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Marienne’s face was a cloud of misery. “I’m sorry, love. But you were right that your fate isn’t set in stone. Every decision we make affects it somehow.”
“When was that!” I demanded to know. “Anthony’s vision was in the future. Years into the future.”
Marienne shook her head slowly. “My visions are more often than not... images of the near future.”
My breath caught in my chest, making the pounding of my heart reverberate in my ears. “How soon? How near, Marienne?”
“Days,” she whispered. “Hours, even.”
I took off running down the hallway, screaming to one of the guards that stood in the halls. “Call the healer! Now! Get everyone. Go!”
Two of the men took off running in the opposite direction to me. I lifted my skirts and ran faster. I may have fought against my future, afraid of what Fate had in store for me. But they would not take Iain away from me. They would not. I wouldn’t allow it.
I’d gotten my nickname through sheer grit and determination, and I’d go up against the Fates themselves if they tried to hurt my mate again.
I burst through the doors to my parents’ bedroom just in time to see Iain collapse beside my father’s bed.
“Veronica. Get help,” Dad called out as I hurled myself across the room and crawled on my knees to my mate's side. “Iain’s sick.”
“He’s not sick, Dad,” I said, ice racing though my veins as I pressed my head to his chest and heard nothing. “He’s dying.”
I tilted his head back, checked his airway, then hit him over the sternum, hard.
“What are you doing?” Dad asked, throwing back the covers and sliding closer.
I put my head to his chest. Nothing. “I’m starting CPR.” I put my hands into the compression position and set them to his chest. “I learnt how to do it when I went to the human realm.”
One, two, three.
I pinched his nose and breathed air into his mouth. Once. Twice.
Then I was up again, doing compressions. Thirty compressions. Two breaths.
Sweat rolled down my face.
“Who taught you...”
“I did a course.” I panted, getting tired already. But Iain was much bigger and stronger than me and I needed to push hard. “The family had kids. They swam. They wanted me to know how to revive them if they drowned.”
“Veronica...” I could hear the awe in his voice.
“Dad. Stop. Please. I can teach everyone else too. But later.”
No-one in my realm knew any type of CPR. Shifters were strong and healthy. And we didn’t swim, let alone drown. Our whole realm was too cold, and especially so up in the Northern Kingdom where I lived. Every lake was frozen over, practically ten months a year.
Guards came rushing in, joined by Anthony and my brother Theo.
“What can we do?”
I glanced up, not wanting to stop, but I knew I couldn’t keep up this pace. “I need some help. Come kneel beside me, Theo. I’ll show you what to do.”
I leaned forward, breathing into Iain’s mouth. My mind was so clear I could hardly believe how calm I was, my body fuelled by panic and adrenaline.
“Put your hands like this,” I said, showing Theo the posture, “then I want you to push down thirty times, and I’ll breathe into him.”
I counted as Theo pumped. “Twenty-nine, thirty.” Then I leaned down and breathed into him again.
“What’s this doing?” Anthony asked, coming to kneel down with us.
