Launching herself at the bed, she slashed as Whisper snapped his jaws, roaring loud enough to shake the pavilion’s foundations.

She whimpered in terror but lunged again.

The blade flashed, catching his shoulder with a brutal slice.

Whisper howled.

“NO!” My scream ripped my throat as I threw myself from the bed, clutched my pounding head, and tried to get between them. Whisper staggered back, legs getting tangled in my covers, hackles high, blood coating his midnight fur.

Laura brandished the knife again, her face drawn but determined. “Stay the hell away from her!”

Rushing her, I tried to shut down my pain. “He wasn’t hurting me!”

“His teeth were moments away from sinking into your neck!”

“He was helping!”

Her mouth hung open, her eyes bugging. “Helping? Have you lost your mind?”

“H-He’s my friend.” Snatching the dagger from her hand, I clutched it tight. “I know what it looks like but he’s gentle. I promise.”

Backing up, her eyes locked on Whisper as the bleeding panther jumped off the bed and snarled. Spittle dripped from his fangs as he prepared to pounce.

Shit.

Spinning around, I flung my arms wide, doing my best to block Laura from his view. “She didn’t mean to hurt you. She was just worried about me, that’s all.”

Whisper flattened himself, his tail flicking. Any second, he’d spring onto the girl who was slowly becoming a friend and I wouldn’t be able to stop him slaughtering her right in front of me.

So, I did the only thing I could.

Tossing away the knife, not caring it went skittering across the floor, I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around his stiff, growl-vibrating neck. “Please don’t hurt her.” I didn’t know if he understood English, but I begged anyway. “Please?”

My headache thundered and my heart skipped, but I flatly forbade myself from passing out. If I did, Laura would die.

Whisper’s snarl quietened a little as I pressed my face to his huge solid cheek. “You’re okay. I’ll fix this. It’s just a crazy misunderstanding.”

He sat up from his pounce, knocking me aside. Studying me, he stopped snarling. For a moment, I swore I saw betrayal in his stare before he glanced at his bleeding shoulder.

With a dramatic hiss at Laura, he broke into a run.

In a streak of black, the panther raced out of my pavilion, leaving behind a few crimson droplets on the floor.

Oh, God.

Oh, God!

Lucien.

Whisper would return to him.

Lucien would murder whoever’d hurt his beloved companion.

I wobbled as my mind threatened to blackout.

Swallowing hard, I staggered to my feet and almost fell against Laura. Grabbing her hand, I commanded, “You have to go. Now. You weren’t here, got it? You didn’t hurt the cat. You know nothing about any of it.”

She scowled, trying to hold me upright as my pain made me double over. “But—”

“No buts.” I pushed her toward the door. “Go.”

She tripped as I propelled her outside and onto the grass. “But you’re—”

“Oh, God.” I dropped to my knees as the sunshine drove a screwdriver into my eyes.

“Rook!” Falling with me, she wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tucked me against her.

And I was done.

The stress and anxiety that I could never control reached their nasty crescendo.

I sagged in her hold, my voice going thin.  “If Lucien comes here and asks who hurt Whisper, it was me, alright?”

“No, I—”

“Do it. For me. He won’t hurt me. But you?” I shuddered, my tongue thick and useless. “Promise me you’ll say it was me.”

“Rook?” She hugged me tighter. “Rook?” She shook me as I slipped closer to that line of forced sleep. “What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s fine.” I struggled to stay awake. “I just have this thing where...I shut down if I’m overwhelmed.”

I lost grip on this world and fell...

Chapter Thirty-Five

THE BROKEN GLASS ON THE TOP OF the walls keeping me in this hell glittered in the sunshine. The streams and lakes twinkled, the trees swayed gently, and the many covered open-air pathways, salas, shrubs, and flowers did their best to paint a picture of serenity and calm.

But all I felt was disgust and despair and smouldering, scorching hate.

I stood on the roof again.

My one place where I didn’t feel so trapped.

The heat from the black stone of the huge mansion warmed my bare feet, but even with the bright afternoon sun, its fire couldn’t compare to the flames in my veins.

I’d shrugged off my coat, letting it fall to the ground. I’d unbuttoned my shirt, baring just enough of my chest to the soft breeze. The metallic glint of the vitalsync core peeked out of my clothes, the lights flashing red.

I needed Rook.

Without her, the pain had returned to unbearable levels.

I hated how quickly I’d grown used to her.

To rely on her.

That wasn’t supposed to happen.

I wasn’t supposed to need anyone.

My hands balled as another flush of misery made my knees buckle.

Why the fuck wasn’t she here yet?

Why hadn’t she turned up this morning?

Anger rose.

It was easier to be angry than admit I was worried.

I should’ve gone to fetch her the moment the pain crept to crippling levels, but I’d left it too long and the thought of walking across the meadow now...I wouldn’t make it.

A noise wrenched my head to the side as the unlatched door by the tower swung open.

Claws scraped on stone as Whisper appeared from the shadows, head low, body stiff, the slightest limp as he moved toward me. My eyes narrowed on his shoulder where his glossy black pelt looked wet. The sun glimmered, turning black to scarlet.

My heart rate climbed.

The vitalsync core beeped in warning, thanks to my pulse touching that warning line.

My fists balled as pure fury flowed through me.

Fucking bastards and their fucking leash.

Motherfucking assholes for keeping me so weak and useless and burning.

I couldn’t even be concerned for the most important creature in the world to me. Couldn’t let my system feel fear or worry or panic.

“You’re hurt.” My voice came out cold and heartless, doing my best to stay conscious.

Whisper stopped beside me and dropped to his haunches. His head tipped up to stare at me. He exhaled heavily, sounding so much like an exasperated human, I forgot that he wasn’t one.

A grunt echoed in his barrel of a chest as he twisted and licked his injury.

My gaze flew to the furthest pavilion on the outskirts of the woods.

Rook.

She’d better have a good excuse for not coming.

Her absence had condemned me to yet another day of absolute misery. A day that I wouldn’t see much more of because any moment now the pain would become too much, and I’d succumb.

Gritting my teeth, I used what meagre strength I had left to bend over and stop Whisper from cleaning his wound. He hissed a little but obeyed, licking his lips free from blood.

Running a shaking finger over the shallow slice, relief filled me. “It’s not deep. You’ll be okay.”

Nudging me out of the way, he resumed his licking.

Fine, let him heal himself.

I wasn’t any use to him in my current condition.

“Who did it?” I staggered forward, holding onto the parapet as another flash of fire shot through me.

Whisper bared his teeth but kept licking.

Sweat rolled down my temples as I dug my fingernails into the rock. “Fine. Keep your secrets. However, you’ll have to fight your own battles today, I’m afraid.”

He made a soft grunting sound and came to lean against me.

My right hand stopped clawing at the stone and dropped to his head. Touching him sometimes helped. Borrowing his brutish power was sometimes the only way I stayed conscious. Scratching behind his ears, my gaze slid back to the wall trapping me in this estate of horrors.