Still here? Well, I hope you've read the book, if not, you are in for a terrible shock! Okay, without further ado.... I really wanted to write this part of the book from Kennan's POV as well. I felt like it was really important to A) give you a look at his POV and how he felt through all of this and B) Twist the knife a little deeper (mwahahahaha)! So, here it is, Kennan's POV from the scene where Izzy tried to eavesdrop upon his conversation with Aberto!
Aberto
had a secret, and I knew that whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good. I’d been dreading the truth since the
helicopter, yet I followed him all the same.
I needed to know. If it could
help Izzy, if I could in some way keep her safe, how could I not follow him?
We
walked out into the murky swamp air, the chorus of frogs and cicadas
threatening to burst my eardrums. I
stopped next to Aberto, whose gaze was transfixed by the swamp. He looked as though the weight of the world
rested upon his shoulders.
“Out
with it.” I muttered, barely above a
whisper. I knew Izzy’s tendency to
eavesdrop, I wasn’t going to take any chances.
“I fear
the news I am bound to deliver is not pleasant.” Aberto never broke his concentration on the
murky water.
“Is this
about how you feel for Izzy? If it is, I
have no desire to continue this conversation.
It isn’t as if you have hidden your interest in her.” Anger bubbled inside of me, and an emotion I
wasn’t proud of lurked just below the surface.
Jealousy. I knew undoubtedly that
Izzy was mine. Regardless of their
connection, I knew what we had would always win if there had to be a
choice. We were two halves of a whole,
and the universe was threatening to tear half of me away. I had to remember that this wasn’t about our
loving the same woman. This was about us
protecting her.
“I have
made no secret of my affections for her that is true. Despite those feelings, she has chosen you,
Guardian. Do not forget that there is
more at stake here than her love. Her life
is on the line. The prophecy has spoken,
she will fall.
“What
is this about then? What do you
know?” I all but growled.
“You
will die.” Aberto’s voice was stiff,
void of any emotion.
“What?” I turned to stare at him, grabbing his arm in
the process. “What do you mean? When?
How?” I couldn’t protect her if I
was dead. This couldn’t be right!
“On the
day of the reckoning, when the beast emerges, you will die. Your death will trigger something in Izzy,
something that must happen in order for her to do what must be done. I know not why or how, I just know that this
must be.”
“Are
you certain? What of her, will she
perish?” Kennan’s strained voice asked.
“I am
unable to see Izzy’s fate. Once I interceded,
her future shifted. Into what, I know
not. As for you, I’ve known my entire
life. I saw it the day I was brought into existence, and I’ve seen it every day
since.” Aberto looked back to the swamp, doing his best to mask the sadness in
his eyes. I knew that his sadness wasn’t
for me, but for Izzy. He knew what my
death could do to her. My death. I would die.
Izzy would be alone.
“Swear
to me that you will protect her, that you will not leave her side.” I grabbed Aberto by the shoulders, forcing
him to face me. “Swear it to me,"
I choked out.
“You
need not even ask it, but I shall swear it all the same.” Aberto reached for my
elbow to swear an oath. An unbreakable
bond that could never be revoked. “I
swear I will guard and protect her all of my days, no matter how many they may be.
She will never be alone from this day onward.”
“See
that she is not. If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone for a while.” I stared back out into the swamp, pushing
Aberto from my mind. Izzy was all I
could think of. How would she
survive? I’d prepared myself to follow
her into the void after she’d gone. I
knew that she was leaving, the prophecy had said it must be so. But now, now I knew that her fall could mean
so much more.
The
world would be nothing without the light of Izzy shining upon it. She needed to live, she had to live. Even if that life was one without me. How could I convince her to go on when I was
all but ready to leave this world behind when she was gone? Izzy.
How could I warn her? I
couldn’t. This secret, this burden that
burrowed its way into my heart, was mine to carry. My demise could not be made common
knowledge. If Aberto was right, my death
meant the salvation of so many others.
Even with every selfish bone in my body crying out that they didn’t
deserve my sacrifice, I knew that one person undoubtedly did. Izzy.
My world. How could I face
her?
*******************************
Swallowing
down the lump in my throat, I headed back in to grab some food for Izzy. I needed to act as though nothing had
changed. She needed my strength now more
than ever, and I’d be damned if I wasted my last moments with her wallowing in
misery. I’d lived a good life, a life
filled with thousands of memories. I was
given something so many others would never experience, unbreakable love. That was enough. I’d had enough, but I’d always want
more. No matter how many days I’d been
given with her, I would always want more.
I
hurriedly grabbed up food and headed up to our room where I found Izzy waiting,
a look of fear etched upon her face.
“Why
are you looking at me like that?” I did my best to smile as though nothing were
wrong.
“Nothing,
it’s just,” she paused, biting her lip, “nothing.” Although something danced
behind her eyes. It was possible she’d overheard everything we’d said. I had to
know for sure.
“Are
you sure? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost. What’s going on, Izzy?” I
placed the food on the dresser and made my way towards her.
“I
think my mind is playing tricks on me. Maybe the exhaustion is just getting to
me. I’m okay, really," she lied. I
knew she’d heard something, but not everything.
Perhaps I could play this off.
Perhaps I could get away with telling her half-truths.
“Promise?”
I asked, tilting her face toward mine.
“Promise,
promise.” She lied once more, and I let it go.
“Well,
in that case, it’s food time. No arguing.” I reached for the food, handing it
to her. How would she ever remember to
eat once I was gone? Who would remind
her?
“What
did Aberto have to say?” Izzy was testing me, I knew she was. She loved to ask circular questions instead
of getting to the heart of what was really going on. So I did what I must, I continued to lie.
“He
wanted to talk strategy. Nothing serious. Honestly, I don’t know why you
couldn’t have been there for the discussion. Sometimes, Aberto’s reasoning
makes no sense.” I put the plate upon her lap, trying my best to give her a
stern stare. “No more stalling, eat. I’ve got to go check in with Conall, but
when I get back that food better be gone.” Raising a brow at her, I pulled her
close to place a kiss upon her head.
Soon I would no longer be able to kiss her. Soon she would be all but gone from me and I
from her.
“Aye,
Aye!” she mock saluted, inhaling her food like she always did.
****************************
That
night as she drifted to sleep, falling into the dreaming, I stared. I looked upon her until it felt as though my
heart might explode. I loved this woman
with every fiber of my being. She was my
sun, my brightness, my balance. I would
walk through the gates of hell itself if it meant it gave her a fighting
chance. She was my home, a home that I would
soon have to leave behind.
“I pray
to the gods that she will be strong enough to survive this. Please, if you are listening, give her what
you must. Let her prevail. Do not let her perish alongside me. This world needs her far more than I. Guard her and keep her, this precious
gift. I am not so selfish that I would
ask to take her with me into the afterlife.
All I ask is that you, the ones that have ordained her destiny, allow it
to shift. Let her live. Let her thrive. Let her love once more. Do not let me be the end of her.”
I
stared down upon the woman that had turned my world inside out and I knew that
no matter what had happened, she’d been worth it. Every second I’d spent with her had been
worth every bit of pain, every sacrifice I’d made along the way. She would always be worth it.
My
death was coming for me and I would gladly face it, knowing that it might just
give her a fighting chance.
So, I hope you enjoyed/cried/hated this excerpt. I had a really hard time writing this bit. Let's be honest, the whole third book was hard for me to write! But here it is nonetheless!
xoxo,
Michelle Graves
