I pressed my ear to his chest. I held my hand under his nose. I waited. One. Two. Three. And there it was – a thin slip of breath against my palm, and a sob ripped out of me that I didn't recognize as my own.
He was breathing. He was breathing. He was breathing.
“Dagon! Please, please open your eyes,” I begged, choking on a sob when he remained still. “Please, my love.”
I continued pleading, gently cradling his head in my lap. Blood pooled on the ground beneath him, and he was so fucking cold to the touch. Tears blurred my vision as I brushed his hair from his closed eyes. Helplessness clawed at me. I didn't know how to help him. I felt so useless in this moment.
How do I help him? How?
“Diablos?” I heard Adam’s voice, but I didn’t pull my eyes away from Dagon.
Adam knelt beside us, quickly assessing Dagon's injuries. All the while I kept murmuring to Dagon that I love him and that he wasn’t allowed to leave me.
There was no life that I wanted to live without Dagon.
I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t.
He wasn’t allowed to leave me. He was going to be okay. He was going to wake up, and I would spend an eternity gazing at those beautiful gray-purple eyes.
“He’s going to be okay, Diablos,” Adam assured softly.
“How-” my voice broke, and I cleared my throat. “How do you know?”
“The wound is serious, but he’s a demon. He just needs time.”
Time? I'd wait an eternity if I had to, but each second now was agony, tormenting me with the fear that I could lose him at any moment.
"Let me carry him," Adam offered gently.
"No," I snapped. No one else would touch him.Ever.
“Diablos,” he whispered. “Listen to me. It’s for his safety. It’s not a good idea to stay out here. Besides, he’ll be more comfortable back in the house and lying on a bed than on the cold ground.”
I hesitated. Instinct screamed at me not to let anyone touch him, while logic demanded I listen. I wrestled internally, fear gnawing at my resolve.
What if Adam touched him and made it worse? What if he was wrong and Dagon was dying? What if I needed to protect Dagon or help him somehow but didn’t know how?
Ultimately, Dagon's cold skin forced my decision. His warmth was gone, replaced by a chilling stillness. The man who was always so warm to the touch, so firmly stubborn, was now so still and cold. Whimpering quietly, I nodded my permission.
Adam carefully lifted Dagon. My grip tightened reflexively around my bow and arrow, flames igniting fiercely.
“No one is going to hurt him, Diablos,” Adam said.
“That’s what I thought, too, before one of yours turned his back on all of us,” I snapped.
Adam flinched and gritted his teeth but stayed silent. I didn’t regret what I said. It was the brutal truth, and a demon could take it.
I shadowed Adam closely, guarding Dagon until we reached the car. Observing the other Starborns, I kept a close eye on them. I wasn’t allowing another betrayal to result in Dagon getting hurt again.
Once Dagon lay across the back seat, I crawled in beside him, settling his head gently into my lap. My fingers pressed against his pulse, the steady beat offering minimal reassurance.
The ride back was agonizingly slow. I spent the time with one hand over Dagon’s chest and another on his neck, checking his pulse. I needed the reassurance that Dagon was alive. That his precious heart was still beating.
When we arrived, Adam carried Dagon to our room in the cabin. He tried to apologize, but I didn’t pay him any attention. I couldn’t.
“He'll probably sleep for the whole night. He'll wake feeling better tomorrow. There’s nothing else you can do now but wait.” With that, Adam excused himself and left us alone.
