Chapter 46

My chest constricted, sharper than any hit I’d taken in the ring. The sound of him saying her name like that, like it was already half goodbye had my pulse pounding in my ears. I wanted to ask if she was conscious, but part of me was terrified of the answer. Instead, I barked, “How bad?”

“Bad,” he said simply. “But she’s talking. Or she was.”

Static hissed, and under it I thought I heard a ragged breath. My throat went tight. “Sage? Can you hear me?”

Nothing.

“C’mon, ghost, talk to me,” I said, leaning closer to the comm like proximity would pull her back. “You’re going to be fine. Just hang on.”

There was a faint noise, could’ve been her, could’ve been rubble shifting. Liam’s voice cut in, sharper now. “She’s fading. I need to get this beam off her, now.”

I could hear the panic creeping in, even if he was trying to hide it. I started moving before I’d even decided to, shouting for the others, demanding tools, hands, anything. My voice was raw, the comm still pressed to my ear like if I let go, I’d lose her. Somewhere in that darkness, she was slipping. And all I could do was tear through concrete and pray I reached her before she disappeared completely.