Page 15 of Saved By The King's Gamma

“Does it hurt?” I murmur, my eyelids closing. My head falls forward, unable to keep it up when he grabs my face. His fingers pry my eyelids open. I only see white.

“What…? Hurry up!” Kade screams, and I hear people running up the steps toward us.

“Does it hurt?” I repeat.

“You think I wanted to do this? Of course, it hurts, I…”

“Because I feel nothing!” I giggle.

“Hang on, Abbie,” Kade says.

I snort. “For what? Certainly not for you,” I mumble, my lips going numb.

“Hang on for me. I didn’t mean it. You should know better; I…I…” he stutters frantically.

“Just hang on,” he says as my body feels more and more limp.

“I’m sorry, Ivy,” I whisper.

“Yes, yes, hang on for Ivy, please, Abbie, hang on for Ivy,” Kade begs, shaking me.

“I already did. She’s safe now,” I breathe out as I slide down the wall I am leaning on, my face pressing against the carpet, and I can hear the frantic beating of my heart drumming in my ears. I focus on that sound, waiting for the moment it will stop; when everything will go black.

9

The steady beep of hospital equipment reaches my ears as I blink up at the white ceiling. My eyes are heavy, my limbs immobile. Tears brim as I try to understand where I am and why I’m here.

Why? How could life be so cruel and bring me back? I remember the darkness, and then nothingness, I was finally free. Complete oblivion was what I expected; I had made my peace with it. I was ready to go. But here I am, alive.

I try to move my arms, but they feel like dead weights. Panic starts to rise in my chest as memories flood back. Kade shifting, the pain, and then everything going black. Was it all a dream? Or am I really alive?

“Abbie?” A soft voice breaks through the haze in my mind, and I turn my head to see a blurry outline of Kade, looking worried and disheveled. No!

“Thank god,” comes his rasp of a voice before he’s above, hovering over me. His hands paw at me, and I look away from him.

“I thought I lost you; the Moon Goddess must have heard my prayers,” he gushes, fussing over me like he was some fantastic mate and not the person who did this to me.

“She heard yours, but mine fell on deaf ears,” I groan. Fuck, if she had heard mine, I would have been dead years ago. But here I am still, the so-called Moon Goddess fucking shit up and not giving me the luxury of death.

Kade grabs my face in his hands. Sparks rush over my entire body and make my whole body heat. The bond reacts despite knowing what kind of monster he is. I gasp in horror as I become aware of the throbbing in my neck. Instinctively, I touch my mark to find it fresh.

Kade remarked me. Our severed bond is now stronger than ever by the feeling of the sparks that course over my entire body. Kade purrs while I think of how I failed to sever the bond and am again stuck with the miserable bastard.

“That was close,” Kade sighs, kissing my forehead like he is some loving mate. I just blink and say nothing.

“Well, at least you have learned your lesson. Then, after all this mess, we can go home. Cassandra said she would make you a nice dinner. Need to get you up to full strength so we can complete the mating process; I will ask the doctor to give you something to bring on your heat,” he says before walking out. This can’t be happening.

I swallow and try to move my hand to brush my hair back to find I am handcuffed to the bed by one hand. I tug on the handcuff, but it doesn’t budge. Sitting up, my entire body starts aching.

Panic bubbles up inside me as I remember what happened before passing out. Kade must have brought me here after he shifted back into his human form. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down. My mind races as I come up with a plan for escape.

My leg burns the most, and so does every inch of me. Using my other hand, I tug the hospital gown down a little, groaning as I do. My shoulder is covered in stitches. Rolling the skirt, I see my leg is the same. His mark may have saved me, but it didn’t heal me. That’s when I notice the drip attached to my hand. I follow the line to see a blood bag and another bag filled with some kind of clear liquid.

My heart races as I realize what Kade must have done. He’s keeping me alive by feeding me his blood and using whatever drug is in that other bag to keep me subdued and unable to fight back. The thought sickens me, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.

I try to sit up more, wincing at the soreness in my body. My head spins, and spots dance in front of my eyes, making me dizzy and disoriented.

I choke when I realize it has the same label as the shit Cassandra has been pumping into me. No wonder I look like Frankenstein. Kade is still preventing me from shifting, and God knows how long that drip has been attached to me because it’s not dark outside. I don’t even know if it’s the same day.

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