Page 4 of How to Survive Your Own Death

He was already gone.

Shit. She took an infusion yesterday so her blood was at its most clotty, but she needed to act fast.

With shaky fingers, she opened her camera bag and took out her one hemostat bandage. It was designed to stop bleeding faster than a regular bandage. One was usually enough for an everyday booboo, but she had a good-sized gash on her arm, plus her knees, and whatever else she couldn’t see.

She had to pick one spot. There was no good choice. She unwrapped it and put it over the cut on her arm. Well, an attempt was made. Slapping on a bandage with one hand was a lot harder than she expected. It wasn’t enough. There was a fully stocked first aid kit in her car. She just had to get there.

And Jaxon ran off.

Panicking wouldn’t help. For her knees, she tore the shirt in two and wrapped the fabric around her kneecaps. They were scraped and not bleeding so heavily. It had to be good enough.

Her phone had no signal, not that she was expecting any but it was worth a try, and a new crack covered the screen like a web.

Geri tried to stand but her ankle gave out again. Standing was a no go. She tried scooting up the bank to reach the trail, the stones and ivy digging into her already tender palms.

Her head hurt. A lot. Checking her phone again—hey, she was desperate and optimistic—only made her head hurt worse.

She rolled to the side and heaved, tossing up her breakfast.

“Help,” she called out, wiping her mouth. “Hey, I fell. I need some help.”

Where was the guy with the dog? Maybe he’d help her up the bank.

Or not. The trail seemed oddly empty.

Lightheaded, she rolled onto her back. This was her fault, wasn’t it? She never told Jaxon about her hemophilia because things weren’t that serious between them. He didn’t need to know all that. They were having fun. No complications.

Except she told the jackass no more pranks. He swore! She’d punch him in the throat if she could move her arm or keep her eyes open.

He was coming back. He was. He might be a basic gym bro who thought rubber Halloween props were the height of humor, but he wasn’t cruel. He wouldn’t abandon her.

Molly was going to be so pissed if she died.

Geri took her infusion yesterday. She wasn’t going to die. She just needed to hang on until EMS arrived.

She could do that.

She could…

CHAPTER 2

BAZEL

This was less than ideal.

He finally found a bridge. In her younger years, she had nearly crossed the veil and lingered in its proximity. The scent of it clung to her.

Yes. She was the one.

Hope surged in him, an unfamiliar sensation that he was not quite sure what to do with, and she promptly got herself killed. That—bitter disappointment—was a close acquaintance, practically a friend.

Her death could be reversed, at a cost.

Bazel hesitated. He did not know this woman. Resurrecting her would drain his life force. While he was not a mortal such as she with a long life span, the energy required to resurrect her would be a sacrifice. He was already weakened. This would enfeeble him.

He stretched out a hand, nearly touching. Her soul glowed over her heart, wanting to leave her body and move on to whatever was next. He should let her depart. It was the natural order.

No. She was the one.