His eyes had trouble focusing, and Kiarra placed a hand on his cheek. She looked down at his neck and saw that his hand was covered in blood.
Chapter Thirty-Three
There was too much blood.
Jaxton’s injury was beyond Kiarra’s basic knowledge of first aid. She needed help.
Her momentary shock passed and Kiarra yelled, “Darius,” before turning back to Jaxton. She stroked his cheek, hoping the touch would calm him, when Darius knelt next to her and drew in a sharp breath.
“Jax, keep pressure on it. We’ll get you out of here.” Darius motioned to some of the other people in the room and they lifted away the table. Darius turned back toward Jaxton. “Trying to get a battle scar to impress your lady, eh?”
Jaxton gave a weak smile, but didn’t say anything. The sight of Jaxton weak and pale, lacking his usual humor, heightened her fear. She needed to tamp it down and be strong for Jaxton’s sake. If Darius could see humor in the situation, then so could she.
She made a stern face and tapped Jaxton on the nose a few times. “Don’t you dare die on me. We have an unfinished argument that I plan to win.”
His eyes focused on her and he gave a half-smile. “What did I do this time?”
His voice was weak, making his accent thicker, but Kiarra forced herself to keep up appearances. “Went and tried to get yourself killed, you idiot.”
Jaxton started to laugh, but groaned instead.
The fear gripping her heart tightened a little more.
She brushed the hair from his forehead. “Besides, I know how to kick your ass in sparring now and I’m not about to let you chicken out on me.”
Jaxton said nothing, his eyes struggling to stay open. A woman’s voice on Kiarra’s right said, “Sorry to break up your little soap opera, but we need to get the hell out of here. The facility’s been compromised, which means they’ll be evacuating now and will ‘clean up’ after that.”
Kiarra looked over at the woman standing behind Darius; it was the shadow-shifter.
Darius looked up at the shadow-shifter and said, “What’s the clean-up procedure?”
The woman gestured with her hand. “Nothing big, just, you know, start a detonation sequence to collapse the entire facility.”
“Darius,” Jaxton said, and all eyes focused back on him. “Take Kiarra and leave.”
She grabbed Jaxton’s free hand and squeezed. “I’m not leaving you here.”
He ignored her and kept his gaze on Darius. “Use force if necessary, but leave me and get her out of here.”
“No, Jax,” Darius said. “I don’t leave people behind.”
Jaxton closed his eyes and took a rattling breath. Kiarra squeezed his hand tighter. Jaxton opened his eyes again, but avoided looking at her face, his focus still on Darius. “Kiarra’s a Talent. She must be protected.”
Kiarra said, “We don’t know—”
Darius nodded. “I’ll keep her safe.”
Darius took her hand, but she called up her fire and heated her hand until Darius released it. She raised her chin a notch. “He was hurt protecting me and I’m not going without him.” Kiarra clutched Jaxton’s hand to her breast. “I won’t be dissuaded.”
“Darius,” the shadow-shifter said, “we seriously need to leave. We have five minutes, ten at the most.”
Jaxton closed his eyes again and Kiarra caressed his cheek. When he finally opened his eyes, his expression was unreadable. He said, “Pet, you’re too important to die here. Go. Please.”
Kiarra blinked back tears. “You never say please.”
Even as the man lay dying, he was trying to protect her. This man would always put her safety above his own.
Kiarra realized that she’d finally found someone she trusted with her whole heart, and he was about to die.