by Sedona Venez
A tremendous roar pierced the air. They were pissed that they got outsmarted and manipulated by Azura. His mother had prepared him for his death… and rebirth. Now the seeds had been sown and war would soon follow. He could hear Immortals cackling gleefully. The High Council was truly fucked. In their zeal to tear him away from Infinity, they just broke rule number one… Thou shall not fuck with pureblood Thorburn. Checkmate.
Boulder’s muscles seized. He felt the cold slither of the poison racing through his body. He had to calm his breathing, but the icy coldness was making it almost unbearable to breathe. He had to hold on… for her.
Infinity… he whispered through their connection.
He growled with frustration. Her mind was still disconnected from her body. He reached out to her mind again.
Darlin’, you have to wake up. There was nothing but utter silence. The Immortals had severed her from her mind in preparation for his death.
“Azura? You’re a fucking liar and a sore loser.” Alik kicked Boulder in the chest with sheer brutality. “I win.” He crouched down, looking at Boulder with pure hatred. “She’s mine.” His eyes narrowed on Boulder's neck, surprise written all over it. “Where did you get that?”
Boulder’s tongue felt heavy. “You're too late, vampire.”
Alik snarled, pulling on Boulder's silver chain, snapping it off and pocketing his dog tags along with Infinity's charm. “You won’t need these where you’re going—straight to the underworld, wolf-shifter.” He laughed coldly. “And don't worry. I'll take good care of Infinity.”
Boulder’s laugh was harsh before he coughed up blood.
Alik's face transformed into a mask of rage. “Just fucking hurry up and die, wolf-shifter.”
Boulder spit blood in Alik's face. “No matter how much you try… she will always be mine.”
Mason barrelled into the room, stopping dead in his tracks. Surprised.
“Run! If you want to live, tiger,” Alik shouted at him.
Mason glared at Infinity, stepping forward with determination written all over his face. “Not without her.”
“If you touch her… you'll end up just like the wolf. Dead,” Alik snarled.
Mason smiled coldly, stepping back. “This is not done, vampire.” He looked at her longingly before sprinting out of the room.
Boulder felt himself slipping into darkness, the soft whispering of the Immortals giving him strength, assuring him that this was far from over.
Alik moved away from him. Painfully, Boulder turned his head, watching with anguish as Alik brushed Infinity's hair away from her face with familiarity that made him want to snap Alik into two.
Sounds of a loud commotion echoed outside the room. Boulder sighed with relief when Torch and Kara crashed into the room.
“Finally,” he whispered, gasping for breath. Weak and barely coherent, he rasped, “Torch, get that bloodsucker away from my mate.”
Kara looked at Alik suspiciously. “Get the hell away from my daughter.” She aimed her gun at his head when he hesitated. “I said move! Or I'll splatter your brain all over this fucking room, vampire.”
Torch rushed over to Boulder, kneeling beside him. Boulder felt Torch reaching out to him through their pack bond, knowing that Boulder's life was draining out of him.
“Who did this?” Torch hissed. But it was no use. The muscles in Boulder's throat had constricted painfully. He was barely breathing. He inspected the bullet wound in Boulder's chest, knowing immediately that he was shot with a RejuvX bullet.
Torch looked around the bullet-riddled room, then glared suspiciously at Alik. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he snapped.
“I followed Boulder in after seeing Mason run up here.” Alik stepped back tensely. “Mason shot him and tried to escape with Infinity. Lucky I was here to stop him.”
“You're a fucking liar.” Torch snarled.
Alik smiled chillingly. “Are you accusing me of something, wolf-shifter?”
Boulder was sheathed in sweat. He had lost a lot of blood. Torch probed the wound in his chest. The damage around the perimeter of the wound was not healing. The tissue was bruised and gangrenous. He reached out to Cruz and Factor through the pack connection for help.
“I don't have time to battle with you, Alik. He's been poisoned with RejuvX. We're running out of time. A couple more minutes and he'll be gone,” Torch rasped.
Torch slapped his cheek. Boulder started to stir.
“Can you hear me, Boulder?”
Boulder's eyes snapped wide open. His eyes were glazed and disoriented as Factor and Cruz came running into the room, panicked. Torch looked over at Cruz.
“Get Tate. We need the antidote, now!” he barked. “Factor, get Infinity. We have to get her to safety.”
Factor stormed over to Infinity, lifting her up easily.
Kara looked on anxiously. “Be careful with her. I think she has a concussion.”
Factor gave her an irritated glare. “I got this, Kara. Back away.”
Ignoring him, she crowded his space. “Infinity!” Kara barked. “Wake up, baby. We have to leave.”
Infinity's head rolled listlessly before her eyes snapped open, dazed. Her eyes narrowed on the strange man with chocolate-brown hair and menacing sky-blue eyes. “Get off me,” she snapped, struggling out of this grip like a fish out of water.
“It's okay, baby.” Kara patted her arm reassuringly. “He's Boulder's pack mate, Factor. Everything will be all right.”
Kara stared at her with an overly bright smile. Infinity knew immediately that something was wrong, and she was determined to find out. She reached through her connection with Boulder, needing him here, but felt absolutely nothing. The void was so silent it was frightening. She turned her head, searching for him, only to see him lying in a pool of his own blood.
“No!” she cried, struggling out of Factor's grip. “Please! Let me down.”
Factor's blue eyes widened with concern. “I don't think that's a good idea.”
She struggled, kicking wildly until he reluctantly set her on her feet. Her knees buckled, sending her crashing.
Factor growled as he reached to scoop her up. Ignoring his outstretched hand, she climbed to her hands and knees, then wobbled to her feet.
He scowled. “You're one stubborn woman.”
She staggered over to Boulder. Her knees buckled, and her vision went fuzzy. She closed her eyes a second, swallowing over the nausea. Torch looked at her, ghostly pale. She blinked at him with wide eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched Boulder roll onto his back, letting out a pained howl.
Infinity stared at him in stunned disbelief, collapsing by his side. “Boulder? Baby, you need a hospital.”
His big apple-green eyes locked on hers and he seemed to relax. “I’m going to be all right, darlin’.” Raising his hand, he caressed her cheek lovingly, and she leaned into his touch. “Don’t worry about me.”
“You’re my mate. I’ll always worry about you.” She wrapped her arms around him, feeling the life draining out of him. This was her worst nightmare come to life. She was going to lose him. “Please.” Her voice hitched. “Don’t leave me.”
She gulped when Boulder's voice spoke inside her head. Darlin’, I will never leave your side. In this life or the next. He slid his fingers over his claim mark on her neck. I love you. His voice was just a breath above a whisper.
“Oh, Big Red… I love you so much that it fucking hurts.” Her heart was breaking and there was nothing she could do about it. “Just hang on. I can’t… I refuse to let you go.” Her voice was hard and gruff from the emotional pain.
He winked at her tiredly. “Then don’t. Fight for me always… and our love will win in the end.”
“Shh… You’re okay… Just—” Her words were cut off when he pulled her against him, burying his face into the curve of her neck. He held her in silence, breathing in long, shuddering breaths before letting out a ragg
ed sigh and then his breathing slowed, his body relaxed. His arms fell to the ground with a thud.
“No, Boulder… please, baby, fight. Fight, don’t go.” Her breath was ragged in her throat. Her body shook from the pain. Her eyes darted to Boulder, then back to Torch, pleading for help. “Don’t just fucking sit there. Do something!”
Tears slid down her cheeks when her connection with him was brutally severed. It was sharp and brutal, leaving nothing but utter silence like a door had been slammed shut. Unable to resist the possibility of snatching him from death’s grip, she meditated, searching her mind for her mate. The tendrils of her power discharged, seeking Boulder. She breathed a sigh of relief as a jolt of recognition hit her. He was there, on the other side. His voice whispered to her heart. Let me go, Infinity. Boulder. Boulder, her mate. His scent and love flooded her mind. You must let me go. Trust me. Her heart rebelled, but her mind knew the truth. She had to let him go. Infinity felt her heart squeeze in pain as she severed the connection. A piece of her had been ripped away.
“Infinity.” Kara's voice was urgent but soft. “We have to go. Torch can take care of him.” She hissed the words out as she dragged Infinity away from Boulder’s body. “Please, baby. More tigers are coming. We have to get out of here.”
She was numb. The icy cold slid into her body, darkening her mood before the hard rush of feral emotions flooded her body. He couldn’t be dead. He was an Immortal. They wouldn’t let him go. They couldn’t… They needed him. Shit! She needed him.
“No! I’m staying.” She needed to stay with Boulder and there wasn’t a damn person in the room who would stop her.
“The hell you are!” Kara spat as she dragged her away. Infinity fought viciously against her, scratching and kicking with such ferocity that Factor had to help Kara get her under control.
Cruz ran into the room, tugging some frazzled man carrying a silver case.
“How long?” the man snapped.
“More than twelve minutes,” Torch barked as he ripped Boulder’s shirt down the middle, revealing his chest.
He crouched by Boulder, examining the bullet wound. “We may have time.” He snapped open the silver case, pulling out a syringe filled with black fluid, then tapped the syringe a couple of times before jabbing Boulder in the neck.
“Get away from him,” she screamed. “What are you injecting him with?”
He glared at her. “Get everyone out of the damn room.”
“Let them work, Infinity. They’re trying to save him,” Kara snapped, pulling her away. “We’ve got to go. It’s not safe.”
“No! I can’t leave him,” she screamed hysterically.
“Enough,” Kara spat, digging her fingers bitingly into Infinity.
Futilely, Infinity pulled and yanked like an animal until finally exhausted, collapsing against Kara. Her world spun, so she closed her eyes. She couldn’t fight them or the pain that clawed through her veins. The darkness deepened as the cold seeped into her heart. Her soul was slipping into the darkness, and she refused to fight it anymore.
Book Three of the
Valkyries: Soaring Raven Series
November 2014
About the Author
Sedona Venez (also known as T.L. Clarke) is the author of the New Adult Credence Curse series, and the New Adult Valkyries: Soaring Raven series. She is a NYC girl (Go Brooklyn!) with a slight obsession with her iPad, Pinterest, and television shows Pawn Stars, Castle, and Face Off. Her love of music, tattoos, rockers, alpha men, and wolf-shifters inspires her edgy paranormal and contemporary romance novels. You can find out more about Sedona and her work by visiting http://www.sedonavenez.com.
More about the Valkyries: Soaring Raven series can be found at:
sedonavenez.com
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Books in the Credence Curse series:
Breaking the Storm (Credence Curse, #1) – Available Now
When Lightning Strikes (Credence Curse, #2) – April 2014
Reason to Love (Credence Curse, #3) – August 2014
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Books in the Valkyries: Soaring Raven series:
Infinity (Valkyries: Soaring Raven, #1) – Available Now
Infinity Unleashed (Valkyries: Soaring Raven, #2) – Available Now
Infinity Reloaded (Valkyries: Soaring Raven, #3) – November 2014
