POV: Jared
The moment Asher's chest rose, relief hit me like a freight train. My legs nearly buckled, but I forced myself to stay upright. I pressed a shaky hand against my ribs, feeling every bruise and ache from the fight, but none of it mattered. Asher was breathing. He was alive.
"You're okay, buddy," I whispered, brushing his damp hair back from his forehead. His skin was cold, and his tiny frame shuddered even in sleep. "You're okay."
But before I could fully breathe, Kai's body jerked, limbs twitching, and then... still.
"No," I muttered, my throat closing up. "No, no, no."
Marrow pulled their hand away from Kai's chest, the black veins on their skin slithering back like living shadows. They wiped their fingers on the edge of their robe, watching Kai's unmoving body with eerie detachment.
"He'll live," Marrow said, voice smooth and detached, like they hadn't just ripped Kai back from the brink of death. "For now."
