my spot in the bush and a bubble of fear escapes up my throat.
I slap a hand over my mouth to stay silent as I squeeze my eyes shut.
Relief floods my system as I open my eyes at the sound of Andrei’s footsteps stalking off through the trees.
Standing up and taking a cautious step backwards, I bump into something, and before I can turn around, a hand closes over my mouth, smothering the scream I was about to let loose.
“Be very quiet, Dani,” they whisper, their lips brushing the shell of my ear.
My eyes widen in disbelief and I spin around, a sob catching in my throat as I throw my arms around Kayden.
“I didn’t know if you made it, Kayden. I thought you might have died,” I whisper as tears stream down my face.
“Not quite, angel. It’s gonna take a lot more than that to take me down.”
I pull back, grabbing his face so I can pull his forehead down to mine. “I’m so sorry I left. It was so stupid, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I got here and by the end of the night I was already wanting to come back to you. I’m so sorry, Kayden.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Dani. This is all my fault, I shouldn’t have said what I said back at Eden. I was being rash and the words tumbled out before I could really think them through. I would never chain you up, angel. As much as I want you to be mine, I could never do that to you.”
“I am yours. Always,” I say, looking him in the eye.
His fingers grip my chin as he lays a soft kiss to my bruised lips. I wince, and there’s no hiding the reaction from him.
“Sorry!” he whispers fiercely. “Every single one of those fuckers is going to die.”
“Andrei just passed through here,” I say. “He had a gun.”
“I know, I saw.” He runs a hand through his short hair. “Here take this.”
“Wha—” I say as cold, heavy metal is placed in my hand.
“Ever shot one of these before?” he asks quietly.
“Of course I have, I took lessons a year ago.”
“Good, it’s already locked and loaded.”
Kayden grabs my hand and I realize his hand is slightly sticky.
“Kayden, what’s on your hand?”
“Fuck, sorry,” he says, releasing my hand. “Jaxon’s hurt pretty bad. I was trying to put pressure on the wound, but there was so much blood…”
“Jaxon’s here? Where’s Melody?!”
“Don’t worry, angel. She’s safe back home. James, Emilia, and Jaxon accompanied me on the flight over. Donovan and Axel should be here any minute.”
Thank God. Kayden stops in his tracks and places a hand to his ear. “Thank fuck, you guys. Jaxon needs help, he’s to the west of the house with Emilia. It’s not good.”
There’s a pause before he continues. “No, don’t worry about me, Donovan. Your orders are Jaxon. I can handle Andrei myself, he’s the last one left.”
Donovan must pressure him. “No, don’t send Axel. He’s going to have to stay with you. He’s the only universal donor here and Jaxon needs blood now.”
Kayden looks down at me and places a finger to his lips before motioning for me to follow him.
We only make it a few steps into a moonlit clearing before a hand yanks me backwards and I cry out in surprise. My gun drops silently to the forest floor as Kayden turns, but not fast enough.
The cold steel of a knife is placed against my neck, and I know it’s Andrei behind me.
Motion at my side has me looking out of the corner of my eye as he brings up the barrel of a handgun, freezing Kayden in his tracks.
Proving a point, he shoves the gun against my head, causing my neck to bend at an uncomfortable angle.
I completely freeze, fear choking me as my legs threaten to give out.
“Thought you could get away from me, pet?” Andrei asks angrily in my ear.
Kayden stands across the small clearing from us, gun raised, chest heaving as his anger ripples across his face. “Let her go.”
“Now why would I do that? I’ve already had a feel for her tight cunt, you know,” Andrei taunts him. Kayden’s eyes dart to mine and a mask of anguish covers his face at Andrei’s admission. “I don’t think I’m ready to let go of my new pet just yet.”
“You’re not going to kill her,” Kayden challenges, raising his gun at Andrei.
“Maybe. Maybe not. But are you willing to take the shot at me with her between us and my knife at her throat?”
As though to prove his point, Andrei digs his knife in until blood runs down my neck. I let out a shallow gasp at the pain but try to stay as still as possible.
“Alright, fine!” Kayden yells. “You proved your point, but my men are on their way here right now. You’re about to be greatly outnumbered. Give her to me, and maybe we can talk this out.”
“Put down the gun first, Kayden, or else my knife might slip a little further,” he sneers as he points his gun at Kayden.
Kayden raises his hand and slowly crouches to lay the gun down on the ground before straightening, his hands still raised in surrender.
“It’s unfortunate, you know. She really loves you. But soon, she’s going to be filled with my cock so often she won’t even remember yours.”
Kayden’s hands lower and he clenches his fists, his jaw fluttering as his eyebrows pull down, pure rage radiating off him. Andrei is trying to get a rise out of Kayden and it’s working.
“This one is going to be my most prized pet. Hell, I might even auction off her services for one night to my customers. I think she’ll bring me in a pretty penny.
Make her work off what I paid for her. Make her pop out little babies over and over again.
I’m going to absolutely ruin her, Kayden, and there’s nothing you can do about it. ”
Kayden charges across the clearing, Andrei’s words finally breaking him.
Andrei takes a small step to the side and fires the gun quickly, emptying the entire clip.
I can’t tell if any of the shots hit their mark, but Kayden doesn’t slow as he takes advantage of the small gap between Andrei and I as he tackles him to the ground.
I fall with them and my eyes widen at the sharp pain at my throat.
As Andrei falls, the knife slices my throat, the pain burning as the hot blood runs down my cool neck.
Kayden lands punch after punch to Andrei’s face until eventually he slows, his back heaving as he takes in large gasps of air.
Andrei pushes him off and Kayden falls to the side, and only then do I see the damage.
Andrei slowly rises to his knees before straightening to his full height, breathing heavily as he stands above Kayden with the knife in his hand.
My eyes scan the forest floor as I desperately search for the gun I dropped when Andrei grabbed me. With Andrei completely oblivious to me and his focus solely on Kayden, I rise to my knees, feeling around the leaves and twigs on the ground, tears running from my eyes. Fuck, I can’t find it.
Come on, come on, come on. Think. My eyes dart over to where Kayden laid his gun down on the ground, but there’s no way I’ll make it there without Andrei noticing.
My hands continue to sweep the forest floor until suddenly my hand grazes cold metal.
I grasp the gun in my right hand and rise to my feet, placing my left hand under my wrist to stabilize my aim.
Andrei moves, maybe to stab the knife into Kayden’s chest, but I don’t wait to find out.
I shoot, over and over and over again, all my shots landing in his upper torso.
Andrei looks up at me as he staggers over Kayden and drops to his knees a few feet from me, blood already trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He smiles like he won and the action confuses me.
“And this is for what you did to me,” I growl, landing a single shot in his head. His body falls over as the life leaves him completely. I lay the gun down and run over to Kayden, dropping to my knees next to him. This is why he smiled.
“No, no, no, no.” My hands shakily hover over his chest and the numerous bullet wounds, unsure which ones to focus pressure on. My own blood drips onto him, still running in rivers down my neck.
Kayden’s gaze sweeps over my face and he raises his hand, grasping my cheek tenderly. “It’s all over, angel. You did good.”
I choke on a sob leaning my face into his hand. “It wasn’t enough.”
“Shhh, it’s OK. Everything is going to be OK,” he replies, his thumb stroking my cheek.
I nod my head, knowing he probably doesn’t have much time left, and I’m not going to argue with him about it.
“I love you, Kayden. Ever since you cut my chains in that house, ever since you saved me, I’ve been yours. I was always yours.”
Kayden tries to take a breath but his chest sputters and he coughs up blood, yet he continues to try to push his words out. “It’s OK… angel. You are my heart.”
I turn my face away and I scream. I scream for help, I scream in fear, I scream in anger.
I scream until my voice goes hoarse. I don’t know how long I scream for, could be seconds, could be minutes.
All I know is my anguish is consuming me.
I can’t lose him. After all this time, after all this, I can’t lose him, not like this.
Peering down at him, I brush my hand over his forehead, trying to convey all the words I can’t get out with a single look, but my vision starts to blur. I realize I probably lost more blood than I thought.
A few seconds later, I see flashlights through the trees and relief floods my system as I realize help is on the way.
“OVER HERE!” I scream, waving my arms as the lights pass over me.
“Stay with me, Kayden. I can’t lose you, not after all this. Help is here, you stay with me.”
“I love you… angel. You were always meant to save me,” he replies.
But I can’t save him, not from this.
Donovan drops to his knees on the other side of Kayden. “Shit.”
Axel peers over Donovan and immediately turns around, unclipping his helmet and tossing it into the woods, spewing expletives.
“Axel, don’t. If we have any hope of saving him, I need your help. Get the fuck over here,” Donovan demands as he digs through his first aid kit before pushing something into each of his wounds.
Kayden coughs, blood spraying, as Donovan packs the last wound. Five gunshot wounds total.
As Kayden’s breaths become more and more shallow, I get more and more dizzy.
“Shit, Donovan. Dani’s about to pass out. Look at her fucking neck,” Axel says, though he sounds miles away. He digs around in his pack, grabbing supplies before he gets up.
“Dammit,” Donovan says. “You take care of Dani, I got Kayden.”
I take another look at Kayden and grasp his hand. When Axel kneels down in front of me I lose sight of him.
I push at Axel, desperate for him to move so I can see Kayden. I have to see him. “Move, Axel,” I say as I push at him weakly. “I have to see him.”
A sharp pain pinches at my neck as I see Axel bring his hand back with a sharp-needled syringe. “What did you do…” I whisper, my hand flying to the side of my neck as the world spins.
Axel lowers me to the ground and I immediately seek out Kayden, reaching for his hand. The last thing I see before my world fades to black is Donovan doing compressions on Kayden.
I love you.