“God damn you, Hauk!” Darling snarled as he attempted chest compressions on him. “You better breathe, you stubborn Andarion bastard! Don’t you do this to me! Get up!”

Unable to cope with it, she froze in the doorway, hugging the doorframe. Syn ran past her to kneel on the other side of Dancer’s body, while Nykyrian brushed past her. Dancer was so pale. His eyes were half open and he wasn’t breathing.

Tears filled her eyes and choked her. He really was dead.

How?

“What happened?” Syn snarled to Darling.

“I don’t know. A fucking doctor came in. Said she wanted to check his injuries. I was watching Kalea for Hauk when Eleron told me his vitals were down. I handed her off to Nero and ran in here, and found him on the floor with no sign of the doctor. This is why I fucking hate medics! You can’t trust any of them! I swear when I find that bitch, I’m going to blow her entire family into the upper stratosphere!”

As the others began arriving to witness the horror, Nykyrian pulled Darling away while he continued to snarl in anger and make more threats. Then Nyk handed the emperor off to Maris. He met her gaze.

Sumi couldn’t move. She was frozen by grief and terror. Frozen by the agonizing fear of losing Dancer.

Forever.

You can’t leave me…

Like Darling, she wanted to curse everyone. She wanted to spill the guts of anyone who’d ever hurt or insulted Dancer.

Instead, she slowly approached him and knelt so that she could press her cheek to his. Brushing her hand along the stubble, she winced at how cold his skin was already. She buried her hands in his braids. “Don’t leave me, Dancer,” she whispered in his ear. “I need you here. Kalea needs you. Please don’t break our hearts. You promised me you wouldn’t leave me alone, again.”

“Pull her back.”

She started to protest until she realized Syn had pulled a defibrillator from his pack. Without protest, she allowed Fain to hold her while Syn worked on Dancer. Fain wrapped his arms around her and rocked her. He watched with a stoicism the bright tears in his eyes belied.

Silent tears fell down her own cheeks as she prayed and waited.

Nothing worked.

“Damn you, you fat, fucking bastard!” Syn shouted before he slammed his fists down on Dancer, in the center of his chest. “Get up!”

Dancer sucked his breath in sharply, then coughed. He glared at Syn. “What the hell are you doing? Damn it, stop hitting me! Gah, did you run over me or something?”

Sobbing, Sumi broke away from Fain and threw herself on top of Dancer. She rained kisses all over his face. “Don’t you ever die on me again!”

“O… kay.” Then he stiffened and groaned in pain. “Where’s that bitch,” he growled.