Chapter 48
His eyes go wild, and even through the darkness, I can see the sheer panic from my words.
“We don’t have time, Crew,” I say. “He’s going to die. Locke will die.”
I grab his hand and pull him toward his friend, but freeze. My hand grips Crew’s as a hooded figure emerges from the dense forest to our left. I try to speak, but an unnerving feeling dulls my ability. I watch as the towering figure approaches the area where Locke lies motionless.
I step forward, and the figure looks at me through the darkness covering its face—the Grim.
“Don’t you fucking touch him,” I shout. “It’s not his time.”
The Grim approaches me, and I glance at Crew as he watches me intently, sensing what I see in this moment.
“It is,” the Grim hisses. “It’s time to collect his soul.”
I slide my fingers from Crew’s hand and step forward, unafraid any longer of who stands before me.
“I will bond with him,” I respond. “I will give him my blood.”
“Be careful,” the figure says with a nod. “You are cheating death, Mara.”
I look at Locke—his chest barely rises, and his gasping has stopped. His lifeless hand rests in Damien’s, who is still speaking to his friend.
“No,” I snap back. “I’m preventing it.”
The hooded Grim floats closer to me, and I watch as Locke desperately attempts to breathe for air.
“Mara,” I hear Crew’s voice, “don’t make a deal with him.”
“Destiny is interesting, isn’t it?” the Grim’s dark voice echoes around me. “It seems so linear, so set in stone, and yet fates change every single day.”
“Dying right now is not Locke’s destiny. I refuse to believe that.”
“Perhaps,” the Grim whispers. “But then again, destinies change, and his will—because of you.”
“Why only me?”
“You are the strongest right now, Mara.” He glances at Crew. “He hasn’t reached his full potential yet. It’s likely Locke wouldn’t survive, even with Crew’s healing right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Heal the boy, my child.”
I watch him intently. “Are you… James Castten?”
The Grim snaps his head in my direction and moves closer. “I once was, but that name doesn’t exist anymore.”
A sadness crashes into my chest as I realize it’s not really my father—not truly—and I feel like a rug is ripped out from under my feet. Since learning the reality of who my father was, I thought I’d have him back one day, but this hits me like a brick.
“I have souls to collect, Mara. Bargains to complete. And the Elders will be mine soon,” the Grim says.
“When?”
“When their time runs out,” he replies.
“You are so vague,” I rasp, letting my anger get the best of me. “Tell me something. Anything.”
The Grim steps back. “You aren’t just messing with Elders anymore, my child. But then again, they aren’t just messing with hybrids, either. They are playing the game better than you.”
“How?”
“Use the demon heir,” his voice slithers. “You know what you can do together. Beat them, but be careful.”
“Of whom?”
“Everyone.”
The Grim fades and moves past Locke into the darkness. “Heal him.”
Icrash back into reality, and sweat beads on my forehead. I cut my gaze to Crew.
“We are running out of time.”
“Then run,” Crew responds, lunging forward.
Locke’s color is fading, his lips look bruised, and the wounds aren’t closing, even though his body is working overtime to repair the damage. Crew gazes at Locke and stands motionless in shock.
Damien’s eyes find mine, and I watch as tears roll down his cheeks.
“He’s… dying,” he says.
Bronwyn touches Damien’s shoulder, and Crew falls to the ground on his knees next to his friends. He grabs Locke’s hand, and I can feel the dread wash through him at the coldness that screams back.
“We can’t lose him, Crew,” Damien says again.
Crew looks to Damien, and I watch as he extends his hand for me to join him on the ground. I allow him to pull me, and my heart races. Crew’s trembling hands move to my face, forcing my gaze to look at him and not Locke.
“I won’t bond with him,” Crew says. “I’m not strong enough.”
I blink back in shock.
“I will only be bound to one for the rest of my life,” Crew says again.
I hear Damien shout to Locke, “Hey buddy, come on. Keep your eyes open.”
“But,” Crew says, “you can. Something tells me you have to do this right now. Not me. Not them. You.”
I glance at Locke and watch as his eyes close. I think back to what the Grim said.
“Are you sure about this?” I ask.
He nods. “When I die, you will have him to protect you. He will keep you safe for the rest of your immortal lives. I trust Locke with my life, and I trust him with yours.”
My chest heaves.
“We are already sealed, and ours will continue to be the strongest. However, bonding with another person becomes easier after the first time. You don’t need to question whether our feelings will change. They won’t, unless you feel differently now.”
I angle my head but keep silent.
“Locke will be bound to you. There will be a connection, and because you are not bound to him and sealed to me, it will feel different for you—not like a pull, but an allegiance.”
I nod.
“Guys,” Damien snaps impatiently. “We are running out of time.”
I gaze into Crew’s eyes and feel no hesitation, no regret, just honesty. I want to save his life. I can’t watch Locke become another painful memory for Damien and Crew. I know what it’s like to lose someone you love, and I can’t bear to watch them hurt the same way I did.
“How do you know all of this?”
Crew opens his mouth to speak, but stops as another voice echoes around us.
“Me.”
Theo Ren steps around the cluster of trees shielding us. His aura glows in the dark, and a lightness washes away all the shadows surrounding us. He moves forward, as if gliding over the golden wheat field, and Bronwyn instinctively takes a step back in response to his growing presence.
“What Crew says is true,” Theo says. “Locke will do as you say for the rest of your lives. He will defend you, listen to you, and above all, give his life for you if needed. You and Crew will remain the strongest of bonds, so do not fear change.”
I glance back at Locke and Crew.
“You need to act now, Mara,” Theo says.
Crew lifts his claw toward my arm, and my gaze bores into his. I don’t move as his claw drags down my forearm, tearing the skin wide open. I hear a faint cry leave Bronwyn’s mouth as she watches the blood leak from my body. Damien moves back, allowing me space to place Locke’s head in my lap.
His chest barely rises, and I gently rub his head as I position my arm near his mouth. Crew moves closer, wrapping his arm around my waist, and I take a deep breath.
“I’ll guide you,” Theo says, leaning down at Locke’s feet.
I nod and press my wrist against his mouth. His body remains motionless as I watch the crimson liquid flow into his mouth like a tap. Pain courses through my forearm, and with each flinch, Crew grips me tighter against him.
“It may take a few seconds,” Theo says. “Once the blood enters his system, it should start healing him.”
I think back to the apartment with Crew when we were in this situation. We had no idea what we were doing, but followed our gut’s desperation to save one another. As my wrist presses harder against his lips, I look to Crew, who only watches me.
I send a wave of calmness down the bond and watch as Crew gently smiles at me.
“I’m so sorry,” he leans closer. “I won’t leave you again, Mara. We will find a way.”
I press my forehead to his and inhale his scent for a moment before a radiating pain shoots up my arms. Locke comes to and grabs my wrist, squeezing it with ungodly strength.
I whimper, feeling the lifeforce being drained from my veins.
“He’s responding to your blood, Mara,” Theo coaches. “Look.”
I watch in shock as the smallest wounds knit back together, as if the skin were being sewn.
Locke groans against my wrist, and his grip tightens, sending another shock of pain through me.
My own body works to heal the wound on my wrist, but with every ounce of progress, Locke rips it back open with his sharp teeth.
Damien and Bronwyn watch in shock as a light begins to swirl around me, drowning out the darkness of the night. Theo and Crew alternate between watching us and scanning the night sky for other visitors, but the night remains silent.
“Tell him that’s enough,” Theo says to me.
I furrow my brow. “What?”
Theo nods, encouragingly. “Tell him that’s enough. He will listen.”
I gently rub his head and lean forward. Locke’s eyes are wild, and in the darkness, I can see him. His true self begins to bleed into my own system as the bond clicks into place, and though Crew’s is stronger, I sense Locke’s bond is there.
I close my eyes and focus on the line that draws between us.
“That’s enough, Locke,” I whisper.
His eyes shift from black to their normal icy blue. He relaxes under my hold as I watch his swollen, bloody lips move away from my wrist. He blinks in shock, sensing the bond thread between us, and I smile.
It’s different than Crew’s bond, and I’m thankful for that.
“Try to rest,” I say. “Your body needs to continue healing.”
Locke sluggishly nods before closing his eyes. Through the haze, the exhaustion of everything, I hear the faintest whisper of a voice leave his lips.
“Thank you.”
Silence takes over us, and I attempt to catch my breath.
“Holy shit,” Damien says, standing to move next to Bronwyn. “You fucking did that.”
I look to my wrist as the wound folds back together, and brush off my clothes as I stand, feeling both charged and drained at the same time. My legs wobble, and Crew catches me, holding me at my waist. Theo smiles, and he’s so intimidating that it’s hard to make eye contact with him.
“Follow me,” Theo says. “You can have shelter in the Ren Order tonight, but you must leave your weapons here. They are not permitted on my grounds.”
As if Locke were weightless, Theo lifts the large demon and carries him toward the trees. Damien and Bronwyn push forward, wasting no time escaping from here, and I fall back as Crew stands motionless in the center of the field.