handle, and I panic even more.
“Stop fucking doing that!” I yell at him, fear making my voice shaky and my heart race. “I can’t fucking heal you with this shit on.” I pull at the collar on my neck and scream out my frustration. Ryker isn’t anywhere to be seen. I start to call for Nash, but my hair-raising cry for help is swallowed up by the noisy fighting that’s going on all around us, so I try to get Lachlan as secure against me as I can.
Lachlan whimpers as I pull him closer, and frustration burns my throat and my eyes. “Fuck, I’m sorry. Just hang on, okay?” I reassure him and then look around frantically. I scream for Nash again, but I can’t see shit, kneeling on the ground with wolves and lamia doing their best to kill each other all around me. I’ve been saving my energy as much as possible and not tapping into my magic so that I can go head-to-head with Adriel, but Lachlan is bleeding out in my arms, and help is not fucking coming.
I close my eyes and tap into my Healing magic, and pain flashes through me. A cold wet hand touches my face, and I open my eyes, shocked by the sensation. Lachlan’s hand cups my cheek, and his gaze is determined and focused.
“No,” he grunts out, and a hint of blood stains the inside of his lips. “Let me go. I want to go.” My eyes flit back and forth between his, and I’m not sure what the fuck to do. He must see the debate in my stare, and he offers me a blood-tinged, reassuring smile. “Let me go,” he says, nodding as slow tears spill out onto his cheeks.
My breaths start to stutter. Lachlan drops his hand from where it’s cupping my cheek, and it falls limply at his side. I stare at him for a moment, his eyes pleading, my eyes uncertain and sad. Slowly, I reach down and pull the sword from his chest. He gasps as the blade leaves his body, but it’s not pained, it sounds almost hopeful. I lay him on his back and push his dark hair out of his face.
“Okay,” I tell him, and he gives me a look of pure serenity. “Say hi to Keegan for me,” I whisper, and his lips tilt up in the smallest of smiles.
“I will,” he murmurs up to me, and then just like that, he’s gone.
Lachlan’s body relaxes as who he is fades from his eyes. I stare at his peaceful face for a moment and take a second to absorb what just happened. I’m not sure how to feel about him or what happened between us. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand the kind of broken he claimed to be, but as I close his eyes, I hope he finds peace wherever he is now. I grab the katana on the floor next to my knees, and in the other hand, I arm myself with the sword I pulled from Lachlan’s chest. The blade is still stamped with Lachlan’s blood, and I stare at it numbly.
I take a deep breath and stand up and once again push my way through to the last place I saw Adriel. Lamia all around me are either surrendering or turning into ash. The chaos in the room feels like it’s starting to settle, and I can almost touch the end of the battle with my fingertips. It’s clear our plan has worked, and we’re on the winning side of the carnage and ash that’s coating everything in this shiny, black room. I spot Torrez’s wolf as he and Sabin work together to finish off a handful of lamia. I pass them and notice Enoch, his coven, the twins, and Knox, fighting the last of Adriel’s guards.
An injured lamia charges me, but I stop him with one blade and remove his head with the other, not even breaking my stride. I’m in the zone, numb, bloodthirsty, and ready for this shit to be over. I sidestep the last of the small skirmishes surrounding Adriel and find him standing in the corner, waiting. He’s leaning against his sword, like he hasn’t a care in the world, watching the last of his guards die, with no hint of emotion or concern. He perks up as I step into view, and the smug smile he’s always armed with stretches even wider across his face.
I stare at him, the feel