AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She killed it to save me.
The girl who loves nature, animals, and this lake just killed something to save me.
My chest feels tight for an entirely different reason now as I look at my best friend, my partner in crime, the only one who’s ever seen me as a person, not just the future king.
Something inside me snaps at the exact moment Serena’s eyes fall closed, and her shadows fade. We plummet, and all I can do is reach for her, my fingers grasping her wrist with just enough time to pull her into me before I hit the ground, taking the brunt of the fall.
I know the hit is hard as I lay unable to move for a moment, the air forced from my lungs. I know I’m hurting. My body begs me to stop, but I push through it. I need to check on Serena and help her however I can.
Except I don’t.
I can feel her in my arms, breathing and even groaning in pain every once in a while, but it’s more than that. I can feel her as if she is an extension of myself, the pain she feels, the exhaustion, and the relief in saving us… no in saving me.
She didn’t care if saving me killed her in the process, so long as she saved me.
I don’t like that, not one bit, but I can’t deny that it makes my heart beat faster, knowing she cares so much to risk her life for me. I also need to make sure she’s never put in this position again.
We lay on the beach for a while. I don’t have the energy to move her, not that I would if I could. Having her in my arms settles something in me. None of the pain from earlier or even the exhaustion seems so bad with her here, safe and in my arms.
The sky turns dark, and still we remain. I know we need to go back. My mother will likely send a search party after us if we don’t get back soon, but even that isn’t enough to make me move. It’s not until Serena begins to stir that I feel any need to move, remembering her wounds and worried that she might be in pain.
She moves slowly, her head lifting from my chest as she looks up at me, blinking sluggishly. Once again, her eyes are the beautiful blue I love so much.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” I try to tease, but my voice is hoarse from disuse, and I sound like shit.
Her brows pinch as she looks me over, her eyes scanning over my face as if trying to ensure I’m really here.
“Don’t ever do that again!” she demands, tears filling her eyes. I only see them for a moment, but they cut into me before she buries her face in my chest and hugs me so tight that I’m surprised by the strength in her tiny body.
I wake with a jolt, sitting upright and trying to catch my breath.
I’ve had that dream a lot over the years, and while it’s one of the best days of my life looking back on it, it still fills me with panic to think I could have lost her, permanently.
I’d been so worried she might die trying to save me that I would have gladly died just to let her live. I’d never cared for anyone the way I do her, and I know I never will again. I didn’t know it then, but that day set me on a path, and all roads lead to her now.
She’s everything to me—my best friend, my mate, and one day, she will be my queen.
Destiny put us on a path to each other at a very young age, and I’ll forever be grateful for that.
If it could just stop trying to rip us apart, that would be great.
I sit on the couch for a few minutes, willing my pulse to slow, but the longer I sit, the worse I feel. A sinking feeling settles in the pit of my stomach, and it only takes a moment before I realize what’s bothering me.
I can’t feel her.
Serena’s gone.
Shit.
I know I’ve fucked up even before my eyes properly adjust.
Something about this place feels different. My body vibrates with energy. Every breath feels cleaner and more natural, as if I’m taking in my first full breath of air after being underwater for too long.
But no matter how great it seems, I feel I shouldn’t be here. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and goosebumps break out along my arms. A threatening feeling hangs in the air all around me.
As my eyes adjust, the feeling is justified as dark woods fill my vision. Broken, brittle, and dying trees fill my vision—black vines covering the ones that are still growing as if trying to absorb them.
I feel like I just stepped into a fairytale gone wrong—more Brothers Grimm, less Disney princess style—not exactly the fairytale I want to wake up to in the dead of night alone. I force myself to take a deep breath in an attempt to fight my growing panic, but it does nothing to soothe me. A sharp iron scent hangs heavy in the air, making me feel as though my mouth is full of blood.
