Rebecca removed her hands, and blood spurted from Spencer’s neck in time with his decelerating heart. Lilith covered the gash, applying pressure to slow the bleeding, but he’d lost so much blood already. There was no way he would survive.
Her heart wrenched in her chest, and tears streamed down her cheeks as his life force seeped between her fingers. This was her fault. Once again, her brilliant plan ended in disaster, and this time, Spencer paid the price.
An agonizing ache clenched in her stomach, spiraling up to her throat, thickening it until she couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. Fate had to know this would happen. That Lilith would destroy the one good thing in her life because everything she touched turned to ruin.
Fate was a cruel bitch. And Lilith…
She’d been selfish. Her immortality had made her careless. She knew the dangers of awakening a vampire who hadn’t been staked properly, but she hadn’t stopped to think about the consequences of unearthing one.
Closing her eyes, she swallowed the lump of hot coal from her throat, but another one lodged in its place. A piece of her soul resided in Spencer, and when he died, he would take it with him. She would never recover. She could not live without him.
Spencer coughed, and blood spewed from his lips before he stilled. Lilith removed her hands from the wound. His heart ceased to beat. The world stopped turning.
“Damnit, Lilith. Turn him!” Alan shouted.
Lilith didn’t dare move. If she did, she would fall apart.
Rebecca put a firm hand on her shoulder. “You have to turn him.”
She forced a whisper from her raw throat. “He doesn’t want to be turned.”
“He’d rather be undead than really dead.” Alan stood and raked a hand through his hair. “You can’t let him die.”
“I cannot turn him into a creature he would detest.” She loved him too much to disregard his wishes, yet… Gazing into his unblinking eyes, she wiped the tears from her cheeks. She also loved him too much to let him go.
“He doesn’t detest you.” Tears welled in Alan’s eyes, making Lilith’s fall faster. He huffed, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe her.
Rebecca moved to Spencer’s other side, looking Lilith in the eyes. “You’ve changed his mind about vampires, and I know you don’t want to live without him. Given the choice between being dead and being a vampire, he’d choose to be with you.”
Lilith nodded. “He would forgive me.” They were soulmates. How could he not?
“There’d be nothing to forgive. You have the power to save his life. Use it.”
The air shimmered next to her, the energy condensing and expanding until it pricked at her skin. No. This can’t be happening.
“What the hell?” Alan cocked his head, drawing his brow downward, and Azrael appeared before them, his wicked scythe clutched in both his hands.
“The Angel of Death.” Rebecca’s voice was barely a whisper.
Lilith ground her teeth, her face pinching as rage extinguished the sadness inside her. Rising to her knees, she leaned over Spencer protectively. “How dare you? I won’t let you take him.”
Azrael gave her a sympathetic look. “I don’t choose who lives or dies. Fate has decided it’s his time.”
“No! You can’t have him.” Her mind blanked, instinct taking over, and she plunged her fangs into Spencer’s shoulder. She took a single sip of his blood, just enough to form a magical connection, before biting her wrist and pressing it to his mouth.
“Drink, sweetheart, and we can be together forever.” She brushed the hair from his forehead and pressed a kiss to his clammy skin.
He didn’t move, didn’t accept her offering of eternal life, so she tugged on his chin with her thumb, parting his lips. Her blood dripped onto his tongue, slowly filling his mouth with her gift.
“Swallow, please. One little gulp is all it will take.”
Azrael lingered beside her, a solemn expression drawing his features down. Was she too late? Had her hesitation doomed the man she loved to the afterlife? Why the fuck can’t I do anything right? “Please, Spencer. I need you in my life. I love you.”
His lids fluttered, and he swallowed her blood.
The heavy weight in her chest dropped into her stomach before disintegrating into relief. Fresh tears gathered on her lower lids, spilling down her cheeks, and an ill-timed laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside her.
“That’s it.” She pressed her wrist harder against his lips. “Take some more. You’ve got a massive wound to heal.” She looked up at Azrael, who nodded once and disappeared.
