Chapter 41
Rummy
No.
No.
The fire disappeared immediately, not like that would have stopped me from rushing to Jessiah’s side. He’d already pulled the dagger out of his chest, causing blood to pour onto Cornelius below him.
He then turned the dagger and aimed it at Cornelius with shaking arms.
But Cornelius was quicker than that. He bucked Jessiah off him in one swift motion. Jessiah’s body fell to the ground with a thud that made my stomach drop.
Matthias stood a few feet away, watching in horror.
The rest of the gifted fae froze at the edge of the garden, too.
The bond in my chest ached as I stared at Jessiah, waiting for him to get up.
Waiting and waiting and waiting. Get up. Fight back. Use your freaky angel power to heal yourself.
“Enough of this!” Cornelius yelled. He struggled and pushed himself to his feet, then held a hand out to Jessiah.
Time froze. No—Jessiah froze. Cornelius used his stolen magic to freeze him in space. Every muscle of his flexed until he was a stone crumpled on the ground. The only movement was the blood that continued to pour from his wound.
But the worst part was not the stillness in Jessiah’s body. The worst part was that aching bond growing weaker and weaker with every passing second.
Jessiah was dying. Why the fuck did you do that, Jessiah?
“If you’re going to kill us, just get it over with already!” I yelled, voice breaking. I couldn’t stop the panic rising inside me. Couldn’t fathom why Jessiah would turn the blade on himself.
The bond grew even weaker. Fainter.
No, this couldn’t be happening.
Cornelius lifted his dark, deceiving eyes. “As you wish, Rummy.” He raised his hand toward Jessiah once more.
I didn’t recognize my own scream.
Our bond snapped—death, I knew it well.
Then chaos took over entirely.