Page 113 of Stars May Burn

“Kasten!”

I whirled at the sound of Sophie’s shout. She was pointing behind us as more creatures came out of the bushes; two more dogs and three halfsouls. Why hadn’t they set off my detector? The only difference I noticed was that the halfsouls also wore studded leather collars around their necks. Had Lord Lyrason realized we were able to detect their kryalcomy somehow and had worked to counteract it? I shook my head to focus and aimed for the nearest creature. Two already had crossbow bolts in their heads. Where had Annabelle learned to shoot like that? And from a tree no less. The force of each shot should be sending her crashing down.

I decapitated the closest dog, then ran to the next. Meena stayed next to Sophie, but her hands were trembling from exhaustion even as she held her sword. I had pushed her too hard. My own limbs were slower than normal. Where were Sir Tristan and the other three men? I really needed them right now.

I lunged at the halfsoul dog with my sword, a blow to its lateral flank that would have killed a normal beast. It turned and snapped at the hilt, and I let go before it could bite my hand. Would I become a halfsoul if it did?

I cut its throat with my dagger before launching at the next, halfsoul human, far easier to kill than the dog. As I pulled my sword free, I saw Meena kill the last one near her, which had driven her back closer to the house.

Sophie screamed, and the blood in my veins went ice cold. I sought the origin of the sound and saw a soulless woman leaning against her. Sophie’s dagger was embedded in her stomach, but the creature’s mouth was on her arm.

Biting her.

Everything in the world stopped, like I was trapped between heartbeats, unable to move fast enough, unable to reach her, unable to undo what had been done.

I pushed everything I had toward her, but I was still too slow. An eternity passed as I watched the blood trickle down her arm. Watched her fate sealed by yellowed teeth and frenzied eyes.

There was no cure. Every single person who had been infected had died.

No, no, no.

I caught the halfsoul woman with a clean, killing blow, then grabbed Sophie. She was shaking, her eyes fixed on the jagged semi-circle of wounds as sobs erupted from her throat. I pulled the sash from her dress and used it as a tourniquet, hoping it would stop the spread of the poison, yet knowing deep down everything I did was pointless.

No. I wouldn’t give up. I had to save her. Frantic energy possessed me, desperately fighting panic.

Sophie’s eyes flickered to mine, filled with terror. Pain lanced my chest as I helplessly drank in her fear. “Don’t let me kill anyone, Kasten. Please. I don’t want to kill anyone.”

I grabbed her shaking hand and kissed her knuckles with trembling lips. “You won’t. You’re going to be fine. I will fix this. I…I will fix this.”

Her responding smile was sad as peace seemed to settle over her, even as tears poured down her beautiful cheeks. “I love you, Kasten. Thank you for letting me into your life.”

Tears choked my breath as I traced my fingers across her cheekbone before pulling her into my chest in a fierce embrace and pressing my face into her hair. “Don’t give up, Sophie. Don’t you dare give up. You will fight this.” I gripped her as tightly as I could, tangling my fingers in her hair, refusing to let the evil kryalcomy take her away from me.

I should never have married her. Never have dragged her into this. This was all my fault.

I loved her. And I had killed her.

A convulsion made me loosen my arms in horror. Sophie’s head lolled back over my arm and her eyes rolled back into her head. I stared down at her, limp in my arms, unable to process what was happening. Agony made my hands shake as tears streamed from my eyes, and my chest felt like it was tearing apart. I screamed in denial.

Meena dropped to her knees beside me, sagging to one side. “General, she’s going to turn. We need to restrain her quickly. If we administer the sedative now before she has time to weaken, it should be safe.”

I shook my head. “No. She’s going to fight it. She’s not going to turn. She’s so strong. She’ll fight it.”

“Kasten!” The word hit me like a slap. Meena pulled Sophie from my arms, and Annabelle rushed to help her, supporting Sophie’s head.

I dug my fingers into the soil as my whole world collapsed around me. I could only watch, fighting to hold myself together and not pull Sophie back into my arms, as Meena tied Sophie’s wrists and smashed a glass vial to drip the sedative down her throat. Emptiness filled me as I saw her skin grow pale, the tendons in her arms begin to stand out.

I stared at her face and saw pain there. I clenched my fists and bellowed.

Meena’s back hid Sophie from view as she restrained her.

I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

I would not sit by helplessly and watch this happen.

They had pushed me to the breaking point again and again. Baited me. Killed my people. Stolen my humanity. Threatened my friends. Done everything they could to end me. And I had endured.

But they couldn’t have her.

Something snapped inside me and a torrent of rage so old yet so fresh coursed through my veins. Everything I’d held back, every emotion I’d suppressed in the past fourteen years now reared its head and roared in rage.

I didn’t care about the consequences anymore. I only cared about her.

If Lord Lyrason couldn’t save Sophie, the whole city would burn.

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