The sound came first.
A crack, sharp and echoing through the crumbling skeleton of the warehouse. Liam didn't realize it was his own ribs until the pain bloomed like fire, lancing through his chest and down his spine. He tasted iron, blood flooding his mouth, and the world tilted sideways.
Jude's smirk blurred before his eyes. Everything was heat and agony, but Liam didn't care. Alex was behind him. Alex was safe.
He could hear Alex screaming his name — a sound so raw it almost didn't sound human. His body was breaking, but a strange calm settled in him. If this was what it meant to shield Alex… then fine. He'd take every hit.
He tried to breathe. Each inhale was knives. His knees buckled, and the ground came rushing up to meet him. For a heartbeat, he thought it was over. Darkness licked at the edges of his vision, dragging him down into silence.
