Chapter 33
CALEB
Pain.
A deep, burning ache that radiates through every inch of my body. My ribs scream with every shallow breath, each inhale laced with fire. My stomach clenches in protest.
Jesus, did I get stabbed? When the fuck did that happen?
Goddamn. Everything hurts.
But it’s her that drags me back.
Not the pain. Not the metallic tang of blood pooling in my mouth or lingering in the air.
Maeve.
She cradles my face like she’s trying to hold me here by sheer force alone. If only that were possible. This is the end for me. Asher knows it, otherwise why am I here? He’s never given himself up for me before. And now I know why.
This is my chance to say goodbye to the woman who crashed through my clinic and held me hostage with a pair of scissors. The same woman who held me when I found out exactly what kind of monster I am.
And she’s the woman who has my heart, all of it. She always has.
“Please wake up.” She rocks back and forth, tears dropping onto my face like warm little raindrops. “Don’t you fucking dare leave me.”
I want to tell her it’s okay. That I’m still here. But even shifting my eyes feels like trying to move mountains.
And I’ve never been very good at that.
Still, I force them open. Just for her. One last time.
She’s a blur at first, the edges of her dark hair haloed by a bright light dangling from the ceiling, her tear-streaked face hovering over me, her entire body trembling like she’s coming apart at the seams.
God, she’s beautiful.
Even now.
Especially now.
“Hey baby,” I croak out, my voice shredded and barely audible. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
The effort sends a bolt of pain through my side, and I wince, sucking air through my clenched teeth.
Fuck. Dying hurts.
Her breath stutters, her eyes darting over my face, counting how many pieces there are left. “Don’t talk, okay. I’m going to get us out of here.”
The words—I’m sorry—linger on the tip of my tongue. They’re for Asher. For all of it. But mostly for me because I am sorry. Sorry I’ll never get to tell her how much she’s changed my life. Until her, I was losing myself, drowning in the blood Asher was spilling. Maeve made me whole even though I was just one half.
Yet, I can’t seem to get the words out.
My fingers twitch, heavy and uncoordinated, until they find hers.
Her grip tightens immediately, fierce. Like she’s always been.
“You’re going to be okay,” I whisper, even though I know it’s probably a lie.
My body is a broken thing beneath me, but the real damage is written all over her face. I suppose I should have expected it, considering the beating I took. And I’m no longer chained to a wall—Asher’s doing, I bet.
Then there’s the issue of the stab wound gushing at my side. Also Asher’s doing. But I can’t blame him for that one. Maeve is alive, and that’s all that matters. For once, he put someone else before himself. In his own fucked up way, he loves her, too.
Maeve parts her lips, but she doesn’t speak. Doesn’t argue like she usually would.
The weight pressing down on me grows heavier, every breath jagged, rattling in my lungs.
I cough, blood spilling onto my bare skin. Not that it matters. It’s already covered in blood, dirt, and the filth that covers this place.
I give her hand one last squeeze, weak and shaking. “You have to be okay,” I murmur, my voice cracking. “You’re going to get out of here, and you’re going to expose Pinnacle for everything they’ve done.”
Maeve shakes her head, her tears spilling onto my forehead, my cheeks, my neck. “I’m not leaving you.”
Tears leak from the corners of my eyes, and I reach up, my hand trembling as I cup her face. “You have to, baby. You have to go on. Don’t let this place bury you under its darkness. It’ll kill you.” Just like it’s killing me.
“Caleb, please . . .” Another choked sob tears from her throat, and she buries her face against my neck the way she’s done so many times before.
I close my eyes, breathing her in, savouring the warmth of her body against mine one last time.
My chest is tight, too tight.
The darkness creeps back in at the edges of my vision, but I don’t fight it.
I can’t.
I want her safe.
I want her free.
I want her to live her life.
And if that means it must be without me, then so be it.
My life for hers.
My grip grows weak, limp in her hand.
“I’ll find you,” I breathe, the words falling apart in my mouth. “Even if it’s in the dark.”
Then . . . the dark takes me anyway.