Chapter 27 · Bound to the Executioner: Leveling Up With My Enemy - Chapter 27: Rage and Recovery

"Stay. Away."

Soren’s voice didn't sound like him. It was a low, vibrating growl that rattled the bones in my chest. He was still standing over the pile of corpses, his chest heaving, those damn golden eyes glowing like two miniature suns in the damp dark of the sewers.

I tried to push myself up, but my arms gave out. My vision was a smeared mess of red and grey. HP 8%. The system notification was blinking in the corner of my eye like a dying neon sign, mocking me.

"Get back, Vesp," he snapped. He didn't look at me, but I could feel him sensing my fear, my pain, my desperate need for air. The bond was screaming. It wasn't just a link anymore; it was a leash, and he was the one holding it.

"I'm a medic, you idiot," I coughed, and a spray of blood hit the cobblestones. "I'm the one... who fixes... you."

He turned then. The movement was too fast, too predatory. In a blur of black leather and gold light, he was over me, his hand slamming into the wall beside my head. The impact cracked the stone. He leaned in, his scent—