Cold and hollow silence swept through the alley.
Blood was everywhere.Everywhere.
Darkness engulfed Loren’s vision. She blinked rapidly, fighting to stay alert, the ground beneath her feet rising and falling, again and again.
She had to get to Singer. Had to make sure he was okay—
A low, keening whine slipped through Singer’s teeth as he limped toward her, tail between his legs. His ears were flat to his head, and his eyes were glistening.
At the sight of him, bitten and battered, Loren couldn’t hold herself up any longer. Her legs collapsed, her kneecaps popping on the cobbles.
She crawled toward him, through puddles of gore, where she gathered him into her lap, like she had that fateful night she had found him whimpering in a cardboard box on the street.
She wasn’t sure how long they sat there in that dark alley—shaking and covered in blood that was their own and not. Tears rolled down her face as she held Singer tightly, his heart pounding beneath her palm. His muscles were contracting in pain, his nose whistling with uneven breaths.
Her arms shook under Singer’s weight as she scooped him up and carried him out of the alley. Her body felt buoyant, like her soul was no longer attached to it. Sputtering gasps tore through her quivering lips, but she spoke to Singer through the hysteria, promising that everything was going to be fine. Everything was going to be okay.
She wanted to believe it. She wanted so badly to believe it.
They’d almost made it to the Avenue of the Scarlet Star when Darien found them.
44
Darien screeched to a halt on Canopus Street, where he caught sight of Loren limping down the sidewalk, her arms straining under the weight of the bloodied and battered lump she carried.
That bloodied and battered lump was her dog.
Loren was covered in so much blood, he barely recognized her. Her shirt and jeans were nearly black with it, and she herself was bleeding from a deep wound by her collarbone. Her filthy face was so pale, he wondered how she hadn’t fainted yet.
Time ceased to pass for one agonizing moment before lurching forward again. He wasn’t sure how he got out of the car, but the next thing he knew, he was walking toward her. The world rotated beneath his feet as he took in the sight of her up close. As he realized he hadn’t made it in time.
He was too late.
Loren didn’t speak as Darien opened the passenger door and helped her inside.
He was already dialling the closest veterinarian office as he got into the driver’s seat and gunned the engine into motion. His heart was pounding so fast, he swore he was going to throw up. When the first office didn’t answer, he dialled another.
And another.
And another.
None of them picked up. It was late, but he’d thought at leastoneof these godsforsaken businesses would answer for an emergency—
Loren began sobbing, rocking back and forth as she sang to her dog in a breathy voice.
The phone rang and rang and fucking rang. Another answering machine picked up.
Shit.Shit.
Darien’s hand tightened on the wheel, the dark road flying under the tires.
“Hush, little baby, don’t say a word. Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.” She sniffled through the lyrics, stroking the dog’s head. “And if that mockingbird don’t sing, Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.” The dog didn’t look away from her once as she sang to him, though his vacant brown eyes began to blink more slowly as the seconds ticked by. Darien could hear each pulsation of Singer’s heart, every beat a tiring thump that got heavier and slower.
Darien cursed and threw his phone onto the dash as another of his calls went to voicemail. He kept driving, weaving through traffic, as he came to the decision to take the dog straight to the emergency ward at Angelthene General. Someone there would help. And if they weren’t willing to, he’dmakethem help.
Loren kept singing, her voice thick and wobbling. “And if that diamond ring turns brass, Mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass.” She was crying so hard she could barely form words. But she kept trying. Kept rocking her dying dog back and forth in her arms. “And if that looking glass gets… If it gets…broke…” Her voice trailed off. Darien heard the breath leave her lungs in a soft, panicked gasp.
Silence swept into the car. One heartbeat picked up to a sprint, while another faded to a weak flutter.
