Snippet Saturday – Beginnings

This week's theme is endings, quite appropriate when you consider the date. I wasn't sure what to pick for the snippet this week but I finally decided on an 'ending' of sorts. This is the final appearance of Marcus in the Coyote Hunger series and it's most definitely an ending for him. Enjoy.

"Doc" Gordie has tried to keep Steve McKenna at arm's length, but the sexy coyote shifter is under her skin, in her blood and in her heart. No matter how much she fears what he makes her feel, she can't bear to stay away. After he rescues her from a vicious attack, Gordie is helpless to deny the sizzling attraction burning between them.

There hasn't been a day Steve has not wanted Doc in his bed, but bruised and bloody is not what he had in mind. The need for revenge is riding his coyote—almost as much as his aching desire to finally claim Doc as his own. But that will have to wait. He must first convince Doc the safest place for her is by his side. When a second attack draws them together, suppressed needs explode, leaving no doubt where they both belong. But danger is never far behind and Gordie is forced to make a fatal decision that could destroy all they've worked so hard to discover.

Snippet:-

"Gordie, run!" Tatum's shout got Gordie moving again.

Her heart pounded against her ribs and her lungs refused to take more than small gulps of air. She would not let him win this time. There wasn't much in the way of weapons in the clinic but she could improvise. Gordie picked up the bundle of magazines on the corner table and threw them at the mass of wrestling bodies. It was enough to draw the masked attacker's attention away from Tatum.

With a growl he shoved Tatum aside and came at Gordie. Spinning on her heel she ran toward the room most likely to hold some kind of weapon. The morgue. Moments ago the hallway had seemed short, now it appeared to go on forever before she reached her destination. Trays of sterile surgical implements sat to one side of the large room and Gordie headed straight for them. Scooping up a handful of plastic-covered steel, she darted around the end of an exam table, putting the slab of cold metal between her and Marcus.

She had no doubt who hid behind the ski mask. Gordie would never forget those eyes. He'd been wearing the same clothes two days ago so it was obvious who had returned. Tatum hadn't made a sound after he'd flung her against the wall and the doctor in Gordie wanted to go check to see if the other woman was all right but she couldn't afford to let her guard down or neither of them would be okay.

"You can't hide from me, non-blood bitch." His shout echoed down the hall.

Gordie crouched down behind the table and peered around the pedestal base to watch the doorway. If he kept going she could sneak out of the room and back to Tatum. His heavy footfalls grew closer.

"I'll kill you when I get my hands on you." He was moving from room to room, searching for her.

Fear sliced into her. He outweighed her by at least one hundred pounds, probably more, but Gordie knew the soft spots, knew where to strike to inflict the most damage if she had to.

"You can't hide and that bitch out front isn't going to save your sorry ass from what I've got planned."

His words chilled her blood, the venom in them unmistakable. She also couldn't miss the slight tinge of madness ringing in his voice. Gordie knew he'd checked most of the other rooms, knew it was only a matter of time before he reached this one and she needed a plan. Two plans. One for when he found her and one for if he passed on by.

"You're going to pay for all the trouble you've caused."

Trouble? What trouble? Gordie had no idea what he was talking about. She'd never had much to do with Marcus. He'd always considered her beneath him because she was human and then after Anthony had died he'd never even glanced her way. He hadn't even come to her for medical treatment once since she'd taken over the clinic from her stepfather.

"You think you're so smart hooking up with that McKenna bastard." He was in the next room, moving closer with every breath.

She fingered the plastic packets in her hands, glanced down quickly to see exactly what she had. Three scalpels, two sets of forceps and two pairs of scissors. What would she do with the forceps? A sound in the doorway drew her gaze. Black boots and jeans up to the knee were visible. She wasn't game to move for a better look. Gordie watched those boots intently. The second he came toward her or left she'd be ready.

He turned and went back into the hall. Air rushed from her chest, hissed through her teeth as relief filled her. Gordie carefully removed the plastic from the instruments and counted to one hundred before standing and tiptoeing toward the door. She couldn't hear anything and that worried her more than having him in the doorway in front of her would have. Soundlessly, she made her way across the room.

Her skin prickled and instinct made her jump back seconds before he charged into the room. He reached for her throat, his hands wrapping around her neck and hooking in her jacket as she tried to spin away. The zipper on her coat dug into her skin and she gagged as her airway was crushed. Gordie brought her hand up, scissors extended and drove them into the nearest body part. Cloth tore and skin broke as she pushed with all her strength. Marcus howled in pain and his grip loosened, allowing her to twist free of his hold.

"Bitch!" He'd removed his mask, his gaunt face skeletal in appearance and a mere impression of his former self.

Marcus lunged for her, the scissors protruding from between the fourth and fifth ribs near the center of his chest. His fingers caught her sleeve and he wrenched her back against him. The steal handles of the scissors dug into her shoulder and she applied pressure to drive them deeper. A curse filled her ears and he shoved her forward, sent her tumbling to the floor. Pain exploded in her back as she went down and she rolled away just before he kicked out a second time.

"Not so fucking tough now are you?" He lashed out with his foot again, grazing her hip with the toes.

Gordie grabbed at his pants, tangled her fingers in the fabric and pulled. He teetered above her so she gave the jeans another yank and sent him crashing to the ground beside her. She clambered for purchase but she slid on the slippery tile beneath her hands and feet. Steal glinted next to her and she realized she'd dropped her makeshift weapons in their struggle. Reaching out, she wrapped her fingers around the nearest one.

"Fucking bitch!" Marcus crawled after her.

With desperation she lashed out, but he dodged to the side and the blade of a scalpel glanced along his cheek, barely leaving a scratch. He kept coming, managed to pin her beneath him, his body crushing hers. She kicked and punched, bucked and thrashed in an attempt to dislodge him. Marcus tangled his fingers in her hair and used his grip to slam her head into the ground repeatedly. Stars burst before her eyes and Gordie's arms flailed about without purpose.

He was going to kill her. There was no way she could throw him off, he was too heavy. Tears burned her eyes and throat as he once again wrapped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze. The back of her head pounded but the pain had begun to go numb. Her arms and legs wouldn't work properly, their weight too much to move. Her vision blurred, blackness creeping in around the edges and she thought she heard someone call her name.

Steve.

"He's too late." Marcus laughed above her, his face a grotesque, distorted image. "You're dead, bitch, and he's next."

"No." The hoarse cry hurt her throat but she couldn't let him get Steve. With the last of her energy Gordie lifted her arm, the scalpel still in her hand, and slashed out at his face. At first she thought she'd missed. Marcus stopped squeezing and his mouth fell open. Everything happened in slow motion. For seconds neither of them breathed and then blood began to bead in a long line down the side of his neck. The beading quickly turned to a flow.

The flow increased rapidly until blood pumped from the slice in gushing waves. She'd hit his carotid artery. Marcus let go of her throat and grabbed his neck but he couldn't stop the surge. He fell to the side and Gordie used her hands and feet to scramble backward. She slipped and slid in the pool of blood forming on the floor, the slick warmth made her move quicker in a bid to get away. But it was all around her, over her. His hands fell from his body as he collapsed with the gurgle of his final breath in his throat.

Gordie stared at Marcus' lifeless body, the sea of red spreading out around him and began to tremble. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she curled into a ball and brought her hands up to cover her face. Sobs racked her chest, the heaving gasps compressing her ribs and stomach with pain. Wetness soaked into her clothes and she uncovered her eyes to see nothing but the blood she'd spilled surrounding her.

A cry of anguish echoed in the room, the sound vibrating in her ears as her scream of agony went on and on.

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Don't forget to check out the rest of the snippets up this week:-

Lauren Dane

Rhian Cahill

Eliza Gayle

Selena Blake

Anne Rainey

Jody Wallace

Lissa Matthews

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Alison Kent

Delilah Devlin

Shelli Stevens

Shiloh Walker

Leah Braemel

HelenKay Dimon

TJ Michaels