Page 136 of Witch Queens: Tales from Oz

His mouth twitched at my lie.

“I have to do this Indy,” he whispered, wiping my tears with his thumbs.

“No,” I refuted hotly, “you don’t! They are crazy ass unicorns! You don’t owe them anything!”

He leaned forward and captured my mouth. His taste branding my tongue as he swept into my mouth, leaving no doubts as to who he loved.

I clung to his shirt front, kissing him with everything that I had. This wasn’t goodbye. It couldn’t be.

So why did it feel that way?

He broke the kiss, “I have to do this, for me.”

If he wanted to do it for anyone else I would have stopped him. But how could I stand in the way of him finally finding out who and what he was?

I kissed him again harshly, tongues and teeth clashing, “You will come back to me, do you hear me?”

He swallowed thickly, “Yes, ma’am.”

He removed his backpack of treasure and stripped down to his jeans. I was sobbing outright, El had taken me in her arms.

Scarecrow turned to me, “I love you, Indy—always have.”

Fuck.

I screamed as he started to walk towards the water. El and Steele had to hold me back from chasing after him.

Logically, I knew that I would die if I entered the water, but I would rather that than living alone without him.

He turned to look at me one last time before entering the water.

I will never forget his face. The monster had come out, his eyes glowing and his body elongated, muscles bulging.

“I love you!” I screamed.

For a moment, I thought he would come back to me. Then, in a split second, he dove under the water, causing the first ripples of movement to appear in the pool.

I was inconsolable. My world shattering as Scarecrow slipped underneath the water. The ripples eventually stopped, and the pool fell silent once again.

My throat was raw, my eyes burned, but it was nothing compared to the fire consuming my soul. I felt like I was being burned alive, nothing would ever be the same.

El had tears streaming down her face as she tried to console me. But it was no use. I couldn’t breathe. I sunk to the ground, my screams echoing in the dead air around me.

El and Steele knelt beside me bowing their heads.

Then each of the Unicorners turned toward the pool and knelt again to show their respect.

“This isn’t how it ends!” my face was covered in snot and tears. “We live happily ever after, damn it! This is not how it ends!”

El collapsed next to me, taking me once again in her arms.

“I am so sorry, Indy. So very sorry.”

“El,” Steele’s voice broke through my misery. “Indy, something is happening.”

“What?” I croaked, trying to sit up.

I took my shirt and blew my nose. I didn’t care that I had snot everywhere or that I looked like shit.

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