54. OBSIDIAN

It was all part of his plan.

If Vanya died, I would be blamed for it. They’d kill me and every other pride member on the island. The humans would be turned against us by Reeves, because he was powerful enough to accomplish that.

I knew he had been watching us. I knew he had seen me attacking Vanya.

Small cameras had been set up in the corners. The entrance and exit had also been revealed numerous times when he entered and left. The gas he had used to knock me out in order to move me was something they had used in the facility. What was really worrying was the fact that he somehow got hold of the gas in the first place and that he knew so much about me.

My eyes darted to one of the small vents I had seen hidden slightly from the human eye. It was how he was planning on knocking me out again.

I was just waiting for the right time to strike. I paced back and forth next to Vanya’s unconscious body. Stopping, I licked at the deep wounds on her upper arms. A shudder raced through my body and a whimper rose in my throat, but I quickly swallowed it. With one last glance at her, I started pacing again.

My eyes flicked up to the cameras and then around.

The man was good, too good. He had been planning it for months, which would explain why he hadn’t tried to kidnap Vanya again after the first failed attempt.  

I walked over to the corner the closest to the door and sniffed the ground. It smelt like fish.

Raising my head, I roared. What is he waiting for? I’ve done what he wanted me to. What if he isn’t planning on coming back here?

Panic hit. If he left without checking to see whether I completed the job, then we wouldn’t get out of here.

I roared again and froze when smoke slowly started filling the small space.

The bastard knew a lot about me, but did he know that we could hold our breath for long? Last time, I wasn’t prepared for it, but this time, I wouldn’t allow him to knock me out. I was going to kill that fucking bastard and get Vanya out.

I allowed my big body to slump to the floor, eyes closing and air locked in my lungs. My ears zoned in on the sound of Vanya’s heartbeat. It was getting fainter. I shouldn’t have bitten her so deep. It was only supposed to be deep enough to make her bleed, so he’d think that she was dead. I should’ve been more fucking careful with my claws.  

Have I hurt her in another way without realizing it?

My paws dug into the ground as I fought the urge to stay still.

She had betrayed you. Humans lie, you know it. They only want to kill us. We’re only animals to them.

I fought to push the voice out of my mind. Hadn’t Vanya proven she wasn’t like Lindsey? She had the opportunity to do as her father demanded, but she hadn’t.

But can you trust her? Can you really trust a human?

Yes. Vanya could be trusted. She had proven it by giving up her dreams to get off the island in order to protect us.

What happens when she decides that she doesn’t want you anymore?

I bit my tongue to stop the roar from escaping.

She thinks you’re sick.

No! She was just confused. She doesn’t understand why I loved using my knives and causing pain. But I’d teach her. I’d show her how much she’d enjoy it.

Just like Devrim.

My eyes snapped open when I heard the soft click. It was so soft that I thought I might’ve imagined it. But the door slowly opened. The human didn’t enter it immediately.

My whole body tensed when he finally stepped inside. His eyes were focused on Vanya. It was the first mistake he made.

No matter how badly I wanted to look at Vanya, I didn’t. I couldn’t. She would be the distraction I couldn’t afford at the moment.

Kill threat. Protect mate.

I slowly climbed to my feet and arched my back as I lowered my upper body to the ground. He had a gun in his right hand, I noticed, and a cell phone in the other.

Stupid fucking human. He should’ve been more aware of his surroundings.

“Finally,” he muttered. “With you and those animals out of the way, the bastard will finally pay me. For two fucking years I’ve been stuck on this island, but no longer.”

He nudged Vanya’s leg with the tip of his shoe. Thankfully, she made no sound.

“He might be a bit pissed that I used his own daughter, but that’s what he gets for fucking with me.”

His own daughter? Reeves? 

Chuckling, he turned around, eyes focused on his phone. I waited, which wasn’t long. The moment he raised his head and our eyes locked, I leaped at him.

The fucker had no chance of surviving. My body slammed into his, sending him flying backwards. I used my claws to swipe the gun and phone from his hands.

It briefly occurred to me at the back of my mind that the human had all the answers we needed, but the image of him beating Vanya with the bat made my rage spill over.

I clawed at him before I sank my teeth into his skin and ripped his throat out. His body jerked a few times and then he stilled as his heart stopped beating. It was too easy. He should’ve suffered a slow, painful fucking death for hurting her.

Vanya whimpered, snapping my attention towards her.

Climbing off his body, I shook out my fur before I made my way over to her. It would be faster in shifted form to get her help, but I couldn’t carry her on my back when she was still unconscious.

I shifted back to human and knelt next to her.

“It’s okay now, sweets,” I whispered as I gently slipped my arms underneath her and pulled her to my chest. “He’s dead. He won’t ever hurt you again.

My eyes dropped to her shoulder when her head rolled back against my arm.

“Forgive me. I’m sorry.”

There should’ve been another way. I should’ve thought of something else.

“It’s going to be okay,” I promised as I pulled her closer to my chest and stood. “You’re going to be okay, sweets.”

But as the seconds passed, Vanya’s heartbeat got fainter and fainter until I couldn’t hear it any longer.