Page 3 of The Chosen
She plunged the knife into his heart.
His body convulsed, a wet gasp ripping from his throat. His gaze locked on hers, pleading, disbelieving, terrified, before the light in his eyes went out.
The silence that followed was thick and absolute.
Ariana remained frozen for several seconds, her chest heaving, hands soaked in blood. Then her shoulders slumped. The knife slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the wood.
Only then did she finally look up.
Her gaze found me.
She jerked back like she’d been electrocuted, her eyes wide and unfocused, breath escaping her in short, broken bursts. She wiped her face with a trembling hand, smearing Victor’s blood across her cheek.
“Henry?” Her voice cracked, tears spilling down her cheeks. “No. I’m hallucinating. You’re not… You’re supposed to be dead.”
I stepped out of the shadows, and slowly made my way toward her.
She stood, reaching for me, tentative at first, then desperate.
“Are you real?”
Her hands cupped my face, sliding over my cheeks, my jaw, my mouth, as if memorizing every feature. I didn’t care that her palms were coated in Victor’s blood. I held her wrists gently, grounding her.
“I’m real,” I responded, my voice rougher than I intended.
Her body crumpled, and she melted into me, gripping the front of my shirt as she sobbed into the fabric.
I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her tight, her heartbeat racing against mine. I didn’t tell her to calm down. Didn’t tell her it was over. I just held her.
Like the fucking warrior she was.
“You’re alive,” she breathed, and I had a feeling it was more for herself than anything else.
“I’m alive,” I managed, anchoring her against me because I didn’t trust my legs to keep me upright otherwise.
She clutched me like she didn’t intend to ever let go. “I was so scared you were… He said you?—”
“I’m fine,” I whispered into her hair. “I’m right here.”
When she pulled back, her gaze darted past my shoulder and her face fell. “Where’s Blake?”
I swallowed hard, but it didn’t help. Nothing would.
“He didn’t make it. When we realized it was a trap. He…he sent me back here. Made sure I’d get to you.”
Her eyes welled. “Oh, god. Henry, I’m so sorry. I never meant?—”
“It’s not your fault,” I cut in, gripping her jaw gently so she’d look at me. “All he cared about was making sure you were safe. That Victor couldn’t hurt you again.”
I scanned her frame, her t-shirt and arms stained with blood. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No.” She swallowed, then shook her head. “But…”
“What is it?”
She hesitated, then lifted her eyes to mine.
I sensed whatever she was about to tell me would change everything.
