After a moment, dozens of wolves were drawing in on us. Reed grabbed my arm roughly and hauled me up, moving my hair so that I was facing them. We waited until the wolves stormed into our line of vision. The Valkryie wolves had followed Theo along with Caddy, Bodhi, Theo’s brothers, and a few other Warriors.
Theo shifted back as soon as he was close enough and growled so low I could barely hear it. He took in the sight of me, bleeding from my face and neck, bruised, barely able to stand up.
“Let her go,” he demanded. The wolves around him shifted back and stepped into formation behind him.
“She’s not going anywhere with you, isn’t that right?” Reed tipped my chin up with the blade and moved us back. Theo stepped forward, and immediately the knife was pressed firmly into my jugular.
Theo stepped back and growled, snarling.
“That’s really not a smart move,” Reed advised, pursing his lips. Theo’s eyes desperately searched for some way he could save me. Reed moved us farther back until we were in front of a large oak tree.
“Reed, I swear if you don’t release her,” Theo fumed, not bothering to finish his threat.
“I said,” Reed bellowed. Theo’s lack of submission angered him even more, and he started shouting. “She’s not going anywhere.” On the last word, he turned and shoved me against the bark of the tree.
His hand rose, clearly wielding the large blade. I tried to look at Theo’s eyes as the knife came down and pierced through my right shoulder, just below my collarbone. The blade cut into the bark of the tree and pinned me there.
I gasped; my eyes widened. My breathing came in inconsistent pants.
Theo launched himself forward only to be pulled back by the Warriors. My life was at stake as well as his, but his instincts overpowered his rational thinking.
Reed was directly in front of me, shaking as if he was going to shift at any moment. Theo’s eyes were clouded with black; he was not in control of his actions. In his distracted state, I feared he wouldn’t be able to fight Reed and come out unharmed.
My body acted on its own volition; my mind was clouded with memories of Theo smiling at me. That was the only thing on my mind as my left hand came up and grabbed onto the handle of the knife. In two excruciating pulls, the knife was out of the tree and out of my shoulder. I could feel my skin shredding under the blade, bone chipping away.
I gave in to the shock of it all.
Everyone behind Theo stopped and watched me with open mouths.
I smiled softly, remembering the way Theo’s hands felt against my face, always brushing my hair from my eyes. I could feel the phantom touch on my skin as if he was right in front of me. He whispered to me in foreign words, and I breathed out in relief.
My feet took one step forward, and I lifted the blade. Before Reed was even aware of my presence, the knife was slicing from one side of his neck to the other, like a ripe tomato. He dropped to the ground with one loud thud, trying to reach for his throat, which was spewing blood like an uncorked fire hydrant.
All I could see were Theo’s eyes, blue, so blue, impossibly blue. My body was falling.
Theo was running towards me, they all were. They were running and then they weren’t. They were crouching in front of me, grabbing me, and trying to stop the bleeding. My hand raised slowly, shaking still, towards Theo’s cheek.
He grabbed it with both of his hands and held it there, trying his hardest not to bear the weight of what he saw in front of him. He needed to be strong, even now, especially now.
I couldn’t say the words I wanted to say. I couldn’t form them on my lips though I tried so desperately. He needed to know. He needed to know that I was okay with dying if it meant saving him. He needed to know I wouldn’t blame him. He needed to know that.
He needed to know that I loved him. And I didn’t blame him. I could never blame him. He had shown me what love meant. But I couldn’t say the words. I couldn’t say them because everything went black, and I was gone.
Part 2
In Purgatory
I was drowning in the darkness; I was sure of it. It was never-ending. It never faded. For so long, there was no light at the end of the tunnel, no breath of fresh air, not one moment when I believed I would wake up.
Then, in a burst, it was bright. It was too bright, blinding, shimmering gold in every crevice of my mind. I squinted and raised my arm to block the light. The world around me was magical. It was a bright yellow; shimmers of sparkles and iridescence bounced off each other.
Heaven. This surely had to be Heaven, it was too beautiful to be Hell unless that was the point of it all-to take away all the beauty and be plunged into darkness once again.
In the distance, two people started walking towards me. I couldn’t see who they were; the light was too bright, they were just silhouettes. When they got closer, I felt a familiar recognition. The woman smiled kindly at me, reached out, and touched my cheek. The man reached for my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Oh, honey,” the woman’s voice tinkered. “Look at how beautiful she is.”
“And strong,” the man added. They looked me up and down, trailing their hands over my hair and face and
