Chapter 12: The Wounded Guardian

The world narrowed to the weight of him in my arms, the coppery scent of his blood thick in the air, and the deafening echo of his words. You are my heart... I will die in your shadow... Panic, cold and sharp, sliced through my shock. He was unconscious, bleeding heavily onto the pavement. The old wound on his side was a angry, infected red, the new gash on his shoulder still welling dark blood. He was burning up with fever. This wasn'tt a ploy. This was real. He was dying. Every instinct screamed...