Part of me knew that already, but the other tiny sliver had held out hope. But it died when Kalen looked down at his feet and said, “Don’t make me do this.”
“Why? Because we already know who you will choose? It’s a shame, really, that my little witch ran away. I made her writhe in pleasure while she was under my control, and she warmed my bed nearly every night,” Lachlan said with a disgusting smirk.
Kalen roared in anger, his nostrils flaring and face flushing. It broke my heart because I knew I would die, and he would have to carry that guilt for the rest of his life.
“K, listen to me,” I begged, voice cracking. His guilty eyes turned to me, tears spilling down his face. “We’ve had a good run.” I tried to smile.
“Don’t say that, Ren. Please don’t say any of that shit.”
I shook my head vigorously. “No, you need to hear it because I don’t want you carrying this guilt for the rest of your life. I want you to know that I understand and am so thankful for my time with you. You deserve happiness, you deserve love.”
My bleary gaze shifted to Arabella, who was chanting something under her breath, and I hoped and prayed it was something that could get us out of this.
“Fucking stop, Ren!” Kalen boomed.
Lachlan only threw his head back and laughed. “How it must hurt to know you aren’t the one he will choose. I bet it breaks your heart, doesn’t it? I could take away that pain and replace it with power. Or I could slit that pretty little throat and watch you bleed out.”
“Kalen,” Arabella called, a sorrow-filled smile crossing her face. “I’m sorry.”
And then all I felt was pain.
Chapter43
Damien
My body ached, sharp pain shooting through my arms and legs until I couldn’t hold back a cry. All around me, I heard the echoes of death and dying. I was familiar with the sounds, having listened to them many times over the centuries.
But this was different somehow because I now lay among them. It clung to me and refused to leave.
I cracked open my eyes, my vision spotty and unfocused. The last thing I remembered was seeing Kalen, or at least that’s what I thought. I had been fighting a giant, and he was more than I could handle. Frankly, he should have succeeded in killing me, but here I was.
Unless this was some fucked up version of an afterlife.
Though there was something else that seemed to pull me from the edge of death. An incessant pulsing in the back of my mind screamed for me to get up. There was danger all around me, but whatever it was needed me to follow it.
Go! Run! Hurry, or you’ll be too late!
“Oh! You’re awake,” someone said, rushing to my side. An older woman approached me, dropping beside me and checking my forehead for fever. I looked down, surprised to see a thick bandage wrapped around my chest. Her eyes scanned me for signs of worsening injuries but found none as she clasped her hands in her lap.
“The good news is that you’re alive and well,” she said, pausing slightly. “I suppose that’s a relative thought, but you’re alive, and your injuries aren’t worsening, which is a good sign.”
She began to list every injury I’d had and her expectations for the recovery time, what I would need to do to keep them clean, and how I would have to be diligent about specific exercises to assist in healing. It was a lot to process, but she swore she would ensure someone else knew as well.
Danger. Danger. Danger.
I wasn’t concerned about any of that, though. There was only one question on my mind. “Where’s Renai?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
Something was wrong. Something was terribly,terriblywrong. I could feel it in my bones, vibrating in my very core. It nearly made me nauseous, but I couldn’t be sure if that was from my injuries or my mind.
The healer handed me a small cup of water, which I sucked down greedily. “Do you mean the woman who stormed in once she saw you were injured? She and a man ran out about fifteen minutes ago. It’s been pure chaos out there, I tell you. There was a giant beast flying overhead, and—”
But I couldn’t hear anything she said because I was too busy processing the information she provided. My mind wandered, wondering if she was in danger. There wasn’t much I could do, but I could try to help.
Ineededto help.
I pushed off the bed, groaning as my body screamed in protest. My arms felt heavy at my side, an invisible force pulling them back to the ground. The healer looked alarmed as she rushed to my side.
“What’re you doing?” she exclaimed, trying to push me back down. “You need to rest. You can’t go running out there!”
