A Starless Existence {boyxboy}

Chapter 25

Panic began to set in as Kyree struggled with taking a breath, a simple action that was ingrained into his brain yet couldn't be called upon in that moment. He had been injured before, for God sake he had been shot, but somehow the feeling of the cold, serrated metal plunging into his flesh was so much worse.

"No witty retort, Kyree? Cat got your tongue?" the assassin mocked, humour in his tone. He was enjoying Kyree suffering, probably getting off on it too. Kyree tried to speak but only managed a choked gurgling sound, probably from the blood seeping into his lungs and airway.

His body was growing heavier by the minute, the sound of his blood dripping onto the carpet growing more and more distant. He was going to pass out. He was going to die. No. No, that couldn't happen. He couldn't die, he wouldn't leave Ambrose like that.

Mustering what little strength dwindled within him, Kyree launched himself forward, managing a few steps before collapsing half onto the bed with a cry of pain. A low throaty laugh filled his ears, along with an awful buzzing that seemed to be growing as he drifted further and further from consciousness.

A hand clamped over his mouth, just as another pressed roughly into the gaping wound in his back, causing him to almost scream from the pain. Colours were swimming in front of his eyes, the world tipping and tilting as fingers probed the inner walls of the wound, inciting a burning and aching sensation Kyree had never experienced before.

"Can't you just fucking die already?" the voice hissed in Kyree's ear as he felt the blade plunge into another patch of flesh in his back. He wasn't even able to produce any noise that time, simply blinked as another wave of agony crashed over him.

Suddenly, Kyree's head was filled with the sound of growling and snarling. He tried desperately to focus on the black mass stood in the doorway, hunched over and growing gradually. The hand over his mouth slipped away, in fact, the pressure of any presence near him seemed to drift as the growling got louder.

"Good dog..." Kyree muttered his praise as he forced himself to his feet and stumbled blindly from the room, praying to every God he had ever heard of that his damn dog wouldn't get killed. The stairs were difficult, for some reason Kyree kept scolding himself mentally for getting blood everywhere, as though that was truly the most important thought at that moment.

He struggled with the door, his blood making the handle slippy and difficult to push down. He finally managed it when another wave of pain hit, bringing tears to his eyes. Not physical pain, no, that had never stopped. It was emotional, it was the fear of losing Ambrose, of leaving him as Alexander had left Kyree. He couldn't bear that, and that gave him strength.

The door swung open easily and Kyree took maybe two steps before dropping to his knees, his eyes half closed. Screams filled the ballroom as people saw Kyree, backing away from him, staring rather than helping.

Ambrose heard the commotion, elbowed his way to the front of the crowd. If his heart had been beating, it would have stopped in that moment. The sight of his lover, his Kyree, drenched with blood, eyes dull as his body swayed on the precipice of unconsciousness. It could have killed Ambrose easily.

"Kyree!" he yelled, dropping his wine glass and running to catch Kyree just as his lover fell backwards, "Ky, baby, stay with me. OK? Keep your eyes open," Ambrose felt along Kyree's back, finding two rather large stab wounds that were gushing blood, only able to hold one shut.

"Oh my God, dad!" Saige almost sprinted over as she caught sight of her two father's, tears already streaming down her cheeks, "Ambrose, what happened?" she quavered, clutching Kyree's bloodied hand with her own trembling ones.

"He's been stabbed," Ambrose said bluntly, his eyes wild with fear, "Saige, give me your hand, you need to hold one shut whilst he starts to heal," Ambrose tugged Saige's hand under Kyree, pressing it against one of the wounds, "hold it tight, he can't lose anymore blood," Kyree stared up at the ceiling with a dazed expression on his face, he wasn't sure he had any more blood to lose.