Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future
Chapter 38

Kas's POV

As I pull away from my physical body and spread my spirit into the universe, I feel him. His spirit is fading but he's there. I sense a familiar pain coursing through me. Something tells me his back is wet with blood and there is poison in his veins, but my spirit doesn't understand that physical concept.

I focus on him with all my power. His and Saint's souls are in limbo. No longer connected to each other, not alive, but not yet dead. I collect their essences, willing them to come toward me, toward life, and follow me back to Bronx's body before it's too late. I push my healing powers out to Bronx and Saint. Giving them the strength to live.

"Bronx, come back, Sweetheart," I sense his spirit recognizes mine. He flickers brighter. It's almost indistinguishable but it's there. The tiniest little spark, "I need you to tell me where you are, Bronx."

A vision comes to me of an abandoned house with a human church in the distance. It's a very old stone structure. The bell tower has two large bells hanging. The church

bells chime a distinct tune. Hopefully it's enough to help Milo identify where he is. "Hold on, Bronx, we're coming for you," I whisper.

I pull my spirit back to my body, collecting all the pieces of my essence as I pull back into to my physical form. Something feels wrong. Something is missing. I open my eyes to see Marco, James, Delilah, and Lady Camille standing over me. Delilah is crying. I'm flat on my back. The floor below me is wet and sticky. I try to sit up, but I can't. I'm dizzy, sick to my stomach, and weak. I can't feel Lex, there is a void where she usually sits. °

"I can describe where he is," I say weakly.

I tell them about the vision and Bronx being close to death. I brought him back, but I don't know for how long.

"We got it from here, Luna. Lady Camille, let's get her medical attention, right now," James said.

Lady Camille nods and swipes her hand over my face, "Sleep Luna lokaste, reserve your energy." I don't have a choice. The strength of her magic immediately slips me into a dreamless sleep.

Bronx's POV

Floating in the ether at the edge of death. Cold and dark but comforting at the same time. There is no pain, emotion, no time, just darkness. In this emptiness, I feel it more than hear it. A sensation calling out to me, calling my name with no words, weightlessly pulling me to an unknown destination. It doesn't matter where it's leading me. I let it guide me through the darkness. Am I going toward the solace of death or the warmth of the world of the living? I have no way of knowing.

о

A healing warmth fills my chest and spreads out to every cell of my body. It separates me from the ether and sucks out the poison, it seals the wounds of the body I left behind and refills my spirit with emotions. I sense it placing a healing warm glow around Saint's soul. I know he is there with me, being pulled away from the ether but he still feels separate from me.

"Bronx, come back, Sweetheart," I hear it now. Kas's voice calling to me, "I need you to tell me where you are, Bronx,"

It's definitely her voice. It isn't in the air and it isn't my imagination or a hallucination. It's like it's coming from my own soul.

"Kas? Where are you?" I call out, desperate to be closer to her.

I slowly open my eyes. It's daylight now. Kas is not here. I know I heard her. I know she is here with me.

"Kas, Baby? I heard you. Where are you?" I ignore the pain coursing through my body and use all my strength to crawl on my hands and knees to the window. She wants to know where I am. I look out and see an old stone church with two bells. The bells start to chime a sweet tune.

"Kas, I'm in an abandoned packhouse. It's hot outside and humid. I can see the steeple of a human church," I say out loud. I have no idea how she is communicating with me but I figure my best bet is to speak out loud. "Kas, I can't feel Saint," I'm fighting back the lump in my throat that will bring forth tears, "He's gone."

"Hold on for me, Sweetheart. We are coming, we're coming for you."

I crawl back to the mattress and flop down. The movement to and from the window, completely exhausted me. My fingertips feel numb. I close my eyes again praying to the Moon Goddess, I don't die in my sleep.

kkk

"Bronx!"

"Alpha! Can you hear us?"

I hear familiar voices and movements in the house. I try to open my eyes but it's a struggle. I don't have the strength to even open my eyes.

"Milo? Henri?" I whisper. There are other voices too.

I hear crashing sounds as they bust down doors to other rooms. I try to call out but I can't. I'm too weak. The door to my room crashes open. Milo barges in.

"Oh my Goddess! Bronx!" Milo runs over to me while Henri yells to people in the hall.

I use all the strength I have to take his hand. I let the tears I have been holding back fall freely now.

"Saint's gone," I whisper.

"What? No Bronx, that can't be. You've lost a lot of blood but you're gonna be alright. Just hang in there, my dude. We're going to give you morphine and get you to Kas right away," Milo's voice is calm but his face is pure panic.

A woman in a military medic uniform rushes into the room. She pulls a morphine pen from her medical bag and injects me. My mind fades into a dreamless sleep.

I feel my body being jostled around. I open my eyes, I'm on the floor of a helicopter. There is a tube connected to Milo's arm feeding into mine. A field blood transfusion. It's a dangerous procedure, reserved for dire cases. He is yelling out orders to the pilot. I fall back into the dreamless sleep. I wake up again for a moment, laying in the back of a bumpy SUV before I fade out once more. I wake again to Milo carrying me over his back in a fireman's carry through the coven house. "Milo" I eke out, weakly patting him on the ribs, "put me down."

"Nah man, we are getting you to bed. There's no way you can stand right now. Henri and I are going to give you another transfusion of our blood. Just hang in there."

"Is Kas here?" I ask.

"Yeah Bronx, we're taking you to her," Milo responds sympathetically. I look to see Henri is directly behind him, pulling out more tubing and needle to perform another field transfusion. My friends are keeping me alive with their blood.

They take me down a hallway to Kas's room and sit me on a stool. Milo kneels in front of me letting me lean all my weight onto him. Henri pokes a needle into his arm, then into mine. I turn my head to see a witch coming over to tend to my wounds.

"Alpha Regent Bronx Mason, may I have your permission to help heal you with magic? I believe I will only be able to slow the blood loss. Your wolf will need to help with the rest. "she asks.

"Just do it," Milo snaps, "I am currently the acting Blood River Alpha. I give you permission on Bronx's behalf." I ignore their conversation. I can't focus on anything they are saying anyway. The world is fading

in and out as I lean heavily on Milo. A wave of comfort gently washes over me. "Kas?" I can smell her fresh rain and lilac scent, warming me to the core.

"Bronx, my friend, let the witch clean your wounds, then you can go lay down with your mate," Henri says reassuringly.

Lay down with her? I look up to see there are several witches, James, and Marco all gathered around a large bed. Kas is laying on her stomach, still and pale. Bandages are covering her back.

"Kas?" My breath shortens as anger and panic set in. I feel tears well up seeing her helpless on the bed. I try to get up to go to her but Milo pulls me back down, "What happened? Who did this to her?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I even tried to tell you, Alpha," James shakes his head at me. After about fifteen minutes, the witch is finished putting a salve on my back and gently applying bandages, but she does not tape them all the way down. She advises that Lady Camille needs to look at me first. Henri ends the transfusion. He and Milo pick me up and set me on the bed, swinging my legs up for me so! can rest next to my mate.

"On your stomach please, Alpha Bronx. I need to confirm if my theory is correct. It will determine the best way to heal you both," Lady Camille addresses me. She then turns to the room, "If you are not a member of the Blood River pack, please leave the room."

All the women except Delilah leave.

"Please face me, Alpha Bronx, I don't want you to see the state Luna lokaste is in right now," Lady Camille commands.

"But-" "There is no time for 'but', Alpha Bronx, there is only time for action," she firmly schools me. She carefully lifts the dressings from my back. I hear Delilah doing the same for Kas. "As I suspected. Alpha Bronx, you and Luna lokaste's injuries are identical. I will explain how I believe this happened but that is not important right now. What's important is that you heal each other. Then we can discuss specifics." 2

She says it so matter of factly that I thought she was talking to someone else. I feel her gently securing the dressings to my raw back.

"Lady Camille, I'm not a healer," I give her a confused look.

"Alpha Bronx, you are her healer," she face softens as she tilts her head toward Kas.

I look over to see Delilah finishing up the dressings on Kas's back. When she's done, everyone quietly files out of the room.

I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do, but I already feel better just being next to Kas. That has to mean something, right? I carefully roll on my side, forcing myself to ignore my own pain. Kas is the only thing that matters now. I brush some of her glittering silver hair out of her face and take her little hand as I admire her beautiful features.

"Baby, when you called for me, I heard you and you led me back. Now I'm calling for you. Wherever you are in there or out there or whatever, please come back. Come back to me, my little goddess. Please come back because I can't do this without you."

I kiss her hand and hold it to my cheek. She doesn't respond at all, not even a twitch. She is deathly still next to me. How did this happen? How could I have prevented this? I promised her and failed.

I close my eyes and focus on her. Thinking about good times we've shared, her sweet little giggle, her face when she is baking or cooking. I feel a warmth coming from her hand.

I open my eyes and search her features but nothing has changed. It is my hopeful imagination.

"Please, Kas. Please come back to me. I can't be alone. I just-," I whisper with a ragged breath before the tears I have been holding back start to slide down my cheeks.

Now that the adreneline has start to die down, I feel exhausted. My eyes grow heavy and I let myself fall asleep next to my mate. Holding her hand to my cheek. I will never let her go again. :