Ze’s gaze met mine, and he tried to push his energy at me, but he was too weak. I reached mine out, but I couldn't feel his aura like I normally could. It was thin and wispy like fog, there one moment, then gone.
No, No, No!
Ze squeezed my hand tightly and finally spoke.
“I love you, my mate. Go with them, and you’ll be safe.”
He closed his eyes. His hand went lax in mine. His breathing slowed to almost nothing. I couldn't feel my Ze, my mate anymore.
I was quickly pulled away from him, even though I fought with everything I had to stay. Geordie and Luke were carrying Ze’s body somewhere away from me. I needed to go with them. There was no way I could be separated from my mate when I’d just found him.
“Noooooo! I have to go with him! Please, Geordie. Luke, please, let me help him! I can try to help him!”
Yelling did no good. I ran after them so they’d have to hear me. Geordie saw I wasn’t giving up, so he let Luke carry Ze, but prevented me from following.
“Nial, you have to get out of here. Let us take care of Ze now. There’s nothing you can do but get stuck in the fallout that’s about to happen. I promised Ze we’d get you out of here, and I’m making sure I keep that promise. Especially now. Go with Kane, and he’ll get you out of here.”
I refused to go without Ze. Dodging around Geordie proved to be futile, so I tried to push my way past him. Kane eventually had to pick me up and carry me. The further away we got from my Ze, the more the reality set in. I pulled into myself to hold the inevitable pain at bay. I lost track of where we went, who we spoke to, or what we had to go through, but eventually, we were in an SUV traveling away from Starke. Looking around, I saw Jarvis, Geordie, Luke, and Farley with us, but not my Ze. I finally realized my Ze was gone and I doubled over with the weight of my loss.
My heart and soul both tore in two, and I never thought I’d be able to live through the pain.
