Chapter Sixteen
IT’S THE STRANGEST thing, weaving in and out of darkness, like passing through a veil back and forth, and seeing and hearing things like it’s all a dream.
Or a movie that’s all about...me.
I don’t feel anything as I watch Brandy shift, and in the next moment, it’s the fiercest fight between two snow leopards. If not for the scar on Brandy’s cheek, it would’ve been impossible to tell them apart.
My gaze drifts back to where my body is sprawled on the sidewalk. I’m bleeding profusely, with Vaughn having managed to bite a nice chunk of my neck.
Any moment now, I expect myself to fade and die.
But seconds turn into a full minute, and I’m still there.
Alive.
Barely.
Not because I’m holding on to something.
But because of someone holding me back.
A chain that refuses to let go of my soul.
And God, oh God...
Even though I can’t see myself or feel the tears running down my cheeks—
My heart hurts so, so bad that I know I’m crying.
Hexius.
Because I see him on his knees.
And oh, the things the people around him are saying just make my heart cry harder than ever.
She was attacked while he was locked up.
They say there’s no hope, that there’s no magic strong enough to heal her.
Poor man. How will he ever live with the guilt?
You heard what she said, too, didn’t you?
He doesn’t hear her thoughts like Domenico Moretti hears Misty’s.
So it must be true.
He isn’t in love with her.
They’re not saying anything I didn’t think.
But every word tears me into pieces because this time...
This time, I know.
I was wrong.
This time, I know.
I was so lost in my pain.
So convinced that only the world could define what true love meant.
That when he told me he was sorry—
I chose to walk away.
And when he told me he loved me—
I chose to believe he was lying.
And so now...
Oh, Hexius.
I fall to my knees in front of him, and I’m crying so, so bad I can no longer breathe.
Because the pain in his eyes—
It’s just too, too much.
I don’t even have to read his mind to know how much he’s hurting.
“I’m right here, my love.”
And I just want it to stop.
“It’s not your fault, so please stop blaming—”
“Samira?”
The people around him gasp.
“I think he’s lost his mind.”
But they’re wrong.
Oh God.
Because he’s staring at me like he can see me—
“Tell me I’m not imagining it.”
And hear me with his heart—
“Hexius—”
All I have time for is to choke his name out...before I’m suddenly being hauled back, and I’m not even sure how much time has passed, or how much distance my soul has been allowed to travel. It feels like both an eternity or a second has gone by.
All I know for sure is that it happened.
And when I open my eyes—
I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Because Hexius is seated right next to my hospital bed, golden eyes suspiciously bright, and his large hand slightly shaking as he takes mine and slowly brings it to his lips.
I love you, Hexius.
“How are you feeling?”
His voice is hoarse.
He still can’t hear my thoughts, but I no longer care.
Because we walk by faith, not by sight, and so I manage to smile, not just with my lips, but with my heart as well, as I whisper the truth.
“I feel...loved.”