I keep my eyes on Colton. My hands are throbbing, but I keep them on his side. It feels like all my magic is being pushed into my fingers. It’s similar to the electric shocks I get when I start to lose control, but I know this is different. I glance back down at the wound and find it a lot smaller than it had been. I gasp again and sit up on my knees putting more pressure on the area.
I keep glancing between my hands and Colton’s face. Besides the wound being smaller, there are still no other noticeable differences. He’s completely still and isn’t breathing. His heart still won’t beat. I push down harder. I look up at Logan, who is checking vital signs. With a heartbreaking sigh, he moves away from Colton. Shaking his head, he looks up at me. My heart breaks all over again at the sadness in his eyes.
The vibrations in my hands start to lessen as the magic leaves me. I’m leaning all of my body weight into Colton’s side begging him to come back. I keep the pressure on the previous wound spot until my hand stops vibrating. The magic is gone. He is still gone. I pound on his chest again. The wound is closed, but he is still gone. “Dang it, Colton!” I lean down and rest my head on his chest again. I don’t want to leave him. I can’t.
I close my eyes and let the tears start flowing again. He is gone. He left me. “Ryanne,” Logan starts again. I shake my head.
“I’m not leaving him.” I refuse to leave him here. I hit him again and cry into this shirt. There is nothing else I can do. Dravin killed him. I know that if I had my magic right now, I’d probably need Liam to knock me out. My emotions are too strong at the moment.
Thump.
I freeze. Did I actually hear that?
Thump.
I jump back and stare down at him. He still looks the same. I lean my head against his chest where his heart is. Thump. Thump. It is slow and faint, but it is there.
“His heart’s beating,” I whisper.
Larkin who is standing at the door says, “Guys, we really should be leaving. They’re starting to wake up.” I look behind everyone. He’s right. The two men that I knocked out before Liam and Colton came into the cell are starting to stir. Soon, they’ll all be awake. “Ryanne, you have to get off of him,” Liam says. I instantly start shaking my head. I’m not going to leave him here. There’s no way that’s going to happen. “We need to carry him out of here. We need to go now.”
Liam helps pull me up while Bragden and Tom bend down and support Colton’s weight between the two of them. Colton’s head falls forward limply, and I choke on another cry. I can feel the silent tears still falling down my face. Liam keeps an arm around my waist as he pulls me out of the room. My eyes connect with Larkin as we pass him. He doesn’t have his usual cocky countenance. In its place is a sad, caring expression. He nods at me.
Liam ushers me into the hallway with Bragden and Tom following after us. David and Logan take up the rear. Liam turns left once we get out of the cell and starts pulling me down another hallway. I’m not sure how, but he seems to know exactly where to go. The blinding lights above me are starting to hurt my eyes. He turns right and then stops. The arm around my waist disappears as Liam rushes forward to fight off some of the Gadramicks blocking us. When the walls in the hallway start to tilt, I close my eyes and back up hoping to lean against the wall. I hear the sound of punches being thrown, and someone rushes past me. I trust the guys around me to protect me. I can’t fight right now anyway. Grunting resonates through the hall and then it gets quiet again. “Come on, Ryanne,” I hear David say while someone grabs my hand. I let him blindly pull me along.
Opening my eyes, I glance behind me at Bragden and Tom. Colton is still limp between the two of them. They are fully carrying him down the hall. I stifle another cry as I feel a cool breeze. I stop and look around me. Where is that breeze coming from? Blinking the tears out of my eyes, I see that I am standing outside…surrounded by trees. Larkin runs up to me and tries to grab my hand. I shake my head and point to Colton. Larkin needs to get Colton out of here first. Agreeing with me, Liam tells him to go. Larkin walks over to Bragden and Tom and reaches for Colton. They let go of him, and Larkin transports away.
Walking over to the closest tree, I lean against it and try to catch my breath. Moving too much hurts my stomach, but I don’t want to mention it to anyone. I know that Liam knows. He keeps glancing at me. Everything starts to spin around me. The events of the day are weighing me down. I grab my head, slide down the tree trunk, and sit on the ground. I can hear the footsteps around me as I succumb to the darkness.