Her Blood, My Name

Her Blood, My Name
Adrian’s POV

I didn’t feel the echo of the gunshot first— just the silence that followed before Ivy crumpled on the floor. My heart stopped before my body did as I caught her mid-way before she hit the ground.

Her weight collapsed into me, soft and warm. “Ivy,” I breathed. My hands instinctively went to her waist. “No, no, no…”

Cassian stood there frozen, the gun still gripped tightly in his hand as his face went blank. Not shock or grief. Just… nothing.

“Cassian! What the hell have you done?!” Damian’s voice cut through the ringing in my ears. “Drop the gun!” He moved toward us, shouting orders in a loud tone but the pounding in my skull muffled it.

“Ivy,” I whispered again. Her eyes fluttered, half-open and her lips moved as if to say something, but no sound came out. I pressed my hand harder over the gunshot wound which made her wince in pain. A small sound that was both fragile and broken.

“Stay with me,” I said, my voice cracking. “Do you hear me? You stay with me.”

Damian barked into his phone. “Get the car! We’re taking her to the hospital now!”

But I didn’t wait for him to do anything, before I could even think my body moved in an instant. One second she was on the ground; the next she was in my arms, Damian and Cassian’s shouts echoing behind me.

Her blood was everywhere.

I ran through the hallway leading out of the house. The rain outside has turned violent and is now hammering violently against the windows. I kicked the door open and stumbled into the storm, the cold wind slapping my face.

“Ivy, hold on,” I muttered, her head resting against my shoulder as I spoke to her. “You’re not dying on me. Do you hear me? You’re not—”

I reached the car before it even dawned on me then tore the door open and laid her in the back seat as gently as I could. She was barely breathing now.

“Come on, come on…” My voice broke as I hopped into the driver's seat with my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly it turned white. I kept one hand on the wheel, while the other held her hand to not let go. “Stay with me, Ivy. Look at me. Please.”

“A…a..” The sound came out of her—barely a whisper as she tried to call out my name. “I’m right here,” I said, my throat burning. “I’m not leaving you…..please stay with me, Ivy.” She was bleeding too much to the extent that I couldn’t tell if she was conscious anymore.

Cassian’s face flashed in my mind. The gun in his grip and his expression when it went off. Damian barked his name like he was a good father to Ivy. God…I wanted to kill both of them.

To make them regret what they had done today, but I couldn't think about that now. All I could think about was her heartbeat under my palm—faint, fluttering. “Stay with me,” I said again, louder this time. “You can’t leave me, Ivy. Not like this.”

Her breathing stopped and she tried to say something, but it came out as a small sound that was swallowed by the loud pounding of the rain. “Don’t talk,” I said. “Save your strength.”

The rain was heavier now, but everything looked the same—dark, wet, endless. I blinked hard, fighting the blur in my vision. Couldn’t tell if it was the rain or the tears.

Her blood was drying on my arms and my clothes were soaked through, not to mention my goddamn hands which wouldn’t stop shaking.

Then I saw it—the hospital sign through the storm. “ We're almost there,” I said. “Hold on, baby, just—just hold on.” Her body jerked suddenly as though she was about to take her last breath.

“Ivy?” I slammed my foot harder on the pedal. “Say something!”

“Fuck!!!”

No answer from her, just the sound of rain hammering the roof. “No, no, no…” I turned back to look at her, my hand finding her cold hands. Too cold. “Don’t do this,” I said. “Don’t you dare do this to me.”

When I finally arrived at the hospital there was a blur of lights as I tore into the parking lot. I didn’t bother with the brakes as I skidded to a stop, tires screaming.

I jumped out, yanked the back door open, and scooped her back into my arms. Her head fell against my chest, limp.

The rain was still coming down and soaking us both now. “Help!” I barked, running toward the entrance. “Somebody help me!”

I slammed into the glass doors with my shoulder—they didn’t open quickly enough, so I kicked them open with brutal force, the sound echoing down the corridor.

“Help her!” I screamed. “She’s been shot!”

Before I knew it the nurses and doctors rushed towards us, one of them grabbed a stretcher. Another tried to pull her from my arms, but I wouldn’t let go. “She’s not breathing,” I said, shaking my head, “Do something……please….”

They carried her away from my arms gently as I staggered back, my chest rising and falling heavily. They wheeled her down the hall as I caught one glimpse of her pale face, “Ivy!” I shouted, running after her. “Stay awake! Please!”

But she didn’t move.

My knees hit the floor. I didn’t even feel the pain, just the cold tile under my palms as I pressed my hands to my face. Her blood was still warm on my skin. I leaned back against the wall, my breath breaking apart. 

She was in there fighting for her life and I couldn’t do a damn thing to protect her. I lifted my head, staring down the corridor where they’d taken her, my vision narrowing to a single thought—cold and violent.

If she dies, I’ll make sure with every last drop of my blood that Cassian and Damian pay.

Every last one of them.