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Mack yells at him to stop. Tanner and Sam are yelling too. But Kole is staring at me.

Shards of ice burrow deep into my belly. As Snow turns around, holding the scepter in his mouth, I know exactly what’s about to happen. Snow huffs at Kole.

Kole doesn’t move. Then he drags his fingers through his hair, shakes his head, wipes tears from his face, and throws his arms around the bear’s neck. For a moment, I watch his giant tattooed shoulders shaking as he holds onto Snow.

Then he drags himself away, and runs toward the fire. He jumps through it, dropping and rolling so the flames go out.

Mack jerks forward, clearly willing to attempt the same thing to get to the other side. But I splay my fingers and the flames burn hotter and higher.

Snow walks slowly forward. He’s on the other side of the flames.

“We need to cast a shield.” Kole grabs Tanner’s elbow. “Quickly. Now.”

Tanner nods, unable to speak. Together, the three of us cast a shield and then I extinguish the flames. Mack moves closer to Snow.

They are so close they’re almost touching. They stare at each other for the longest time. Mack puts his hand up, palm out, as if he’s trying to stroke him one last time. I do the same, and Tanner, and Kole do too.

Snow lowers his head and makes that familiar purring noise that feels like home, and warmth, and love.

Then he opens his jaws, and bites down on the scepter.

A blast of bright white light fills the room. The shield shakes, the floor trembles, the glass cages behind the shield shatter. The ceiling cracks.

Mack screams.

It’s a scream that will live with me for the rest of my life. As if his entire body is breaking. He falls to the ground, on his side, and he is still screaming when the light subsides.

The scepter is gone.

Snow lies on the floor, the mirrored position to Mack, on his side. But his eyes are closed, and he is not breathing.

25

MACK

Rasps of fear tear from my throat. I can't breathe. My lungs spasm as an inhuman wail fills the air.

Snow.

My brave, loyal, fierce Snow. My soul. He sacrificed himself to save me, to save all of us. We were supposed to be together until the end, but he left me.

I have never known a world in which he doesn’t exist. I’ve never known my own mind without him being a part of it.

I curl into myself on the cold, hard ground, my body wracked with sobs. The others are saying something, but their voices are muffled, drowned out by the hollow roaring in my ears. In my head there is only silence. The comforting presence that has been with me all my life – gone. Torn away. I am utterly alone.

Through my tears, I see Snow’s still form across from me. Unmoving. Lifeless. “Please,” I choke out. “Please... no…” I crawl forward, ignoring the shards of glass cutting into my palms. Nothing matters but reaching him.

I collapse at Snow's side, throwing my arms around his massive neck. Still warm. If I close my eyes I can almost pretend... but there is no familiar huffing breath. No twitch of an ear. Only a terrible, aching emptiness.

I would give anything, everything, to have him back. To bury my face in his thick fur one more time. To feel the rumbling purr that always soothed me, grounded me.

Something deep within me has shattered, leaving ragged, bleeding edges behind. Snow was my heart. My guiding star. Without him… how can I go on? What am I, if not one half of a whole? How can I breathe? How can I think? How can I live?

The others are beside me now, their hands on my shoulders, my back. Trying to comfort me even in their own devastating grief. But there is no comfort to be found. Only pain.

I bury my face in Snow's fur as great, heaving sobs shake my frame.

My boy. My brave, beautiful boy. “Come back,” I plead brokenly, knowing it is futile. “Come back to me. Please…”