Nobody reacted to her as she dove for where my body was lying. That is, nobody except for Kane as he caught her arm. “She’s dead.”
She struggled in his grasp. “You clearly underestimate her.”
“Do not toy with me woman!” Kane shook her.
She pushed against him. “If you stop yourself from sinking into that despair for one second and feel for her, you will believe me.”
I felt the breeze created when he spun to face my body, letting her go in the process. “What are you saying?”
Both of them ran to me, collapsing onto their knees on either side of my bloodied frame. Indrell lifted my hand to her cheek and pressed her ear to my chest. “I need my bag. Now!”
Kane stood, grabbing the closest person to him by the front of their armor. “Get me Indrell’s bag as fast as possible, or you will never take another breath.”
Kane shoved them toward the door. As he swiftly exited, Oberlea took the man by the hand and motioned. He lifted her, and the two were gone in a blur.
Returning to my side, Kane smoothed my hair away from my face. “Do not leave me, little one. I do not want this without you.”
Indrell put a hand on his shoulder. Despite him flinching, she kept it there. “She needs your strength right now. She needs a reason to stay.”
He leaned down closer and whispered. I could hear it as if I was still in my body, feeling his breath on my ear, caressing me. “I wanted her away from you. I needed her away from you to keep you safe. But I failed you. I failed in protecting you and our future. Come back to me, and I will never fail you again.” His voice caught in his throat. “Just come back to me.”
I wanted to return. I wanted to reach up and touch his face, sooth the lines that had formed there. I wanted to wipe away the tears that cascaded over his chiseled jaw. But I knew one thing. The pregnancy was over. The blow that Mika had dealt, the blade that she had slipped into my abdomen. It had hit its mark and extinguished the life growing inside of me. And a part of me died along with it.
Yes. I wanted to return to him. But I wasn’t sure I could feel that anguish and survive it. I wanted time to process. But I was growing cold. My entire being was growing so very cold and stiff. I knew that I wasn’t afforded the time I wanted.
The soldier returned, dropping Oberlea onto the floor next to us. She held out Indrell’s bag, handing it off to her and backing up.
Indrell grabbed it and riffled around inside. Pulling out a crystal, she laid it on my chest. She searched inside the canvas bag once again. This time, she pulled out a leaf. Slipping it under the crystal, she murmured words that I didn’t know, a singsong pattern of what nearly resonated as lyrics that pulled at me like a heavenly tune. A warmth emanated where she’d placed the items and spread down through my body.
Running her hands over me, she assessed the energies. “The life inside her is gone.”
Kane looked up, holding my hand between both of his to his chest. “Life? Just one?”
“Yes. There was just one,” she confirmed.
“How can you tell now when you did not tell me this before?” He glared at her.
She didn’t look up at him. “I could not tell before. There was a block. She protected her womb with a barrier. But I can tell now because I can feel its energies and its blood… your blood lying in her veins. The life force that was spilled within her combines with her own energies now. I can only guess it was how she was able to do what she did and how she is able to stay and have this choice now. This is not typical nature at work. But I can feel the energies.”
“Just one?” He gritted his teeth. “I did not love Mika. And Auri was not carrying any twins to fulfill that treacherous prophecy! All of this was for nothing! She endured all of this for nothing!” His eyes desperately searched Indrell’s. “She did not deserve this.”
“Does not,” Indrell rubbed his arm. “She is not gone, my liege. She just needs to choose to come back.”
“What?” His shoulders dropped in disbelief.
Indrell waved her hand above them… below me. “She is here. She has to choose to return to her body and stay.”
“She has to choose to stay somewhere that she’s endured unimaginable pain and loss?” He closed his eyes. “Who would choose that? I would not blame her for not wanting to be a part of my world.”
Her hand stopped, holding his bicep. “Where she’s also been given great love. Love of friends. And your love. This life has not been all bad. She has experienced some of the most amazing gifts from a life with you.”
He looked up, exhaustion now joining the pain and despair that danced in his eyes. “A love that failed her.”
“A love that can save her,” Indrell added.
The healer took my limp hand and laid it over the crystal and leaf. When she reached for the one that Kane was holding, he resisted at first. Kissing my fingers, he reluctantly let go and sat back, cradling his head in his own hands.
She placed my fingers over the other ones and pulled one more thing out of her bag. Opening the small vial, she dabbed a small amount on the tip of her finger and pressed it to both of my temples and then the center of my forehead. Replacing the vial, she gathered her bag and moved back. “Auriena. It is your choice. The blood
