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“I’m not strong enough for this. I’ve failed you. I’ve failed everyone. It’s—it’s all over.” Even though he tried hard to hold on to me, I still started to slip away from him and I shrieked. The Hollow was incredibly strong and I was so scared I could barely function. He’d given up hope. The sight of me slipping away had finally broken him.
But I wouldn’t accept that. There was still a chance to change this; I felt it deep inside myself. What I’d seen was only a possibility—a worst-case scenario. Visions were previews of the future, but the future hadn’t happened yet. Carly was the one who believed in fate and destiny, not me. I was the realist, the cynic. Even now.
I didn’t want to give up. I didn’t want to stop fighting, not yet. Not ever.
“No, Bishop! Listen to me. You are strong. You are a leader. I believe in you and I trust you with my life.”
His face was strained. “Samantha, no…”
I stared into his pained gaze. “Yes! You’re amazing and I’m so happy I met you, no matter what happens now. Do you hear me? I can’t lose you, not like this. If you let me go right now, we won’t be able to get my soul back and I won’t be able to kiss you again. So don’t let go of me. You hear me? Because I really want to kiss you again!”
His dark brows drew together and he stared at me, surprised by what I’d just said to him. But I saw the spark of determination strengthen in his eyes.
“Then hold on! I won’t let go if you don’t.”
Which meant we’d both get sucked into the Hollow together in mere moments if it continued to pull on me this hard. But my words had given Bishop the strength he needed to keep holding on.
Long enough for a very tardy demon to get his ass up here and help us out.
Through my watering eyes, I caught a glimpse of Kraven moving toward us, his gaze registering shock at the sight before him.
“Need some help?” he asked.
“Yes!” I yelled at him. “Help us!”
“What’s the magic word?”
“Now!”
“Close enough.” He edged toward me, eyeing the swirling blackness wrapped around my ankles with uneasiness.
“Don’t get close to it!” Bishop hissed. “You’ll get sucked in, too.”
Kraven swore as he assessed the situation. “Then just hold on to your girlfriend, little brother.”
I was only a few feet away from the dark vortex and I fought against the intense suction with every ounce of strength I had left. True to his word, Bishop didn’t let go of me, but our grip wouldn’t last much longer.
Kraven moved behind Bishop and grabbed the angel’s ankles. With effort, he pulled. It felt like a tight rope, with Bishop and Kraven on one end and the Hollow on the other. I was in the middle, about to be torn in half.
Bishop kept his hold on me and Kraven kept pulling on his legs until slowly, slowly, I found that we were moving away from the vortex. Once Kraven got some traction, we moved faster until the black tendrils that had wrapped around my ankles receded into the darkness. I looked over my shoulder, and I swear the Hollow was staring at me with malevolence.
I shuddered.
But then, a moment later, the dark swirling hole closed up and disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. I stared at the spot where it had been, a hungry mouth with an insatiable appetite. It had swallowed Natalie and Carly right before my eyes. It had very nearly taken me, too.
I’d escaped from it, but my best friend hadn’t. I’d lost her right when I’d learned there was a possibility of bringing her back completely, restoring her soul…
She’d saved me, but I couldn’t do the same in return.
The painful realization was like a blow, stealing my breath and shattering my heart into a million pieces.
“Carly…I’m so sorry,” I whispered as tears streaked down my cheeks. I began to sob and Bishop pulled me against his chest. I clung tightly to him. I let myself sob against Bishop’s shoulder—I didn’t even know how long. I already thought I’d lost her, but it hadn’t been like this.
But a small glimmer of hope remained. I was a realist, yeah, but I’d already seen my share of miracles this week. She hadn’t been killed, just taken. Natalie had found a way out. If that was possible, then maybe Carly could do the same.
Finally, I looked up at Bishop through damp eyes.
He held my face between his hands and looked at me with concern. “I’m sorry, Samantha.”
I clutched the front of his bloodstained T-shirt. His knife wounds were still deep, still bleeding. “Will these heal?”
He grimaced. “I’ll need Zach’s help.”
I glanced around the lounge, surprised to find that there were only three of us up here now. “Where’s Stephen?”
He was the one who knew where my soul was. Where Carly’s was, too.
“Gone. Must have taken off after Natalie was stabbed. The others are gone, too.” He stroked my hair back from my face. “He can’t leave the city, so all he can do now is hide. We’re getting very good at finding grays in this city. We’ll find him, too.”
I nodded and drew in a ragged breath. “So I guess you believe in miracles.”
He gave me a smile that warmed me inside. “It kind of comes with the job.”
I chewed my bottom lip, again looking back where the vortex had been. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, feeling ready to curl up in a ball somewhere and keep crying. Instead I ran my hand under my nose and decided to be as strong as I could for as long as I could. “So now what? Natalie’s gone. What happens now?”
