I knew it was morning because sunlight filtered through my eyelids.
I lay on the grass, my back against the dirt. My clothes were soaked with blood, and I could barely think because my mind was so fuzzy. So many things were broken, so much blood had been lost. I writhed in unspeakable pain, subjected to such agony that I knew Maddox was right.
I did wish I were dead.
I couldn’t stand and walk; I couldn’t even reach for my phone in my pocket. I was paralyzed on the ground. Even if I could grab my phone, I wasn’t sure I could figure out how to call someone. My body was broken, and I couldn’t move.
I would die here.
I had a few hours left, maybe more.
To distract myself from the pain, I thought of Sofia.
She was safe. She was home. She was free.
I could die happy.
The sound of approaching tires was recognizable to my ears. I was so delirious, I was probably hallucinating the whole thing. Maybe it was a fantasy, that someone was coming to rescue me. The likelihood someone had driven out into the middle of nowhere was nonexistent.
I stayed still on the ground with my eyes closed. I couldn’t move anyway.
A car door shut, and boots thudded against the ground. It was a cold morning in the fall. My lungs ached with every breath I took.
“Fuck.” The footsteps sounded hurried as someone ran over to me. “Hades?” One hand immediately went to my neck to check my pulse, while the other rested against my chest to check my breathing.
I forced my eyes to open, even though it was painful to do so. From between the slit in my eyelids, I could make out Damien’s face.
“Holy shit.” Damien looked over my body, examining my countless injuries. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”
“I won’t be much longer.”
“Can you stand?”
I groaned in response.
“I’m going to get you to a hospital, okay? Just hold on.” He pulled out his phone and made some calls. “Stay with me, okay?”
I was already slipping away.
Damien gave me a shake. “I need you to stay awake.”
“I can’t…”
“Don’t do it for you. Do it for Sofia.”