Chapter 95 Chapter 95

Chapter 95 Chapter 95
My hand automatically went to the wound, a phantom pain that made me relive that whole scene again.

“Lilith?” Kira’s voice snapped me out of my daze. I turned my head slightly, noting the look of shock, confusion, and irritation that was displayed on my friends’ faces. 

Kira, Rose, Holden, and Jasper were all out of the loop so far, but I could see that they started to understand what was going on, albeit not believing it. “What is going on?”

“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Gianna interjected before I had the chance to answer Kira. 

“Your dear friend has finally lost her mind, and now she’s trying to make a scapegoat out of me. But I’ll be damned if I just stood here and took her bullshit.”

Before I could even blink, Gianna had brought her hands forward. In the back of my mind, I could hear Ivan calling out my name and asking her to stop, but it was all white noise. 

The fire that erupted from her palms was nothing like what I had ever seen her conjure before, a deadly force that was meant for one purpose only, and that was to end me. 

I half-heartedly wondered if her powers were backed up by some dark magic, but I couldn’t be sure; I only knew that if I didn’t act fast, I was soon to be toast. 

But before I could do anything, someone pushed me roughly out of the way seconds before they collided with the flames.

A tormented scream, one I have never heard the likes of before and will probably never forget, pierced the silence of the night, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor. Breathing heavily, I turned around as fast as I could, only to see Holden lying motionless on the rocks.

Dread filled me to the core.

Pushing my shock aside, I scrambled to get to him, praying to whoever was listening that he was alright and that he would be fine and that I didn’t just witness my ex-boyfriend intercept a deadly attack that was meant for me.

“Holden?” Breathing heavily, I finally reached him, and the sight that greeted me almost made me vomit and pass out at the same time. 

His black leather jacket was practically incinerated, and the shirt he wore underneath was no better, but that wasn’t the worst of it. His chest, the whole area around his heart, was burnt to a crisp. 

Flesh sizzled and burnt, blood oozed out of every crevice, and bone peeked out from behind charred muscles. His breathing was shallow and sounded pained, and his eyes were unfocused. 

I barely held back a sob. “Holden, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay.” My hands hovered all over his torso, wanting to help but not knowing what to do, in fear that I would cause him more pain. “We’ll get help, okay? You’ll be just fine, hold on. Please just hold on.”

I hadn’t noticed the tears that were streaming down my face until Holden’s shaky, ash-singed hands came up to wipe them off.

“I always knew it was you.” I barely understood his pain-filled whispers.

“What?”

“I knew it was you from the day you came back.” He gave me a weak smile. “There aren’t a lot of people out there who affect me the way you do, Ahri.” Blood came out of his mouth as he coughed.

“You knew?” I wiped the tears out of my eyes. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why did you push me away, Holden? Why did you help me after what I did to you?” My loud sobs shattered the silence around us.

“Because I could’t save you the first time.” His breathing was labored, and his words barely left his lips. “She took you away from me once, and I couldn’t do anything to stop her. I wasn’t going to let you slip away again.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Kira and Rose restraining Gianna as Chase watched with barely contained hatred in his eyes. I pushed that traitor out of my mind for the time being and focused back on Holden. 

As slowly as I could manage, I lifted his head and put it on my knees, wiping away the ash and tears from his face. His smile was as mysterious and charming as it was that day by the lake, and my heart ached for him. 

No matter how possessive and controlling he was, he didn’t deserve this fate. He didn’t deserve to die for me.

“Listen to me, Ahri.” He breathed. “I don’t regret it. If I had the chance, I’d die for you again because I love you.” 

Blood continued to pour out of his mouth as he spoke, and I felt even more miserable because I knew there was nothing I could do for him. Our healers were all either scattered across the kingdoms or dead, and I had no idea who could heal a wound this lethal.

“Don’t say that.” I sobbed harder before taking a deep breath. I can’t freak out now when he needs me. “You are not dying on me, okay? You’ll be fine.”

“You were always a terrible liar.” A laugh that resembled a breathless cough made its way out of his chapped lips. “There is no coming back from this.” 

As if on cue, his breathing slowed to a barely noticeable gasp. His hand reached out to hold mine, and with whatever energy he had left in him, squeezed hard. “They took so much away from you. Don’t let them take any more.”

I nodded twice to let him know I heard him and was about to say something when I noticed his hand slipping away.

“Holden?” I whispered.

His eyes, once grey as a stormy evening and filled with life, were now cloudy. He took a long, winded breath before all movement stopped.

I shook him once.

“Holden?”

I shook him twice.

“Holden.”

No answer.

“Holden, come on, don’t do this.” My voice rose as I shook him again.

The world stood still as I watched the life slip out of his eyes, and I felt my heart break into a thousand tiny shards that stabbed me in the chest over and over again.