Blackmailing Belle (The Lost Girls, #4)

by Holly Roberds

"Isabelle. . .” He trails off, and the use of my full name sends hot spikes of desperation through me. He's always been the only one who refuses to call me by the nickname everyone else uses. “We tried. We tried to form a pack, but it didn’t work. That’s okay.” Shifters die without a pack. It hits me so suddenly, so intensely, I instantly hate myself for not connecting the dots earlier. I knew half-shifted Dominic was in pain, but I never guessed it was killing him. How could I have been so stupid? "I meant what I said, Isabelle. You'll get your freedom. Everything I have will be yours—except for what I've left for Lucien and the others. You can live your life however you want." "Stop," I plead, cradling his face as if I can physically stop him from leaving this world. “Just stop.” His eyes flicker open, softer now, filled with something I can’t bear to name. “Belle. . .you’ll be better off without me.” The words hit me like a physical blow and the fear I’d been holding at bay surges forward, consuming me whole. I press my palms to his chest, feeling the sluggish thrum of his heartbeat beneath my hands. “You don’t get to decide that,” I snap, tears blurring my vision. “You don’t get to give up on me—on us.” “I’m not giving up,” he murmurs, his voice faltering. “I’ve just. . .run out of time.” Dominic’s breathing slows, the weight of his body sagging further against the wall. His pallor is ashen, his once-vivid green eyes now dim. “If I could stay, I’d show you how much I l...