"Put pressure on it while I get the medkit," Grady demanded and rushed out of the living room, his walking stick banging loudly against the floor.

I stood over Archer's prone form, the smell of his blood thickening the air, and bent to feel for the wound. My fingertips touched his bare chest, the heat on his skin shocking. 

"What happened?" I traced along his skin, searching.

His breaths were shallow and quick, and he answered me with a pained, ...