Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 116535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Camden ignored them all. Didn’t care. His only concern was his mate. Never before had panic struck him like this. It clogged his lungs and threatened to shut down all rational thought. His inner beast was in no better state.
Echoes of pain struck Camden over and over through their bond. Wayland was hurting her, the bastard. Camden was sure she’d give as good as she got. Normally, he wouldn’t worry so much about her brawling. But this time, she wasn’t up against an average person. She was up against someone who’d received the same training as her. A man who Camden knew from their past spars had a hell of a fucking punch.
Camden didn’t doubt that the fucker would do his utmost best to kill her. Wayland would have no choice but to do so if he wanted to live. Oh, the guy might be prepared to leave and come back to fight another day, but Aspen wouldn’t allow that. She wouldn’t stop fighting until one of them was dead. That was just who she was.
Usually, Camden admired her win or die mentality. Now, while she was up against such a tough motherfucker, it worried the shit out of him.
He would have tried calling her again, but it was possible that he’d only distract her. And the likelihood of her answering was little to none anyway.
He ran and ran and ran. It seemed to take forever before he reached their complex. Many pallas cats surrounded it, as ordered by Vinnie. Camden paid them no attention as he tore through the parking lot, squeezed through the line of shifters, and scurried into the building.
He dashed straight to one of the stairwells, knowing the elevator would be slow. His heart pounding like a drum, he began to rocket up the many stairs, praying she’d be okay. Fuck, did they have to live on one of the upper floors?
He stumbled as pain slammed into his head and his world momentarily went dark. He shot out his palm and braced it on a step for balance.
Vinnie halted beside him. “You all right?”
Camden gave his head a fast shake, blinking hard. The dizziness eased away, and he took off again as he replied, “Yeah, but my mate is now fucking unconscious.”
She’d be fine, though. He was almost there. Just a few floors away. He’d get to her.
Behind him, Vinnie yelled something about approaching the apartment quietly. There was no sense in that. Wayland would be well-aware that Camden, having felt Aspen’s struggle through their bond, was on his way. Hell, she was pretty much bait. And there was no way Camden could possibly be slow or careful right now.
Reaching their floor, he burst through the stairwell door and ran along the hallway. Camden came to an abrupt halt as he reached his apartment. His front door was wide open. Two people were inside. Both were dead.
Vinnie materialized at his side and took in the scene. “What the hell? Where’s Asp—”
“Gone. Taken. Julius must have escaped; he has her.” Camden could smell the bastard. He locked onto that scent and followed it to the other stairwell.
“This place is surrounded by our pride,” Vinnie reminded him, following him down the stairs. “He’ll be spotted, he won’t get far.”
Camden was counting on that. He kept racing down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Finally reaching the first level, he raced out of the fire exit … and there was Julius, facing the many cats blocking his path. Every muscle in Camden’s body went tight, because an unconscious Aspen hung limply in his uncle’s hold, and said uncle was jabbing a gun into her temple.
Shit, shit, shit. Cold fingers danced down Camden’s spine. His tiger threw back his head and roared. The sound echoed with both panic and fury.
She had bruises, scratches, swellings, and cuts on what parts of her face Camden could see. The cut on her forehead was particularly deep and bleeding badly. Camden wondered if Julius had hit her with the butt of his gun to knock her out.
“Now, boys, you need to let me pass,” Julius said to the pallas cats. “Either that or I shoot this pretty girl here.”
“We can’t let you take her,” said Tim. “She’s one of ours.”
“She’ll be a dead one of yours if you don’t get out of my way.” Julius stiffened. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re here, my dear nephew.” He turned his head slightly and gave Camden one of his cocky smirks. “Good of you to join us. Be a good boy and tell these cats here to let me pass. Unless you want me to pump several bullets into your mate’s brain.”
Camden stomped on the awful, cold feeling that tried to crawl through him—an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time; one he refused to let sweep over him now.