Page 148 of Shadows of Obsession

My other hand found his face, cupping his cheek with a touch meant to be tender, though it trembled with fear. My thumb brushedover his skin, wiping away cold beads of sweat. He was so pale. Too pale.

I leaned in close, our foreheads nearly touching, close enough to feel his shallow breaths against my skin. "Open your eyes, Jaxon. Look at me, please," I whispered, my voice cracking. "You have to stay awake, okay? Help is coming. Just stay with me."

His eyelids fluttered, gaze struggling to focus on my face. Even through the pain and blood loss, while his life was literally draining out of him, he managed a weak nod. A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, strained but determined. It made my heart clench.Liar. Beautiful liar.

The sound of the door bursting open shattered the moment, the wood slamming against the wall with a bang that made me flinch. On pure instinct, I threw myself over Jaxon, shielding him with my own body even though I was half-naked, covered in blood, and barely conscious.

But when I looked up, wild-eyed and ready to fight with my bare hands if I had to, I saw Connor standing in the doorway. His eyes were wide with shock and horror as he took in the scene. Me covered in blood, Jaxon bleeding out, and Daniel's body sprawled in a spreading pool of blood through the open bedroom door.

"Connor," I gasped, relief flooding me so intensely it felt painful.

In an instant, he was beside us, dropping to his knees with a heavy thud, helping to support Jaxon's weight. His hands were steady and capable, even though I could see the fear lurking in his eyes.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell happened to you guys?" Connor asked, his voice thick with worry and disbelief. His gaze flicked between Jaxon and me, cataloging injuries with the efficiency of someone trying not to panic, before darting back to Daniel's motionless form.

I shook my head, unable to find words for the horror we'd just endured. My throat was tight, my mind fractured. "He was stabbed, Connor," I managed, my voice trembling with the effort of holding back sobs. "We need to get him help. Please. Please, he's bleeding so much—" The sight of his blood was overwhelming. There was too much.

Connor nodded, expression grim but focused. "The ambulance is already on the way. I called the sheriff before we started searching for you, and they sent help." He squeezed my bare shoulder, and only then did I fully realize I was sitting in just my bra, covered in cuts and blood. "They should be here any minute. Just keep pressure on the wound."

Pressure. Right. Keep pressure.

I adjusted my grip on the makeshift bandage, pressing harder even as Jaxon groaned softly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I know it hurts, but I have to—"

Shifting carefully, I gathered Jaxon into my arms, cradling his head against my chest. I pressed my lips to his clammy forehead, too cold, and murmured words of comfort that probably made no sense. "You're going to be okay. You're going to be fine. Help is coming. Just hold on. Please hold on."Please don't leave me. I can't do this without you.

Jaxon's hand found mine, his fingers weakly intertwining. His grip was so faint, so fragile when it had always been so strong. I clung to that connection, to the feel of his skin against mine, as if it were a lifeline. As if I could keep him here through sheer force of will.

In the distance, sirens wailed, growing louder with each passing second. Help was coming. It was really coming.Faster. Please be faster.

But as the moments passed, seconds that felt like hours, Jaxon's grip grew weaker still. His breaths turned shallow, more labored, each inhale costing him more. Cold terror dug icy claws into my heart.

"Jaxon, talk to me," I begged, voice barely controlled hysteria. I needed to keep him engaged, to give him a reason to hold on. "What were you going to tell me earlier, before you left? At the barn—you started to say something. What was it?"Keep him awake. Keep him talking. Don't let him slip away.

His eyes fluttered open again, meeting mine with so much love and tenderness that it stole what little breath I had left.

"That I love you," he whispered, his words barely audible over the sirens.

Tears spilled hot down my cheeks, mixing with the blood and sweat. My heart felt like it was breaking and mending all at once.

"I love you too," I breathed against his ear, pressing my lips to his temple, his cheek, anywhere I could reach. "I love you so much. You hear me? I love you, and you're going to be okay. You have to be okay."

Because I wouldn’t survive losing him.

His hand squeezed mine one more time, so weak and barely there, but there. A promise. An anchor.

The sirens were right outside now, so loud they made my ears ring. Red and blue lights flashed through the windows, painting the walls in frantic colors. Boots thundered up the porch steps. Voices shouted—controlled chaos.

"In here!" Connor yelled, strong and commanding. "We need help in here, now!"

But I couldn't look up. I couldn't take my eyes off Jaxon's face. I kept pressure on his wound with one hand while the other cradled his face, my forehead pressed to his.

"Stay with me," I whispered one more time, a prayer, a plea, and a command all in one. "Just a little longer. They're here. Just hold on."Please.

And in that moment, with Jaxon's blood on my hands and his life hanging by a thread, with Daniel's body cooling on the floor behind us and sirens wailing outside, I made a silent vow.

If Jaxon survived this,whenhe survived this, I would never waste another second. Never hold back another word. Never let fear keep me from showing him exactly how much he meant to me.