I've run out of patience and time. The change ripples through me—bones cracking, reshaping, fur receding into skin. The transformation is faster than usual, fueled by desperation. Within moments, I stand before them as a man, my eyes never leaving Astrid's pale face. But her eyes are closed and she’s struggling to breathe.
"Put your guns down," I command. "She's dying."
Sherlock's eyes widen in shock, but his aim doesn't waver. "Who the fuck?—"
"She has minutes," I cut him off, taking a step forward. "The Chimera venom is spreading. Look at her. Look at her."
They both glance at Astrid. The black veins are visible now, spreading from the wound across her chest, climbing up her neck like twisted vines.
"How do you know her?" Sherlock demands, finger hovering near the trigger.
My patience snaps. "I don't have time for this!" The words tear from my throat, a roar that makes both men flinch. "Out of respect for Astrid, I won't kill you, but if you don't lower those weapons and let me help her, she will die."
Ghost suddenly steps forward, placing his hand on Sherlock's rifle barrel and pushing it down. "Stop," he says firmly. "She just saved your life, Sherlock. That strike was meant for you. You'd be the one with black blood coming out of your mouth. Or worse, already dead."
Sherlock's jaw clenches, but after a moment's hesitation, he lowers his weapon.
I push past them, dropping to my knees beside her. Her skin is already cooling beneath my touch. If she dies, that piece of me dies with her. And I know what happens then… I'll be trapped in wolf form forever, mind fading until only the beast remains. And everything we've fought for and our whole mission to save Avalon will be over.
I gather her in my arms, cradling her against my chest. She feels lighter than she should, fragile in a way that makes my heart constrict painfully. I press my face to her hair, breathing in her scent beneath the copper tang of blood and poison.
"Don't you dare leave me," I whisper fiercely against her temple, panic clawing up my throat. "Don't you fucking die on me."
Her only response is the rattle in her lungs growing more pronounced. The black veins have reached her jaw.
I stand with her in my arms, and then run, leaving the agents shouting questions at my back. Each step jostles her, drawing a weak moan from her lips that tears at my soul. I murmur reassurances, promises, prayers—anything to keep her tethered to this world, to me.
The sound of the river grows louder as I approach, my bare feet barely registering the stones and twigs beneath them. Behind me, I hear the agents crashing through the undergrowth, trying to keep pace.
It doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting her home.
At the riverbank, the air shimmers and parts like a curtain. Cormac steps through, his glamor falling away like water.
"Fen, what—" He stops short at the sight of Astrid in my arms, his eyes widening. "Gods, what happened?"
"Chimera venom," I say tersely. "I need Eir."
Without another word, he slips a ring from his finger and drops it into the water. The surface ripples, then stills unnaturally, waiting.
I press my lips to Astrid's forehead. She’s so cold. "Stay with me," I plead softly. "Just a little longer."
Her eyelids flutter but don't open. The rattle in her chest grows weaker. Her body is losing the fight.
"No, no, no," I plead, my voice breaking. My hands shake as I brush her hair back from her face. The black lines of the poison creep up her jawline. I've faced death, felt fear and pain beyond measure, but nothing like this helpless terror.
"Gods damn it, Astrid, fight!" I choke out, tears burning my eyes. "Stay with me." She's slipping away with every labored breath. "Hurry," I growl to Cormac, the word torn from my throat, raw and desperate. "For fuck's sake, HURRY!"
A slender hand breaks the water's surface, followed by a woman's face. Iridescent skin catches moonlight like mother-of-pearl, hair the color of sea foam flowing around elegant shoulders. The siren takes in the scene with one glance.
"Give her to me!" she commands, arms extending.
I thrust Astrid toward the siren, my movements frantic, hands trembling. "Take her. NOW!" My voice cracks, desperation stripping away any semblance of control. I carefully place her limp form in the siren's waiting arms, my eyes never leaving Astrid's ashen face. "Take her to the palace fountain in Odingard," I instruct. "I’ll be right behind you."
The siren nods once, then slips beneath the surface with Astrid, leaving barely a ripple behind.
"You next," Cormac says, dropping my ring into the water.
Another siren appears, hair the deep blue-green of ocean depths. her skin shimmers with the same iridescence.
