Page 49 of Little Bunny

His best friend lay motionless, a tangle of wires and tubes snaking around his too-still form. Skin too pale. Lips dry and cracked. Blond hair darkened and matted against his forehead, a far cry from its usual styled perfection.

The sight sent a sharp pang through Elijah’s chest. It was still unbelievable that Percy had somehow locked himself inside a shed. He was absentminded, naïve, and a bit chaotic—sure—but he wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t reckless.

None of this made sense.

If he’d been trapped out there any longer in that suffocating heat…

Elijah squeezed his eyes shut, shoving the thought away before it could spiral. With quiet steps, he crossed the room, lowering himself into the chair beside the bed.

Gently, he reached for Percy’s hand, careful of the IV taped to the back of it. The warmth of his skin was a small reassurance.

“You scared the hell out of me,” Elijah murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

His grip tightened. “I need you to wake up, Percy.”

A slight twitch against his palm made Elijah freeze.

Percy’s fingers stirred, his grip weak but there, a sluggish attempt at movement. His lips parted, dry and cracked, barely forming sound.

Elijah leaned in, heart pounding. “Percy?”

A faint whisper, barely audible. “One… of…” His tongue darted out, as if he was trying to wet his lips.

“Take your time,” Elijah said, gently squeezing Percy’s hand to let him know he was there. That he would always be there for him. Best friends until the end.

Which, thankfully, hadn’t been today.

“Matias’s… men.”

The words were strained, so soft Elijah almost thought he imagined them. But the way Percy’s eyelids fluttered, his brows faintly drawing together, told him he was still half trapped in whatever nightmare had led him to that damn shed.

Elijah sucked in a sharp breath.

“No,” he whispered back, shaking his head slightly as if that could undo what he just heard. That wasn’t possible. Matias’s pack was loyal. Feral, dangerous, and rough around the edges, sure. But loyal to their alpha.

Why the hell would one of them betray him like this? It made no sense. Percy wasn’t leverage for anything. He had no ties to anyone outside of maybe Santiago, but even then, Elijah was pretty sure they hadn’t become mates.

His best friend would have told him.

Percy’s fingers went slack, his brief moment of consciousness slipping away as quickly as it had come. His breathing evened out, the machines taking over as the only sound in the room.

Elijah sat there, gripping Percy’s hand tighter as his mind spun.

What if he’d died out there?

What if the heat had claimed him before Tito had found him? Tears stung Elijah’s eyes at the thought of losing Percy. They’d been through so much together, a lifetime. He loved the man like his own brother.

And if one of Matias’s men had done this, Elijah wanted revenge. He wasn’t the vengeful type, but for Percy, he would make damn sure that whoever had done this would pay dearly.

Elijah stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. His gut churned, too much adrenaline, unease and rage spiking through his veins. He had to tell Matias.

Now.

His steps were quiet as he pushed into the hallway, eyes locking instantly onto Matias.

The man stood near the waiting area, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. But Elijah saw the tension in his shoulders, the way his pack stood around him like sentinels, as if they were awaiting orders.

Too many ears. Too many eyes watching him, watching the room.

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