Maya POV

Pain exploded through every nerve in my body. Not my pain. Alexei's. The poison burned through the bond like acid, destroying everything it touched.

I dropped to my knees beside him. He convulsed on the cave floor, black veins spreading from the injection site across his neck and face. His heart hammered erratically through the bond, skipping beats, stuttering.

Mine followed. Every time his heart faltered, mine did too.

"No no no." I pressed my hands to his chest, feeling his ...