Page 30 of Fated

I willed my hand to glow again, to push back at the darkness, to heal him somehow. But nothing happened, there wasn’t enough power left in me.

“I don’t think I can fix you,” I said, more tears cascading down my cheeks.

I turned toward Ash, remembering that he was still in the room. He hadn’t moved an inch, still clutching his bleeding stomach. There was so much blood that it seeped through his fingers and steadily dripped to the floor.

Panic stirred inside me.Why isn’t he healing? That’s how magic works, isn’t it?

Not even sure why, I desperately wanted him to heal.

I turned back to the bed when the man reached for my hand, his massive grip swallowing mine. He squeezed lightly and when he spoke, his voice was soft, sincere.

“Thank you,” he said, offering a small, sad smile. Before I could respond, he reached for his side and when he brought his hand back, it held a dagger.

There was no time to react before he plunged it into his own heart. I screamed, scrambling backward off the bed, frantic at watching him fade and die in front of me.

Before I could mourn another dead soul, a loud thud drew my attention, making me whip around to find Ash slumped on the floor against the wall, his face pale, his breathing ragged.

Without a second thought, I rushed to him, falling to my knees in front of him.

“Does your kind not heal quickly?” I asked frantically.

He grimaced, his voice weak. “The dagger—it was laced with poison. It’s keeping me from healing.” I glanced at his wound and then back to his face, inhaling sharply on catching sight of the black veins slowly creeping up his neck.

I searched the floor for the poison-laced dagger, spotting it a few feet away—then I froze.

This was my chance, the very chance I’d been waiting for. It would be so easy. All I had to do was pick up the dagger and plunge it into his heart just like the other man had done.

I could kill the monster who’d taken my mother away from me.

But then I thought of the other man—his memories of a past life full of love and happiness—and my heart sank to my stomach.

I looked at Ash who had been watching me as I stared at thedagger. What kind of life had he lived before being turned into a monster?

What if, like the other man, he had once been good, once had people he loved, people who loved him? If I couldn’t blame the other man for what he’d become, how could I blame Ash or Calyx? No, I wouldn’t allow myself to become a monster too.

But what if I could heal him? Desperation surged as my eyes shot to my hands. I held them out before me, willing them to glow, to summon that strange power that had been there just moments ago. As soon as Ash realized what I was doing, he pushed himself further into the wall.

“Don’t touch me,” he growled, his voice strained.

“But what if I can heal you?”

“Calyx,” he mouthed.

“I’ll go find him,” I said, starting to rise, but Ash shook his head weakly.

“Too … dangerous,” he managed.

Panic swirled inside me like a storm. How could I let Ash die? I couldn’t watch anyone else die, even if that person was my greatest enemy. His eyes were closed now, and I kept my vision locked on his chest, as if able to will him to keep breathing.

I inched closer, trying to stay as quiet as possible until I was near enough to hover my hand over his bleeding wound. My eyes stayed on his face, ensuring his own stayed closed.

Searching deep within myself for the light, I remembered how it had felt in my palm before.

And just like that, warmth bloomed in my hand and the soft glow returned. With trembling concentration, I imagined his wound closing, knitting itself back together.

The veins on his neck began to slowly recede, my hopesleaping, but as quickly as it had come, the glow sputtered out, spidery veins crawling back up his neck.

“Shit,” I whispered, defeated and helpless, wishing so badly to be able to call my mom and ask her what I was supposed to do.

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