Her words linger, as Frankie trembles against me. I know what has to happen, and it will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I take my mate’s face in my hands and force her eyes to meet mine.
“Our bond,” I say, keeping my voice low to hide my sorrow.
CHAPTER 46
Frankie
For a second, I think I misheard him. But his eyes don’t waver. His voice doesn’t shake. “Our bond,” he repeats.
Is he crazy? “No,” I whisper, shaking my head. “No, there has to be something else.”
Zarreth doesn’t argue, and that almost makes it worse. Because in that silence, I know it has to happen. I’m just not sure I’m strong enough to do it. “I can’t lose you,” I choke out.
“I can’t lose you either.” His words barely make it past his lips. “I won’t, but if this is what it takes to save our children, to save our family…”
Tears blur my sight. “It’s not fair.”
“I know.” His thumb wipes a tear from my cheek. “But the bond is nothing compared to my love for you.” He takes my hand and places it over his heart. “This mark is only skin deep, but our love…” He pauses for a moment, but when he continues his voice shakes. “Our love is so deep, even the Gods can't take it away.
My eyes close. It’s true. Nothing will change how much I love him, but it hurts. It hurts so fucking bad knowing I’ll never feel it again. Thepull in my chest. The heat before his hands find my skin. The pulse under my ribs…the same one our babies carry. How am I supposed to live without that?
I’m not ready, not at all, but I nod anyway. “Okay,” I whisper, resting my forehead against his. “Okay.”
His hand cradles the back of my head, pulling me closer as my tears dampen the side of his neck. He doesn’t say anything. His body trembles when he exhales. He’s crying too. We stay this way, holding on for as long as we can until the worst of the sobs ease.
We finally pull apart, allowing just enough space for our clasped hands to fit between us. His thumb moves in circles over my knuckles as tears drip onto them.
“On three,” he whispers, his voice raw.
“One…two…”
I shake my head, praying for the next number to never come…but it does.
“Three.”
CHAPTER 47
Frankie
Aglow gathers under our palms as we open ourselves up.
For the first time, it appears. A single thread of light, fine and trembling, stretched between us. So small, and yet the reason for everything. The bond.
It begins to unravel. The light jerks, tightening once before it tears. The sensation is worse than pain. Something inside me is being peeled away. The thread unwinds until there’s nothing left but the empty space where it used to live.
I reach for it. Please! Just one more heartbeat with it. Just one more.
The last of it snaps free, pulling me forward with a strangled sob. Zarreth catches me, holding me against his chest. A tremor runs through his body, another sob breaking free. We cling to each other as the glowing braid drifts across the ash and vanishes into the heart of the gate.
The portal steadies, no longer thrashing, but instead pulsing slowly as the warmth of my mating mark fades from my skin. The emptiness it leaves behind nearly breaks me.
“It’s gone,” I sob.
He presses his forehead to mine. “You don’t need a mark to find me.” His voice cracks. “You’re in me, Frankie. Every thought. Every breath. If it takes losing everything to keep you alive, I’ll do it again. Every time.”
I try to believe him. I know nothing can change the way we feel about each other, but everything inside me feels broken. I’m empty now and it fucking hurts. My chest keeps pulling tighter and tighter, trying to find what’s no longer there. I can’t believe this is happening.
A voice threads through the stillness. “It’s done.”
