Page 81 of Fallout

As soon as the flames go out, Parker, lying in a pile of ashes, sits up. There is not a speck of blood on him. There is no wound. Even the hole in his shirt from the knife is gone.

He looks around the room in confusion, but when he sees me, he jumps up from the floor and rushes toward me. Will sits me down just in time for Parker to barrel into me. He wraps me in his arms and lifts me from the floor. I squeeze him just as tightly against me.

He’s all right.

He’s alive.

I sob into his chest, feeling dizzy with relief.

“I hate to break this up, but we need to get out of here,” I hear Parker’s dad say from behind me.

That gets Parker moving. He is unwilling to part from me. He lifts me from the ground and carries me, much like Will. He and all the wolf shifters run fast as we all disperse to various vehicles parked around the large parking lot. Parker gets into the passenger seat with me still on his lap. Will gets in the driver’s seat while Blaine hops into the backseat. Without a word, Will speeds from the parking lot, leading the large procession of vehicles.

I relax once we’re on the highway, leaning further into Parker’s embrace.

“You came for me.” I shake my head at Parker as I look into his blue eyes. “I didn’t want you to come. I knew he was going to…” my voice breaks off in a sob. “Parker, you can’t do that again.”

Parker gently tucks my hair behind my ear and cups my face, studying me. “You are the other half of my soul. I will always come for you. Always.” His hand lowers from my cheek and he picks up my left hand, gently kissing my fingers. “You agreed to be mine, remember?”

I smile through my tears. “Did you tell everybody?”

Parker slowly grins. “No. Just these two.”

“Congratulations,” Blaine smirks at me from the backseat. “I guess this means I can’t call you Vixen anymore, can I?”

I smile at him and then glance at Will. He’s quiet as he watches the road. But he does give me a small smile. “Congratulations, Henley. I’m happy for you.”

He’s still shaken up from earlier. We all are, it’s just that Will isn’t handling it well. I reach out my free hand to touch his shoulder. “It’s okay now, Will.”

He nods, but his face is still so pale.

“What happened?” Parker runs a hand through his hair. “I remember running up the stairs. There was an invisible barrier blocking me from getting to you.”

I nod. “Somehow, Blaze kept me locked in that room. Whatever he was using must have failed when Will shoved that knife in his chest.”

“Blaze?” Parker asks.

“His name,” I answer.

“What happened after that?” Parker squints his eyes like he’s trying to force himself to remember.

The car grows silent for a few seconds. Blaine is the one to break the silence. “He killed you. He shoved a knife right into your heart and that was it.”

“But I’m alive.” He tilts his head to the side as he looks at me. “Do you have some kind of healing magic or something?”

I shake my head. “No. You were dead. Truly.” I chew on my bottom lip, not wanting to continue. My chest aches hard.

Parker squeezes me tight against him. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay.”

Tears trail down my cheek.

“You caught on fire and you came back to life,” Will says, his voice sounding haunted. “It was just like what happened to Henley that time.”

Parker’s entire body stiffens. “Really?”

I nod. “Really. It was horrifying. No wonder you were so scared after you saw it happen to me. I never want to go through anything like that ever again.”

Parker pulls back to look into my eyes. “Henley, I am so, so sorry that you had to see that.”