“Al?” I echoed in question, completely sidetracked.
“Well if I’m just Lo, that means you have to be Al to match. It’ll be the story of Lo and Al, the dumb bitches who stabbed themselves in the hearts for shits and giggles.”
What was initially an overwhelmingly fearful thing was turning into a moment we’d look back on in a hundred years and laugh at. All because of Lo. She was exactly what I needed in a friend at this point in my life, and I could only imagine the shenanigans we’d get into in the years to come.
“Fates,” I breathed out, shaking my head toward the ceiling, “I know I don’t give you credit, often choosing to curse you instead, but thank you for bringing Lo into my life.”
“Aww, bitch,” she cooed, wrapping both hands around the hilt of her sword. “Don’t make me cry, I have on my good mascara today. On the count of three, we stab, okay? Also, don’t forget to pull the sword back out so your body can begin to heal immediately.”
I gave her a nod as fear spiked through me.
“Three.”
I wanted to tell her this was crazy and that we weren’t going to do this, but she was counting down already.
“Two.”
There was no damn way I was going to let her stab herself for nothing. I was following through with this. I kept my eyes on hers instead of down at my chest that was about to be a bloody mess.
“One.”
I didn’t allow myself to pussy out despite the way my hands shook with fear.
Steel met flesh and both of us grunted in pain, and I watched, fascinated as crimson spilled out of her chest around the wound. I dared not look down, knowing I’d look exactly the same, and I feared that I’d stop if I looked. A burning wildfire engulfed my entire body as the blade drove deeper into my chest, until slowly, I felt the tip piercing through my heart.
Apparently Lo was right about the pain ripping through the measly walls I’d put up to block my mates from hearing or feeling me.
Their voices flooded in like a tsunami, one after another.
Comoara! Stop whatever you’re doing right now.
Princess, talk to me. What is happening?
I’ll be right there, baby girl. Hang in there.
I had to finish this before they got here and intervened.
With one final shove, I felt Devorare slide entirely through my heart. I choked, trying to take a breath but finding that I couldn’t. Blood spilled from my mouth, and Lo’s voice echoed around me, as if there were multiples of her surrounding me.
“Alina! Pull her out!”
I attempted to do what she said, but it felt as if my body was completely frozen. Finally braving it, I looked down in an attempt to see why I couldn’t pull her out of my chest. Panic seized me as the sword disintegrated in my hands.
I gasped, realizing I could breathe all of a sudden.What the hell was going on?
The pain subsided completely, replaced by a feeling of emptiness as I saw the hole left in my chest, gaping and the size of a fist.
How…how was that even possible?
I fell to my knees, legs quivering like jelly. My head tilted downward to stare at my heart beating and pumping blood all over the ground beneath me. A scream tore from my throat at the sight, and I whipped my head up to get help from Lo. The scream quickly died in my throat as I saw that I was in a black void of some sort. With another version of me staring back at me.
The training room was gone.
Lo was gone.
And I couldn’t feel or hear my mates anymore.
Did I…die?
