Page 92 of Saving the Last Heir
“Jackson,” Tormynd said, his voice low and weak. He lifted his free hand and gave me his best attempt at a smile. “Friend.”
Moving to his bedside, I took his offered hand, shocked at how hot it was. Fiery heat radiated from his body. I couldn’t even imagine what his temperature was. I vaguely remembered the same thing happening to my father before he vanished. He hadn’t looked this bad, though. Either it was taking Tormynd in a more aggressive way, or being an alpha had helped my father fight off the curse a little better.
I sank into the stool beside his bed. “Hey, buddy, how are you doing?” I said, trying to keep my voice upbeat.
He shook his head slightly, sweat beading on his brow. “I…I no good. I think I no have many time left.”
Tears stung my eyes, but I chuckled. “You know, your English is still pretty terrible.”
He smiled weakly, but at least it was real. “I know this, yes. All because…you…bad teacher.”
This time I let out a real laugh. The tears came then, slipping down my cheeks. “Oh, yeah? Well, maybe you’re a shitty student? You ever think about that?”
Tormynd laughed, which then devolved into a coughing fit. My smile died on my lips as he struggled to get it under control and take a breath. When he was finally done, he looked exhausted.
“Jackson?” he said, his voice even more hoarse than before.
“Yes?”
His own eyes were wet with unshed tears. “You are good alpha,” he said, deathly serious now.
A lump formed in my throat, solid as a stone. I couldn’t swallow. I couldn’t even breathe. His hand was growing weak in mine.
“I’m nothing special,” I said.
With sudden intense force that I didn’t think he still possessed, Tormynd gripped my hand hard enough that it actually hurt.
“No.You special. You good. You take care of me. I have no one. You give me family. Give me home. Give me friends. You good.”
Tiana and Carson were openly sobbing now. I could see the strength leaving Tormynd as he spoke. His body almost seemed to cave into the bed, becoming less.
“Stay with us, Tormynd,” I pleaded—begged. “Stay. Please.”
His hand slackened, and he smiled wanly. “I go. But if I live one thousand life, I would always choose you for alpha. Good leader. Good friend.” His smile faded, a look of confusion and shock entering his eyes. He stared at the blank ceiling above, as if he saw something there he couldn’t understand. “What?” he whispered, frowning. “What is?—”
Then, as if he was a guttering flame and the world itself had blown out a lungful of air, he was gone. The sheets that had covered him floated down to lay flat on the bed. My fingersclosed on the empty space where his hand had been only a moment before. A strange, faint blue light shone around the room. It was subtle enough that I might have missed it had I not looked up at the others when I did. It was probably some remnant of the magic that caused this fucking miserable curse to begin with, probably.
“Oh, God,” Tiana moaned. “What are we going to do now?”
I put my clenched fists on the bed, feeling Tormynd’s residual heat even though he was gone. “We do what we’ve been doing. We survive. We go on. We try to find a way to cure this. To end it.”
Carson yanked a tissue from a box on the bedside table and wiped his nose. “But how?” He looked at me with a miserable expression in his eyes. “Ayumundi was our last best hope, and he’s vanished too.”
“I brought his books and journals. We need to break the cipher he used to write them. He wouldn’t have done that if there wasn’t something important in them.”
They both nodded, though they appeared reluctant to believe me. I stood and circled the bed to face them both.
“They’re enchanted ciphers, Jackson,” Carson said. “We’ve spent hours every day trying. We need the man who wrote them.” He clapped a hand to his forehead, his eyes watery with tears. “It’s hopeless.”
“It’s not hopeless,” I said, taking his free hand. “Don’t even think that. As long as I draw breath, I promise I’ll do all I can to find a cure.”
He and Tiana both looked distraught—as they should—but I thought I saw a small glimmer of hope in their eyes. The burden of being alpha was that you not only had to guide, protect, and lead your pack, but also inspire hope. All I could do was pray it wasn’t all for nothing and do my best to ensure what I said wasn’t a promise I couldn’t keep.
“We’re going to get through this. I promise. Do you trust me?” I said, looking from Carson to Tiana. “As your alpha, do you trust me?”
“I do,” Carson said.
“Yes,” Tiana said, wiping her eyes. “I do too.”
