IN FULL COLOUR - Dark Fantasy
Chapter 60

Axel

“No,” I breathed and clutched her tighter to my chest, “I-What have you done?” My words were nothing more than a mere whisper.

A thousand thoughts barreled through my mind at once. I needed to think. What was it? What could the wish have been? Deep down I knew. I knew exactly what it was. I trembled, shaking so violently, my teeth clattered against each other.

No, no, no! I gripped her tighter, holding her with everything I had as tears welled up in my eyes. She sat calmly in my lap, waiting for the inevitable as I wound my arms around her to pull her closer to me, covering her as much as I possibly could.

Did she know? Was she aware that her wish, her gift to me might as well have been her own death sentence? I pressed my trembling lips against the inside of her neck, breathing in and savouring her scent as if it was going to fade away into nothing any second. Did she know that there was a time, not very long ago, that I wished for her to disappear? For her to vanish from my life, from my thoughts, from my dreams.

Tighter, I had to hold on tighter.

We waited.

Nothing happened.

Closing my eyes and lingering in the softness of her neck, I perked my ears, listening intently to the beating of her heart, the air moving in and out of her lungs. I needed to know. I needed to know the second one of those stopped.

I couldn’t even think of it, it was too painful. I never wanted a mate and now I found myself praying to any and all gods to keep her safe, to keep her here in my arms, breathing, beating, speaking, fighting.

A sob escaped my mouth and she snuggled into me even more, burying herself into my chest.

My body jerked; all my muscles went stiff as a shrill, harsh ring filled the bedroom. I hugged her tighter to me. Every cell in my body went on full alert. I was so lost in thought, in my fears of destroying her with my own selfish wishes that it took me a few seconds to figure out that it was my phone ringing from where it sat on the bedside table.

I was so shaken up, I didn’t want to answer, all I wanted to do, was to protect my mate and keep her from slipping away into the dead of night like my sister once had.

Raiden, the tiny screen displayed.

Fuck.

My heart was hammering out of my chest.

Gabrielle lifted her wide, shock-ridden eyes up to my face.

I swallowed and reached for the phone with a trembling hand. I was so mortified, I struggled to grip the damn thing and almost dropped it as I pressed the green answering button.

It was 00h47 in the morning, this call could not have been good.

“Ray?” I didn’t recognise my own rasp, broken voice.

“Your sister,” Ray said. I could hear him sobbing through the phone, his words were barely audible.

No! No! I clamped my eyes shut and sucked my lips into my mouth biting down on them until it hurt.

“She’s,” Ray sobbed again, “she’s staring straight at me.”

My jaw dropped, my eyes flicked open, my heart stopped dead in my wrecked chest.

“She can see, Axe, Lily can see me.”

The phone dropped to the floor and Gabrielle moved off of my lap and pulled me into her as I broke down.

My hands covered my face as the tears poured out.

My shoulders shook and it became so very difficult to breathe. And even through my agony, I felt a heavy weight lift off my shoulders. With every tear cascading down my face, I felt the bitter poison of guilt and hopelessness leaving my body inch by inch.

Broken bits of my battered heart mended and weaved back together while Gabrielle held on to me and brushed her fingers through my tousled hair. Soothing me, comforting me and witnessing the very depth of my raw vulnerability. My weaknesses and flaws sprawled out in front of her. All of it laid out perfectly for the killing blow. She had my very soul in her hands, my worst fears and deepest darkest secrets revealed, yet she showed me mercy.

She cradled me like a lover and breathed into my hair, pressing her sweet lips tenderly to my crown. She didn’t have to say anything. Through her silence, I felt her compassion, her acceptance of me, her love.

And in that moment, pressed to the chest of the woman I loved, I began to heal.

A short, but intense chapter. I cried when I wrote it and hope that you could experience a little bit of my own hurt and healing pouring from my pen.

You, reader, mean a lot to me and I want to thank you for being there, for reading and for being my friend.

I love you.

xx

Lana

A song dedication from me to you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNHXhN_1-FU

(Gabriel’s oboe - Nella fantasia)