MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

34. EVA: WHAT NOW?

I pushed Ariana towards the bathtub on shaky legs. The heavy weight of the gun in my hand felt strange and extremely uncomfortable. I had no idea how to use it, but there had been no time to tell Lucas that.

"What's happening?" Ariana questioned.

"S-someone's at the door." I climbed over the rim of the tub and changed our positions. "Lie down on your side facing me."

Disgust filled me as my eyes fell on the dark ring surrounding the tub. Safety over luxury, I reminded myself as I followed Ariana's actions.

"D-do you know how to use it?" She glanced down at the gun.

I licked my lips. "No."

"Give it to me," she ordered as she reached for the gun. "I know how."

I blinked at her. She had to be joking. There was no fucking way Ariana knew how to use a gun. But as I watched her checking the gun over, I started doubting myself. I had no clue what she was doing but by the look of things, Ariana knew exactly what she was doing.

"When you spend a few days locked in a cage, you tend to pay extra attention to what goes on around you," she whispered. "We need to switch positions so I can shoot whoever enters."

My sister was someone I needed to protect. It went against my instincts to switch our positions and allow her to be placed in the line of danger.

Sometimes instincts were a bitch because they forced you to do something you didn't really want to.

Like protecting Ariana because she was weaker than me. She couldn't shift forms therefore she had no claws or sharp teeth to take out the enemy.

"Get down," I ordered when she continued to sit up.

"I can't shoot if I lie down."

I continued to glare at her even thought I knew that it was doing nothing. She could be a stubborn bitch at times.

The sounds coming from the room made me frown. It was silent but I could hear the low timber of male voices. There was no fighting or any signs of us being in danger.

Or so I thought.

One minute everything was calm and in the next all hell broke loose.

There was a cry of pain—one I knew belonged to Lucas—followed by shots being fired.

Had Lucas been killed?

My skin itched and my breathing sped up as the animal in me started clawing at my skin to get out. I wanted to go rescue him. I looked up at Ariana when she moved.

She raised her arms and aimed the gun at the door. For a few seconds doubt filled my mind again but I quickly pushed it aside.

"Check the bathroom!" a gruff voice ordered.

Ariana's eyes dropped down to mine. I could see everything that she couldn't voice out loud.

"I'm sorry for calling you a pussy," I whispered, "and for forcing you to go to that party."

Her lips parted but the words were cut off by the bathroom door opening. I couldn't see a thing but apparently it was a bad guy because Ariana's finger pressed down on the trigger.

Pain shot through my ears when the gun went off.

Her body jerked.

The gun was fired twice more.

And then everything fell silent.

I could feel Ariana's body brushing mine as she moved but by the time I opened my eyes, she was already out of the tub and heading towards the door.