"Get her out of here!" Alexander's command rang out as he dropped to his knees beside me.
I tried to focus, but the world was spinning. My side burned, each breath dragging me further from clarity. Blood seeped through my fingers, warm and unforgiving.
"No," I gasped, clutching his arm. "Don't... leave me."
Alexander's expression hardened, a rare crack in his controlled exterior. "You're not dying here," he said through gritted teeth. "Stay awake, Eleanor. Look at me."
Footsteps pounded toward us. Mira's voice cut through the chaos like a taunt. "You can't save her, Sterling. Let her go. Or is this the weakness I've been waiting for?"
Alexander stood abruptly, his movements sharp, his gun drawn. His body shielded mine, and his presence felt like a wall between life and death.
"Keep her talking," Marcus hissed from somewhere nearby, his tone tense but measured.
