I'm Not Leaving You Again

CASTYR'S POV

The sound of Kilo hitting the water jerks me awake. Cold seeps into my bones as the water engulfs us. I immediately wrap my arm around Kilo's waist and begin kicking my legs. I breathe in fresh air as we break the surface and keep Kilo afloat as I paddle to the river's shore.

I drag Kilo onto the riverbank and lay him down to find he is not breathing! Placing my palms on his upper chest, I begin pressing. 1..2..3..4..5....20. After I hit twenty, I open Kilo's mouth and breathe into him. No response. 1..2..3....20. Breathe. No response.

Only now do I notice the broken arrow shaft sticking out of Kilo's chest. Is this why he can't breathe? I wrap my hand around the drenched arrow and steadily pull it out. I start panicking as blood oozes out of the wound, yet Kilo remains unconscious.

I immediately begin pumping his chest again. 1..2..3....20. Breathe. Tears touch my eyes as I finish the third round with no response. My vision is completely blurry as I begin the fourth. 1..2..3....20. Breathe. No response.

"Kilo! Wake up!" By the fifth round, I am a slobbering mess. 1..2..3....20. Breathe. No response.

I call out in my mind as loud as I can. As soon as the shout leaves my mind, Kilo begins coughing up water. I help him sit up and make sure he is breathing before I completely lose it.

"How could you?! You scared me! I thought I'd lost you!" I cry.

Kilo just wraps his arms around me in response. "It's okay. I'm right here," he pets my head soothingly.

"You almost died," I sniffle.

"But you saved me. It's okay, Castyr."

Kilo continues to sooth me until I can see again. I wipe my eyes to see the fresh blood seeping from the arrow's wound. Before Kilo can protest, I channel a big spurt of energy to the open wound. Unafraid of the consequences on my body, I immediately heal the angel's injury.

"Castyr, what are-"

The wound is healed by the time Kilo yanks my hands away. He steadies me as I swoon. "Why'd you do that? I would have been fine, silly."

"I didn't want to take that chance."

Kilo lets out a breath before relaxing. "Okay. Just don't do it again. I don't know where you learned it, but using a big amount of energy like that is dangerous."

"No promises."

"Castyr," Kilo's voice turns deep and serious.

"Okay," I comply.

Kilo continues to hold me as I recover. I sit up once I am no longer dizzy and look around us. We are on the bank of a river that winds into a large city about a half-mile in front of us.

"Where are we?...Wait...did we fall?"

Kilo nods. "We fell, but I have no idea where we are."

"Mm. Well, let's head into the city and find out where we landed."

Kilo agrees, and I help him to his feet. He almost falls to the ground as he takes his first step, though.

"Are you okay?" I ask as I help steady the angel.

"I think my leg is broken."

I bend down to check the wound. "How long will it take to heal? I could-"

"It won't take too long. Don't worry about it." Kilo pulls me back up as I lift his pant to check his leg. "Let's go."

I place my arm around Kilo's back and pull his arm over my shoulder as we begin towards the city. We keep near the river as we enter the dense jungle of towers. Pulsing neon lights line the narrow streets as unknown people shuffle about. We must be in the poorer district.

Kilo's leg is currently healing, so he still has a pretty bad limp, and every now and then I see him clutch his stomach in pain.

"Should we stop and rest?" I ask Kilo as I notice him wincing from the pain.

"No. It's okay. Let's find a place to stay the night. The sun is nearly gone."

"But we don't have any money."

"There might be a shelter nearby. This is an impoverished district."

"Okay." I keep my eyes open for a shelter as we roam the dark streets. It is not until three blocks later that I confirm we are being followed.

We speed up as the six men approach us from behind.

"Shit!" I curse as we round a corner only to find it is a dead end.

Kilo and I spin around to see the six men blocking our path. They raise their guns and back us into the dead end.

My observation does not bode well.

"Well, look what we've got here. Two beautiful specimen. They'd fetch a pretty penny," a trafficker sneers.

I protest.

Kilo pulls me behind him as our attackers fire their stun guns. He staggers as he takes four to the chest. I catch Kilo as he falls to his knees, sending out a burst of light a split second before I take a shot to the head. My mind spins, and I find myself looking parallel to the road with the side of my face on the hard street.

My vision fades in and out as I struggle to remain conscious. I make out bodies lying on the ground as the sounds of heavy footsteps reach my ears. A certain scent catches my attention as the footfalls grow nearer. I see black boots walk up to me as I recognize the scent of a demon.