The surgical lights blared, washing the pristine white room in a blinding, sterile glare that made the sheer volume of dark blood look even more catastrophic. Dr. Aris stared at me across the cold steel table for a fraction of a second, his intelligent eyes calculating my absolute resolve. He didn't argue. He didn't have the time to argue.
"Keep continuous, heavy pressure on that shoulder artery, Miss Aria," the doctor commanded sharply, turning his immediate attention back to the massive, jagged shrapnel wound tearing through Valerius’s right flank. "Viktor, I need you to clamp the primary bleeder on my mark. The piece of debris is resting dangerously close to his liver."
"Ready, Doc," Viktor grunted, his massive hands completely steady despite the terrifying reality that his king was r
