Page 17

“You can, and you will,” Elijah snarled, turning to glare at me. “You will follow my orders to the letter. We work as a team, or we will lose. I need to focus on this threat, and I can’t do that if I’m worried about you. He will be right behind you. Go.”

I glanced back at Liam.

“Trust us, Kaia. It’ll be ok. Go.” Liam sent me an affectionate smile and nodded for me to go. His eyes were filled with all the warmth and love I had grown to expect and cherish.

I nodded and raced to the hole with E.Z.. I bent to step in headfirst. At E.Z.’s direction, I turned towards the back of the castle, down a tunnel that ran the entire length of the wall.

Before stepping all the way through, a grunt sounded behind me. I stopped, retreating back through the hole and spinning.

The world slowed, and everything else faded as Liam staggered backward, holding an arrow piercing his torso. His head was thrown back in a silent scream. There was so much blood.

The fire dome winked out as Liam staggered on his feet, his magic cut off.

We were surrounded. The fire dome had become a beacon at night, drawing all available soldiers.

Their shouts, pounding feet, and barked commands faded into the background as Liam fell. All I heard was the thud of his back connecting with the cobblestones and the smack of his head as it snapped back.

Liam’s name was ripped from my throat in a fractured cry, scattering the momentary silence. I screamed louder than I had my entire life as blood slowly seeped into the cracks. The ringing in my ears grew to a deafening decibel as Liam lay there unnaturally still.

Elijah reacted faster than I, attempting to throw up his own fire dome, but he was too late. The soldiers had advanced as soon as the arrow hit and reached Liam quickly, dragging him back into their clutches.

Elijah and I both started to run towards them. He twisted instead, pulling me into his arms rather than fighting the men as he promised, not allowing us to reach Liam.

“Ash, we have to get her out of here. This is our absolute last chance,” Griffin demanded with patience I couldn’t fathom. “You have to let them take him. They will heal him if possible. But they will kill her immediately.”

Elijah didn’t allow Griffin's calm demeanor to rub off on him. He looked at me, swore loudly, and roughly started to herd me towards the door. He changed his approach when I tried to resist and go back for Liam anyway. The asshole picked me up, swung me over his shoulder, and carried me like an unruly child.

I beat my fists against Elijah's back while trying to keep my eyes on Liam over his shoulder. I jerked my body this way and that, kicking my feet and bucking, trying to find purchase on anything that would stop Elijah from leaving.

I would have seen the rationality in Griffin’s words any normal day. I would have known we had no chance with this many guards and our window of escape was closing the longer we tried.

But my entire world was destroyed when that arrow hit. Liam couldn’t be hurt because of me. He couldn’t die because of me. I needed to help him. I couldn’t leave him to go through this alone.

It was no use. Elijah swiftly carried me toward the hole. From inside, someone grabbed my legs and held them together. They helped guide me back into the hollow as Elijah bent his larger frame to fit into the opening.

As Elijah rushed me away, every bounce on his shoulder was a punch to my gut, in more ways than one. I braced myself and pushed up on my arms, refusing to look away and miss one last look at Liam.

He was gone, swallowed by the soldiers rushing to the opening in a sea of black and red and angry faces.

Griffin worked to close the hole behind us, the rocks sliding back into place without finesse. He sealed it tight, much faster than he’d opened it, leaving our pursuers on the other side and locking us safely inside. Leaving Liam unsafe outside.

I was near hysterics at this point, my pleading becoming increasingly frantic, and I openly wept for my best friend.

My sweet, handsome Liam. My closest confidant. My only real friend. I had worried that changing our relationship would ruin our friendship. If I had known how little time we had left, I would have taken the first step a long time ago, and that was something I would regret for the rest of my life.

Guilt almost destroyed me. It was a self-inflicted poison eating away at my insides and making breathing hard. It was almost too much to bear. I was the reason Liam was out there. He was only trying to protect me. I would gladly take whatever punishment came to me if I could take this all back.

I only had myself to blame. It was a mantra I repeated while I lost my absolute shit. Bucking. Thrashing. Cursing. Clawing at Elijah’s back when my blows did nothing. All the while, he kept on running, leading us down the hallway towards the castle's rear.

Eventually, I went feral, my mind completely lost. My threats were screeches and howls, no longer distinguishable. I tried to scratch Elijah's face but could barely reach his neck. I settled for that, raking my nails down the side until I reached the top of his collar. I grabbed onto it with all my strength and tugged hard, trying to choke him. He still didn’t slow.

Eventually, when I could no longer see where the hole used to be, too far away from Liam, I froze, a sickening realization screaming down my back.

Elijah had said he’d only be able to fight if he didn’t have to worry about me.

“I got in the way,” I croaked, going limp in Elijah’s arms, deflating. My energy wholly depleted. Completely spent.

I was the reason Liam was dead. He had come to save me, and I was the reason he’d died.