Page 98 of Royal Bite
“Then your mate will die right here,” Azura threatened.
The lycan kept her other arm wrapped around Stormey’s waist, holding her against her. Stormey held on to Hegna’s gaze. She trusted that her vampire would rescue her and take her home.
“This building is surrounded by more vampires than lycans, Azura,” Hegna said.
“Is that supposed to frighten me?” Azura threw back her head and laughed. Her hand dug into Stormey’s side.
Stormey winced, feeling another set of claws on her stomach.
“You aren’t in a position to threaten me. Let me and my wolves go, and I’ll let your mate live.”
“Not going to happen.” Hegna shook her head and dropped down in a fighting stance. She was downright vicious with her request. Her fangs were on full display, and her laser focus was on Azura. “Let my mate go and come fight me like a woman.”
“I don’t think so,” Azura snarled.
Her body jerked with force, her grasp loosening around Stormey. It jerked again, the distinct sound of gunfire coming from behind her. Stormey tried to break out of her hold, but the lycan held on to her and brought her back to her.
Stormey screamed; pain lanced her belly and her neck. Azura’s claws dug into her flesh, and agony like nothing she’d ever experienced surged through her. Her cry filled the air as her body grew weak. Azura flung her to the side. Her body flew through the air, landing hard on the floor. She rolled onto her side, cradling her stomach with one hand while her other one covered her neck.
She pulled her palm away from her stomach and lifted it. Blood covered her hand completely.
This was not good.
Weakness crept into her. Her vision blurred, but she tried to hold on. She twisted her head to the side and saw her mate engaged in a fight to the death with the lycan. Azura must have shifted fully into her beast form.
Stormey didn’t want to distract her mate. She felt herself fading.
“I love you, princess,” Stormey whispered. With all of the commotion, she doubted that Hegna had heard her, but she still needed to verbalize the words. At least the universe would have heard her. She rested back on the floor, her gaze on the ceiling. A chill overtook her, and darkness clouded her vision. Wetness covered her skin and soaked her clothes. A peaceful feeling overcame her.
She closed her eyes momentarily; a bright, blinding light appeared suddenly. She blinked several times, her eyes needing to adjust. She turned her head and paused. A Black couple stood in the light. The woman appeared similar to Stormey while the man was handsome and tall.
Her parents.
Without even being told who they were, she just knew.
She smiled and tried to reach for them. She focused on their warm smiles and stood. She didn’t feel pain anymore. Nothing but love filled her.
She took a step toward them but sensed she was leaving something behind that was important. Stormey glanced over her shoulder and was met with white clouds and a bright-blue sky. It was a beautiful sight to behold. She stood still and took it all in. She looked back at the couple who waved to her. Their welcoming smiles and open arms drew her to them.
They were still a distance away, but she would go to them.
Hegna roared, sending her twin daggers directly into Azura’s neck. The larger animal had been slowed down by the argentite bullets, but she had put up one hell of a fight. Hegna stared into Azura’s eyes as the light began to fade.
“Know that you die at the hands of a vampire, lycan,” Hegna growled. She gave a yell and pulled them out. Blood sprayed everywhere, but Hegna would not be satisfied until Azura’s head rolled. She spun around with a hard force and sent the alpha’s head flying through the air.
“Your Grace,” Bijou’s voice rang out.
The urgency had Hegna’s head whipping around. She had never heard this tone in Bijou’s voice before. She turned and found Bijou kneeling beside Stormey’s eerily still body. Hegna sheathed her weapons and rushed to her mate’s side.
She fell to her knees near Stormey, in shock. Stormey’s injury was far worse than she’d thought. Her mate’s blood was pooling on the floor underneath her. It was so much blood that Hegna feared Stormy was already gone.
“We need a healer,” Hegna hollered. She reached out and swept a hand along her mate’s cool face. Stormey’s chest was rising and falling dangerously slowly. She tried to listen for her heart rate, but each beat was too far away from the next one. Her mate was dying before her.
Hegna’s heart raced as fear crept inside her. She couldn’t lose her mate. Not when she hadn’t claimed her yet. Hegna bit back the rage and anger that exploded inside at herself. How had she not protected her mate again? She had been so focused on Azura that she hadn’t realized the lycan had fatally wounded her mate.
She leaned forward and took in the wound on Stormey’s neck. It was angry-looking with blood seeping from it. She moved down to Stormey’s stomach where her shirt was drenched in blood. She lifted the material and bit back a curse at the sight of Stormey’s belly. Azura’s claws had mangled her flesh.
If she could kill Azura again, she would.
