Page 50 of Pieces of Halves

“Izzy.” I drop to the ground, cradling her shoulders. “Stay with me.”

Her body is limp in my arms, but there is still life in her. There is still hope. With blurry eyes, I concentrate on healing her. My head is splitting in two, and every muscle in me hurts, but my efforts are not making a difference.

“Jacob, my baby boy.” Sofia’s voice nears me. “I need her heart. There is so much power in it.” She runs over, her long hair a mess and eyes wide.

She can’t be serious!

With my teeth grinding and jaw clenched, I grab her throat and squeeze. Choking, she claws at my arm. I can’t seem to stop myself from strangling her – I want to see life leave her body.

She should’ve run.

“I’m your mother…” she barely croaks out.

“No.” I twist my hand to the side, fingers digging into her skin harder, and her spine cracks. I feel nothing as I watch her body dangle in my grasp. “Tengu, she’s yours.” I do not want to take any chances with her.

Tengu hovers over Sofia, his claws digging into her skin. Quelching sounds follow as I turn my attention to Izzy. Myknees weaken at the sight of her. There is a blade in her hand and a hole in her abdomen. Blood surrounds her, but I take her shoulders and bring her close to me.

“Izzy, baby. I need you to fight. Right now, more than ever.” My hands shake as Ibrush bloody fingers along her face.

She is still in there – I can sense the small flicker of life. Or maybe it is my denial. My skin feels like it’s on fire, hurting me as I try to heal her again. No matter how much of my power I push into her, she remains the same. Shutting my eyes from the pain in my skull, I keep trying.

I can’t lose her.

“Shit. Shit.” I hear Jona’s voice in the background. I can’t make myself look away from her, afraid I will miss a movement. “Jacob, move.” Jona pushes me away hurriedly. He takes her head out of my trembling ones into his. “She’s still warm. There is a chance.”

A chance.I cling to those words.

“All right, Isabella. Just like we practiced.” Jona closes his eyes, his fingers on both sides of her temple. “Find where it hurts,” he says and pauses. The silence seems to stretch for hours as I wait. “No. You can do it.”

She is still in there.Hope blooms, and I hold my breath as I watch her pale face.

Helpless, I fight through the searing pain crawling under my skin, making me want to crawl out of my own body. Izzy needs me, I have to stay strong.

Light.

Chapter Twenty-One

ISABELLA

I stand in the middle of a forest. It’s silent – so much so that I can hear my own heartbeat. My head is dizzy, and my body islight. I don’t know where I am. My mind is hazy, making it hard to focus. Something happened. It feels important, I just don’t remember.

A knock echoes in the space – as if someone wants to get in. It feels familiar and friendly, so I let it in. A tall, blonde man appears in front of me. His blue eyes are bright and kind.

“Jona.” My lips stretch into a wide smile.

“Isabella. Find where it hurts,” he says with urgency in his voice.

Blinking, I don’t understand why he is so concerned. Nothing hurts. Jona’s expression is serious, and his jaw twitchesas he looks down at my abdomen. I follow his gaze. There is a hole with blood around it, dark and seeping out quickly. My eyes widen, and I turn my attention back to him. Excruciating, stabbing pain in my chest follows, making it hard to stay upright. I can barely stand upright, my insides aching.

“It hurts.” I double over and fall to the ground.

The grass under me is soft and cool when I dig my fingers into it, but it does not make the agony go away. My breathing shallow, I gasp for air. I can’t do this anymore. I want this to end.

“No. You can do it. Find your injury and heal. You remember how we practiced, don’t you?” Jona kneels next to me.

We trained and he taught me so much, but it seems like such a long time ago. Red pools around me, but I am too weak to react.

You remember, don’t you?His words echo.

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