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I rush toward Lucian, not even pausing to think about Mickael standing nearby with his fangs bared, and I scream again, this time, loud enough that Gregory and Renna come rushing back into the building. They shift and lunge at Mickael from behind while my coven sisters throw magic at him from the other side of the room. The witches are hoping to restrain him, but the wolves are hoping tokill. But even though Renna takes a bite out of Mickael's forearm and the witches are using all their power, he still manages to get away. Gregory and Renna chase after him, running him straight off the neutral territory and back to his clan. If they catch him, they’ll tear him apart for what he did to their alpha.
But the only thing I care about right now is Lucian. I bid the roots away and catch him in my lap as he falls. I've never seen so much blood in my entire life. I wrap my hands around his throat to try and stop the bleeding, but it's gushing so fast.
"Help me!" I scream to Blair, Sybil, and Isla. "He's bleeding out! He'sdying!"
Lucian chokes as he tries to breathe past all the blood filling his throat.
"Do something!Please!" I cry.
Sybil drops to her knees beside me to try and conjure some magic to help keep him alive, while Isla runs into the kitchen and returns with an armful of various salves and tinctures that won't help him now that he's so far gone. Blaire stays standing, muttering spells under her breath.
"I don't know what we can do," Sybil says with panic in her eyes.
I'm not sure if she is more worried about how I'll react if Lucian dies, or how the supernatural community will react when they find out Mickael killed the alpha of the werewolf pack.
"Can he shift into a wolf? Maybe that will help him," she suggests. "Werewolves heal quickly, and I think alpha wolves have even more enhanced healing capabilities. If he can just shift—"
But Lucian's skin is drained of color; he doesn't have the strength to shift.
14
LUCIAN
I've always recovered from injuries. I'm naturally resilient. Beat me down and I get up—every time. But I'm not so sure I can this time.
I hear the witches talking around me and notice the fear in Elspeth's voice. They are right about my super-fast healing ability. But even alphas have their limits.
Mickael slit my throat so quickly that I didn't have time to react, and since I was bound by Elspeth's roots, I couldn't defend myself. It all happened so fast, and now as I stare up at Elspeth and try to breathe through the rising blood in my throat, I wish I could tell her that I love her and that I forgive her for binding me. The last thing I see is the faces of all four witches looking down at me as they try to use their magic to save my life. Then, everything goes black.
But instead of falling into a deep sleep, I begin to dream.
And as soon as I see Elspeth in my dream, I realize that this isn't normal dreaming—it'smagic.
"Are you really here?" I ask.
"Yes, kind of." She smiles. "Blair is using her magic to help me manifest in your subconscious so we can be together."
"In case I don't make it, you mean."
Elspeth's face drops. She opens her mouth as if she wants to tell me no, but no words come out.
"It's okay," I say as I reach out to her. I'm pleasantly surprised to feel her skin against mine, even if it is just inside my own head.
"I love you, Lucian," she says with tears filling her eyes. "I need you to be strong and pull through this, because I can't imagine living without you now."
Her words make me so happy. And although I'm terrified of dying because it means I won't see her again, I'm grateful that I at least got to hear those words.
"I love you too," I say, pulling her into my arms and nestling my face into her hair.
Even in my dream, I can smell the sweet, earthy scent of her. I soak up every second with her, not knowing how long I have before she vanishes and I am left alone in darkness.
"I am so sorry I bound you in the tree roots," she says between sobs against my chest. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't restrained you, you would have been able to defend yourself."
"You don't know that," I say to calm her. "Mickael still could have injured me even if I had been able to defend myself. besides, if you hadn't restrained me, I would have run off and gotten myself killed. You did the right thing, and none of this is your fault. The blame belongs to Mickael and no one else."
I like it here in my dream. There is no blood clogging my throat and no pain. I can speak without issue, and it's just Elspeth and me alone in this small sanctuary. I wish I could just stay like this.
"The vampires and werewolves have been feuding for centuries; maybe this was fate," I say, pondering why any of this is happening, when I have just found the love of my life and want to spend the rest of my days with her.
