Chapter 28.
Reuben
Kai made it to a safe zone, a church out of sight of the cameras, by Aster’s orders.
But my mind is completely consumed by Christian.
Fifteen men…
The car is going too fucking slow.
I know it’s not, from the speed at which we’re flying through the city…
But it’s still too fucking slow.
Someone by my side is trying to talk to me but I wish they’d shut up because it’s way too loud.
The panic in my ears is way too loud.
‘We’ll get him, Reuben.’ I barely hear Tobias’ words. I look up at him from across my seat, and I’m not sure what I must look like to him. I’m not sure that he’s ever seen me this way.
Baal, Gabriel and Tobias were the only ones I could take.
The rest of the family was focused on meeting Kai at the safe point.
Rosabella was pissed I wouldn’t join them. It’s the only moment in my life I’ve ever seen my twin furious with me.
But what’s the sense of sending an army to meet one kid?
When Christian is fighting the fucking army by himself?
Kai has the whole fucking family.
Christian only has me.
And I promised him he’s one of mine.
I only have four men and it fucks with me—god it fucks with me that I couldn’t get more.
But I’ve only ever had four men from the start.
And they’ve been all I needed. Without fail.
However, I had to leave Xavier behind.
I don’t trust him with Christian, not after the issue with the Harvester. I gave him the order to stay back.
I don’t have time right now to care that it hurt him.
My knee bounces uncontrollably as I count the seconds and it’s the only sign that I’m here at all. There’s this creeping, disgusting dread in my chest that I despise with every ounce of my core.
‘I’ll see you soon.’
I’m hearing Christian’s soft voice in my ears.
‘After the party… we’ll talk.’
I drag both hands through my hair.
We can’t talk if you don’t survive, baby.
We can’t fix us if you’re not here.
You promised me.
You promised you’d try.
I’m on the cusp of hyperventilating, but I fucking refuse. I breathe deeply. I bounce my knee to get rid of some of the tension stirring up like a storm inside me.
And I remain focused as I remove my hands from my hair.
Don’t think. Don’t think.
We’re almost there.
Even though it’s so fucking slow.
Fifteen men…
But Christian has survived worse.
The car has barely pulled to a stop at the curb of the station when all the energy inside me explodes. I’m throwing the door open and sprinting into the alleys, following the path they would've taken at full speed until I can feel my muscles burning through my skin.
Don’t die.
Don’t die don’t die don’t die—
I have to grab the wall to help me turn the corner—to skid to a stop in the middle of the alleyway.
And my heart does a deep dive into my chest.
Christian's knife sticks out from a man’s throat. He's unrecognizable as he pulls it free, guiding the dead man's body so he falls to the side.
But there is no one else alive in the alley.
The bodies of dead men are littered across the ground, having found their deaths by bullets and blades and the snapping of their necks.
More than fifteen men.
My pulse is a loud beat between my ears.
“Christian,” I call for him but something is wrong, because even though he's looking right at me, he doesn't see me.
There's a conscious light missing from his eyes.
And I know he's not there because his energy is dormant. There isn't a flicker of those pretty colours in the air.
His arm is broken. There are knife wounds torn into his pants and shirt, seeping blood across his skin, and I know they are deep because he's lost too much. I know they have torn through muscle and scraped against bone...
Yet he doesn't fall.
I can feel the others round the corner at my back, but I can't take my eyes away.
There's a cut across his eye, that’s trickled blood across his face, obscuring his vision, yet still he remains completely still—the only tell that he's alive being the silent rise and fall of his chest.
Tobias and Gabriel walk past me, calling his name, but he doesn't stir.
When they step into his range, I shoot forward quickly, grabbing them by the scruff of their shirts to pull them back with every bit of my strength.
Christian snaps out of his stillness like a bullet, stepping into Gabriel’s space and thrusting his knife towards his throat.
The blade barely misses Gabriel by a hair, it slices the air in front of his eyes with deadly precision as he falls backwards.
Christian changes his grip on the weapon without a moment’s pause, releasing it so it hovers in the air for not longer than a single breath before changing his hold and slicing to his right, where Tobias is.
With my help Tobias staggers backward and I keep pulling them both until they've completely stepped out of Christian’s range.
“He's not conscious,” I say sharply. “He doesn't recognize us.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Tobias mutters, and even for a man like him, his breath is shaky. He knows he just stared death in the face.
Christian doesn't chase us. It seems he's only reacting to anyone who gets too close, because he rights himself, stumbling a few steps with an unsteady sway, before locking his knees and retreating into stillness again.
Waiting.
Baby, you’re so fucking amazing.
But you’re hurting yourself.
If you keep fighting like this...
You’ll die.
Baal raises his gun and my heart rate spikes.
“BAAL, NO!” I scream for him but he's out of my reach.
The prep of the trigger is loud even in my ears.
And I know for Christian it'll be even louder than that.
Christian's attention snaps towards the sound, he drops to his knees sharply, breaking out of that abnormal stillness to throw his body forward, towards Baal.
So you can recognize the prep of a gun but not my voice, baby?
That hurts my feelings.
I shove Baal to one side and the shot goes wide. I'm barely able to step away when Christian’s blade comes straight down the middle, cutting cleanly through the air and missing my face by a hair.
My fist lashes into his stomach, and it hurts me inside but still I put all my power behind it.
“Come on, baby, wake up for me,” I beg softly.
But there's nothing. There isn't even a reaction to the pain because he's going purely on instinct.
‘Until Reuben comes.’
My eyes widen.
It's an almost indecipherable whisper on his lips.
‘Protect Kai.’
‘Until Reuben comes.’
My face contorts.
I never thought someone could break my heart so much.
Before I can tell him I'm here, I can sense his attack.
He slashes his knife towards me and when I step out of the way, he drops to his hands to swipe my leg out from under me.
I don't give him the chance, I roll out of his reach along the floor, before getting to my feet and Baal shoots a warning shot, that draws Christian’s attention away from me.
The moment he turns to Baal, Gabriel tackles him, throwing his arms around Christian’s torso to lock him in place.
And the seconds are suddenly slow, because it is not what I expected—because it is the worst position to be in when facing a man with a knife.
“You're so fucking troublesome for a new recruit!” Gabriel yells snappily from beneath as Christian struggles in his grip, and my pulse stutters with rising dread because they're out of reach.
And it is the first time I’ve ever seen Gabriel throw his body over someone else.
No no no—
Christian raises his knife to stab Gabriel in the back—a fatal blow that will take his life—and my heart falls into my toes as I sprint forward.
I won't make it.
A gunshot echoes through the space, and an unexpected bullet clashes with Christian's knife—knocking it from his hand and making him stumble back from the impact.
“Wake up you stupid fool!” Xavier’s unexpected voice breaks the slow spell. I can see him out of the corner of my eye, gun raised and breathless from running all this way.
Gratitude surges through my chest.
Because he followed us when I gave him the order to stay behind.
Tobias takes advantage of the opening, now that Christian’s lost his balance, grabbing his arm without missing a beat and twisting it behind his back to lock him in place.
“I told you he'd fit right in!” Tobias grins wildly at me.
It's a shot of warmth through my entire body.
Because somewhere along the way, Christian burrowed under our skin.
Somewhere, through the chaos and the hard times and the late stake-out nights...
He became one of us.
I’m finally within reach when Gabriel turns, grabbing Christian by the shirt to throw him in my direction while Tobias shoves him from behind towards me.
When Christian collides into my arms, the moments are slow.
I fall to my knees, crushing him into me so he can inhale my scent. So he can hear my voice clearly.
“Estrellito.”
Christian’s movements stop. His entire body becomes stiff with stillness for a single moment.
A single panted breath.
Then another.
And another.
I can hear his heartbeat in my ears and I'm sure he can hear mine.
“What would you do without me keeping you all together, hm?” The familiar words on my tongue are the final blow.
It is the breaking of a dam that has struggled to hold the currents back for much too long.
All the tension in his body slips away, like the smoke from an extinguished candle, as he finally relaxes into my arms.
“Reu... ben...” The barest hints of recognition finally filter through his voice, his consciousness barely returning.
“I'm here,” I hold his head to pull him in tighter, “I've got you.”
“… late.” His voice is a weak rasp and even in my hands his pulse is weakening. The adrenaline is leaving him and his consciousness is starting to fade again.
But this time, a creeping terror is sinking into my bones. Making me tremble.
Because I know if I lose him now, he won't wake up again.
My face contorts with pain, holding him tighter as I choke on a whisper, “I know, I know… but stay awake for me, baby. You've got to stay awake.”
I don't know what to do.
I should get a doctor.
But I don't have a doctor.