Page 123 of Accepting Fate

"You’re a m-monster.” I meant for it to come out sounding strong but my head feels like it’s on fire so it comes out full of fear.

His smile doesn’t waver. The asshole is getting off on this.

Refusing to give up, I try to buck him off again, but I can’t and that earns me another devasting blow to my head. And then another. With each blow, I can feel my body starting to give in to the inevitable. Wetness hits my neck and I know it's blood without even seeing it.

The next blow is more painful and I feel the searing pain of rocks from the pavement being embedded into my open wound.

My vision starts to darken when I hear a familiar voice screaming, "GET OFF OF HER!”

Mike shifts his weight and I see a flash of red running towards us.

It’s Harper. I try to signal her to run away but as she comes closer, I squint my eyes and see her holding a tire iron. She runs at us and swings, hitting Mike right in the back.

I expect him to stay and go after Harper, but he scrambles to his feet and takes off.

"SOMEONE HELP!” Harper yells into the dark parking lot.

Harper drops to her knees and takes my face in her hands. "Lolo, what hurts?” I think I see tears streaming down her face but I’m not sure because my vision is almost gone.

I know I’m not okay. I know I fought hard but sometimes it isn’t enough. Unfortunately, for me, it looks like Mom and I are going to be sharing the same fate. I want to fight and stay but my body isn’t listening to me.

I blink to try and keep the darkness away but it’s closing in faster as the seconds tick by.

I just need to hold on for a few more seconds. I know he’s close and I want his face to be the last thing I see, in case the demon has finally won this time.

A flash of light comes from the side of us, and I know it’s him.

Fight, Logan. You can do this,I tell myself.

Grayson’s face comes into view as my eyes fight to stay open.

When I feel him drop down next to me, I use the last of my strength to say, "I love you, Bear. Thank you.”

I thought the worse day of my life was the day Mom died. But now I am realizing that even though I love my mother, nothing compares to the idea of never seeing Grayson again.

My body wins the battle and my eyes close. Before succumbing to the darkness, I hear the pain in his voice. "No! Please don’t leave me! I love you, Angel. I need you! You’re my light!”

I will love you forever, Bear, even if it’s from the clouds above the mountain tops.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Grayson

Istandinthecorner and watch the chaos like it’s moving in slow motion. Nurses and doctors run in and out of the room in a blur. I don’t pick up on anything they say. All I can focus on is my perfect girl lying on the bed unconscious.

For as long as I live, I will never forgive myself for not getting to her fast enough. I’m a fucking idiot. I should have waited until the next day to drive an hour away to get Logan’s present. But I got excited.

Fucking idiot.

My beautiful, perfect girl is broken. The second I heard Mike’s voice, it felt like my heart dropped into my ass. It was like I was listening to my life being taken away from me and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.

I was stuck in standstill traffic two miles away from the exit to the hospital. I broke every traffic law imaginable to get to her, but it wasn’t enough. I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if Harper showed up just a minute later.

Throughout the years, I’ve had faces that have been burned into my brain from missions, but none will stand out against Logan’s body lying on the ground. She looked so helpless and the second her eyes closed my heart stopped. The girl that brought me out of the dark place I had been hiding in for years was fading right in front of me.

Within seconds of me getting there, which felt like hours in the moment, nurses rushed out and carefully placed Logan on a bed, and rushed her inside. I started running after her but then I remembered the reason I was late was still in my truck. I needed to go with her but knowing my girl, she would be pissed if I didn’t take care of it first.

I got in the truck and managed to get Wes to answer. I parked in the closest spot, grabbed Logan’s present, and sprinted inside.