Chapter 224: Chapter 224
Axel POV
I bite into a warrior’s neck, jerk my head and rip out his trachea. I run towards the next wolf, but Elara’s words make my heart stop, and I stumble over my feet and land in the dirt.
Instantly, she rushes to my side, shifts, extends her claw and slaps a warrior away from me. I get up and together, we attack the warrior and kill him.
“What are you talking about?” I ask urgently as we attack the next warrior. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” she replies. “He said he loved me, and then he went quiet.”
Fuck! Of all the possible scenarios I can think of, none of them is good. Injury, captivity ... death. An invisible band pulls tight around my chest, and it feels as if I cannot breathe.
“Kane, where are you?” I mind-link, desperate to connect with him, but he does not reply. This cannot be happening; he has to be okay. We have been doing everything together since birth. I do not know how to live in a world where he does not exist.
“That’s the last one,” Elara mind-links, and I blink, confused as I look around. We have killed all the warriors, but I was so focused on Kane that I did not even realise it.
“Come on,” Elara urges me, running towards the Council. “We must find Kane.”
I do not hesitate; I immediately follow her. My heart is in my throat as we near the building and see smoke. What the hell happened here? Kane should know better than to start a fire without an escape route. We run inside and search for Kane. I mind-link him constantly.
“The smoke is coming from the basement,” Elara says. “And I still can’t reach him.”
“Neither can I,” I reply, frustrated. I am trying so hard to stay positive, but I am losing the battle.
I stop when we reach the basement stairs. The smoke is so thick, I can hardly breathe. There is no way we can get in and survive.
“What do we do?” I ask Elara, panic rising like sour bile in my throat. I am too anxious to think. We are out of time. How do we extinguish the fire when we do not have time?
“Stay here,” Elara replies adamantly. “I’m going in.”
“No!” I protest. “I can’t lose you, too.”
“I promise I’ll come out if it gets too much,” she replies. “But neither of us will forgive each other or ourselves if we don’t try, at least.”
Elara POV
I run towards a window, rip off a curtain and run to the nearest bathroom. I shift back, wet the curtain and wrap it around myself, ensuring I cover my mouth and nose.
My hands are trembling, and there is a knot in my stomach, making me feel sick. I am hopeful, but I cannot shake the dreadful feeling that we are too late. Too late or not, I meant what I said. I will never forgive myself if I do not try.
Axel is sitting on the basement stairs, whimpering when I run past him. The smoke is overpowering, but I raise a hand, summon the wind and blow the smoke to one side. It helps just enough for me to see the stairs, and I carefully move forward.
I cannot smell anything other than smoke as I clear a path through the smoke. I stumble over something, and my breath hitches in my throat when I look down. A body.
Oh, Goddess, please, don’t let it be Kane.
I kneel, wave the smoke away and exhale deeply when I notice a test subject.
“Kane, where are you?” I plead desperately, but the silence does not surprise me anymore.
Panic gnaws at me, and I increase the wind, sending smoke everywhere. I do not care if I choke; I must find Kane. I continue forward and a sob I continue forward, and a sob bursts from my chest when I see Kane lying unconscious against the wall.
“Kane!” I shout, instantly regretting it when I inhale the smoke.
I cough uncontrollably, but I push through, running towards Kane. I feel for a pulse, and tears stream down my face when I find one. I remove the curtain, drape it around Kane, master every ounce of my strength and pick him up.
I fight my cough, concentrating on staying upright with Kane over my shoulder. I cannot control the wind anymore, and smoke is everywhere, obscuring my sight. I trip again and fall with an umph. I am on the verge of exhaustion, and relief washes over me when I realise I am at the stairs.
“Axel, help,” I croak. “I’m at the bottom of the stairs.”
“I’m coming,” he replies, and I hear his hasty footsteps.
“Is he alive?” He asks, biting the curtain and dragging Kane up the stairs.
“Barely,” I reply, scrambling to my feet and following them.
I take a deep breath once we are out, welcoming the fresh air, but it also sends me into another coughing frenzy.
“Are you okay?” Axel asks, concerned.
“I’m fine,” I cough, sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall. “Get Kane to the clinic.”
“He’s not going to make the clinic,” Axel replies, placing Kane down and shifting back. “He needs CPR.”
I lower my head, tears streaming down my face as I pray that Kane will be okay.
