Page 89 of Hunted By the Headless Horseman
The void pulls me into a world of shadows.
36
If I could but save her, I will give her my heart in an instant
JACK
Her warmth begins to slip away like sand through my fingers.
The dawn’s light spills over the mountains, illuminating the ruins where our battle raged, but all I see is her. Her eyes flutter, and I can see the life dimming within them.
“Belle!”
She reaches for the pumpkin head. “You will need this.” Then, with a soft, almost serene smile, she hands me the token of her undying affection woven into every thread. “I love you, Jack. I…am Jackson Elias Moore.”
“No, fuck, Belle, stay with me! Oh, dear god in heaven!” I shake her, but her head tips back onto my arm, her beautiful curls falling to the ground. My efforts to rouse her are in vain. I’ve never felt more powerless. I’m losing everything. My world, my life, my home, my…heart.
I can’t lose her—not now, not after everything we’ve fought for.
“Jack…” Mrs. Kravitson’s whisper seems to thunder through the dawn.
The dawn. Sunrise. Lifting one hand, I touch my face, wondering how it can be. Why am I not headless?
“Jack.” Mrs. Kravitson’s voice is urging as she motions to the pumpkin head in my lap.
But Belle draws a deep breath. Horror tears me apart as her body goes still. I’ll follow her into the void.
In that moment, everything narrows to the pumpkin head. Because…it’s pulsing. A near undetectable rhythm radiates from within—a steady beat that surprises me.
What the hell…?
I hold it closer, feeling the warmth seep into my skin, and then I understand. Belle wove her heart into every thread of this head, all of them. Such care and attention, unconditional and eternal. Every moment we shared, every shard of my heart she stitched together with her unwavering love—it’s all here, pulsing with life.
God, the head, the damn pumpkin head held my heart all along.
And if I could but save her, I will give her my heart in an instant.
“Mrs. Kravitson!” I shout, desperation filling my words as I turn to her. “Do something! I don’t care what it costs; just save her!”
Her expression is grave, but she nods slowly. “There is a way, Jack. You may give Belle half your heart to save her, but you must give something to the spirits in return.”
I nod as hope surges through me. “I’ll do it. Just tell me what I have to do!”
She hesitates, searching my eyes for something. “You will return to the same form as the curse dictates. The Headless Horseman will remain. But when you share your hearts, when you share your love, your head will return. But only for her. No one else may look upon you. You will be forever bound to Belle and never able to partake in the world again.”
“Belleismy world!” I shout, the determination storming my blood. “I don’t care what it takes! Just do it!”
As Mrs. Kravitson begins to chant, she reaches for me…and touches the pumpkin.
I watch in awe as the very essence of my being shifts, transforming before my eyes. The knitted head begins to unfurl, the intricate threads of light weaving together, plunging into my Belle’s chest like an offering of everything pure and beautiful.
The moment Belle stirs and gasps, deep and swift, her eyes shooting open, wide and full of wonder, I say a prayer of gratitude to every spirit. I’m lost in this moment like the still, small eye of a tempest as her gaze finds mine, her love illuminating everything. She touches my face, love and wonder coupled in her gaze.
But just as quickly, I feel the curse tighten around me. I lock eyes with my Belladonna Moore, one glimpse of her beautiful face, my heart aching with a bittersweet love as she looks upon me and touches her chest where half my heart now beats with hers.
My head vanishes.
I become the Headless Horseman once more, my body shifting into that familiar, dark form. She tenses in my arms, an instinctive fear response. She doesn’t know we stillcarry a bond.
