“And so is she. So is Sage. I love her like one too. You guys don’t need me, you have your mates, you don’t need me anymore, Pumpkin.” my father whispers.
But I need him. Can’t he see I need him? He’s all I have left of her. Left of my old life.
“You don’t need me anymore. You have your mates. And that’s okay. But your brother…” Dad turns his head, looking at Andrei. “He needs her, Jonah needs her, and I need you to do this for him and me. Either way, you are not healing me, not while she is lying there and I can take her place,” my father says, squeezing my hands softly with a pleading look in his eyes.
I hiccup a breath, looking over my shoulder at my brother and Jonah. Why do I have to lose everything and everyone? It seemed unfair.
“You’re not killing me, sweetheart. Don’t think of it that way. You are saving them,” my father says, and I turn back to face him.
Ezra and Mateo are both looking away. Both of them say nothing as tears wash down their cheeks.
My father’s wounds heal slowly, but his skin is pale as he slowly bleeds out. “You became so much more than your mothers and I ever imagined, you make me proud to call you my daughter,” he says, and a trickle of blood leaks from the side of his mouth.
“Now, you tell your brother I love him, and I love you, and you look after those grandbabies for me,” he says, letting my hands go. “You look after my girl,” he says, turning his head and looking at Ezra and Mateo.
“Promise,” Mateo chokes out.
“Always,” Ezra says, and my father looks at me.
“It’s time for me to go, Pumpkin.”
I bite my lip as my hands shakily reach for his. I clutch it in both of mine, and he opens it. Lifting it to my face, I press my face into his palm. “I love you, Dad.”
“I know Pumpkin, I love you too,” he murmurs.
Choking on emotion, I feel my canines slip out, my mouth filling with venom. Closing my eyes, I sink them into his hand. My magic rushes out, his hand goes cold in mine almost instantly.
As I open my eyes and stare at my father’s vacant ones, his face gray, a choked sob leaves my lips. Placing his hand in his lap, Ezra reaches for me as an energized shiver ripples through every nerve in my body.
His hands reach for me, but I jerk away. “Please, don’t touch me, just don’t touch me,” I sob, my hands shaking, and he pulls his hands away that are reaching for me.
“Kat?” I shake my head, getting to my feet.
Dominic looks away, Kyan’s face buried in his chest.
Walking over to Andrei, who’s in a daze while Jonah rocks back and forth in his lap. He is trying his best to console a crying Jonah.
Tears stream down my face as I kneel beside her, dripping on her as I lean down over her, pressing my lips to hers. A sob leaves me as I kiss her.
The same warmth that I felt with Mateo floods over me. It rushes into her, and I feel my heart leave me as I give it to her. I give my father’s life to her.
I pull away, watching her color return. Standing, I grab the back of Andrei’s neck and tilt his head up to look at me. His eyes are bloodshot as I peer into my brother’s eyes.
“Dad said to tell you he loves you,” I tell him, my voice breaking just as Sage gasps and she starts coughing.
“Mom?”
“Mom!” Jonah squeals, jumping on her.
Andrei stares at me with wide eyes, then turns his head to see Sage. He sputters his head, turning back to look at me before crushing her to his chest.
My words must have registered in his head. “Wait,” he says, his eyes going to our father. His lips part, and he bites down on his lip, a choked sob escapes him. “Kat?” My brother says, and I shake my head, sucking in a breath.
“He would not abandon you a second time,” I tell him, and he nods as tears leak down his face before he sucks in a deep shuddering breath.
I turn back to my father when Ezra steps in my path, not giving me the option and crowding my space as he crushes me against him. His scent invades my senses, and I feel the tension leave me.
“You did the right thing, you did what he wanted,” Ezra whispers next to my ear, and I nod when Marabella cries from inside the car. I wipe my face, pulling away from Ezra to get her.
“I will get her,” Dominic calls out, and I look over my shoulder to see him place Kyan down on the ground before walking over to our car.
He opens the back door, grabbing her out. She cries loudly until he picks her up, and she stops crying instantly. Dominic’s men and Andrei’s warriors are resting, a few are already cleaning up, and I check on Eziah. I get Marabella from Dominic when I hear a voice.
“Gun, he has a gun,” one of Dominic’s men screams.
My head whips to the side to see an injured rogue by the packhouse sit up, debris and dust falling from his body as he takes aim. My eyes follow in the gun’s direction, pointed at Marabella in Dominic’s arms.
My scream resonates through the trees, and Dominic’s head whips in my direction. He notices the man just as the gun fires. The bang hurts my ears, and my scream is strangled as I watch the bullet blink past me before hearing the thud.
Andrei slashes the man’s throat with his claws a second too late. Kyan screams a bloodcurdling scream as my eyes fall on my daughter, only to see Dominic’s back. He staggers, catching himself on the side of the car, and falling to his knees.
“Dad!” Kyan’s voice echoes through me, and I gasp as Dominic turns.
Marabella is in his arms, screaming her head off and I race over to him when he collapses. His legs outstretches in front of him as his back hits the rear tire of the car.
Marabella falls from his arms as they go slack, and she lands in his lap, crying. We all race over to them, and I scoop up Marabella, but she appears to be okay, just frightened when Kyan grips his father and starts shaking him.