Page 15

King

I tore into the building where we’d left Marinah, my feet pounding up the stairs two at a time. The coppery scent of blood enveloped me on the last two flights. My heart was a drumbeat in my chest by the time I burst onto the roof.

She was kneeling over Garret, her hands stained crimson.

“He’s been stabbed twice in the chest, and he’s barely breathing,” she said as I rushed toward her.

I scooped her up and moved her away from the injured man. Beast stayed quiet, but I couldn’t help myself. Even for a second, I needed to feel her in my arms, to know she was safe.

“King,” she snapped, wriggling out of my grasp. “He’s injured, and we need Axel.”

“He’s a minute behind me. They’re coming up the stairs now,” I said, dropping to my knees beside Garret. I loosened the strap holding the bloody material pressed against his chest, my jaw tightening at the sight of the deep wounds.

Marinah was already moving, pulling a shirt from her bag and handing it to me. I stuffed the fabric beneath the strap and pulled it tight again. Garret’s face was turning blue, his breath almost nonexistent.

Axel erupted from the stairs, Labyrinth and Beck close behind. He didn’t waste a second and dropped to his knees, pulling his medical bag from his pack. Axel grabbed a short plastic tube from his supplies and tore away our makeshift bandages.

“Hold him,” he barked.

I steadied Garret as Axel rolled him to his side and sliced deep into his flesh with his knife. Marinah flinched at the brutal cut, but Axel’s hand was steady as he jammed the tube into Garret’s chest. The hiss of escaping air was immediate, followed by a gasp as Garret sucked in oxygen.

Axel injected something into Garret and leaned in to examine the wounds more closely. His face was expressionless while he worked.

I turned to Marinah, anger rising despite myself. “Why did you shift back to human?” I growled, my voice hard.

Even in her beast form, I saw the flush of blood rush up her neck and into her face. “I didn’t want to shoot with claws,” she said, her jaw set stubbornly. The defiance in her stance stoked my temper further.

“You couldn’t have told me this before I left you?” My fists clenched as I fought to keep my cool, but my frustration only increased. She was a Warrior, and she needed to remember that. Always.

“You’re right,” she said, holding up her hands in a rare show of surrender. “I’m not arguing with you right now. Garret is still alive, and he wouldn’t be if I stayed here.”

I took a step closer, narrowing the space between us. She didn’t back down. Instead, she moved in closer, her gaze burning holes through me.

I pointed over my shoulder. “You went into the Federation camp as human, the one thing I didn’t want you doing. That was stupid and irresponsible.”

Her eyes flared with anger. When she spoke, her voice was a low growl. “Now you’re calling me stupid?”

I let my gaze drop to her feet; giant, bare, and covered in the shredded remnants of black leather clinging to her claws. Slowly, I lifted my head to meet her glare. “If the boot fits.”

The look she gave me could have melted steel. She was coiled like a spring, ready to launch herself at me and take off my head. The space around us had gone unnaturally silent, but I didn’t take my eyes off her. A physical fight wasn’t what I wanted, but Marinah might need it.

“He’s seizing!” Axel’s shout shattered the tension.

Marinah dropped beside Garret. “What do you need me to do?” she asked with none of the anger she had just given me.

Axel’s expression was something I’d never seen before. His eyes darted around frantically, searching for a solution. Raw fear gripped him.

“Grab whatever you can to keep him from biting his tongue,” he finally barked.

I snatched up his pack, rummaging through until I found a length of thick rubber tubing. Tossing it to Marinah, I knelt beside her as she tried to wedge it between Garret’s teeth. Her claws made it impossible.

“Let me help,” I said, and together, we managed to force the tubing into place.

“Hold it there,” Axel ordered. His desperate eyes met mine, and the weight of what I was seeing hit me hard.

“He’s lost too much blood,” Axel said, his voice breaking.

“No,” Marinah growled fiercely. “He’s not dying. You told me a water solution can help in these situations. I remember you saying that.”

The seizure subsided, and Garret went limp. Axel didn’t waste a moment, setting up an IV with trembling hands. Marinah turned her haunted gaze to me.

“I had Smythe in my hands,” she said. “He got away.”

Now she tells me. I looked at Beck and Labyrinth. “Get Smythe. Alive if possible.”

They disappeared from the roof without a word.

“He needs blood,” Axel muttered. “Clear fluid won’t save him.”

“Warrior blood will kill him,” he added, glancing up at Marinah with grim certainty.

“You’re sure?” she asked, her eyes locked on Axel’s every move.

Axel took Garret’s hand and held it tightly. Garret’s breathing grew shallow again, each gasp weaker than the last. Marinah placed a hand on Axel’s shoulder, her voice urgent.

“You haven’t tried mine. Female Warrior blood could make a difference.”

Axel shook his head, his eyes filled with certainty. “It will kill him instantly.”

Marinah turned to me, her gaze piercing. “We can’t let him die.”

There was nothing I could say to ease the blow. She’d risked her life for nothing, and frustration surged through me. I turned away, trying to rein in the storm brewing inside me.

Axel’s focus didn’t leave Garret. “Marinah, take his hand. I’ll clean and suture the wounds to stop the bleeding.” His words carried defeat.

I moved to the edge of the roof, scanning the city below while they switched places. Marinah held Garret while Axel worked, his hands steady but his movements filled with resignation. Garret’s shallow breaths were a fragile tether keeping him with us.

Through the scope, I spotted Beck and Labyrinth moving through the streets below. Labyrinth was carrying someone slung over his shoulder. If we had any luck at all, it was Smythe. My grip tightened on the rifle as I tracked their progress, keeping a sharp eye on the shadows around them.

This rooftop wasn’t safe. We were too close to the enemy camp and too exposed. The longer we stayed, the worse our chances were. I glanced back at Garret, his pale, sweat-covered face saying nothing I didn’t already know. The longer he held on, the more vulnerable we became.

Beck and Labyrinth hit the stairs, their footsteps echoing up the well. Marinah and Axel were speaking in low voices when Beck stormed onto the roof, his face a mask of frustration.

“They had a vehicle hidden,” he snapped, “and Smythe got away. We picked up this guy instead.” He jabbed a thumb toward the man Labyrinth unceremoniously dumped onto the rooftop floor.

The man groaned loudly, confirming he was alive.

“He pulled a gun on us,” Beck said, his lip curling in disgust. “Then he decided against pulling the trigger. Stupid man.” He turned to Axel. “How’s Garret?”

“He’ll die without a transfusion,” Axel said in a clipped voice.

“Universal. Blood for everyone,” the man on the ground muttered.

Axel’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. “You have O negative blood?”

“Blood, blood, more blood,” the man coughed, his words slurred and strange. His face twisted into a grin, the kind that sent a chill down my spine. The eerie look in his eyes made my gut tighten. Something about him was off. Dangerous and unpredictable came to mind.

Labyrinth hoisted the prisoner, dragging him closer to Garret. The man’s arm hung at an unnatural angle, and he groaned in pain with each movement.

If the transfusion worked, it would mean staying here longer. It was something we couldn’t afford. I glanced at Axel and caught the faintest spark of hope in his eyes. Then I looked at Marinah and saw the same mirrored in hers.

I couldn’t believe I was giving in. If we were staying here, there was a lot to do to make this rooftop as secure as possible. My mind was already racing through the steps we’d need to take. But when it came down to it, I didn’t hesitate in my priorities. If I had to choose between Garret or Marinah, the decision was already made.

He’d better decide quickly if he was going to fight to live, because we wouldn’t be able to wait forever.