Chapter 41: Chapter Forty-One

Ethan

I couldn’t reach her in time.

My body screamed and a part of my soul, perhaps the last piece I actually possessed, went dead in my chest as the sound of her heart slowing brought me to my knees.

Dead.

I knew what death sounded like — and I’d just received the final blow of my existence.

Sariel disappeared.

Leaving her body behind. Her lips were blue as if the angel had infused his blood into her mouth before leaving me behind to pick up the pieces.

I let out a guttural moan. Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t hear her heart. I couldn’t feel the warmth.

Heat seared my limbs as my blood boiled, killing any of the angel’s blood still left in my system.

Cassius slowly walked over to her body and shook his head. “Humans… are not supposed to die for darkness.”

I couldn’t speak.

It hurt too much.

“Kill me too,” I whispered. “Please.”

Cassius’s eyes flashed. “She wouldn’t want that.”

“She’s dead!” I roared, charging him. “Just kill me.”

Cassius flung me across the room. I stumbled against the farthest wall and charged him again.

With a flick of his hand, my body stilled. He’d frozen me, the bastard.

Vampire blood boiled to the surface, heating the ice.

“You’d do anything to get her back, but you take a chance she isn’t the same.” Cassius sunk to his knees. “You take the chance that you may lose her.”

“You mean to make her immortal.”

“Only I can bring her back from death.”

I turned my head. “You know what your touch would do to her.”

“Not with certainty,” Cassius whispered. “No.”

“She may become immortal — but forever be tied to you.”

“But she would live,” Cassius said. “It’s your choice, but her heart stopped beating two minutes ago. We are running out of time.”

The ice completely melted around me. I rushed toward her lifeless body and shook my head in disbelief.

“I’d rather she live— a full life— a life she deserves, even if it’s apart from me— than survive one more second with her light extinguished from this world.”

Cassius nodded. “Grab her hands.”

They were cold, so cold that her fingertips nearly burnt me.

Cassius leaned forward, his lips hovering over hers. Eyes white as snow, his face began to immediately heal as his mouth grazed hers, and then he whispered, “Breathe.”

She was still motionless.

Blue lines made their way from his temples and neck toward his lips as he blew across her lips and whispered again, “Breathe.”

His hand moved to her chest, and with one more exhale, he pushed down and commanded, “Breathe, human.”

Genesis choked and then inhaled. I gripped her hands as hard as I could as her fingertips began to warm against mine.

Body taut, I waited for her eyes to open, waited to see if they would be white like Cassius’s— or green like mine.

She was breathing.

Her heart stuttered.

And then began to take off.

“Why aren’t her eyes opening?” I yelled, reaching for her shoulders. “She’s alive, she’s breathing but—”

“I don’t know.” Cassius rubbed his face. “It’s been a while since I’ve actually given immortality to a human.” His eyes were no longer white but bright blue, his skin pale.

“I’m sorry.” I choked on the apology. “I know what it cost you to do that.”

Cassius said nothing, rubbing his hands together as if to ward off the chill of his own blood.

He would be weak for days, possibly weeks. After all, he was still part human.

“What do we do?” Her heart still beat, but color wasn’t returning to her face.

“We take her home,” Cassius whispered, “and wait.”

I rode home in the back seat, Genesis cradled in my arms. I kissed her neck — I even bit, hoping my blood would help infuse some of what Cassius had given her of himself.

I was desperate.

I loved her.

And I refused to believe that she would stay in that state, comatose, unable to react to the world around us.

When Cassius pulled up to the house, Alex and Mason were already outside, running toward the car.

Alex opened the door first. “What happened?”

I couldn’t speak.

I just shook my head, holding her closer to my body as Mason shoved Alex out of the way and let out a guttural howl before changing in front of my very eyes and running off into the darkness.

“It’s still fresh, the death of his own mate,” Alex whispered.

With a nod, I slowly lifted Genesis up and got out of the car. Alex shook his head and glanced at Cassius. “Stephanie’s been asking for you.”

“Stephanie is dead to me,” Cassius said in a cold voice.

I froze and turned slowly, ready to rip his head from his body. “She better mean more to you than you say, Cassius. It’s because Stephanie breathes that Genesis sacrificed herself. Go. Now. Apologize.

“Tell her the truth.”

Alex cursed. “No.” He shook his head. “No. It would destroy her. It’s been over a hundred years. Just let her believe the lie. It’s better for everyone.”

“She has no idea what she is!” I roared. “And Cassius saved her pathetic life only to have her turn over Genesis to the very archangel who commanded her death!”

Alex hung his head. “She’s my sister.”

“Not by blood.”

“In every way that matters.” Alex clenched his teeth. “You’re asking me to tell her I lied to her my entire life? About what she was? About who she was? You know the best part?

“I weakened myself purposefully to keep her strong, to keep the glamour in place, and now you want me to take that all away? All those years?”

“Alex.” Cassius held up his hand. “I should have never asked it of you.”

“You are king,” Alex said in a deadly voice. “You speak. We do. Regardless of right and wrong.”

“And I was…” Cassius seemed to trip over the words. “…very wrong to ask you to limit your own immortality in order to shield people from what she was— who she is.”

As if hearing our discussion, Stephanie slowly walked out of the house, tears streaming down her face. “Is she dead?”

“No,” I growled. “She’s going to be fine.”

“I’m so s-sorry,” Stephanie sobbed. “It’s my fault. I just wanted… I don’t know why, I can’t explain why. I just… something has always been missing.”

Cassius swore while Alex held up his hands and walked off in the other direction. “I’m taking the car. Let me know what you decide. I can’t watch this.”

Stephanie wiped her cheeks. “I’ll help you take her to the room. Maybe if she’s in some place familiar, she’ll wake up.”

I grunted and pushed past Stephanie. “Maybe.”

“Ethan…” Stephanie croaked. “You have to believe me. I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” I whispered hoarsely. “I know.” With a curse, I turned to Cassius. “Tell her, or I will.”

Stephanie sniffed. “Tell me what?”

Cassius seemed to pale in that instant, all at once, as he swayed on his feet, gripping the door with both hands. “Stephanie…”

“What?” She looked between us. “Cassius, what’s wrong with you? Why do you look so weak?”

“He saved Genesis,” I answered.

Realization dawned on Stephanie’s face as she stumbled back from both of us. “When she wakes up… she’ll belong to him.”

I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what would happen, and neither did Cassius.

“Possibly,” Cassius finally said.

Stephanie choked out a sob and ran past both of us and up the stairs.

“Cassius,” I growled. “Tell her.”

“Yeah.” He licked his lips. “Just let me catch my breath first.”

“It won’t get easier with time.”

“I know.” He hung his head. “Let me just… give me just…” He shook his head. “Something’s wrong.”

“Cassius?”

“Very wrong.” His eyes narrowed until they were fully white then black, tiny pinpricks. “I think I’m dying.”

The last sentence he uttered before falling to the ground.