The Gender War (The Gender Game #4)(102)

In my mind, I knew I had to accept this. Accept this, and move on. But my heart railed against this fact, violently.

I listened to it. Years ago, I hadn’t, but this time… I had to. It wasn’t an impulse. It was an obsession. It didn’t matter what logic told me—I couldn’t give up on her.

My eyes snapped open, and I gently laid Violet down again. I tipped her head back, squeezing two fingers against her throat to clear her airway. Pressing my hands together over her chest, I began pushing against it, the life-saving training I’d had as a warden filling my head. The rhythm was natural—a series of quick compressions, and then I reached down, pinching her nose and blowing air from my lungs into hers.

“You have to live, baby,” I growled to her under my breath as I pumped and then blew again. “I can’t go on without you.” Blow. “I won’t.” Another breath. “I can’t.” Breathe.

And so I went on, begging her to come back to me, hoping to find her still somehow clinging to life. I reasoned with her, reminding her that we still had so much to do together. When that didn’t work, I shouted, hoping my anger would spark something in her.

I was frantic, desperate, on the verge of truly giving up—when Violet made a tiny cough, sucked in a deep breath of air, and then started coughing in earnest. Hope bolted through me like electricity. I helped her roll to her side, gently rubbing her back as she choked down lungful after lungful of air—as she continued to breathe, continued to live.

She hacked a few more times and then turned over on her back, her eyelids fluttering. Her eyes focused on me for a moment, and I saw that one of her pupils was blown, while blood surrounded the gray cornea of the other. She looked at me blankly for a second, and I realized she must be having problems focusing.

“Viggo?” she asked, her voice husky and barely audible, more of a croak.

I resisted the urge to stroke her face, her neck, her body—I wasn’t sure how extensive her injuries were—but it was hard. I wanted so badly to feel her living body against mine. As gently as I could, I reached out and took her left hand, squeezing slightly on two fingers that weren’t injured. “Yes. It’s me.”

She smiled then, her gaze dazed and unfocused, and I felt her grimy hands weakly trying to grip my fingers. “Knew you’d come,” she wheezed.

“You invited me,” I replied.

“I didn’t…” she whispered, her smile fading. “That… Tabitha… She—”

“Don’t know, don’t care—we gotta get you out of here.” I carefully slipped my arms under her, taking care not to jostle her too much. But I winced when she took in a deep, painful breath, her pale skin growing whiter, almost ashen. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I gathered her up as gently as I could.

“S’okay,” she replied. Her eyes drifted closed for a moment, and I took the opportunity to stand up. I had started walking, picking my way cautiously down the stairs, when her eyes snapped back open and she shifted slightly in my arms. “Wait,” she breathed. “Can’t forget.”

“Forget what, Violet? We have to get out of here.” I kept my voice gentle, but I didn’t want to wait—I only wanted her safe.

“Button,” she whispered, her eyelids fluttering again. She licked her lips and swallowed. Her hand shifted feebly on her stomach, and I looked at where it was working toward one of the buttons. My frown intensified as I examined it, not understanding. Her gaze focused, and her look was fierce. “Camera. Plan.” Her enunciation was clear and concise, and I could see the intense amount of energy she must be expending to get it out.

I didn’t have time to think about what she was saying now. I just nodded at her, and she went slack again, some of the tension leaving her. We kept on down the stairs. Everything could be all right for now, but who knew who else was coming to investigate the damage…

“Viggo?” Violet’s voice came softly again. I looked at her to see that she was looking at me expectantly.

“You should rest,” I chided her gently, and she smiled at me.

“Marry me?”

I froze and gazed down at her. Staring directly at me, her eyes had become focused and sharp again. I couldn’t speak for a moment; amidst all the chaos around us, that had been what she was thinking about?

“Baby,” I choked, looking into her eyes and hoping she could see all the warmth her question had brought me, “I’m not going anywhere. You already said yes. You’ve got to rest now. We’ll talk about it more later, I promise.”

“Now,” Violet murmured, staring straight back up at me. “It’s important. Didn’t… want to wait…”

“Okay,” I said soothingly, unable to stop myself from smiling. Violet blinked slowly and gave a satisfied smile; then she exhaled a slow breath, her eyes rolling back into her head before she went completely limp in my arms.

My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly lowered myself down onto one knee and checked her pulse again, relieved to feel her heart still beating faintly under my fingers. She had just succumbed to unconsciousness, but if I didn’t get her to a doctor soon, she could very well die. She had a concussion, and who knew what else. I got back to my feet and managed to propel myself forward, trying to shake my dazed state and stay strong for Violet.