Hannah ran for her life around the corner of the mansion, ignoring the stitch in her side as she sprinted on. She kicked in the door, startling the housekeeper, who was already trembling in the kitchen.
Hannah stomped toward her, eyes blazing with urgency.
“Where is he?” she growled.
The housekeeper pointed a shaking finger toward the lounge, and Hannah wasted no time in pouncing into the room. The first thing she saw sent an arrow through her heart.
It was Levi, lying face down on the floor with blood pooling below his chest. Her focus narrowed as she booked it to him, but something smacked her across the face as she rushed to his side.
She flew into the armoire at the back of the room with a crash, landing on the floor with bits of glass cascading down around her. She was shocked, but only for a moment, before jumping up into an all-fours position to assess her enemies.
Two lion shifters stared down at her, foam pouring from their mouths. Hannah was able to calculate which one was stronger and which was weak merely by the pace of their breath and the beating of their hearts.
She removed her clothing as fast as she could before the bigger lion blasted at her. He must have been the same one that hit her in the face because his confidence was astonishing.
Hannah shifted, splitting the remainders of her clothing into tiny tatters as she blocked the oncoming attack. The lion hurled into what was left of the armoire, knocking it to the floor with a loud smash. This gave Hannah time to sink her wolf teeth into the creature’s tail, causing it to yelp in agony.
She was driven by unprecedented rage and ferocity. She saw nothing in front of her eyes but violence and turmoil, all in the name of her fated mate.
It was shocking but invigorating at the same time.
She tore the lion’s stubby bit of fur from its tail off in one movement, sending spews of blood from its end. It began whimpering, then retreated from the room before the fight could even start.
Hannah whipped her body around, knowing there was another shifter waiting and on the prowl. That one was less confident and began approaching her with caution. Hannah bared her teeth and growled deeply, wanting him to try it, just fucking try it.
She held herself back enough until the lion came at her, mouth open and aiming for her neck. She managed to redirect its open jaw, so its teeth merely skimmed the top of her brows.
But it was enough to make her go even more wild, like she was back in the woods, fighting for the life of her pack.
She drove her fangs deep into the lion’s back, then planted her nails into its fur. She dragged them down the lion’s sides, surely hitting vital organs along the way. He howled in agony as he tried to shake her off, his cries surging through her like a sweet massage.
He managed to shimmy from beneath her claws and depart from the room, trails of blood dripping across the hardwood floor.
Hannah had the urge to chase them both, to kill them brutally to make sure they never came back. But she spotted Levi again, noticing that he had turned his head to the side and was coughing up more blood.
She shifted, not caring that she was utterly naked.
“Levi!” she cried out.
Hannah fell to her knees and helped Levi roll onto his back. Her heart sank when she spotted the wet pool of blood staining his polo like an entire bottle of wine.
Levi tried to speak. “Go, Hannah.”
His voice was gritty and moist from the amount of blood he was losing. Hannah stroked his face and tried to soothe him with her low voice.
“Shh,” she said, gazing at him. “I need you to be quiet. Try to stay calm. I’m going to get you some help.”
Hannah’s exterior seemed relaxed, but inside, she was in turmoil. She wouldn’t live if anything happened to Levi. He was her mate, and when he left this world, she was going to leave with him.
She grabbed some of her clothing that remained on the floor, placing a shirt over her body and loose pants while using what remained of her jacket and bra to tie a makeshift bandage around his chest. There wasn’t much time to bandage him correctly. He was sure to bleed out if they spent any more time in the mansion.
“Here,” Hannah said.
She finished securing her jacket against his chest, looping her bra around his back and tying it tightly. She pressed his hand against the makeshift bandage.
“Hold this down as much as you can,” she said.
“Uh,” Levi groaned. “I hope this isn’t expensive silk.”