Page 49 of Betrayed Kidnapped Mate

“Shit,” Aris says, taking off toward Bigby as he shifts back, then collapses to the ground, his left side coated with blood.

***

I follow behind Aris and Ado as they carry Bigby into the medical ward.

When we got to the compound, Maisie met us at the truck, injecting Percy with a sedative. It took a few shots until he finally passed out, and Byron took him, carrying him while Ado and Aris worked together to carry Bigby, who was still unconscious in the back seat.

Now, the only thing I can think about is the wound in Bigby’s side. Maisie works quickly, cleaning and assessing it.

“Can you tell if the serum was used on him? Percy is the one who took the serum from the compound, so his blade could have been doused in the stuff.”

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be telling her this, but if Bigby’s been poisoned, I need to know. I can’t stand the thought of him suffering like that. I imagine him in one of those cells and wonder if the glass could even hold him if he lost control of his faculties.

“Based on what I’m seeing, it doesn’t look like it was used. I’ve examined the wounds from other shifters who were dosed by a poisoned blade, and they were almost cauterized like they had been burned. This one bled a lot, but luckily, it didn’t hit any major arteries or organs. He should be right as rain once I give him a transfusion.”

“Really? That’s strange. About the cauterization, I mean.”

“Yeah, perhaps something in the serum’s formulation caused the chemical reaction with shifter blood.”

I put my head in my hands. I’m relieved that Bigby is going to be okay, but my mind is also already running away with the thought of the cauterization—I can’t believe I didn’t think to look at the shifter’s wound before. I’d assumed they were injected with the stuff.

“Why would Varun test the serum like that? Slashing them with a poisoned weapon, rather than just injecting it?”

“I don’t know,” Maisie murmurs before sticking Bigby with the needle. “I suppose he wanted to test it how it would be applied in battle?”

“That’s…horrible,” I say, thinking of how scared those poor shifters must have been. And the pain they surely went through. I get that familiar feeling, itching deep in my brain like I’m just about to solve a problem. I start to stand from my spot next to Bigby to go to the chemistry lab, and when he reaches out and takes my hand, his eyes flutter open and meet mine.

Chapter 27 - Bigby

I hear Rosa’s voice and open my eyes, wincing at the pain in my side. There are bright lights above me, and a strange-smelling pillow under my head, and distantly, I register the fact that I’m somewhere in the compound.

Rosa is talking to Maisie about the serum and how Varun tested it on shifters. Was I hit with the serum? I try to do a mental catalog of my body and determine if anything feels different.

Surely, I’d know if I was hit.

I reach out, and when I feel Rosa’s hand resting on the bed, I clasp it tight, not wanting her to leave.

When her face comes into view, I grin up at her.

“You’re so beautiful,” I say, “I love you. I know you don’t feel the same way, but I need to say it. I want to tell you a million times. I love the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Rosa says, turning her face away, and addressing someone else. Maisie, probably

“Nothing—he was just in a lot of pain, so I gave him some medication. I guess they must make him a little loopy. Everyone reacts differently.”

“Rosa,” I say, reaching for my girl. My hands go around her waist, and I drag her my way, trying to lift her up onto my lap. That would be nice—having her on my lap. But I can’t get my arms to work right for some reason, and she doesn’t even lift off the ground. “Ow,” I say, feeling another stabbing pain in my side.

“Bigby,” says Maisie, coming to my side. She tuts and grabs something from the counter. “You’re making it bleed again.”

“It’s bleeding again? Will he need another transfusion?”

Rosa sounds panicked, and I smile, liking that she’s worrying about me. I’m completely fine—though I can’t remember why

“Honey,” I say, reaching out for her, grasping at her shirt. “Come here, honey, it’s okay. Just come here.”

Rosa turns, looking at me with an eyebrow raised, and suddenly, I am sleepy. I am so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open.

“What the—” Rosa says.

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