I glanced down at Paul. His lips moved as if he was trying to say something.
I leaned forward.
“I love…you.”
“I love you, too,” I whispered. I always had and I always would, even if I’d never understand why he’d chosen to take this path.
“I’m sorry. For…every…Don’t…”
I ducked down so my forehead touched his.
“Don’t trust…”
He never finished his sentence. His body jerked and his last breath slipped past his lips.
I kept my arms wrapped around him, trying to pull his limp body up in my lap. His arms flopped to the side, his head dropped forward.
No. There had to be a way to fix this. There had to be a way to stop the flow of blood long enough for him to heal.
Blood.
The words from the prophesy rushed back: Unknowing what their blood is for.
Blood contained iron.
I could control iron.
I reached for my power. I didn’t have the luxury of time to coax it out. I grabbed the stubborn magic and wrenched it forward. A wave of nausea slammed into me, but I refused to give in or let go.
The metal-like magic slithered along my skin as I focused it on my brother. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
I pushed my magic forward, trying to meld it with the iron flowing in his blood. Paul’s body twitched in my lap.
But his blood slid past my control.
I pulled more magic. It flowed into my hands like molten iron, so hot it felt cold. I screamed from the painful rush. The blood vibrated under my power. An echo of a heartbeat matched mine but then faded.
Someone spoke near me, but I ignored them. I directed my magic into Paul, searching for something, anything.
Only silence answered.
No heartbeat.
Paul had no heartbeat.
I surrounded his heart with my magic and squeezed. Maybe I could pump life into it again. The magic swarmed my senses, flowing from me now like a massive, uncontrolled flood.
“Mouse.” Ace knelt beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “He’s gone.”
No. He couldn’t be. He was supposed to walk beside me through this life and the next. I looked down at his lifeless body.
He was gone.
The power thrummed all around me. Consuming my vision. Seering my senses.
He was gone.
I released my hold on my magic and let it flow away. It slammed back into me, vengeful and furious, as if it had a personality of its own and was angry at not being used. My head spun. My stomach twisted. Blood dripped from my nose.
