Alexander cried out as the beast within him surged forward, taking control of his body. He fought viciously through everything in his path, pushing toward the chasm.
But the demons fought back just as fiercely, raking into him until his body was marked with bleeding wounds.
“I see them… I see them!” someone shouted over the chaos.
Alexander didn’t look up. He kept cutting through the demons, striking down anything that came within reach. His chest tightened as Drago flashed through his mind. He hoped his brother would forgive him for leaving him behind.
He hoped…
His limbs suddenly gave out.
He dropped to his knees, gasping as a sharp pain tore through his chest, as if something were pulling at the very core of him. He tried to push himself up, but his body would not respond.
This was it. He was dying.
Alexander tried to lift his head to look for Boaz, but from his vantage point all he could see were rushing feet and scorched ground. The ground seemed to rise toward him.
It took him a moment to realize he was falling.
His face hit the ground first, but he barely felt it. His entire body was going numb, his heartbeat stuttering as if it were slowing to a stop.
“No!”
“Boaz?” Alexander gasped as the darkness swallowed him whole.
Chapter 34
Boaz
“No… no… no. Come on. Open your eyes. Alex… Alexander,” Boaz said as he dropped to his knees beside him.
His hands moved over Alexander in a panic. There was blood everywhere, gashes across his arms and legs. Boaz didn’t know where to touch him. He was so still, so unbearably still, as if he were already dead.
“Breathe, please. Alexander, come on. Don’t fucking do this.” He gripped his arms, shaking him, but there was no response.
He’d seen him fall seconds after the chasm closed. He’d thought he was just hurt, but he hadn’t moved since. He wasn’t waking up.
He couldn’t be dead. No. No.
Boaz forced his hands together and placed them on Alexander’s chest, starting CPR. “Come on, Alex… come on.”
He pressed down, over and over, then tilted his head back and gave breaths between compressions, repeating the cycle desperately. Still nothing.
Voices gathered around him, but Boaz didn’t look up. Why were they just standing there? Why wasn’t anyone helping him?
“Boaz?” Hansel said, kneeling beside him. He caught his hands, stopping him. Boaz tried to wrench free, but his brother held on firmly.
“Let go, Hansel,” Boaz snapped.
“He’s gone, Boaz,” Hansel said quietly.
“No. He’s just hurt. He needs help… please help me,” Boaz said, tears running down his face. He pushed himself up, looking around the field at the others standing there, all watching him.
“Why aren’t you helping me? Don’t just stand there. Do something.”
“I’m sorry, Boaz,” Manlius said, blinking rapidly.
“No. Don’t say that. Don’t…” Boaz shook his head, turning back to Alexander on the ground. “I’ll take him to Brett. He can heal him. Hansel, help me carry him.”