Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
ROMAN
Isaw her. My Petal.
In the shine of my light, her blue hair glowed, and her mouth opened as if surprised. My lips parted, and a burning fire seared my throat as I expelled all of my pent-up emotions.
Then she disappeared—Blue, my beautiful Blue, collapsed.
Losing sight of her once again, then hearing her scream of pure terror, made my brain shut down. Nothing existed but reaching the spot I last saw her. Once I find her, she's never leaving my sight.
Heart in my throat, I pump my arms and stretch my legs. Faster, harder! I push myself to reach her before something else happens. Please let me get there this time!
The closer I get to the tree line, the more I focus on what I'm seeing, what I'm hearing. I'm nearly there.
I don't question the bright light showing me the way. I use it to my advantage and study the nightmare in front of me.
Sitting atop my dainty, dirty woman is a large man. I dismiss his face and sagging gut because he doesn't matter. He'll be dead soon. I don't hear his vile words; they don't matter.
Only Blue's gasping, choking sounds as she struggles to breathe matter.
A beast, lain dormant for many years, roars to life inside of me. I would give my breath for her. The clothes on my back are for her. My water and food, all for her. Every organ and item I have, I will give to Blue Bennett. I just have to make it a few more yards.
Three...
Blue's arms drop to the ground.
Two...
Body twitching, she weakens.
One...
The whites of her eyes become visible as they roll backward.
BANG!
I drop, knees spattering mud all over my pretty woman's pale face and blue lips. Teeth rattling from the impact and nerves buzzing with shocked terror, I kneel by her head.
Time speeds up as the man teeters, and red taints Blue's face and chest. My arms reach forward of their own accord to keep the dead man's body from falling on Blue. Shoving him away, I despise the fact that I can't get his bleeding forehead far enough away from my Petal.
Acting on instinct and pure alpha energy, I dig my hand through the mud beneath Blue's abused neck to cradle the back of her skull.
She's cold. So so cold. Eyes closed, she doesn't react to my touch.
Still wheezing ever so slightly. I battle with worry and happiness over the fact that she is breathing.
"B—" I try to say her name, but nothing comes out besides a croak of a traumatized man.
My other hand glides across her dirty T-shirt that I'm pretty sure was Jared's at one point.
Not thinking through my actions and how I could hurt her more, I drag her closer to me by pulling her side.
I'm gentle and slow, but still, there's a worry in the back of my mind that it might not be a good idea to move her.
Is it possible for a person to lose a noticeable amount of weight in four days? I'm not sure, but her cheekbones seem more prominent, and the feel of her hip bone digging into my knee is concerning.
Or maybe I'm just hyperaware. The whoomp whoomp whoomp of my blood pumping through my ears slowly fades away as I continue to stare at her still body. Thunderous voices rattle my brain with the sheer volume, and the air shifts around me.
Nothing matters beyond Blue. My Petal.
Blood and dirt. Bruises and cuts. Blue lips and closed eyes.
I'm scared. "Blue? Open your eyes, Blue."
Whoomp. Whoomp.
What I wouldn't give to hear her heartbeat. Bending, I hold my breath for fear that it won't be there. That her heartbeat has stopped. It's irrational, considering I can hear her breathing.
With the touch of my face to her shuddering chest, my eyes begin to burn and fill with four days’ worth of tears. Hell, eleven years.
"I-I'm here now," I whisper before my throat closes over. Whoomp, whoomp, whoomp.
My chest fucking aches as I ground myself against the love of my life. It's as if my heart is straining to grab hold of hers and hug warmth back into it. How long have you been so cold, Petal?
Words filter through my other ear, disrupting my time with Blue's heartbeat. "That's...brother...boyfriend...want...okay."
Something touches my shoulder—I think—but I don't move. I can't. Nothing else matters. I have to keep making sure she's alive. Please stay alive.
"Rome...alive...paramedics."
More broken sentences and shit I don't care about. I'd rather fucking fade into my mind and leave my body right here beside hers where I belong.
In life or death...I am Blue's.
"Sir, move."
That sentence made it through the barrier, making me realize I'm trying to dissociate. Peeling my eyes open is hard because I'd rather not face the terrifying next steps that I know are coming.
And I do know. The feral beast inside of me curled into a whimpering ball of stress once I was able to put my hands on Blue. Her heartbeat in my ear sent me right into a depressive oblivion where avoidance was a reward.
But I don't matter. Nothing does except Blue.
"We need to get her to the hospital. Now. SIR!" A firmer yank on my shoulder jostles me a little more.
"Roman," my little brother scolds. Just the realization that I'm registering who's who now snaps me out of it.
"Shit," I croak, rapidly sitting up. Immediately missing the sound of her heartbeat, I blink my tears away.
Hands...So many hands reach for Blue, making me sit up straighter, but I'm stopped by a set of familiar arms. "It's okay. They're hel-helping her."
"Declan, she—" My voice doesn't sound like my own, but being struck by the image of your loved one being lifted onto a stretcher is a real-life nightmare.
"She will be okay," my little brother says, tone wavering with worry.
Felix appears in front of me, blocking the view of Blue being carted away. I glance away from him and notice Jared in a similar position with Levi. Tears track down Jared's face as he continuously tries to run after Blue.
Felix puts his hands up as if showing me he's not a threat. I would be confused, but this entire thing has brought out some awful, uncharacteristic behavior from all of us. Did I just lie down on Blue and wait for death to take me?
"Time to get your shit together, Roman," Felix snaps me out of my thoughts.
What he said is at odds with his gentle tone.
"We need to follow them to the nearest hospital.
You have fifteen minutes in the back seat of the car to rein yourself back in.
I know it sounds like zoning out is easier, but Blue needs us alive, too. "
I frown, and Declan hugs me tighter. "Don't slip away again. Not like last time."
Like last time...when we found out our parents had manipulated us and I slipped into a depression so severe that I became a shell of myself. This is different. A man was shot in the face right in front of me. I watched the love of my life get strangled. And she was missing for days.
"I know it's different this time," Felix adds, reading my mind. "But it's also different because our woman is right over there, needing us to be strong for her. We're here for you, but you need to stay, Rome. Please?"
I swallow a few times, trying to shake the lump in my throat free. A snowflake dances between us, and as easy as it would be to zone out on the dainty thing, I blink.
"I'm here," I declare, standing straight.
I hadn't even realized I was partially bent over like I was about to pass out.
Reaching for Felix with a hand I didn't know was shaking, I feel relief when his touch grounds me to the here and now.
Just like Blue's heart did. Just like the strength of my brother holding me up from behind.
Jared runs over to us, kicking up mud and slipping. He rights himself, looking annoyed and incredibly rattled. "Thank fuck, 'cause I need you, man. Tell Levi to fuck off and let's go. I need to see Bee."
Humor fizzles in my veins, chasing away some of the shock. Unfortunately, that allows space for more feeling and more emotions means more anxiety.
"She will be okay," Felix murmurs.
Jared nods. "She has to be."