Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
BELLAMY
I died. I didn’t know what happened or where I was, but it was the only explanation for why I kept seeing my brothers. Not in their swan forms, but as humans. This time, we were in my room in Kairoth’s castle. I lay in the plush four-poster bed, blankets tucking me in while my brothers gathered around, staring at me with concern in their eyes. It was the same every time I’d seen them. I couldn’t speak. I was a spectator. I was here but not here.
“She’s dying,” Ryder roared, that vein in his temple throbbing like it always did when he got heated.
Jorah lay a hand on Ryder’s shoulder. “And you yelling about it isn’t helping, brother.”
Ryder swatted Jorah’s hand away. “She’s dying and there not a fucking thing we can do to help her.”
“This isn’t how it’s going to end,” Phoenix said from where he leaned against the wall. “It can’t be.”
As always, Solomon sat by my side, holding my hand, a comforting presence.
Dying? They kept saying I was dying, but I was almost certain I was already dead.
The twins both sat on the floor by Phoenix, legs sticking out, both of them silent and morose. Marcello stood frozen just staring at me. My charming, flirtatious brother a ghost of his former self.
“Let’s end this,” Ryder said. “If she pulls through, we end this. If she doesn’t, we end this. Finally.”
“What are you suggesting?” Jorah crossed his arms, moonlight illuminating his shoulder-length golden hair.
Ryder shoved a hand through his wavy brown hair. “You know damn well what I’m suggesting.”
“Let’s not be hasty.” Phoenix tugged one of his blond curls.
“I’m ready,” Killian said from where he sat on the floor. “We’ve been in this cursed existence for almost sixty years. This isn’t a life. We might as well be dead.”
“Especially if we’re risking Bell’s life,” his twin added from next to him.
With horror, I realized what they were saying. They were going to end their own lives. No. No, they couldn’t. I was close. So close. I opened my mouth to protest, but I was weak. So weak.
“I’m ready,” Marcello said with a nod, puffing his chest. I missed his smile. I so desperately wanted to see it, see those dimples that he always claimed made all the girls fall at his feet.
“That’s not what Bell would want,” Solomon said from my side, his voice quiet but firm. “She’s worked so hard to free us.”
“At the expense of her life,” Ryder practically growled.
Soloman squeezed my hand tighter, then let go and stood, coming face-to-face with Ryder. He was shorter, slighter, would never beat Ryder in a physical fight, but that didn’t make him back down.
“Shouldn’t we take our sister’s wishes into consideration? She would never agree to this. She’d never want us to end our lives. We’d be leaving her alone.”
“Not alone,” Jorah said. “She’d still have Father.”
My breath caught in my throat at the mention of our father. They knew he was alive. I didn’t know how. I hadn’t even known he was alive until right before I left the Wilds.
Marcello frowned. “Father might as well be dead.”
“Marcello!” Phoenix scolded.
“It’s true,” Marcello said. “He’s not himself anymore. Something broke him. Broke his mind.”
My heart stuttered at that. This vision was beginning to feel much too real.
Soloman shook his head, his long dark hair brushing his shoulders. “I don’t agree with this. I won’t. Bell wouldn’t want it.”
Listen to Soloman , I pleaded with them. But, of course, none of them heard me.
“There’s only one way to solve this,” Phoenix said. “With a vote.”
My heart sank.
“Okay.” Jorah nodded. “Then we vote. Everyone in favor of ending this once and for all, raise your hands.”
Ryder’s was the first to shoot up. Killian and Klaus followed. Marcello worried at his bottom lip before raising his hand. Then came Phoenix’s. And finally, Jorah. Soloman was the only one who didn’t raise his hand.
“This is wrong,” he insisted.
“What’s wrong is letting our sister suffer to save us when it’s futile. We can’t be saved. We’re losing more of ourselves every single day.” Ryder swallowed thickly. “Less man and more bird.”
My throat closed up at their decision, so thick I could barely breathe.
“Then it’s decided,” Jorah said.
Soloman stared at the floor, fists balled. “When?”
Jorah’s jaw worked back and forth. “Three days’ time. Three days, and then we’ll dive into the sea and Bell can finally live her life for herself.”
A solemn silence settled over the room. I wanted to hold on, to stay here with them, but I was so very tired. The vision faded into a darkness that took hold of me.