I’d lost twelve years, and now I would lose the rest.
“We should kill the wolf,” a dark voice said. “It’s what the master would want. We kill the fucking dog and bring his pelt back.”
Liv held a hand up. “No. We’re not… Why would we kill him when we can sell him to the wolves who want him? He’s a valuable bargaining chip.”
Evan turned her head to look Fen’s way, and then her whole body stiffened as though getting ready for something. Likely steeling herself for what happened next.
I wanted to tell her to survive, to stay alive because her parents would do anything to get her back.
Including trading their lives for hers.
I’d never felt so utterly and completely useless as I did in that moment when I realized I was going to lose them all. I hadn’t meant to leave them in this world, hadn’t meant for them to grow up in a place I couldn’t even recognize, but they had, and I was failing them again.
“Hey!” The witch who held Evan kicked back, but I could see Puff defending Evan, sinking those fangs into the witch’s ankle.
Evan took the opportunity to pull away.
Run. Run as fast as you can. I tried to yell the words but they wouldn’t come out. I wanted her to run and not look back, to get out as fast as she could. She had a whole life in front of her. She was supposed to be the one I protected.
Instead I stood there unable to move as the witch who’d held her started trying to kill Puff, Liv argued about whether they should murder my son or sell him for profit, and Evan looked at me. So fucking young. So brave.
“It’s the only way,” she said.
And ran forward, impaling herself on Gladys.
I watched in complete horror as she reached up, taking the blade in her hands and forcing herself further on. The blade slid deep, and Evan began to bleed.
“Tell Fenrir I loved him,” she whispered and then her head fell back.
And all the power in the world seemed to flow through my veins.