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Our bond is weak and distant. The heightened, soul-deep pain can only mean one thing.
Grunting, I scour for my power, feeling it skimming the bottom of its well. I fucking grab hold of it, sending it into the damn water with labored breaths.
My shadows find her, knowing her very essence as if it was my own. Commanding them to wrap around her, I pull. But my power wavers. I grit through clenched teeth, feeling the veins in my neck strain as I try again. Growling in frustration as my hands shake uncontrollably.
My eyes dart to where Whiro is still recovering from an attack, one that Emma must have sent when I was unconscious. When I dig deeper within, I find a kernel of extra strength Emma must have poured into me. With it, I command more shadows to spread around Whiro as he roars, trying to relinquish them.
Focusing again on the Sea of Souls, I band my power around her body. This time, she slowly begins to sail towards me. I’m desperate. I refuse to fucking believe it. But I can’t catch my breath. It's like a thousand knives tearing straight down the center of my chest.
But then, my shadows grow, feeling stronger as they pull Emma to shore faster. And that’s when I register the warmth on my back. Finding Cora there, her palm is flowing her energy into me, healing me. To regenerate my draining power, closing my wounds and helping to free Emma from the water.
Not a breath later, Emma’s frail body falls into my waiting arms. “No…” Her skin is freezing against mine. I hold my breath as my eyes scan over her face, my ears straining to hear her pulse. But I know what I’ll find because the pain cleaving me in two hasn’t let up. All that greets me is silence, making my heart sink.
Frantically, my fingertips hover all over her limp body, trembling. Not sure what to do or where to touch. The entire world feels like it’s been tipped on its axis.
The beast in me becomes feral, raging inside with an earth-shattering wail. Everything starts to spin, drowning me in this cruel fate. My fingers brush wet strands of hair off her ghostly white face, tracing over the blue-tinged lips that were the softest pink minutes ago.
Pulling her hard into my chest, I rock back and forth on my knees. Praying to the stars to fix this. To give her back. To take me instead.
“You aren’t supposed to leave me,” I roughly whisper. My voice breaks, feathering along her hair as I numbly rub my hand over the back of her head. The base of my chest shakes with shock. Grief. Anger. Wetness streaks down my face, but I barely feel it. Everything around me is numb, fading out of focus. Only the violent waves of agony deep within the bond are what consume me.
The pain and torment of what follows when a fated mate dies. An eternal suffering all on its own.
Pounding registers, vibrating the ground beneath me. It’s growing louder, until I faintly hear Fynn’s voice. “This is our only chance. We have to go!”
A guttural roar shatters the air, bits of stone falling from the sides of the cave.
“Hurry!” Cora’s voice sounds panicked. “He’s building more power!”
Fynn curses. “He’s going to fucking incinerate us.” Boots shuffle on stone and then Fynn’s laying Kye beside me. “He’s not being left behind.”
Harsh breathing sounds next to me and a feminine grunt on my other as Cora and Fynn huddle in close to me.
“Thank you. I got him now,” Cora croaks as she begins to softly mumble pleas for Kye to wake up. “I got Kye,” she whispers more to herself.
Suddenly, hands are gripping onto me and shrieks are raging around us. In a daze, my eyes drag up, noticing a massive torrent of darkness aiming for us, but not before a golden light forces my eyes to slam shut, followed by silence.
More heavy breathing surrounds me as two pairs of hands release me. Peeling my eyes open, I find the portal gone as I kneel on the floor in my library. A room full of life that blooms between pages, but the one I want ran out of ink. Emma’s pages are now blank, empty, which is how my heart feels.
Heavy breathing racks the silent room as Fynn and Cora seem to try and catch their breaths, drinking in the clean air. A shuddering sob causes me to drag my eyes to the source, and I find Cora dropped down beside me. She angrily wipes at her tears, before reaching for a lifeless Emma in my arms.
“Don’t you dare die on me!” she screams. “I can’t lose you, too!”
I distantly realize Cora only helped me pull Emma out of the Sea of Souls but didn’t linger. Escaping that realm was hers and Fynn’s focus, while I remained a broken statue of despair.
Placing her hands on Emma’s chest, she pushes waves and waves of her power. Tears drip off her chin, blending into Emma’s soaked tunic. She whispers mumbled words under her breath as she remains transfixed on Emma. Cora’s eyes never blink, like she doesn’t want to miss the moment Emma’s heart will beat with life again.
“Cora,” Fynn gently says with a soft touch to her shoulder, crouching down beside her.
But she’s lost. Stuck in a trance to bring Emma back. And I selfishly don’t want her to stop. To keep going until my mate's calming grey eyes open with life.
“Cora.” Fynn tries again as she grunts and her power flares brighter, her head shaking in denial. He looks like he’s warring with what to do, but with a final look at Emma’s pale body and stiff chest, he gingerly places his hands over Cora’s. Curling his fingers over hers before whispering, “Cora, love. I’m so sorry, but she’s not coming back.”
Thorned vines twist around my heart at those final words. Coiling tighter and tighter. I want to scream. To yell and tell her to never stop. But instead, I watch her power dwindle as she falls back into Fynn’s arms, covering her eyes with a shaking chest and a silent cry.
“Draven.” I hear Fynn, but everything around me is fading away until she is all I see. Hands shake me, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes from hers... Eyes that won’t look at me.
Eyes that won’t fucking open to let me know everything will be okay.
