Page 73 of Before We Burn

I start to move in front of Everett, but before I get to him, he steps forward and…salutes him. I’m confused…his thoughts two seconds ago were filled with malice…only for him to do this?

“Premier Leader, sir.” The Premier Leader salutes Everett back, and Everett moves to him.

That’s when I know for sure I had regained access to my heart, because it shatters.

“Ev?” I breathe out, my voice nearly broken, leaving nothing behind.

I’m about to run to him, to shake him as hard as I can and drag him back to reality. This is a trick; this is years of brainwashing and training he can’t shake. I can fix this—I can fix him.

Constantine grabs me, trying her hardest to calm me down, but the panic is already there. The heartbreak and desperation have consumed me, and I can’t live knowing that the one person I wanted to give myself fully to would revert back to the hatred he once knew. I thought he saw me. I thought we were the same.

Connie’s arms tighten around me. The Premier Leader is searching my now-broken make-shift family for another. Once he finds it, a smile graces his face. “Benedict, come now. We have a celebration to throw! The death of the Council of Five and a new regime!”

Different council members began to shout, one of them blaming the others for trusting the human. Others called for Alexander who, of course, is nowhere to be found. They are old and stupid. You can’t trust a man willing to destroy the entire world on the premise of hate when he was just jealous of the people he wanted to destroy.

My attention shifts toward Benny, his face filled with confusion, but I don’t dare enter his mind. I revert back to the normal way. His body language is uncomfortable, his steps hesitant. He doesn’t want to go. Constantine notices, too, her body gravely still behind mine as her eyes trail after Benny. I’ve never seen love on Connie’s face. Not until now, when her heart is breaking.

“You know, I was hesitant to work with a vampire and a werewolf. It worked out well. I get to kill vampires, be a hero, and get the last anchor into my possession.”

I fight out of Connie's grip, my anger ripping through me. I don’t care about the consequences; I just want to bring him to hell with me. He’s too smart for that, though. He lifts the detonator into the air, a smile on his face.

Benny takes that moment to swing while Everett’s eyes move from me to the detonator. I thought he was going with the Premier Leader to rejoin their side, but instead he’s sacrificing himself to try to stop him. He made his choice. A scream tears through me as the Premier Leader's thumb presses the button.

I see Benny disappear, then suddenly Connie and the rest of them are gone. Bunny appears out of nowhere, her body thrown on top of mine. We both fall onto the floor and she looks at me.

“Remember to stay kind,” is the last thing Bunny says before she brings her chest to my face and latches on hard. I hear the whistle of the bombs going off—UV hates to be contained. My life flashes before my eyes, stopping at the moment I truly died.

I’m back in my eighteen-year-old human body, lying in a field with the screams of my mother in the background. I look to my left and see myself standing there. I try to smile—try to form a word—but I can’t. I eventually give up and look at the sun for the last time.

“Pop, goes the weasel.”

31

IT’S NEVER THE RIGHT TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

MARZANA

My ears are ringing and my focus is blurry at best. The aching in my ears and the weight on my chest are alarming. I try to call for help—try calling Everett’s name—but nothing comes out. Something squirms on top of me and I blink hard, trying to make out what—who—it is.

Once my vision clears, my stomach turns. Bunny lies on top of me, her body broken and burnt. Her face is in clear discomfort. Everything comes back to me, then. The council, the bombs. Panic takes over as I gently shift, my own body riddled with small burns and cuts, but nothing I can’t heal. I turn Bunny to her side, noticing her entire back has been burnt so badly I can see her lungs and bones.

There is so much damage my blood won’t be able to heal her. I try to pull from my witch powers, hovering my hands over her and trying to will it. I push myself over and over again, but it’s no use.

Her back looks like coals which had been reused a couple of times. I’ve seen it up north.

A soft hum seems to come from her while her eyes are closed. She’s in the in-between, where some vampires stay for a while and recover slowly. I recognize the song—a nursery rhyme I’ve heard numerous times. I gently begin to sing the song as she hums.

London Bridge is falling down,

Falling down, falling down.

London Bridge is falling down,

My fair lady.

Build it up with iron bars,

Iron bars, iron bars.