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“Thank you,” he tells her. “Now, for the love of God, please get out of here.”
She nods and turns toward her old, beat-up pickup truck. We watch as she drives away, and I wonder when I’ll see her again. She’s been around a lot these last few weeks. I might start to miss her.
Not as much as I’ll miss Pocus. I turn to him, seething. He can’t do this. He can’t leave us alone.
“Pocus, you don’t have to do this,” I plead with him desperately. “Let the warlock do the spell alone. He said himself he wants Anderson gone.”
Pocus shakes his head and lowers his gun, pulling me into a tight embrace. “I don’t know who I’d be without you, Seer,” he says gruffly, his voice filling with emotion. “You helped me build the Ruthless Kings from the ground up, and you’ve always been the best friend and brother I’ve ever had.”
“What about Abigail?” I ask, my voice breaking. “And Daisy?”
“They’ll never be safe if Anderson’s soul walks the earth. I have to protect my family. They’ll understand. Maybe not at first, but one day, they’ll understand.”
I shake my head and step back, anger and sadness battling in equal measure in my chest. I don’t want to live in a world where Pocus doesn’t, but he isn’t giving me a choice. He looks at Tory and smiles at her.
“I wasn’t sure about you at first, little witch.” He smiles. “But you’ve constantly blown me away since you came into our lives. When Abigail comes back, please tell her how much I love her. And please help her with Daisy. She will need you.”
Tory grabs his forearms and holds him tightly for several long seconds. “You’re the bravest man I’ve ever met,” she whispers. “It won’t be in vain.” She looks sharply at the spot on the ground where Anderson is paralyzed. “And hear me, you sorry piece of shit. Pocus is worth one hundred of you. One day, everyone will forget you, but our family will honor him for generations.”
She spits at the ground and grabs my arm, pulling me toward my bike. My feet drag, and I don’t take my eyes off Pocus for one minute.
“I’m going to be really pissed at you if you don’t come back home tonight,” I yell to him. “I’ll tell your daughter horrible stories about you.”
He smiles and flips me the bird. Then he lifts his gun toward the warlock, who’s bent over on the ground, presumably trapping Anderson into the stone.
Tory hands me my helmet, and we get on the bike. I’m not sure how I’m able to start the bike or pull away. I’m fighting against every instinct by leaving my best friend behind. With every mile I drive, my stomach turns and my heart hammers. When I finally can’t take it, I pull over and get off, throwing my helmet to the ground and screaming at the trees.
A loud noise echoes in the trees and the ground shakes. I turn back to see a pillar of fire rising to the sky. It has to be a mile wide, and I feel the heat of it from here. I watch in horror as the fire lights up the sky, so bright it’s like the sun. Then, just as quickly, it’s gone. I scream again, releasing all my fear and grief.
He couldn’t have survived that. My best friend is dead. He sacrificed himself to ensure the rest of us could be safe, and I’ll never be okay with that. I’ll have to step up as the leader of the Ruthless Kings and pretend I’m not falling apart at the seams. I won’t survive this.
Tory comes up behind me, pulling me against her tightly. The tears flow out of my eyes freely. My body shakes, and I turn to her, seeking comfort in her embrace. She rubs my back and holds me for several minutes until I can compose myself. When I’m calm enough to see straight, she cups my face in her hands and looks at me triumphantly.
“Pocus is alive,” she tells me, but I don’t believe her. She’s saying that to make me feel better. “When he said goodbye to me, I placed a protection over him. He may be in bad shape, I can’t say for sure. But he’s alive.”
There’s no hint of a lie in her eyes. She’s telling me the truth. She saved him somehow. I pick her up and twirl her around in my arms, screaming out for a different reason. We put our helmets back on and I turn my bike around, going to help my brother.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
The first thing I notice is how badly my head hurts. My heart pounds steadily in my chest, but it’s like I can hear it echoing around my head. I realize with a start it’s been a long time since I’ve been aware of my heartbeat. It worked.
I open my eyes slowly, but nothing looks familiar. I turn my head carefully to see there’s a hospital curtain pulled, but this room doesn’t look like a hospital room. It’s cozy and warm, and the bed is very comfortable. I turn my head to the other side and see Hex sitting in a chair, his body slumped over the bed.
I smile when I see him there. He’s much too big for the chair, but he looks so small and meek. I run my fingers through his hair, and he stirs, yawning widely and sitting up, bleary-eyed. He rubs his eyes lazily and looks at me happily.
“Hi,” he whispers.
“Hi,” I whisper back. “Come here often?”
He laughs and moves up to kiss me gently on the lips. I love the feeling of his lips against mine. I will never tire of it.
He pulls back and sits down, his body cracking with every movement. He must have been here for a long time.
“How long have I been out?” I ask.
“Four days,” he answers with a yawn. “Four very long days.”
“Have you been here the whole time?” I ask with a small giggle.
