Page 42 of Flawed Revenge

While he might not be dying, it seemed he was losing his battle with consciousness. Because the world turned black around him, and he was powerless to stop it from happening.

March 17th

8:59 A.M.

Kate’s heart felt like it tumbled right out of her body when she looked over to see Blade and Dragon carrying a limp Leo between them through the plane.

“He’s dead,” she said, surprised her voice came out faint when inside her mind she was screaming so loud it hurt her ears.

Dead.

Leo was dead.

She’d waited too long to come to him to seek answers, waited too long to reconcile. Waited too long to make herself see the truth that she had always been in love with him even when she’d hated him.

Now it was too late.

Leo was gone.

Somehow, she was on her feet, although she would have sworn her legs weren't strong enough to hold her up, especially since Ariella was in her arms.

Apparently, she wasn't the only one who thought that. Thunder, who had been sitting beside her, rose with her. The man swept her daughter out of her arms, depositing her in Maya’s, then wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her.

Voices were speaking, but she couldn’t make out the words.

Leo had left her again, and this time it was permanent.

“Mommy!”

That word, screamed by her barely conscious and bleeding daughter, was the only thing she heard as the world seemed to close in around her.

Then warmth spread through her, and the stabbing agony in her chest receded just a tiny bit, although the pain in her heart didn't. She was sitting again, and Voodoo was on his knees in front of her, his hands framing her face, squeezing just hard enough to grab her attention.

“Lion is alive, Kate. Hear me. Lion is alive. Alive. He has a concussion, passed out, but he was awake when we found him, trying to get to you. Once he found out you and Ariella were okay, he passed out again. But he is alive, and he is going to be okay. Are you hearing me?” Voodoo demanded, his voice gentle yet demanding attention, forcing her to listen.

“Alive?” she managed to croak. Was it possible that everything she’d ever wanted hadn't just slipped through her fingers for a second time?

“Alive,” Voodoo repeated. His hands on her face shifted, one dropping to her shoulder, the other pressed against her neck, and it took her a moment to realize he was checking her pulse. “You need to calm down. I know that’s asking a lot considering the situation, but I'm worried about your broken ribs puncturing a lung.”

Puncturing a lung probably should be a greater concern than it was. All Kate cared about was that Leo and Ariella were alive, injured but not dying. She hadn't lost either of them today.

When she nodded to let him know that she understood, he gave her a tight smile, encouraging, but at the same time, she could read the strain in it. They were all hurting, all shaken, all wondering what happened next, if they were being hunted, if they would have time to get someplace safe.

Before she could say anything, a howl of anguish suddenly sounded from somewhere nearby. Kate stiffened, but Voodoo gave her shoulder a quick squeeze of reassurance.

“That’s Steel,” he told her, and she relaxed a little, hearing they weren't under attack.

“Rose,” Cassandra whispered, and they all realized that the stunning redhead was the only person unaccounted for.

Was it possible that while she hadn't lost her heart today, someone else hadn't been as lucky? The pain in Steel’s voice had been unmistakable, and there was only one reason she could think of that he would sound that way.

As though they were one, they were all on their feet and moving. She’d thought she’d lost Leo, but she hadn't. Maybe there was a chance to ensure that Steel didn't lose his other half either.

Once outside the wreck of the private jet, it didn't take them long to spot Steel. He was on his knees beside one of the wings of the plane. It was broken off from the main body of the plane and lying on the ground.

Beneath it, she could see a pool of red.

Different than blood.