Page 66 of Fate of the Fallen
It had broken him before. Losing me again would be soul-crushing, even more so the second time around. My only comfort was knowing he wouldn’t be alone. He’d have my family surrounding him, helping him cope with the loss.
Bothlosses—me, our child.
I moved away from the beam I’d been thrown against, keeping my eyes trained on Nick’s feet as he came closer, his heavy steps causing the old floorboards to creak and groan beneath his weight. I wished I hadn’t noticed how intently his gaze was focused on not just me, but my stomach, as if the sound of the baby’s heartbeat beckoned to him.
Swallowing hard, I felt the wetness in the corner of my eyes beginning to run down my cheeks. While I saw what Nick had become on the outside, I still hadn’t forgotten who he’d been to me before—my savior on more than one occasion, my help when Sebastian took Liam and I had to go after him.
But he’d only beenanyof those things because of one defining characteristic.
He was a friend.
A good one.
Power swelled in his legs when he hunched toward the ground, and then thrust off his haunches in one seamless motion. He shifted from man to beast in midair, making it clear he intended to take me down when he landed. I closed my eyes, knowing how this would end, and just let go.
I stopped expecting a different outcome, stopped thinking I’d beat this and just … found peace.
My body slammed the ground with such force I gasped for air. He held me down, heat from his breath sweeping the side of my face when I turned away. I couldn’t look at him while he was like this.
Those sharp claws of his sank deep into my arms as he kept me pinned, inhaling the scent of my neck when he lowered, evaluating his prey. That’s exactly what I was, his prey.
His victim.
In my last moments before it would all end, a wave of peace washed over me and my thoughts … they became so clear. It was in the midst of this moment of extreme clarity that I spoke from my heart, because there wouldn’t be another chance.
This was it.
“I forgive you, Nick,” I sobbed, letting that statement roll off my quivering lips.
It was all I could do—a final gift for my friend locked away inside. I hoped that, once the deed was complete, once he was himself again and had to live with what he’d done, he’d remember this moment and would know I held no ill feelings toward him. Only the love of a friend. He couldn’t help what he’d become, what this curse had turned him into, and I understood that.
The words seemed to go unnoticed. The proof of this was in his actions, as he raised his claws into the air again and brought it down, slicing through my cloak, tearing my skin with shallow gashes.
When the material fell away, he stared. The now tight-fitting tee I wore stretched across my stomach, revealing the roundness that hadn’t been there a short time ago, not before the cresting. My pulse vibrated at the base of my neck and if I could have helped it I would have, knowing the sound of it likely pushed him toward the brink of insanity. It couldn’t be helped though, not as my mind flooded with thoughts of him snuffing out the light of the budding life inside me.
My eyes closed, and it felt like the weight of the world fell on me, forcing out more tears as I lie beneath him. I hadn’t even had the chance to fully embrace the idea of motherhood, but still, I was oddly aware of the growing bond between us—this small bundle I’d never get to hold.
I sometimes had a hard time grasping the concept of who I was, had a hard time accepting that I wasn’t quite a teenager like I previously believed. In another life, I probably would have embraced this experience openly, but as I considered the loss … the reality of it broke me, brought me to tears.
Nick stretched his hand and I waited … waited for him to strike, waited for him to tear right through me, but …
The sound of labored breathing that came next was not my own.
It was his.
My chest heaved as anticipation, confusion, and fear all overpowered me. Despite myself, I dared to open my eyes again, staring up as he gazed down, those piercing yellow eyes boring through me, but … there was awareness in them. As in, therealhim, for one fleeting moment, seemed to be present. I had no idea how or why, but … it was him.
“Nick …”
His brow creased with frustration when he turned away from the sound of his name. Right after, his weight shifted. It had once pinned me to the ground, but was suddenly lighter. Light enough that I was able to free my arms. When he didn’t stop me, I quickly scooted away. Only a few inches at first, but then a few feet, bracing my back against the nearby pillar.
“Nick, if you can hear me … fight it,” I begged. “You’re stronger than this.”
His large shoulders heaved with each labored breath, but he didn’t speak, didn’t acknowledge that he comprehended my plea.
Warm air breezed over my lip as I kept a close eye on him, unsure of what he’d do next, unsure of what had even stopped him. His gaze lowered, and I was trapped in his stare. I felt my eyes stretch wider when, to my surprise, his wolf further submitted to the man. The silvery fur that covered him from head to toe shortened and thinned, eventually revealing the skin beneath. Thick, swollen muscle shrank to near-normal size, and sharp canines receded. Those dark veins that signified the curse were still visible, but he was more himself than monster.
Naked, he retreated into a dark corner and I wasn’t sure what to think, what to do. So, I tried speaking again.