Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
“Fuck.”
Blood pours from the wound, my heart stuttering. I cough, and red liquid flies from my lips.
“You chose the wrong side.” Samuel pushes the knife in farther, eyes wild as he glares down at me. “You’re no brother of mine.”
I can’t make sense of anything beyond the pain. Nothing but the life draining away from me. I make one last attempt for my power, trying to capture his mind again. I can’t.
I’ve failed. My head lulls to the side, seeking out Aurora one last time. She’s not there. Ajax probably took her to safety. That’s good. She’ll never forgive me, but she’ll get to live. She’ll be free. Because as surely as I die, so will he, right? The twin bond will sever by his hand, claiming his life, just like it would’ve mine had I done the same to him. Maybe it’s better this way, with him being his own downfall, in the end. Or maybe…
I jerk my last blade up, aiming for his heart. Samuel knocks it away.
It was worth a shot.
“Say goodbye,” Samuel says, twisting the knife. Not because he needs to, because he’s enjoying this.
I gurgle, blood filling my mouth. “I’ll meet you in hell,” I spit the words.
Samuel stiffens above me, eyes flaring wide, as if my words have physically gripped him.
No, that’s two delicate hands framing his face from behind.
A gut-wrenching scream rips from his mouth, his skin turning a sickly gray as his body seizes.
Aurora.
She’s there, shoving him to the ground beside me, screaming loud enough to shatter the sound barrier. Her eyes are wholly black as her power bleeds from her so fiercely, Samuel can’t defend against it.
“No!” he roars, his hands curling in toward his chest, his cheeks going gaunt. He looks starved. Emaciated. “No.” His voice is a whisper before his eyes roll back in his head, and he goes limp beneath her.
She doesn’t let him go. She keeps going until he’s nothing but a spread of ashes on the wood.
I flinch as something that was once solid snaps inside me. The twin bond we shared cracks in two.
“Saint!” Aurora cries. “Saint, no.” Her gaze scatters all around me, noting the pool of blood I’m lying in and coughing up before she drags me into her lap.
“It’s okay,” I say on a fluid-filled breath. “You’re okay.”
“You can’t die.” Her eyes are no longer black but covered in tears. I want to swipe them away, but I can’t feel my arms. My body.
“You helped me live,” I say. “Love. You.” I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. They’re so heavy. And I’m so fucking cold.
“Saint, no,” she cries. “No. Please don’t leave me. Don’t leave me!”
I wish I would’ve had more time with her.
CHAPTER 20
Aurora
“Saint!” I shake him, my hands are covered in his blood. “Help!” I scream, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Someone, please!”
Dagon races back in, then Talon, Zachariah, and Ajax. The hunters surround me, panic and grief already shaping their faces.
“Help him,” I choke out the words.
“You help him!” Dagon fires back.
“I can’t,” I cry. “I kill things.” I look to the pile of ashes next to us. “Look what I did to Samuel. I couldn’t stop. Not after he stabbed Saint. I couldn’t…I couldn’t—”
“Saint is fading,” Talon says, hand on Saint’s forehead. “You have to try.”
“What if I kill him faster?”
“He’s dying!” Dagon snaps.
“You have the ability to heal,” Zachariah urges. “We’ve all seen it. It’s as much a part of you as the other.”
Anxiety claws at me. I don’t want to make things worse.
“Fix. Him!” Dagon snaps.
I jolt at his tone, and Ajax drags Dagon away.
“You can do this,” Talon assures me. “Find your bond. Use it. Connect it to your power.”
I blow out a breath, trembling as I close my eyes. I tunnel inward, finding our mating bond. It’s faint, flickering in and out with life. Oh, God, I’m so close to losing him forever. I can’t. I can’t lose him. He’s my mate. My world. My reason.
Instincts take over, threading my mating bond and my power together, making that weaker thread so much stronger. The healing ability surges in my soul, and I pour every ounce of it into Saint. I will every good and mending thing inside me into him. I call upon every ounce of life and energy I have inside my soul and pour it into him. Whatever he needs of mine, he can take. It’s already his.
“Good,” Talon says, and I open my eyes. “You’re doing great. Keep going.”
I shake harder as I cling to that power, noting the gaping wound on his chest closing. He’s still lost so much blood, but our bond, it’s growing stronger. It’s working. I’m bringing him back to life, little by little. My fingertips go numb. So do my legs. I don’t stop. Won’t stop. He needs more. I know he does. And I can’t lose him.