Chapter 23: Life and Death

KOL

I almost lost her. I almost fucking lost her.

When I saw them in the cave, when I saw her chained to a chair and Liv dangling from the roof, barely breathing. When I saw the bruises on my Gia’s face, her fat lip, the drops of blood, I lost it.

I’d heard of berserks losing themselves to their rage, and I could understand why. If it hadn’t been for Gia, I didn’t know what would’ve happened.

We ran side by side. I never let her out of my sight. Once at the castle, we bolted up the stairs. I heard her and Diego talking, but I wasn’t really listening.

I was watching her mother. I’d heard she could do powerful magic, but I’d never actually seen her do it. Her hands were moving a mile a minute, some weird white glow coming off them.

Gia reached over and took Liv’s hand. Diego stood up beside me and watched with me. I watched Gia close her eyes, and then she went white. She had completely frozen over, covered in ice and snow.

“What happened to her?”

Diego responded calmly “She’s gone into death.”

I turned to him, wide-eyed ~“What do you mean?? Is she? Is she dead?”~ I panicked and reached out to her.

Diego pulled me back, shaking his head. “She’s not dead, Kol. She’s just in death.”

GIANNA

~Death is what you make of it.~

Those words rang through my ears as I looked around. The sunset glistening off the ocean. The oranges bleeding into the yellows as they met the horizon.

Liv stood beside me. “Am I dead, Gia?” She looked around.

I grasped her hand and squeezed it reassuringly “Not if you don’t want to be, babe.”

She nodded and looked out at the horizon again. I looked behind us and saw the small window into life. It was like looking in the window to a house. Waiting for us.

“Can we sit here for a bit? It’s so pretty.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a bench materialize, and I led her to it. “Of course.”

~Death is what you make of it.~

“I’m scared, Gia.”

“You don’t need to be.”

“Are you afraid of dying?”

“Sometimes, but Mom told me when I was young death is what you make of it.” I squeezed her hand again, and she smiled softly.

“It is pretty here.” She closed her eyes and inhaled.

“We can stay as long as you need, babe.”

She nodded a thank-you and looked around her.

I sat back on the bench and thought about the last time I had entered death. Diego had been hit by a car and was rushed to hospital.

He was eight and hadn’t done his first shift yet, so he couldn’t heal as quickly. When he was in the hospital, he picked up an infection and got really sick.

We sat by his bedside every day. I was so scared. He was my big brother; what would I do without him?

Mother was beside herself. She couldn’t heal him because humans had found him and had taken him to the hospital, and the doctors wouldn’t let us take him home.

They tried everything, but Diego was so sick. I didn’t mean to do what I did. I didn’t even know then that I could do it.

I took Diego’s hand and pleaded to anyone who would listen for a way to save him.

Then I felt it—the cold rush of death.

I wasn’t scared, though. Diego’s version of death had been different from this one. His was a meadow at night with stars glistening overhead. It was peaceful and quiet.

We had talked then too, and he came back with me. The doctors were baffled. They said it was a miracle.

I was four the first time I entered death. When the council found out, they demanded that my parents kill me.

They said someone with my power couldn’t be alive, that I tipped the scales of balance too far over.

My parents compromised and promised to suppress my powers, and in doing so suppressed my wolf.

My mother, though, had been clever; she spun the ritual so that my powers would ignite once I had found my mate, and I would be at full strength again.

She believed everyone was created the way they were for a reason, that nature wanted me to be this powerful, and that one day I would be again.

She believed that the council of elders was interfering with nature, so she fixed the ritual. She was the only witch powerful enough to perform such magic and survive.

I hadn’t entered death since. I’d felt the doorway, the slight chill on my neck. I’d walked the border, but no matter how hard I’d tried, I couldn’t cross over.

I wasn’t even sure I could do it this time, but I had to try. For Liv. I couldn’t lose my best friend, and Diego would fall apart without her.

A wolf who lost their mate died of a lonely heart shortly afterward. It wasn’t gruesome; we just stopped living.

“I’m ready, Gia.”

Liv’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I blinked at her. She was standing facing me, holding her hand out for mine. I took it and waited. Which way would she want to go?

“I’m ready to go home.”

I smiled at her, and we walked hand in hand toward the window. Toward life.

DIEGO

Gia could only do so much in death. It was free choice. I remembered this from my time there. She could lead you further into death and pass you on, or she could take you home.

She had been in death such a long time it had started snowing around her. I looked at my sister, icicles hanging from her face, snow landing in her hair.

Kol paced the floor around her. I had told him not to touch her, or he’d pull her out of death before she was ready, and we would lose Liv.

Dad was with us now, his eyes closed, his hand on Mom’s shoulder, offering his strength. She was using strong magic.

Liv looked bad; her body was covered in bruises. She had small slashes up and down her legs. They were healing slowly.

I growled, pacing. So that was what the foxglove was for. Poisoned wounds took longer to heal, and judging by the way Mother was struggling, whoever had done this was powerful.

I paused. Almost as powerful as our mother. I paced again when I heard ice cracking.

I froze and looked at Gia. The snow had stopped, and the icicles were breaking. Kol was watching her on the other side, his eyes wide, his arms ready to catch her.

My eyes darted from Gia to Liv, back to Gia, back to Liv, and back again. Gia inhaled sharply and fell into her mate’s arms. I rushed forward.

She held a hand up. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

“Liv? Gia? Gia, did she—?”

“Diego?” I spun around, and there she was, my angel. Her eyes were open, looking at me.

I took her hand in mine. “Hey, angel, how’re you doing?”

“I’ve been better.” She smirked at me. Amazing; even in the face of death, she could joke. This woman was meant for me.

I kissed her gently. “I’m happy you came back.”

“Me too.” I rested my head on hers and gazed into her eyes.

“Liv needs lots of rest. When you are all up to it, meet me in my study. I’m going to take your mother to lie down.” Dad led Mom out of the sanctuary to their room.

Liv tried to sit up and groaned. “My head kills.” Her eyes widened when she saw Gia. “Oh my God, G? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Liv. I’m fine, honest. Just took a lot out of me, that’s all.” Gia smiled up at us. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat, Liv. Don’t worry.”

Liv hopped down off the bed and looked at each of us with a strange determination in her eye.

“Come on, let’s talk to your dad. I want to walk this bitch into death myself,” she said, and she stormed out the door. Kol helped Gia up from the ground. They were both laughing.

“You should see your face, Diego.”

“She’s perfect for you, Gray.”

I chuckled to myself. ~Don’t I know it.~ I followed my family into my father’s study.

Whoever it was would pay for hurting my family.