Page 54 of Witch Untold
He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. “You’re dying, Cora.”
Dying? Something flickered at the back of my mind. A memory of crimson eyes and pain. Purple hair. Stone skin. Electric-blue eyes.
Images flooded my mind. My life came rushing back, filling the empty chambers of my mind.
“Fuck!” I stared at the tattooed guy. “You.”
“Ah, there she is. Thought I’d lost you there for a moment.”
“I have to get back. You have to send me back. If I die, the seal breaks, and—”
“I know the drill, gorgeous. Trust me, I know.” He reached out and lifted a tendril of my hair, rubbing it between finger and thumb. “If it were up to me, I’d keep you.” He leaned in. “We’d have so much fucking fun.”
I wanted to knock his hand away, but he was my only way out of here. Antagonizing him wouldn’t do.
“I’m sure we would.” I gave him a close-lipped smile. “But I have to go back. Please.”
I hated pleading.
He glanced away, going still, as if he was listening for something or to someone.
“What?”
He held up a finger to hush me and nodded slightly. “You can go,” he said finally. “For now. The seal is intact. For now. She will speak with you soon to exact her price.”
She? Wait… “The voice. The one that saved me from the virus? You know who she is?”
He smirked. “I like that you’re quick. It’s sexy.”
“Is she here?”
“You need to go now,” he said.
A light bloomed in the darkness and a bus appeared. The fuzzy sensation filled my mind again.
“Cora.” He gripped my shoulders and turned me to face him. “Hey, look at me.”
I focused on his eyes, indigo dotted with flecks of silver. “It’s time to go back, gorgeous.” Then his mouth was on mine, a warm, firm pressure. His voice filled my head. “Time to wake up.”
* * *
JASPER
Cora’s absence is a hole in my soul, and destructive rage hovers at the edge of my consciousness, creeping in like a prowling predator ready to take me down. I’m ready for it. Craving it. Anything is better than this emptiness, anything is better than impotence, because she’s gone to a place I can’t follow. A place barred to me.
She’s gone, but…But I’m still here…
How am I still here?
I look down at my hands and a conviction blooms in my mind. “Get out of the way. Now!” I rush forward, tearing Cora’s lifeless form away from them.
Mine.
She’s mine.
I cradle her to me. “Fight it. Cora, fight it and come back to me.”
“She’s gone, Jasper.” Conah’s voice cracks with emotion. “Fuck, she’s gone.”
