Page 26 of Wicked Warlock
I sucked in a deep breath and even the cold air and flurries hitting my cheeks offered no way of calming me down. I stopped just in front of Serrina and placed my hand on hers. Her skin was so cold to the touch. “Goodbye, my friend.”
When I turned to face the crowd of students and teachers, I had to fight back tears. They needed me. “It’s impossible to… to…”
My voice hitched and two tears spilled over my cheeks. I swiped at them and blew out a hard breath, trying to find the calm I needed to speak when all I wanted to do was cry. “This isn’t right. She was too young. Too young to die. She didn’t have the chance to live a full life, and nothing in the world could prepare any of us for this. Because she deserved a full life. She deserved her friends, her family, and the love she found. The love that took her…”
I glanced down at my wrist, looking at the soulmate mark, knowing I, too, wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. If Tuck passed, I would want to be with him. “Serrina was one of our queens. She was protective over her closest friends who, to be honest, were more like family. I remember when I first met her, and she wasn’t too happy with me. And at first, I didn’t know why. But then I saw it. Her love, her loyalty to us was deeper than any family bond, and once she trusted, she gave her whole heart… to us all. Even when we didn’t know it.”
Memories of all the times Serrina had been there for me and Ophelia filled my mind. She was cold and serious most times. But when push came to shove, deep down she’d do anything for us. I looked out over the rows of students with their heads bowed and silent tears streaming down their faces. I sucked in a deep breath and fought for words to express the pain that tore through my body, but I couldn’t… How could I say goodbye?
I shook my head and my voice broke. “I don’t want to say goodbye.”
Sniffles filled the air, and when I raised my head, I thought I saw something shimmering in the air in the middle of the aisle of chairs. I sensed a heavy magic. Not here, not now. Whatever the hell this was did not deserve to interrupt Serrina’s funeral.
“Ophelia.” I pointed toward the shimmering air where snowflakes swirled among the wavering blob in the middle.
Ophelia pulled two knives from the holsters behind her back and strutted toward the magic. Cross was right behind her when suddenly a group of people dropped into the middle of the funeral. One hulking guy fell sideways into the crowd to the right, knocking a handful of people to the ground with him. A smaller girl with spiky hair and greenish skin leapt into the crowd after the bigger guy, pulling at his hands to adjust him.
Grayson sprinted from out of nowhere right toward him. The second the bigger guy got to his feet, Grayson shoved into him, throwing him across the courtyard. He turned to face the others who had barely moved and bared his fangs at them.
“Gray, stop!”
That voice was so familiar, and I found myself running down the aisle toward it before I even had time to stop. “Beckett!”
The crowd of people all sucked in a sharp, shocked breath. There Beckett was, lurching to a stand in the middle of everyone. He yanked Astrid to her feet and I dove for them both, throwing my arms around them and pulling them in for a tight hug. They smelled of death, ash, and fire. They both swayed under my hug attack. I glanced over their shoulder to another guy who had longer blond hair and stubble growing over his jawline. His eyes were dark and bottomless, and he looked completely lost among all the people.
“Logan?”
His head snapped up, and I let Astrid and Beckett go. I wanted to smile at him to reassure him I was a friend. “I am so happy they got you back home.”
“As am I. I’m sorry… I don’t know you.” His clothes were torn from his chest and there were holes in his pants. He shivered in the cold air, yet he offered me his hand.
I took his hand. “Zinnia.”
“Queen Zinnia.” He shook my hand. “A pleasure.”
Tucker ran into the middle of the group and threw his arm around Beckett, slapping him hard on the back. “Man, don’t do that again.”
Beckett shook his head. “I won’t.”
“Who freaking threw me?” A booming angry voice broke the shocked silence.
Grayson lifted his hand. “That’s my bad, mate.”
The dangerous-looking guy dusted himself off and stared at Grayson with crystal-like green eyes. “Good throw.”
“Bloody right, it was.”
Maze and Cross both moved in closely to Beckett. They didn’t say anything but just took up stances by his sides, both of them with small smiles on their lips. Logan, too, walked over to them, and the heirs all seemed to be as one. Even so, they all looked like total shit run over twice.
“Serrina!” Ashryn’s pained scream stopped any happiness I felt about their return and brought back a wave of grief I couldn’t stand.
With her Elven speed, she sprinted toward the altar and froze just in front of her. She reached out, running her hands through Serrina’s hair and over her hands. She grabbed her shoulders and began shaking her. “Serrina, wake up. We made a deal. Wake up!”
I wanted to go to Ashryn to pull her away from Serrina, to tell her she would survive this, too. But I couldn’t, because I knew I wouldn’t survive losing Tucker. Even the thought of it hurt. Ashryn shook Serrina once more, jostling her body back and forth. sending those long perfect locks flying around her face and shoulders.
Then, as if from a horror movie, Serrina sucked in a sharp breath. Screams broke out around the courtyard, and some of the students fainted in their seats. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, wide-eyed. Ashryn cupped Serrina’s face in her hands and pulled her in closely to her. She pressed her forehead to Serrina’s and closed her eyes for a long moment. “I’m so sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. We’re here. We made it.” Serrina pressed a light kiss to Ashryn’s lips. “We’re alive.”
