Page 128 of His Retribution

I crawl quickly, dig my fingers into the earth, push my pain aside in order to get to my light before she falls over.

And what I see when I'm finally close enough turns my blood to ice.

There, in the middle of her stomach, angled up under her ribs, is some sort of small sword. A small sword made of iron, the blade buried in her flesh all the way to the hilt.

And there on the very top of the handle is my bastard grandfather’s seal, the mark stamped over the face of a demon.

"Henrich!" I don't know if anyone can hear me, don't know how loud I'm actually yelling. "Henrich! Oh gods, please no!"

Cora's eyes lift to mine just as I reach her. "Havok..."

She falls into my arms, those electric blue pools dimming but never leaving mine. Tears roll down my cheeks as I push her hair back, search her face, and look down at the wound that is gushing blood.

"Cora, my love, stay with me. You stay with me, angel." Her eyes glaze over as her light dims completely. "Damnit, Cora, you fucking stay with me, you hear me?! Don't you fucking leave me, do not fucking leave me!" I lift my head as I hear my brothers. "Cora, angel, please stay. Please, please just stay."

A faint smile pulls at her full lips as she lifts a shaking hand, grips my goatee with very little strength and pulls me to her.

"Always...always with you..." Cora whispers against my lips while I sob. "Always, lovey. Promise."

"Cora..." I can feel her fading, feel her light start to flicker out completely. "Cora, my angel, please… I love you. Please don't go, please."

"Love you… love you so much, my heart… stay always." Her hand drops from my chin just as Henrich and the others reach us.

"Cora?" I pull back slightly, panic gripping my chest. "Cora? Angel? Oh gods, no."

No.

No, not again.

I failed her.

Oh gods, fuck, I failed her again.

Wait Time, Approximately Endless

One Week Later.

"Do you remember the time we thought Sammy knocked up the widow Stein's Rottweiler?" I lean forward and brush my light’s hair from her forehead, gently trace the Y shaped scar, and smile a little. "I'll never forget that night, walking up to your window only to find you already waiting outside, tears running down your flushed cheeks. I thought something terrible had happened, thought perhaps Anastasia found out about us or Josef had moved your wedding sooner."

Samson whines, his gigantic block head in my lap, sad eyes looking up at me with so much worry. I stroke his silky ears, run my fingers over his muzzle, and up between his eyes.

I shake my head. "Of course when you told me what happened, told me you had walked out into the yard to find him mounting Ester, giving it to the poor senior dog good and hard, I couldn't help but laugh. You were so convinced that the widow Stein would force Josef to put Sammy down for violating her pooch and then keep their puppies away from you that you had devised a plan to steal Ester and run away with both dogs so they could raise their puppies together..." My hand slides down her cheek, traces her jaw, caresses the steady pulse thrumming in her neck all the way until I slip my hand in hers and twine our fingers. "Please, angel, please come back to me."

I lift Cora's hand to my lips, kiss her knuckles just below her ring twice. With a sigh, I drop my forehead to her hip, press her palm to my cheek, and watch her chest rise and fall in steady, even breaths.

It has been one week since my light was stabbed.

One week since I looked into her eyes.

One week since I felt her lips move against mine.

One week since I heard her voice, heard my Cora say my name or tell me she loved me.

Joyce has been held in the prison in the basement of the main house, locked up in a cell in the war room for seven days and has yet to talk. Seven days without any explanation as to how she got to the party, why she was there, who gave her the small sword she used to stab my love, or how the fuck she was able to coat it in vampire blood.

Nothing from that night makes a damn bit of sense.

Everyone in town knows about us, not our secrets or dual natures, but my brothers are no longer big news here in Ashland because they stopped hiding their presence once Kai met Posey. That being said, the people in town know what land belongs to the Dragovihk clan and despite accepting us into their community, everyone stays away from here.