“Yes,” the word was a whisper on her lips before her breath stoppedcompletely.
Panic filled me as the life faded further from her eyes. The tenuous beat of her heart slowed until I barely detected it. Shifting my hold on her, I sliced a talon down my arm. Blood poured from the deep gash as I held it over the wound in herchest.
My mother threw herself into the fires. I’d witnessed the love my parents had for each other. I’d known what a Chosen bond was, believed I’d understood why my mother had done whatshedid.
I realized that I’d never truly understood her choice before. Ididnow.
Wren was so new to me, this bond so fragile, yet the emptiness engulfing me made Greed’s touch seem like a gentle caress. My hand clenched on Wren before I released her to reopen my vein. I would pour every ounce of blood I had into her if that was what it took tosaveher.
Chapter Forty-Three
Wren
I’d been prepared to die since I was eight, and I’d been fine with dying all these many years. The few who would grieve my passing would continue with their lives afterward. They would probably never speak of me again, and when they were gone, no one would ever remember I’dexisted.
Then, one day, my soul would be reincarnated, and if Earth still existed, I would start all over in a brand new life. The new me would have no memory of WrenorBonnie.
I’d been good with dying for a while now, and being taken out while helping to destroy a horseman was not a bad way to go. It might make me a legend who wouldn’t be forgotten by everyone. Maybe, one day in the distant future and in a different person, I’d be sitting with humans and listening to the legend of the human, Wren, who had helped to slayGreed.
I might even smile and think how courageous Wren must have been. I might aspire to be like her, and maybe that reincarnation of me would one day go on to dobetterthings than this version ofmehad.
Yep, I was all right with dying; it didn’t even hurt so much anymore. When the horse had first come down on my chest, agony had exploded through my entire body as the sickening sounds of my bones crunching filled my ears. Warm blood had burst from my mouth to trickle downmychin.
Then, the pain eased, the blood cooled, and so did the rest of my limbs. I’d watched the horse’s hooves kicking in the air and waited for the final blow to come as death crept in to claim me. It didn’t even bother me that I’d finally found love and the joy of being alive only to have it ripped cruelly away from me shortly afterward. That was the way life worked, I knew. What I did feel was grateful I’d had the chance to experience those things beforeIdied.
Then the horse had burst into dustaboveme.
Beautiful. The thought had been crazy, and I didn’t know what made the ash so beautiful. Maybe it was the sun filtering through the trees to illuminate the floating dust. Perhaps it was because the ash consisted of the colors of the horse. Or maybe it was because I knew this would be one of the last things I’deversee.
Whatever it was, the ash had been beautiful as it settled around me in a colorful wave that coated me from head to toe. If I hadn’t felt so broken, I might have laughed and thrown up the dust to celebrate Greed’s end, but my limbs were too heavyforthat.
My eyes drifted closed as Corson’s arms enveloped me. His body eased the chill in me, but not enough. He would never be able to stop the ice encasing my limbs, and that was okay. I opened my mouth to tell him everything would be fine, my timehadcome.
The words stuck in my throat when I saw the sorrow emanating from his eyes and the misery etched onto his features. This would not be fine for him, I realized. My demon wouldn’t be okaywiththis.
There was no reincarnation for him. If he chose to walk his mother’s path, that would be the end of Corson. That comprehension was far more excruciating than the horse stomping on me had been. If Corson died, there was no chance future Wren might meet a demon with pointed ears and dancing citrine eyes, who would make her contemplate tearing her hair out at the same time she wanted to throw herself into his arms. There would be no demon for her to love because he wouldn’texist.
I don’t feel the Chosen bond as he does.But I felt the stirring of an emotion so raw and primitive that it could only be a long-buried piece of my DNA comingtolife.
Was this what soul mates were for humans? Was this why some people claimed they fell in love at first sight?Did some ancient piece of genetic material spark to life in those random few to show them they’d found their human equivalent of a Chosen? Or was I losing too much blood and completelydelusional?
Either way, I knew I couldn’t tolerate seeing Corson like this. What remained of my life surged forth within me, and I did everything I could to surface enough to comfort him. I loved him, and my death woulddestroyhim.
When he offered to change me, a piece of me recoiled from the idea and the uncertainty of what I would become. But a larger part of me was willing to do anything to take away the devastation inCorson’seyes.
You can’t say yes only for him, my mind whispered to me.You’ll regret it if you do and that will only destroyhimmore.
Could I live with being ademon?
Yes, I could. I wouldn’t be evil, not like some of those I’d encountered over the years. I wouldn’t be cruel. I would live forever, with Corson. He warned me it would take some getting used to and I might injure someone in the beginning, but I would stop myself from doing that, somehow. Even if I had to go away and couldn’t lead this group of Wilders, I would do whatever it took to stop myself from harmingsomeoneelse.
I would have an eternity with Corson. How could I refuse that? We were good together. He made me crazier than any man should make a woman, but I loved him more than I couldfathom.
So I said yes, and now I had no idea what would become of me, of him, of us, or even if I would survive what was about to unfold. I tried to get my fingers to clutch his shirt, to hold him closer, but they were too weak and clumsy. He sliced open his forearm and poured his blood over mywounds.
No, don’t hurt yourself, I moaned in my head when I saw his flayed-open flesh, but I couldn’t get the words out as the world slipped further and further away from me.Did myheartstop?
My eyes closed as Corson’s bloodfilledme.
