Page 25 of These Bonds that Unite Us
“Let us save you,” Nebula pleads. My head shakes, the words on the tip of my tongue to tell them it is too late. Even with the new medicine delaying my decline, there is no saving me now. “You are the home my soul was searching for. Even if my absence left you worn and broken, I can rebuild. We can fix this and see the future we should have had from the minute you walked into the label’s office for our first Fateful meeting with Brady.”
“Don’t give up yet, firefly,” Titan begs.
Someone knocks on the door, breaking the tension enough to allow me to suck in several deep breaths. Foster looks apologetic as he steps inside and informs us they are closing the venue soon, so we have to leave. He ignores the four men still in various stages of apology around me and helps me stand. I sway on my feet, my heart a little slow to pump blood to my brain with the sudden change in position, but he doesn’t let me fall.
Looking down at the men who shattered my heart and nearly took my life, I find I can’t decide which path to take. “I will think about it,” I finally mutter, before allowing Foster to lead me from the room.
Pack Graves don’t seem appeased by my promise, if anything they look more concerned than when they first walked in.Thankfully, they don’t fight me on this decision. They let me walk away, taking their apologies and promises to fix things between us with me.
Hannah’s hands shake as she carefully folds her dresses and places them inside the suitcase her new husband bought for her. I hover in the doorway to her room, afraid if I step inside I will start to cry. If Mother hears me cry I will be locked in my room and I won’t get to say goodbye to my sister.
“Come here, little gremlin,” she mutters softly, peeking at me over her shoulder with a soft smile. Hannah is the only person who ever smiles at me. I rush to her side, biting my lip hard to stop myself from crying out. Her arms soothe up and down my back while she whispers encouraging words into my hair.
We don’t stand together for long, maybe a few seconds, before she returns to her task. “You’ll be alright, Sarah. I promise I will visit as often as they allow me, and you’ll be able to visit me soon too.”
Her suitcase zips shut and she sits it on the floor beside us. She glances around the room with the same emotionless expression she usually dons before church. The empty space makes my heart ache and tears well in my eyes. I don’t want her to leave me here. Wherever she goes is where I want to be.
“You are stronger than they believe,” she whispers fiercely, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Fire shines in her eyes when she looks at me. A determination I’m unused to seeing from her.
Footsteps sound down the hall, headed our way. She brushes away my tears and grabs the handle of her suitcase. No one would ever know she wasn’t the poised, submissive wifeshe is pretending to be. I follow her to the stairs, careful to keep my head down and not attract the attention of my father or her new husband.
As I hurry down the steps after her, they seem to stretch endlessly. No matter how quickly I run, I can’t catch up to her. My lungs start to burn from screaming her name. When I reach the bottom of the stairs the house is plunged into darkness and she’s gone.
Everyone is gone.
I search the entire first floor, not hearing anything but my own footsteps until I reach the back door. Soft noise filters in from outside, so I slowly crack open the door. Tilting my head to the side I study the dark beach and distant fire. There isn’t a body of water anywhere close to Whitlan, let alone in my backyard.
Curiosity draws me out of the house. As I creep onto the sandy shore I can’t help but glance back, waiting for one of my parents to realize I’ve left the house and come after me. The house shimmers before it disappears. My breath stalls in my lungs as panic and confusion flood my body.
What is going on?
The gentle lapping of water on the shore distracts me. I glance down to see the waves are starting to reach my bare feet. With a soft breath of wonder, I step deeper into the water. Only far enough for it to brush against my ankles. I’ve never seen the ocean before.
Beneath the moonlight, I see a face reflected back at me on the water’s surface. I recognize it as my own, yet it looks nothing like me. This woman is much older with blue eyes and black hair. A tattoo runs down her chest, something I would never be allowed to have. Father says putting ink onto your skin is a sin that will prevent you from getting into heaven. I glance down and startle when I see the same tattoo on mysternum. My fingers rub over the image hoping it will smear, but it doesn’t come off.
Noise from my right has my head snapping up. The bonfire is much closer than I had originally thought and I can see the four men sitting there. One of them holds a guitar and is singing softly. The song makes my chest ache. I might cry again listening to the sad lyrics.
Stepping closer, I must make some noise to alert them to my presence. As soon as their faces turn toward me I remember them. My Fate matched mates. Nexus, Nebula, Callisto, and Titan. Fate pulls me closer to them, drawing me into the light of their fire. All four men stand and move to wrap their arms around me. Surrounded by their scents, I feel at peace. Like a missing piece of my heart has been returned.
We stand there for what feels like eternity, soaking each other in. Nebula is the first to pull away. He takes one step back, then two. The farther away he gets the angrier his expression becomes until only the memory of his hatred lingers on the beach.
Callisto is next, but his retreat is quicker. He turns his back on me and simply walks away. No goodbye, no anger, he just fades away. Titan follows my sweet beta, hesitating at the edge of the fire with an uncertain look on his face. But he doesn’t stay. Like the others, he leaves me behind.
I cling to Nexus as each of his packmates disappears. “Nex,” I plead when he also takes a step away. He pauses, brushing his lips against mine before whispering the most cutting words–
“I choose them.”
My knees dig into the sand when I collapse without his weight to support me. Tears glide down my cheeks and sobs wrack my body as I beg them to come back. To choose me.
When I manage to stop crying long enough to look up, the fire has gone out. I’m once again plunged into a dark silence.I stumble around, searching for a clue to guide me from this nightmare. A patch of light appears in the distance, relief has my feet flying across the shore.
As I get closer, my promise of comfort turns to dread. I know this light. The table beneath it and the tray of tools at its side. A monster awaits me there. I try to turn back, but no matter where I look, all I can see is the memory of the church.
“I see you’ve finally accepted God’s will and returned for your punishment.” My father’s voice speaks the words right against my ear. I jump away from him only to find myself crashing down on the exam table. Thick straps cross over my body trapping me against the cold metal. Thrashing does nothing but make the restraints cut into my skin. “What a worthless child you’ve turned out to be.”
I scream when Doctor Harrison appears beside my father, but the sound is silenced by the strap across my mouth. He’s wielding a scalpel and speculum. Flashes of the slick gland removal surgery Father forced us to watch filter through my mind. The memory makes me fight harder to escape, but it’s pointless. I’m trapped and alone. Left to perish in this miserable hell.
Something crashing in the living room jolts me awake. Fear and sorrow war in my heart as I strain to listen for the source of the sound. Bea had passed out in her room long before sleep had finally claimed me, so it shouldn’t be her. A glance at the clock shows it’s only been two hours since then.
