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“Remember, you promised to make her smile,” Bullet told him with a weak laugh. “I don’t envy you that job over the next few days, but you can’t afford Nyx’s punishment right now, so don’t screw it up.”
“It’ll be a lot more than a few days,” Dare replied quietly. “Don’t underestimate how much you mean to us, Bullet.”
Wild let out a quiet gasp of pain, battling to keep his emotions under control, his arms trembling as he cradled Bullet’s upper body. Bullet tipped his head back to look at him, and my wracking sobs felt as though they’d tear me apart.
“I wish we had more time,” Bullet whispered, staring up at Wild. His lips were pale, and it looked as though he was fighting to keep his eyes open. “There are so many things I’d do differently. Iknewthis moment was coming, and I still let fear rule my actions. I should have made the most of the time we had—”
Wild bent forward, carefully lifting Bullet to press a firm kiss on his forehead. Telling him without words that this wasn’t the time for regrets. That Wild wished he had more time too.
Wild lowered him back to the ground, and Bullet blinked slowly at me, the corners of his lips tipping into the softest of smiles. “You’re going to save the world, Amazing Grace. I’m so glad I got to love you.”
“I love you,” I whispered brokenly, his eyes drifting closed. “I love you, and you can’t leave me, can’t leave us. Stay. Please stay, I’ll do anything—”
Wild inhaled sharply as Bullet’s form slackened with an ominous kind of finality.
“No, no, no, no,” I chanted, furiously shoving the fabric of his coat aside so I could check for a pulse or breath or something. Anything. I refused to believe that Bullet’s time had come. I’d saved him. I’dsavedhim.
“Let me,” Dare whispered, gently wrapping his fingers around my wrist and guiding me away. “Your hands are shaking.”
I shuffled back, scraping my palms on the stone as I moved down one of the steps to give Dare room, the glittering stars above memockingme.
I tipped my head to the sky and screamed.
Screamed at the unfairness of it all, at the sacrifices we were expected to make, at the goddesses who did what they wanted with no regard for the suffering of those they considered beneath them.
“There’s a pulse,” Dare said, grabbing my arm and tugging me forwards. “It’s faint, but it’s there.”
He gripped my wrist to keep my hand steady, pressing two fingers against the pulse point in Bullet’s neck. I held my breath, waiting. There was the very faintest thud—too weak and too delayed. He needed medical attention, medicine,something—
“Fuck,” Riot hissed from behind me. “We’ve got company.”
“Keep him safe,” I instructed Wild, grabbing his hand where it rested on Bullet’s chest and giving it a squeeze. I wanted to say more, but I couldn’t even meet Wild’s eyes.
He’d cared for Bullet too. Maybe even loved him, though it was a struggle for Wild to identify that emotion.
Gaia had ripped them apart too, even without a bond directly between them. In a decision that had probably taken Gaia half a second to make, she’d caused so much destruction, so much heartbreak, and we had to live with that somehow.
How were we supposed to live with that?
I forced myself to stand, knowing I’d need to face whoever was here. Probably more agathos.
No, I realized as I turned around, looking down the steps to the courtyard. No, it was much worse than that.
“You can’t take him,” I shakily told a glittering Thanatos, his gaze unusually somber compared to the last time we’d seen him. “No. You can’t. I won’t let you.”
I glanced back to make sure Wild still had him, finding him clutching Bullet tighter, as though he was readying himself for another wrestling match with the God of Death.
“I felt his heartbeat,” I insisted, turning back to Thanatos while Dare made a noise of agreement. “He’s not dead. You can’t take him.”
“He has a better chance of surviving if he comes with me,” Thanatos replied evenly. “I’m not going to take him to the underworld, but he can’t stay here.”
“What does that mean?” Dare asked, he and Riot taking up protective positions either side of me.
“Your Oneiroi isn’t dead, but he isn’t alive either. He’s somewhere in between, and where he goes nowmatters.” Thanatos paused, watching us carefully. “You need to accept that this might be the end though.”
“Well, I don’t accept that,” I snapped, drowning in helplessness. There had to be a way. If I could just… get the bond back somehow…
“Where will you take him?” Riot asked.
