Nico
I kept Blade's weight pressed against me as we pushed through the kitchen, every step heavier than the last.
His blood was warm against my arm, too warm, soaking through fabric and leaving a trail behind us like he was marking our path for whoever was coming next.
"Leave me, Nico," he muttered again, voice rough, strained. "I'll simply be a burden."
And the worst part was he wasn't wrong.
If I dropped him now, I'd move faster. Cleaner. I'd reach the exit without slowing down. I could survive this alone.
But I also knew exactly what would happen if I left him.
They would kill him.
And if Blade died here, everything we were trying to prevent would collapse with him. Gorilla would take over. And Gorilla didn't negotiate. He already said as much.
And I was not in the mood to deal with that kind of war after this one.
"Just hold on," I growled, tightening my grip on him. "You're not dying here."
He gave a dry, painful laugh. "That's not your call."
