Page 77 of Maddening Fixation

Blood.

But I ignored it.

Using every ounce of strength I had left, I pulled Romeo fully onto the grass before collapsing beside him.

He wasn’t moving.

Water spilled from his mouth.

I rolled him onto his side exactly as I had once seen in a first-aid demonstration at school.

Nothing.

Panic clawed at my chest.

I turned him onto his back and placed both trembling hands against his chest, pressing down over and over again, silently begging him to breathe.

“Please...”

Another push.

Another.

Another.

Then he coughed violently.

Water poured from his mouth as he drew in a ragged breath.

Relief crashed over me so suddenly my eyes filled with tears.

“I... I did it...”

I leaned closer, ready to give him another breath if he needed it.

Only then did I notice the blood covering his white shirt.

My heart lurched.

For one horrifying second, I thought he had been stabbed.

Then dizziness washed over me.

The blood wasn’t his.

It was mine.

It poured relentlessly from the deep wound across my abdomen, soaking both of us in crimson.

The shouting started almost immediately.

Adults came running from every direction.

The music inside the ballroom stopped.

Family guards. Servants. Medics.

Everyone surrounded us.