ALPHA Arthur: The Mate Who Lied
Truly dead this time.
Xavier let the gun slip from his fingers. It clattered onto the wood. He slumped forward, his forehead hitting the floorboards next to the gun. His breathing was a thin, whistling sound that slowed, then stopped. The life force he had been hoarding was finally spent.
"Lucian!"
Phineas ignored the corpses. He dove for Lucian, who was slumped against the wall, his chest a map of nineteen puncture wounds.
"Lucian, look at me! Stay awake! Don't you dare close your eyes!" Phineas ripped the remains of his own tunic off, wadding the fabric and pressing it hard against the heaviest bleed in Lucian’s chest.