Chapter 92
“I know you’re gonna miss me, but you’re gonna be okay.”
—GLENN RHEE, THE WALKING DEAD
R amel dropped me and spun around, his hood falling back as he turned. I watched as his gaze locked onto Art, who was holding a longbow. He already had another golden arrow knocked into place and had it aimed directly at Ramel’s chest.
Ramel snarled, and I felt him attempt to wield his magic, but the golden arrow prevented him from using his power just as effectively as the noose had.
“I told you I would kill him, Lilith,” Art sneered, and I screamed as he let go of the string, sending the arrow on a direct path to Ramel’s heart.
My Reaper stumbled, leaning against the staff of the scythe as more black blood exploded from his mouth with the impact of the arrow. I ran to him, attempting to keep him upright, but he was too heavy, and he fell to his knees in the clouds, his scythe clattering to the ground next to us,
“No!” I screamed. I was having a horrible moment of Déjà vu. Had I not just held Jezebel like this moments before?
I pulled Ramel’s head into my lap, laying him on his side so as not to disturb the two arrows lodged in his back. He rolled his eyes up to meet mine before reaching forward to gently touch my face with his inky fingers .
“Leave me,” he rasped. “Go back to Hell. Shem — ” he coughed bloody ink onto my lap. “Shemhazai will take care of you.”
“I’m not fucking leaving you. I just got you back!” I sobbed. Tears streamed down my face and splashed across his cheek as they fell.
He gave me a brave attempt at a smirk and let out a wet, rattling breath.
“You’ll be alright without me, deathtrap,” he said, his voice low and full of regret. He ran his thumb over my lips tenderly. “At least this way, I won’t be able to hurt you anymore.”
The words tore through me so violently that, for a moment, I wondered if I had been shot.
My hands trembled as I ran my fingers through his hair.
“Don’t you fucking say that to me!” I snarled. “You promised me forever.”
He took another deep, slow breath and closed his eyes. The way his lashes fluttered terrified me. It was as if it took too much energy for him to keep them open, and he was preparing to close them for the last time. To my relief, he opened them and met my gaze, his beautiful eyes cutting straight through to my soul as he continued to caress the side of my cheek.
“And you will have me forever, Lilith, even if you can’t feel me with you.” He slid his hand into my hair and wrapped his fingers around the back of my head, pulling me down to crush his lips against mine.
“I will never stop loving you, even if there’s nothing left of me for you to love back.”
“ Please,” I begged him, my voice barely a whisper. “Please don’t leave me. Everyone always leaves me…”
I sobbed, and Ramel’s eyes fluttered again.
“I’ll always be with you, deathtrap. I couldn’t leave you, even if I tried.”
His hand fell away from my face, and his eyes didn’t open again. He released one last, rattling breath, and whatever it was that made him Ramel slipped away — and no matter how hard I begged — I couldn’t convince his soul to stay.