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I bite into my wrist and shove it into his mouth, hoping the tears and the blood are enough to save him.

“You hold on to this life, Beloved. Do you hear me? This one. I don’t want to wait years to find you all over again. I want you now.” My bottom lip trembles as I lift him to my chest, cupping his head to rest against me. “Don’t give up on me.”

One last exhale, and his heart stops. His hand falls limp to his side. The drowning heartbreak of losing my mate cracks my soul in half, and I huddle him close to my body and scream at the top of my lungs.

“No! No. No! Please, no. Don’t go. Don’t leave me. Leo. Hey, Leo. Honeybee, look at me, okay?” I shake him with my denial, his eyes staring up at the sky.

Lifeless.

Pupils blown.

“No!” I sob or scream, maybe both; I don’t know, and hold him so close, my hand slips against his stomach. I squeeze his body against mine, holding him so tight, I wish we could become one.

Another life I won’t get to experience because of death.

“Helios.” I clutch onto him as if my life depends on it.

“Alaska—” Glenn tries to step forward, and I glare at him, stopping him in his tracks.

“Leave me alone.”

“Alaska,” Soren attempts.

“I said leave me alone!” I’ll die right here in the bitter cold and hold my mate under the northern lights.

I never enjoyed the beauty of them. Not until I got to share them with Leo.

Pulling him away, I look at his still face. His lips are blue. There’s frost on either side of his temples and the ends of his hair.

I was too late.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I hope death hurries when it comes to killing me. I can’t live another day without you. I don’t want to. I physically can’t.”

“Alaska! What are you doing?”

“Go away! Leave me alone with my mate!”

A loud rumble makes me open my eyes, and I gasp so deeply that the inhale is audible.

Alaska’s bloodshot eyes look at me in confusion, in awe, in relief. He squeezes his eyes shut and rubs them, shimmering tears breaking free. I’m confused by what I feel and see. My vision is red. My teeth hurt. I’m hungry.

Am I dead?

What is above us? It looks like tree roots caging us in.

“Helios? Honeybee?” He grabs my face, a smile stretching his lips. “Can you hear me? Are you with me? Are you here with me?” His hand presses against the middle of my chest.

“Alaska?” I rasp.

I flick my tongue out to wet my lips, and something sharp catches my flesh. Reaching up, I rub the sharp fang pointing out of my mouth.

“You died. I didn’t know what to do. I fed you my blood and tears, and nothing seemed to work. I-I-I—” he stammers, trying to explain himself, his sadness choking the air. “And I was going to hold you here until Death finally took me.”

“I’m a vampire?”

He nods, loosening more tears from his lash line. “I did what I had to. I needed you with me. I’ll spend forever earning your forgiveness, but I couldn’t live without you. I didn’t even think my attempt worked. I thought I got to you too late.” He cups my face and smiles, his thumbs brushing over my lips.

“You created a tomb?” I press a hand to my side; the pain is gone. It’s vanished.