Blessed By The Moon

Chapter 51

Echo's POV:

The boy's breath steadied beneath my hands. I watched the bruises fade, the blood slow, the sharp hitch in his chest soften into something almost normal. Silver warmth pulsed from me, softer than it had ever been, fragile, like light through cracked glass.

His gray eyes locked on mine. No fear now, no horror, just exhaustion, and something that almost looked like hope. I smiled at him, but it was small, sad. A smile for what he'd lost, and for what little I could give back.

"You'll live," I whispered, brushing damp hair from his face as he closed his eyes, resting. "Hold on to that. Live."

The air behind me shifted, heavy with footsteps. My heart clenched before I even turned.

Storm was there, watching me. His eyes were unreadable, a battlefield of guilt and something darker. And then-

"May!"

I spun.

They emerged through the trees like ghosts, Kaiden first, carrying a blood-soaked Uriah with Jenny pressed close at his side; Gemma stumbling, tear-streaked, her hands and shirt covered in blood.

All of them, broken, battered, but alive.

My throat closed.

"What happened?" I managed, voice trembling.

Gemma uttered with a broken voice "We were looking for you, we- what happened here?"

Storm answered "Long story short, Echo killed them all."

"What?" They all said.

Kaiden's eyes met mine, hard and unflinching. "Daniel. He came for us."

"He's dead," Jenny added softly, her eyes like glass. "Kaiden killed him."

I sighed "Thank god, I'll heal Uriah quickly and we'll be safe with no casualties, come on."

But Gemma shook her head, the motion sharp, tears still falling. "There were casualties."

"Who?" I said, my heart beating faster than ever, did my protective bubble falter? Did I leave Axe to die?

"Jordan's gone. He's dead, Echo." Gem answered.

The words landed like a blade to my chest. I staggered back a step, clutching the earth. Jordan. The reckless, laughing voice in every silence. Gone.

"No, no no no no no." The tears were free falling from my face. Not Jordan, please Moon, not Jordan.

I fell to my knees, pressing a hand over my mouth, sobs tearing through me before I could stop them. My vision blurred, the world collapsing inward, suffocating. He can't be... he can't be dead.

Storm's shadow loomed, but I couldn't look at him. I couldn't even breathe.

"May."

Kaiden's voice, low, urgent. He was suddenly beside me, Uriah's blood soaking into his arms. " Uriah needs you, you can mourn later, right now you need to save this man's life so he can go back to his wife and son, do you hear me? "

I blinked through tears, staring at the man in his arms. Uriah's skin was pale, his breaths shallow. Too shallow.

"Yes," I whispered. My hands shook as I reached for him. "Yes, I can...I can save him." 

Storm intervened "Echo, you're too weak."

"I'm not" I snapped at him.

Jenny's hand touched my shoulder, steady but desperate. "Hurry. Please."