In. Out. Pain. Darkness. Copper taste drowning my mouth.
“Fuck, Jason.” The guard’s voice, far away. Scared. “You’re going to kill him if you don’t stop. That wasn’t what we agreed.”
Jason grunts. “You got paid, didn’t you? What do you care?” I feel him shift. Drawing back.
His boot finds my stomach.
White.
Black.
Nothing.
Hands shake me awake. Gentle but urgent.
Pain shoots through my skull. My ribs scream. Every breath feels like drowning.
I try to speak but only manage a low grunt. The sound barely escapes my throat.
The cloth is gone from my mouth. The handcuffs too.
“Fucking hell.” Marco’s voice. “Wake up. Robin, wake up!”
His fingers ghost over my face. Tracing the swelling around my eyes. The split in my lip. He touches what’s left of my ruined hair.
“Birdie.” The word breaks. “Oh, birdie. Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
Marco slides his arms beneath me, lifting me like I weigh nothing. My head lolls against his shoulder. Every movement sends fresh agony through my ribs.
The corridor spins. Lights streak past overhead. He’s taking me to Evander.
I shut my eyes and bury my face in Marco’s shirt. Breathe in his scent—soap and sweat and sunshine. His heartbeat pounds against my cheek as he carries me.
This is a nicer way to die. Being held by Marco rather than crushed by the Deathball.
The door clicks open. The sound echoes through my skull.
I force my eyes open. Everything swims.
Evander’s slumped over Cas’s bed, clearly asleep. But he startles awake at the noise.
“Marco!” His voice bright with relief. “His fever broke! He’s going to—” His eyes fall to me. His face goes slack. “What the…?”
“Save him!” Marco rushes me over to Evander’s second bed.
Evander stares, mouth working silently. Blood crusted under my nose. Split lip. Whatever Jason did to my ribs. The jagged slashes in my scalp from the knife. He doesn’t know where to start.
“Evander! Please!”
That snaps him into action. His hands flutter over me, pressing each body part, checking for breaks. Professional. Clinical. His jaw tight.
I try to focus on Marco’s face, but everything blurs. Two of him hover above me where there should be one.
“Who did this?” Marco’s voice turns cold. Deadly. A pause. Then, “Jason.”
I can’t respond. Can’t even nod. My body won’t obey.
“I’m going to kill him.”
