I placed one hand over Jak's, and tried to ignore the warm blood that oozed over my fingertips. "Jak? Can you hear me?"
His eyes fluttered open. In the dark depths of his gaze, the awareness of death gleamed.
"Risa," he said, voice so soft and hoarse I had to lean close to hear him. "I think you were right about that vampire."
I brushed the sweaty hair from his forehead. "In what way?"
"Security didn't stop the bastard."
"No." I swallowed heavily as tears tracked unchecked down my cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Jak. This is my fault —"
"No, it's not. I wanted to be here, I wanted the story. My decision, not yours. I could have walked away."
Yes, he could have. But I'd known that he wouldn't, not once he had the scent of a good story in his nostrils.
He reached up and caught one of the tears on his fingertips. "You've cried enough tears over me, Risa. I don't deserve these any more than I deserved your love —" He hesitated, his face twisting, his breath becoming little more than short, shuddering gasps for air.
A sob tore up my throat. I bit my lip, and somehow held it back. "The ambulance is coming, Jak. Just hold on."
It would be too late. I knew it, he knew it, but I didn't know what else to say. So I squeezed his hand lightly, watching as his breath became more and more labored, and his life poured over our twined fingers to soak into the carpet underneath him.
"God," he somehow croaked, "this is a bitch. The story of a lifetime in my grasp and I'll never —"
The rest of his words were cut off by a gasp. Then his eyes rolled back in his head and his breathing stopped.
The sob tore free. "Good-bye, Jak." I kissed his warm lips gently. "I hope both love and the story of the century find you in your next life."
My tears splashed across his face as I sat back and, just for a moment, it looked like he was also crying. Gossamer tendrils began to rise from his body. His soul, ascending. The winged reaper reached out one hand. Jak's soul moved toward her, and together they moved on.