But this wasn’t the vision. Not quite. She hadn’t screamed.
That scream—Kara's cry of death—hadn’t happened yet.
But it was coming.
I’d altered the future simply by being here.
And still…the vision was upon me.
Kara hung limp in Harvest’s grasp, unconscious.
He frowned. Then slapped her.
“I would’ve enjoyed this more if you were awake,” he muttered. “But your death will rattle everyone all the same.”
He suddenly jerked, glancing behind him. Something shifted. Urgency bled into his movements, his arms twitching, shoulders tight. Whether it was desperation or madness, it possessed him entirely.
With a snarl, he raised his sword high above Kitty’s still body.
This was it.
There was no more thinking.
I lifted my head. The words came without hesitation, chanted through the fire in my throat, my heart pounding like war drums in my ears. But then—something sharper. Not pounding.
Failing.
The agony bloomed in my chest, white-hot and searing. I sucked in a breath, but it wasn’t air that filled me—it was fire. I felt myself slipping. My head dropped, arms shaking as I reached the end.
With the last of my strength, I lifted my chin just enough.
Just enough to see the smile fall off Harvest’s face.
He looked down—not at Kara—but at me.
It was my body that dangled from his sword.
“What?” The word came out more like a roar than a question, ripping from Harvest’s throat.
“Not today. Not ever—”
He didn’t let me finish. He threw me off his sword mid-sentence.
I screamed as my body hit the ground, vision dimming from the impact. Pain exploded through me, but I forced myself to roll onto my side, straining to see Kara.
She was crumpled on the ground where I had stood only seconds ago—still unconscious.
Harvest turned toward her.
Terror replaced pain.
No. No. No.
Would her mortal body withstand even a few more blows in this state? Would she survive the next few steps it took him to reach her?
My trade didn’t matter if the Devil hadn’t arrived on time.
I gave my life for her, and Harvest would kill her anyway.
