hunting the desert sun. ******COMPLETED******

#19 Cara

we were driving towards the abandoned low income housing in the outskirts of the city. It was a part of the city that no longer held any humans. it had long ago been abandoned due to the conditions of the buildings. I wasn't even sure if most of the buildings were safe to maneuver any more. it was a series of apartments maybe four buildings total. we weren't sure which one Benson was in and if Liam was still there. I could feel him though. I could feel our mate bond pulling me and begging me to move faster. it was a nervous energy I had never felt before. I knew time was of the essence and I coukd feel it was running out. "Alpha, I feel like we are running out of time. something is wrong with Liam."

"It's the mate bond. you can feel his suffering through it. close your eyes and explain to me what you are feeling. the more you connect to it the stronger your bond will be and we can use that to find which building he is in."

my eyes closed and I let myself relax as I searched Liam out through our bond. i felt weak. it washed over me like a raging flood. I was desperate. it wasn't my desperation but his. panic was setting in and my linhs were burning like fire. I could sense relief and yet my body was growing weaker. it was hard to breath like smoke choking me and replacing my oxygen. my eyes shot open quickly. "The building he is in is on fire. I don't know how much longer he can hold on. he is so weak. I could sense his wolf but he was so exhausted. his lungs were burning like he took in too much smoke. Alpha we don't have much longer. I can feel it."

my own panic was taking over. it was consuming my thoughts at the possible loss of Liam. I couldn't lose him. I could feel my heart constrict at the thought. I had never allowed my emotions to take me over before but at this moment I knew nothing else. I was losing my mate. he had become a part of my soul. I needed him like I needed breath. I felt the suv speed up as Alpha Gray understood the urgency. we weren't even sure if Benson was still there. most likely he left and lit the building on fire like a coward. my fingers tapped my leg nervously as I tried to push everything out of my mind. I felt like I was going crazy. emotions were bubbling inside me. feelings I had never had before and it was overwhelming my senses. I needed to calm myself down so that I could concentrate. no matter what I was a hunter first and mate second. if I were being honest I wanted to save Liam first then get Benson and his followers. I knew we were close to losing both. I felt a tinge of pain in my chest. I rubbed my chest feeling something breaking slightly. my eyes grew wide as I realized what it was. our mate bond was weaker. it was starting to break. we were losing him and there was nothing I could do.

in the distance I could see flames licking the sky. the smoke was thick and vlack and I turned to the alpha. " head towards that burning building. we are losing him. I can feel him slipping away!" there was a sense of urgency and despair in my voice and I knew he felt it. I closed my eyes and tried to reach out to him. willing our bond to go the distance. please Liam, hang on. I'm almost there. just wait for me.

I was met with silence. he didn't answer back and my mind was reading over what was happening. it felt like hours before we pulled up to the burning apartment complex. it was consumed in flames and smoke. desperation now fully lodged inside my body. I needed to get to him fast. there was movement outside the apartment. men were running towards vehicles and fleeing the building. that's when I saw him. he was bigger than the other people and his towering body lumed over them. he was barking orders as they all jumped into their vehicles. in a flash warriors were surrounding the vehicles pulling them from their cars and ripping their heads off. I watched as Benson got away before they could reach him. I could hear the alpha call out to me. "we need to go after them!"

"leave me two warriors we need to find Liam. he is dying I can feel it!" he nodded and I could see his eyes roll back as he mindlinked the warriors. two came up to me as I jumped out running towards the pull. I still felt him and I knew it was weak but I needed to get to him. I needed him. the two warriors followed me as the rest sped away in their SUV following Benson. I knew if he slipped away it would be harder to find him. I also knew the alpha needed this. he needed Benson to pay for what he had done not jist to the humans but to his child.

I ran around the building until I coukd myself being dragged towards a door. it was a door that entered into the stair welll and I could see the small window covered in thick black smoke. my heart was pounding inside my chest trying g to jump out. my hands reached the door handle and I jerked it back. it was hot. it meant the dire was in the stairwell now. I grabbed a peice of my shirt and wrapped it around my hand and yanked the door open as flames came bursting out at the sudden oxygen fueling the fire. I needed in there. I felt him in there. "I can feel him! he is in there and we don't have much time! wrap your shirt around your mouth and nose! stay close!" I watched as the menndid as I told them and we entered the flaming building in search of Liam. he was slipping away faster and faster and this was it. if we didn't find him he would die and I couldn't let that happen.

it was hot. my body felt like it was blistering from the heat. I made my way towards where I thouth the stairs would be. the smoke was so thick even through our shirts we were coughing and choking on it. my lungs were starting to burn and I could hear the crackling of the flames and popping as it exploded above us. I felt something soft at my feet. I had kicked something. I knelt down unable to see in the thick blackness that consumed the stairs. my fingers reached out desperately feeling for what it was. shock! I felt him. he was barely breathing but I knew it was Liam. I reached up grabbing the warrior towrds me and placed his hands on the still body. he understood immediately grabbing Liam and pulling him on his shoulders quickly we made our way back to the door. There was no visibility until we got closer to the door. the flames were everywhere and blocking our only way out. I looked around for any other way out. I was met with disappointment. Our only way out was blocked by fire. "shift and get him out of here!" the warrior holding Liam noded as he shifted and left through the flames. sighing in relief that Liam was out of this mess only I was met with reality. I was still stuck here and I couldn't shift. I was stuck. I backed away from the fire that now engulfed the door way. there was no way for me to escape. I looked at the stairs through the thick black smoke and decided my only option was to make my way back up and find a window in one of the apartments I could jump through. it wasn't the best option but it was the only one I was left with. the heat was draining my energy and I knew I better act quickly. making my way up the stairs I pushed through the first door I came too. floor two.