Shadow Breeds

Chapter 25

August

The limp body in my hands dropped to the floor next to me with a heavy thud. He had smelled like a human at first, but his eyes told an entirely different story as well as his actions. Yet, he had no fangs. Id never seen a Shadow Breed such as this one.

I was about to call for Magne, but when I turned back towards Ashe, I nearly crashed to my knees.

I ran over to her, kneeling down and pulling her limp body close to me. Tears flooded my eyes. Anger and brokenness swirled within my chest, but I could still feel faint life within her. I looked around for her heart once I noticed the bleeding hole in her chest, panic filled me as I realized I could not see it anywhere.

Based on the smears of blood, I know it had rolled close to her but, it was no where to be seen and the trail of blood stopped by where her hip laid. "Fuck me! Why am I so stupid?" I yelled at no one in particular, feeling completely hope-less. Magne, its an emergency, I called through our mental bond. I was hoping she could use it locate me as well, I didnt have the mental or emotional energy to say much else to anyone.

I held Asheland to me as the tears carelessly poured down like a storm after a hurricane. I didnt know what else to do in the moment, I was stuck in shock. The sobs vibrated my body as the pain of loss and brokenness struck me to the core like a dagger. She was all Id ever wanted, all I ever needed. I had spent my whole life in search of her, just to have her ripped away from me again. I couldnt breathe.

This couldnt be the end for her, for us, it just couldnt be. I couldnt let it be. Magnes nose had to be able to sniff out her heart, why I couldnt sense it was beyond me and only worsened my panic when I thought about it. The shadows shouldve revealed it, but they didnt.

I need her.

When a hand gently took hold of my shoulder, I nearly ripped it from its owner until I realized that it was just Magne. We stared at each other in silence for a moment before another harsh sob shredded itself out of me and racked my body. I turned away from Magne and curled back into her cooling body. My girl, my soulmate, my other half.

"Please come back to me," I whispered between labored breaths.

"You have to find it Magne, you have to find her heart," I choked out the words, each one more painful than the last.

I heard the sounds of Magne shifting behind me, quickly beginning to sniff the area and prowl around in search of the one thing that would keep me from completely snapping. With every agonizingly slow second that passed, I could feel myself breaking more and more from the inside out.

I was barely able to contain the screams of pain that clawed up my throat with each cry or whimper that escaped my mouth. I caressed Ashes soft cheek, another sharp pain shooting throughout my body upon noticing how much paler she had gotten. I thought losing my sister was brutal, but this, brutal wasnt even close.

"WHY!?" I screamed, "why couldnt you just listen to me? God dammit," I was squeezing her to me harder now, Id probably leave bruises, but it felt like all I could do to keep from losing her completely. "You cant leave me, not yet. Theres too much I have to show you, too much you havent experienced. Dammit Asheland, wake up. Please!" I begged and pleaded to no avail. I knew it was pointless, but I couldnt give up. I wouldnt.

Another scream belted from the core of my chest, ripping through light and shadow alike. I stared up towards the heavens, tears pooling and pouring non-stop. "Please, give her back to me, I cant go without her. Not again," I begged the demi-god and anyone else who might hear my pleas.