  “Shh, Blair, breathe. I know it hurts.” He gripped Blair’s biceps for a few seconds before moving on to rub Blair’s chest. Blair grabbed Declan’s arms and tried to lift himself away from the pain. “I can’t move. Declan, I can’t move,” he sobbed the words out. “Calm down, Blair. Just take a few deep breaths and let them out very slowly. Trust me,” Declan ordered softly. “Look at me and breathe deeply.” Blair tilted his head and met Declan’s gaze. “Good. See, you can move your head and arms.” “I-I c-can’t w-walk.” Blair’s voice came out a whimper. “I know.” Declan gently turned Blair’s head so he was looking at his legs, or where his legs should be. “You’re trapped. The fact you can feel means once you’re loose, you’ll be able to move and walk. You’re a vampire. You’d have to have one helluva spinal injury, or have your legs amputated, to prevent you from healing and never walking again. Take a few more deep breaths and try to tell me exactly what you feel.” Stuttering breaths in and out, Blair closed his eyes and leaned his head back, taking comfort in Declan’s presence. “Wet. Something is wet by my leg, and down my back. My right leg hurts so much. Everything below my waist hurts. And my back, it’s…I can’t…” “Sticky and wet?” Blair nodded and sniffed. “I-I’m s-sor-sorry.” “You have nothing to be apologizing for. Is the wetness in one spot?” “I don’t know. It’s getting bigger.” Blair sucked in air and opened his eyes again. “I’m bleeding. I’m going to bleed out and die. I don’t want—” He tried pulling in more oxygen, but it was suddenly impossible to breathe through what felt like tight bands tightening down around his chest. “Blair!” Declan said sternly and held one finger up in front of Blair’s face. “You are not going to die. You’re a vampire. Bleeding out takes weeks.” He sat back and ran one hand through his hair. “I know you’re scared and in pain, but we both have to stay calm. Lucas and Jonas are out there”—he pointed up—“and they are looking for us. I can feel it. They’ll find us.” Closing his eyes for a few beats, Declan sighed. “Right now, I need you to focus on our problem and stay calm. Someone is here with us. Can you do that?” Blair gulped and nodded. Declan patted the side of Blair’s head and smiled. He twisted on his heels and seemed to be searching for something. “I will get you out of here,” he said, reaching for something out of Blair’s line of sight, Declan turned back to Blair and handed him a piece of metal rebar. “Grip this and try to stay quiet. Have you ever seen a woman give birth?” Blair shook his head. “No.” His voice came out more of a squeak than a word. “You pull in a very deep breath like this.” Declan took a breath, and his chest expanded. “And blow out like this.” He exhaled a quick series of short bursts. “Then repeat.” Waving his hand in a get-moving motion, Declan said, “Now you.” Blair’s expression no doubt reflected how dubious he was. Declan nodded and raised his eyebrows. Focusing on Declan’s face, Blair did as instructed. “Again,” Declan said when Blair finished. Blair nodded and repeated the action. When he was done, Declan asked, “Feel better?” “Yeah. I do.” “Good. Now I want you to keep doing that.” “What are you going to do?” Blair asked. Quarry is available in eBook, paperback and through Kindle Unlimited.  There's still time to get the entire The Sleepless City series for only $2.99 each eBook!     Comments are closed.
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