Ethan, I pleaded again, summoning him to come faster. The pain in my leg was so blinding, it hurt to breathe.
Hold on,onawilke.I’m coming.I felt Ethan’s haste as he made his way to me, but it wasn’t fast enough. I screamed in terrible agony as I felt the shifter’s fangs pierce through the bone. His teeth were shredding muscle, tearing my leg apart. As he yanked back his jaws, my eyes rolled in the back of my head, and I nearly passed out. I collapsed on the floor as the shifter growled, pulling his mouth away. In moments, he’d changed back, and was running down the hallway to make his escape.
Blood pooled out from my injured knee. I looked down and saw bone peeking through the skin. The blood spread around me, soaking my clothes.
He didn’t kill me.Whydidn’t he kill me? Death would’ve been kinder than this.
As I remained there, someone else came prowling down the hallway. Our eyes connected— Gabby’s still countenance rocked my innermost emotions. She’d come by to make sure the job had been done.
It was like she’d ripped apart my soul. Even so, her dark expression was wide as she took me in— like she couldn’t believe the sight in front of her.
“How could you do this to me?” I whispered. “I couldneverdo this to you.”
Gabby flinched. Her face went pale, and she turned away. She left me lying there, a resemblance of guilt on her face. Not even she, cold-hearted as she was, could face what she’d done without regret.
Ethan finally emerged the moment Gabby had gone. He fell to the floor beside me, hands spanning in all the blood. I knew the truth by the dismayed look in his eyes.
“Ethan. Please. F-fix it.” It was a desperate plea for him to change what could not be altered.
“Onawilke, I’m so sorry.” His voice was choked. Through our bond, his very heart felt like it was going to break.
Tears bubbled up out of me. Ethan wanted to comfort me, but it seemed he didn’t know what to touch, for fear of hurting me.
It didn’t matter. I couldn’t be more destroyed than what I already was. I cried out for Milonna, but she was silent. Why didn’t she hear me? I wanted my goddess to appear, to heal me, to turn back what had been done.
She did nothing.
There were sharp footsteps coming from down the hall. Lady Magdalina had arrived. For the first time since I’d met her, she appeared horrified. Two representatives from the school stood at a distance, taking in the gruesome scene.
“Emmaline.” Magdalina’s voice shook, before she knelt beside me and took in the damage. Her eyes darkened in pity.
Gods, I hated that look. She wouldn’t look like that unless there was truly nothing that could be done. She’d bark at me to get up, to soldier on, insist it wasn’t that bad. That she wasn’t giving orders told me how hopeless my situation was.
Lady Magdalina cast a portal. She looked at the two representatives and shouted, “What are you standing around for? Clean up this mess and get rid of the cameras, before someone sees!”
They nodded. Magdalina stood and said, “Carry her, Ethan. After me.”
Ethan picked me up. It sent a fresh surge of misery straight down to my ruined knee. I gave a mournful cry. Ethan cradled me closer, gingerly avoiding my injury. He stepped through the portal after Lady Magdalina, and in seconds, we were transported to Arcanea University’s student hospital.
“We need a doctor!” Magdalina shouted. Bright lights hurt my eyes as I was carried down the hallway. I heard the sound of squeaking wheels, and Ethan laid me on a gurney. I was bleeding so badly I soaked through the sheets. Ethan ran beside me as I was pushed down the halls of the hospital. Everything was fuzzy, and faded. Magdalina and the doctors prattled on, but I didn’t understand their words.
“Sir, you’ll have to wait here. We need to deal with this quickly, before she loses too much blood,” one of the doctors said.
I wasn’t aware, but I got the notion Ethan was leaving. He couldn’t go— I needed him. I tried to sit up, and failed. “Ethan, don’t leave me!”
“I’ll be right outside,onawilke, I promise,” Ethan said. He disappeared from my view, and I began to panic. How could I get through this alone?
“We need to put you under. Your knee requires major surgery,” the doctor said above me. “Take a deep breath, sweetie.”
I couldn’t. I was sobbing too hard. But then they fit the anesthesia mask over my face, and I faded away.
When I woke up,I wished I hadn’t.
I was in a hospital bed. My knee was heavily bandaged, and elevated. Ethan sat beside me, holding my hand. His face was overcast with concern as I came around. I still felt groggy and ill from the anesthesia. I tried to move my injured leg, but it hurt when I tried, so I stopped.
Stefan’s mom was there. Miroslava hovered over me as she watched me awaken, like she’d been waiting for this moment and was dreading it. She was wearing her doctor’s coat. She must’ve been called in as an emergency. Lady Magdalina hovered overhead, her spine straight, but mouth set in a thin line.
“Did they fix it?” I asked weakly. I’d had surgery— I was fine now, I was sure. I just needed a few weeks of rest, and I’d get right back at it.
