I trip over exposed roots and stones, catching myself on bloodied palms as I scramble toward her. Pain doesn’t register—nothing matters except getting to her.
Shecan’tbe…
“Natalie,” I whisper, as if saying her name enough times might somehow bring her back.
I round the boulder, one hand pressed against its cold, rough surface, ready to try pushing it off her or clawing it to pieces with my bare hands.
My muscles tense. My vision tunnels as I force myself to look down, bracing for her broken body, the pool of red, the sight of only half of her while the rest stays crushed beneath this gargantuan chunk of earth. The image is so vivid I can almost feel the warm, sticky blood soaking through as I kneel beside her.
I reach out, my fingers splayed as if I can somehow pull her back. My lungs burn, refusing to take in air. A choked sob builds in my chest that feels like it might shatter my ribs when it finally breaks loose.
I get to the other side of the boulder—and freeze.
Sebastian is there, slumped against a tree trunk, his arms hooked under Natalie’s armpits. Her whole body is there—not crushed, not bleeding and broken, but fully free. Alive. Her boots are an inch from where the boulder landed.
Relief floods through me so intensely that my knees buckle. I clap my hands over my mouth, gulping back a sob as I sink down beside them. “Oh my God.”
The world comes rushing back, everything brighter and more colorful than a moment ago.
“Thanks—Seb,” Natalie manages between shallow breaths. Her skin is ghostly pale and damp, and a terrifying amount of blood soaks through her clothes.
I move toward them. I need to touch her, to kiss her forehead and feel her warmth on my lips, to reassure myself that she’s alive.
But Sebastian raises a hand to stop me. “No time. They’ve got a chimera.”
I blink back tears, unable to look away. “But—”
“Go, Katie,” Natalie rasps, reaching out to squeeze my hand. Despite everything, her grip is strong, and her dark eyes are still burning with the same fierce determination I’ve always loved. “Don’t let them take it.”
Even in this state, she hasn’t lost sight of what we need to do. God, she’s strong. She’s stood between me and danger more times than I can count and shown me what it means to truly love someone.
I give her a quick kiss, memorizing the feel of her lips. “Keep her safe until I’m back, Sebastian.”
He nods. “Promise.”
I turn around to see a rabbit struggling in the golden net, its movements growing weaker by the second. Sophia scoops it into her arms, triumph written across her face, while Oaklyn and Hazel watch.
Something inside me snaps.
Between Natalie lying at my feet and the chimera fighting for its life, a fury unlike anything I’ve ever felt surges through my veins. My pulse thunders in my ears. The world warps in my vision, colors and shapes coming to me with sudden brightness. A roar of indiscernible noise fills my mind, maybe the chimeras’ voices surging to my attention with more clarity.
No.The Madsens don’t get to do this. After everything they’ve done and all the people they’ve hurt, after nearly killing Natalie, they are not walking away with bio magic.
I step out from behind the boulder, my fists clenched so tightly that my nails cut into my palms. “Sophia, put it down!” I roar, my voice carrying across the cove.
The Madsens and Hazel turn toward me. A sneer curls Sophia’s upper lip, her eyes flashing with amusement.
Movement erupts from the trees at the edge of the cove. The stag I set free charges along the shore, its huge antlers lowered like lances, its hooves thundering on the rocks.
“Mom!” Oaklyn cries.
It’s too late for Sophia to react. The stag slams into her with the force of a train, sending her flying with a shriek that carries over everything. The net tumbles from her arms, the rabbit thrashing inside it.
Sophia rolls across the rocky shore, gasping for breath, her trench coat getting soaked as waves lap against her.
The stag wheels around, its purple eyes fixed on her. Mist puffs from its nostrils.
“The gentle one is a Guardian, sisters,”it says, its voice loud inside my head.“We must fight.”
