Page 23 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

My voice breaks on a sob before I can finish.

I swallow back a taste of iron and whisper with as much earnestness as I can manage, "Take me with you."

Shade’s face crumples with sorrow, but Blaze is already moving. He returns to me in a flash, crouches, and hauls me onto his back as if I weigh nothing. His hands lock beneath my thighs while I wrap my arms around his neck and press my cheek to his shoulder. Even those small movements leave me drained.

"Hold on, Sparkles," he says, voice low and urgent. "We’ve gotta move fast."

I nod against him and tighten my grip.

Then they run.

Chapter Seven

Halley

The forest blurs around us, branches whipping against my cheeks as Blaze tears through the underbrush with me on his back.

With each pounding footfall, I feel the Pack bonds sparking back to life in my chest.

Shade is frantic ahead of us, and Blaze is hot with dread beneath me.

Knox feels distant. Our bond never fully formed before all of this, but I can still sense him at the edge of me.

And Viper...

My breath catches.

Compared to the golden pull of the others, Viper’s bond is thin and unstable, flickering as if one more tear could sever it completely.

Oh frack, no.

I understand why Blaze and Shade are so panicked.

Without me, Viper’s Blood Lust came back.

Which means we have to get there before he loses himself forever.

My grip tightens around Blaze’s neck as fear moves through me. It's immediate and cold, but it doesn't completely take the wheel.

Death already took me once. I won't let it take Viper too.

The trees thin, and a moonlit clearing opens ahead.

In the middle are two figures I'd recognize anywhere.

Viper and Knox.

Knox stands braced, his body held tight with brutal control. Viper’s massive frame is just as still, but every muscle is straining, and his skin is twitching unnaturally.

Blaze skids to a halt at the edge of the open space.

I shove off his back before he can stop me.

My legs nearly fold the instant my feet hit the ground, but I force myself forward anyway. I need to reach Viper, to feel his arms around me and prove our bond hasn’t faded for good. He needs me. His Blood Lust is taking over, and he needs his Omega to bring him back.

I make it two steps before my knees give out.

Shade catches me around the waist and hauls me back against his chest.