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“Please, Caius.”
Just like the first time she ever said it, the sound of my name on her lips completely ripped me apart.
I could feel Ace at my back, and even if he was trying to give me space, there was an added pressure intensifying. He was waiting for me to figure out my next move.
ButIdidn’t even know what my plan was. I needed time to think, but time was the only thing I didn’t have right now.
Celeste’s breathing was slowing down, blood was continuing to pool at my knees, and her eyes fluttered closed.
Fuck.
With impending sorrow building in my chest, it took all my strength to grumble out my aching words.“Stay awake, Meum Caelum.”
The shattered grip in my voice was firm as I tried to keep my composure. All I wanted to do was crumble, lay on the floor with her, and breathe her in, but I couldn’t.
I knew what I had to do.
“Stay with her,” I turned to Ace. “Do not let her go. Do whatever it takes to keep her conscious.”
Ace nodded to me in confirmation. I moved my arms out from under her and positioned her head gently on the floor, but it took everything in me to move to stand. I couldn’t find it in me to tear myself away from her. The entire essence of my being felt attached to her in this state, and every other state.
But with my knees covered in her fresh, innocent blood, I forced myself to get up.
And once I was standing, looking down at her rapidly declining body, rage overtook me.
I ran to the bookshelf on the far side wall and found the boxes of vials. I tore open the lid, tossed it aside, and dumped out the small containers.Glass shattered on the floor,releasing all the blood that was collected over time.
Everyone who was promised here was promised here no longer.
Including her uncle.
Including my parents.
Blood, old and new, lay in thick puddles on the floor, oxidizing in the fresh air. Every single vial was broken under my feet.
Except for one.
The empty vial that was forher.
I shoved it in my pants pocket.
Then, I grabbed the other set of boxes on the shelves, ripped them open, and made my way to the fireplace.
I knew I had toburn every paper with the deal.
I gripped handfuls of paper and threw them into the fire. Old, stiff handprints curled in the flames in front of me. I threw in more, and more, and more, until every shred of bloodied paper was ash. My breath struggled to keep steady as I threw the last box to the side.
There were two final papers that were never in a box. One withmybloody handprint and signature from about sixyears ago, from a rare drunken night with Dey. Although we both committed ourselves on paper, we never went all the way through with it and filled any vials.
I kept my paper and destroyed his after my parents died.
The other paper hadonlya signature from about six weeks ago, and I never let a drop of blood on it.
They both resided in a drawer in my desk, tucked away from eyesight.
I reached down and pulled them out. Along with the gun that was tucked against my back, I left the bloodied page on the desk and paid it no mind. Instead, my eyes fixated on the one with the blank space and scribbled signature at the bottom.
Heartache crept up into my throat as I vacantly stared at the white paper.Fuck, I don’t want to do it.
