Page 51 of Blood and War
“Pieter!” Her legs felt like lead as she collapsed before him. “Oh Pieter.” She cooed, “What happened?”
He coughed again, eyes opening at the familiar voice. “We were…” He grunted at the movement, pain lacing through his body. “Attacked.”What’d he mean attacked?She pressed him for more information, even when she knew she shouldn’t. “Ambushed.”
“By whom? What happened?” She pushed. His wounds were horrific. Her heart tore, ached for him, but she didn’t know what she could do. The wound was too gruesome. Too final for her to bring him back from it.
“Demon raid.” He coughed again, flinching as the pain tore through him. “Never stood a chance.” His body shuddered. “No time to react. They came looking for you.”
Fuck.
She hated them. Hated every single one of those fucking creatures that continued to take and take every little thing away from her. People. A home.Her life. She fucking hated them all.
“Did anyone get out, Pieter?” He had to say yes. They had to have gotten out.
“Some.” He nodded. “Not sure who.”
“Jace. Where’s Jace.” She pushed, but his eyes grew distant. Breath slowing. He wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Pieter, where’s Jace?”No. No.
“He was on the front lines.” Slowly, he looked up at her again. Even in all his pain, he sounded visibly upset. Distraught at the news he shared. “The demons killed everything in their path. Everyone perished so fast…” Demitria watched as the tears escaped, running down his face in soft lines as they mixed with the blood, dirt and gore that coated his skin. “There were no survivors.”
NO.
She couldn’t think. Couldn’t think past the pounding in her ears. The aching that ripped through her chest. She wanted to curl up. To just lay there, unmoving as the world imploded around her. To let the flames engulf her. To slowly eat away at her flesh as she burned alive. She deserved to die like that.
But she couldn’t. Pieter was still there.
The coughs shook his body in wild spasms. Even more blood pooled from his mouth. The spear made a sickening noise asshe pulled it free from his body, and she threw it to the ground behind her. Tossing it like it had been a plague among her people. It had, in a way. How many lives that weapon had probably ended. She cursed it. Cursed them, before returning her attention to Pieter who didn’t even flinch. Demitria took the man into her arms, his head resting in her lap.
“Shh,” She whispered, hand softly wrapping around his own. Lightly stroking his cheek with the other. “It’s okay.” His hair. Anything to take his mind off the pain. “You’re okay.” Blood coated her fingertips, smearing across his skin, but she continued the movement. His breathing began to slow, and he gripped her hand tight. Squeezing it with the little energy he had left. Demitria wouldn’t cry. Couldn’t cry. She had to be strong for him. For Pieter. Finally, his grip loosened in her hand. She brought her lips to his forehead, placing a soft kiss as a sigh left his lips, and his chest fell still.
She was being pulled to her feet. Her body engulfed between warm, strong arms as he held her. That familiar sweet woodsy scent filled her senses. The scream erupted through her chest. Ripping through her. Tearing her apart as it echoed into the night.
Dead. Jace wasdead.
He couldn’t be dead. She didn’t want to believe it. She hadn’t even said goodbye. She hated herself. Hated herself for leaving, and walking away from him.
Another scream ripped through her as the sobs raked through her chest. “He’s dead!” The tears ran down her cheeks in swift currents. Pooling against Kellan’s chest as he held her. Not daring to let her go for even a moment. “He’s dead.”
Kellan’s grip tightened; his arms wound so tight as he anchored her. Keeping her from crumbling to the ground in a broken heap. Her fingers clenched so tight into the fabric of his clothing, not caring if it ripped.
“He’s dead.” She repeated the words, over and over again. It wasn’t real. He wasn’t dead. She couldn’t believe it. Didn’t want to. Her friends were gone. Her family. And she hadn’t even been there to help them. To save them.
“We need to go.” Finally, he spoke. She hadn’t realized his hands had been doing circles along her back until they’d stopped moving. The fire around them had grown, closing in on what little remained of Solis. If they didn’t leave soon, they’d be the next victims. “It’s too dangerous to stay.”
They came looking for you.The words echoed in her mind, threatening to drive her mad.
“I’m sorry,” Demitria’s eyes met the lifeless figure behind her, “I’m so sorry.” Kellan ripped her away before she could say anything else. Jace was gone. They were all gone.
There was nothing left of her home. Nothing.
Kellan swiped the bag off the ground as he carried her toward the gate, cradled safely in his arms.
“Any survivors?” Gabriel’s eyes met his brother’s, and Kellan shook his head.
“No.” Even Eire wouldn’t meet his gaze. Did the Horsemen pity her? Pity the entire community?
“We need to leave.” Kellan spoke, still not daring to set her on the ground. “She can’t stay here.”
“That was our plan! To bring her back, and leave!” Eire’s eyes mimicked that of the fire. Harsh. Unforgiving.
