Kaelen gritted his teeth as he poured another stream of healing energy into Alira's body. His hands were glowing, trembling from exhaustion, but he didn't stop. He couldn't.
Neal sat beside him, his fists clenched tight, watching her pale face. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but it wasn't from the heat. It was fear.
"Still nothing…" Neal muttered. "It's been too long."
Kaelen didn't answer.
Seconds passed like hours. The glow from the necklace in Derek's hand had faded completely now. There were no signs, no signals, no clue if anything they were doing was working.
Neal looked at Derek's body, unmoving on the floor, and then back at Alira.
"If she doesn't wake up soon…"
Kaelen's voice was hoarse. "Shut up. Just keep counting."
But he had already lost count. Minutes had passed. Ten… maybe more.
Derek wasn't waking up.
Alira wasn't moving.
The weight in their chests grew heavier.
"What if we… what if we're too late?" Neal finally said, his voice breaking.
