Chapter 22: Beating Hearts

DANICA

I pulled myself upright, my body had instinctively hunched over at the sudden sight of the wolves. I took a tentative step forward, but they growled in response. I cleared my throat, trying to sound confident.

“I just need to pass through,” I announced, but they didn’t seem to understand. Could they even comprehend my words? “I mean no harm. I’m a nymph, just trying to get deeper into the forest,” I explained.

They exchanged glances, then moved aside, clearing a path for me. I walked past them, my legs trembling beneath me. I tried to project strength.

As I passed, I could hear them sniffing the air behind me. I took a few more steps, then glanced back. The wolves were gone, replaced by Hugo striding toward me.

“You went alone,” he said, his eyes dark, his jaw set tight.

How did he always manage to find me? Was that part of being a guardian angel? He shouldn’t have known where I was, yet here he was.

“I don’t want you going alone,” he said. “But you handled that well. Werewolves usually don’t attack anyone from our world, you did right by explaining yourself. But you need to work on your bluffing skills. I’m sure they saw right through you. And it’s not wise to turn your back on them, even if you think you know them,” he lectured, his tone harsh.

He seemed angry, but he had no reason to be.

“You went alone to Creed’s,” I shot back. Why was it that I had to announce my every move, but he didn’t? I didn’t want to be a burden, always needing permission. I wasn’t a child.

“You said you wanted nothing to do with that world,” he retorted.

“I did say that, but I never said I didn’t want to be part of Creed’s group. Maybe I’ve changed my mind,” I mumbled the last part, but he heard me.

“You changed your mind?” He asked, looking at me as I avoided his gaze. My parents had done everything to protect me, given me the best life they could. Was I just going to throw it all away without even trying?

“Train me,” I said to Hugo, stepping closer to him. He seemed taken aback by my sudden proximity. Maybe he wasn’t used to people being so close. I held my ground.

“Train you?” he echoed, and I nodded.

“Train you how?” he asked, but I didn’t have an answer.

“I’m not sure, but there must be something that celestial rulers are trained for. Help me. Train me like the others have been trained. I don’t want to die without putting up a fight. If your training can buy me even one more day, I’ll be grateful,” I said. I was sure I looked as pitiful as a lost puppy.

He stepped back, putting some distance between us. He looked around, then sighed.

“I… believe you’re not destined to die like the others,” he said. “But, I need you to take control of your actions. I need you to stop looking in the mirror and seeing a dead woman.”

I didn’t know what to say. I had accepted my fate. He was the one clinging to the hope of my survival.

“All I’m asking is for you to train me for a few more days. I know you’re smarter than me. You should know better than anyone that there’s no chance for me. Your training might buy me some time, but you need to accept that I’m going to die!” I was angry at his denial. Why was he holding on to a lost cause?

He stormed over to me, his face twisted in anger, but I wasn’t scared. I knew he would never hurt me.

“I will not watch you die in my arms!” he yelled at me.

“Why can’t you see that I’m not like the others who can actually fight?” I cried, my voice on the verge of breaking. I was exhausted. Tired of everyone thinking I was more than I felt.

“You’re the offspring of Death. That has to count for something,” he argued.

“It doesn’t mean anything if I’m more human than nymph,” I began, but he cut me off.

He moved toward me, his voice barely above a whisper. His gaze was intense, locked onto mine.

“You carry Death’s blood within you. You might not see it, but you possess more magic than anyone else. All I need is for you to push past your doubts. Why can’t you embrace the belief that you are the savior this world needs?” His words were breathless, filled with urgency.

His eyes scanned my wet clothes, and without a word, he removed his jacket. “You’re soaked. Take this. But first, you should remove your sweater. Otherwise, there’s no point in trying to get you warm,” he suggested, turning slightly to give me some privacy.

Despite myself, I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks. But why? I wouldn’t have blushed if it were Miles or any other guy. A wave of guilt washed over me for even entertaining such thoughts.

“Do you realize that I can sense it?” His voice was husky, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Sense what?” I was still clueless about how much he could feel of me, and I didn’t like it.

He let out a slow breath. “Your nervousness, your guilt.”

I didn’t want to accept his jacket, but I also didn’t want to argue. I peeled off my wet sweater, sticking to my skin, and quickly slipped into his oversized jacket. The warmth was comforting, and his scent filled my nostrils. He always wore this cologne that seemed strangely familiar.

“You’re imagining things,” I denied.

“Am I?”

“Perhaps you’re just confusing your feelings with mine,” I retorted defensively. “I’m done,” I announced, and he stared at me for a moment. It was starting to get uncomfortable, and I could feel my cheeks heating up again. He definitely noticed my blush.

He cleared his throat. “We should get going, finish this,” he suggested, but I didn’t budge.

“We don’t need to go anywhere. This place is fine,” I told him, turning my gaze to the sky. It felt right here, but then I remembered something. I had forgotten my silver necklace, the one that was supposed to help me connect with my element.

I glanced at Hugo, worry etched on my face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, stepping closer.

“I left my necklace behind,” I admitted, and he sighed.

“I drove here. We can go get it,” he offered, but I remained still.

“Danica…are you coming?” he asked, but I was too preoccupied to respond.

I was a celestial nymph, Death’s daughter. I didn’t need a trinket to connect with my element. I moved further up a small hill nearby, wanting to be closer to the sky. I was the sky, I didn’t need anything to help me find myself.

Suddenly, a fog clouded my vision. I tried to rub it away, and my sight cleared. It was eerily quiet, the only sounds were my own breathing and heartbeat.

It was as if I could hear my own organs functioning. I looked down to see fog swirling around my feet. I turned to look for Hugo, but he was gone, replaced by trees.

I stumbled down the hill, noticing a figure in the distance. Despite the rapidly rising fog, I moved closer. With each step, the figure became clearer.

It was my mother, dressed in a light, flowing dress, her hair cascading down her back. “Mom?” I called out.

She approached me, placing a hand on my cheek. “My child,” she murmured, a smile on her face even as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Danica Murrell, there aren’t enough stars in the sky to measure my love for you. You need to understand how much I love you, darling. I would do anything for you.”

Her words brought tears to my eyes. She was here, the mother I had always longed for. How could I have ever thought I was okay without her when, in reality, she was the one I needed most?

“Mom…” The words had barely left my lips when an arrow whizzed past me. Arrows were raining down around us, one aimed directly at me, but I didn’t flinch. Instead, my mother lunged in front of me, and she crumpled to the ground, an arrow lodged in her chest.

“No!” I cried out. The onslaught of arrows ceased, and the fog dissipated. I dropped to my knees beside her.

“Please don’t die! Don’t leave me! I need you here! Please!” I pleaded, cradling her face in my hands. My heart felt like it was being crushed under the weight of my grief. I had never needed her more than I did in that moment.

I clung to her, but her body disintegrated into ashes. I looked up, and the sky was a bloody red. Everywhere I looked, I saw red. Then, out of nowhere, a searing pain ripped through my chest.

It felt as if a knife was burning me from the inside out. I screamed until I was gasping for breath. I collapsed onto the ground, sobbing and screaming, my fingers digging into the dirt.

Someone approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head and saw Hugo looking at me with a sigh. My crying ceased, and the pain vanished.

I quickly touched my chest, but there was nothing there now. Only the tracks of dried tears on my cheeks. “It’s not real…,” I whispered, my voice choked with tears.

“I’m sorry that I can’t help you with this,” he said, gently stroking my back as we sat on the ground.

“It hurts real,” I said, my body trembling.

“I know,” he replied, his voice soft and caring. I looked into his eyes and wrapped my arms around him.

He didn’t return my embrace, keeping his hands to himself. I pulled away from him, feeling rejected. But why did his eyes look pained? He was the one who didn’t reciprocate my hug. Why did he look so shattered?

I felt a wave of embarrassment for even attempting to hug him and tried to pull away, but he drew me back into his warm embrace. It was all I needed. Just to feel that he cared for me.

I looked up at the sky. The stars were twinkling like half-burned Christmas lights. All around us was a new sky of stars that looked surreal and unnatural.

The stars on my hands were glowing in the same pattern as the sky, pulsing in sync with my heartbeat. Hugo cradled my head against his chest, but I could tell he was following my gaze.

The twinkling slowed, and my breathing steadied. Until the stars were still, not moving at all. The sky looked like a painting, lifeless. But breathtaking.

I lifted my head from Hugo’s chest and found him already watching me. The stars cast a soft glow on his face, highlighting his perfect features. I stared into his eyes, holding his gaze.

It felt…almost…intimate…nothing around us but stars. Two people close yet worlds apart. I reached up to touch his cheek, fully aware of the potential consequences.

He caught my hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. Rejecting me. I pulled away from him, feeling a strange sensation in my heart. It was odd.

I unzipped Hugo’s jacket that I was wearing, exposing my upper chest without revealing too much. Something felt off. The way I felt wasn’t normal, or rather, what I didn’t feel.

I looked at Hugo, my mouth slightly agape. My breath came out in stutters. “What’s wrong?” he asked, scanning me from head to toe, trying to figure out why I looked so shocked.

I took his hand and guided it to my chest, right over my heart, but not touching my skin. I watched his reaction. He seemed taken aback by my action, his eyes fixated on my bare skin, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

He didn’t resist my movement, he was like putty in my hands. I placed his hand on my skin, right over my heart. His palm was warm against my skin. Then something seemed to click inside him, and it was as if he snapped back to reality.

He looked worried now and moved his hand around the area where my heart was. He then checked my pulse on my neck before returning his hand to my chest.

“Danica…isn’t your heart supposed to be beating?”