Page 166 of Anchor

I’d have screamed if I could, but the best I could do was blink my eyes until the face of Radock Tivoux became half-clear in front of me.

My chest must have exploded, or maybe my heart just burst inside my ribcage. That’s what it felt like to me to recognize him

“H-h-help him,” I managed because Radock hated my guts, but Taland was still his brother. His little brother who had betrayed him—forme—but still his brother.

“Please,” I said, and my voice sounded so strange.

Radock was still right there, coming closer, brows narrowed, that beautiful face of his pale as a sheet. His hand was on my shoulder and he was looking down at me when he could see that Taland was there—right there.

“Please,” I said again, and to my horror, Taland’s body gave up right then, and I wasn’t strong enough to carry all of him on my own. I wasn’t strong enough, so I hit the ground on my knees, too.

“Help him,” I repeated, and in my mind I said it another ten times.Help him, help him, help him, please…

Goddess, I was dying.

“Let go,” Radock said, and he must have said it a few times before the words made sense to me.

I blinked those damn tears away—didn’t they know that I could hardly see without them as it was?!

“I got him,” Radock said, and he was no longer touching me.

More people around us—could they see us there? Would they let Radock take Taland away?

Please, please, please…

“Rosabel, I got him. You can let him go now,” Radock said again. “Let go.”

I got him.

The words finally registered, and I tried to relax my hands that were completely numb from how tightly I had been holding onto Taland. My fingers refused to move as if my body was still afraid that we weren’t safe, and it took me a moment to release my grip around him.

I got him,Radock said, and I chose to believe him, to believe that that was enough. Taland was safe, even if I couldn’t makegood on my promise to go back to the others. The Devil and the bracelet, and Hill and his plans—none of it mattered in those moments.

Taland was going to make it.

I finally let go.

—THE END