Page 290 of Seasons of War
Joy.
CHAPTER 68
Kira
The Capital
Kallum, Ciondo
833 P.C. [Post-Collapse]
Heartbreak consumed Kira so deeply that she split into halves—the part of her that felt nothing, and the part that felt it all.
Zayne was drifting from her.
She held him in her arms, but she couldn't keep him from slipping away.
“Meeting you is the best thing that has ever happened to me. You won't believe me, but it's true.” His eyes fluttered open but then closed again. He fought to hold on. Wasn't surrendering. “You have to know, Zayne. You have to know you never deserved all this guilt.”
Her heart stormed at the coldness of his clammy skin. If not for his moan, she wouldn't know he was alive. He was trying to speak, but his lips barely moved.
“It's okay.” Kira lay on the ground beside him and cradled his head against the inside of her shoulder, holding him close. “I'm not letting go.” Her thumb ran down his cheek, and she kissed his temple. “You can rest, okay? Rest, and I'll hold on for you.”
His moans broke her.
Hate tried to distract her, to target Luke with her wrath, but Zayne needed her. He finally let her hold him, and she wasn't sacrificing a moment with him, not for anything.
“Can you hear me?” She spoke against his cheek, memorizing his face with her thumb. “You don't need to worry about me, because I've got us both.”
Kira turned his face toward her, cleaning away the fresh blood on his lips. The struggle no longer twisted his expression. It looked like he was falling asleep. Nothing had ever terrified her more. This couldn't be real. He couldn't die. It was too cruel and wrong.
But Kira could fall apart later. She focused on him, pouring all of herself into him. Her mouth found his, and she kissed him softly, his lips barely parting, as if he tried to kiss her back.
Why did he have to leave like this when he'd just come back to her?
She couldn't let him go, but she couldn't make this harder on him either.
Gaze sliding down his face, desperate to see his glacier eyes again, Kira smiled softly. “I love you.” Her thumb smoothed a circle against the side of his face. “I love you, Zayne.” She kissed him again, but this time, he didn't stir. And he felt so cold.
Her chest heaved with sobs.
Why didn't she tell him sooner? Why did she wait so long? She was starting to say it when they kissed earlier until she tasted his blood on her tongue. That should have been the first thing she told him when she had the chance.
Kira gripped him tighter, the full terror seizing her heart.
She couldn't stop him from dying.
She couldn't do anything.
“Zayne.” She sat up and looked down at his still body. “I love you. Did you hear me? I said I love you.”
Nothing.
“You're supposed to fight me and say I shouldn't be such a fool. And look out that stupid window at home.” Kira sobbed bitterly. “You're supposed to pretend like you didn't hear me when we both know you did.” She clutched the uniform blanketing him. “Answer me. I love you. I love you. I love you. Okay?”
“Step away and close your eyes.” That bastard spoke, daring to sound teary, like he didn't do this. “I'll take away his suffering.”
“You will not touch him!” Kira screamed at him, still refusing to take her eyes off Zayne to look at that monster. “I won't let you.”
