Lost Soul

Chapter Thirty-Nine: And Then There Were Two

Cat forgets her injuries and hurries to my side. "Hurry! Get this crap off him!" She shoves at a big hunk of cement. Her hand slips and slices on the rubble. She cries out, pulling her hand into her chest.

I tremble as I pick up a piece of cement where his head should be. I throw it as wolves advance down the tunnel towards us. I keep my eyes on them until I hear Danny gasp for air under me.

I look down, scrambling to grab his face. "Can you breathe?"

He wheezes and nods.

My heart finally starts beating again.

"Are you okay?" Cat asks, nursing her hand to her chest.

"We're going to get you out," I interject.

Panic that I haven't felt since after Izzy and Alex... it fills me again. From head to toe.

I welcome it and the wind outside starts to howl louder than the wolves.

A wolf snarls behind us and Cat whips around, drawing one of her daggers.

I glance back.

Three wolves pace at the entrance, watching Cat's dagger.

They could take her easy, so I don't know why they hesitate. The wind rips at their fur and my silver glow lights up their faces.

"Raven," Danny wheezes.

I turn my attention back to him, trying to leverage a large piece of rubble off his chest.

"You have to leave me here," he chokes out.

Blood drips from his nose. I think it's broken. It's got a little notch in it now, right at the very top.

I shake my head, tears welling in my eyes as I struggle with the cement. Even with my adrenaline and the magic swirling around me, I don't have the strength to lift this much cement off him.

I'm not strong enough. "They're not attacking," I whimper. "I have time."

His hand I'd managed to free flails towards me and grabs my hand. "You knew you'd have to leave me," he pants. "I'm going to be fine."

Cat screams as one of the wolves lunge. She slams her dagger towards its head and it yowls as the blade catches its face.

My personal tornado swirls harder, but it just mingles with the blizzard outside and does nothing but drop the temperature.

I sob, pushing on the rubble until my hands bleed. "No!" I shout. "I know what I said, but I can't leave you here! I can't!"

Danny's hand darts towards my boot and he draws one of my daggers. He slashes the rope connecting him to Cat. He meets my gaze, offering the dagger back. "You need to leave me here."

"No," I sob. "No. There's still something-. I can still get you out!"

"My leg," he pants, "is broken."

The wolves behind me snarl. They've begun to pace closer to Cat.

She yelps and shuffles back towards us. She swings her dagger, but they don't seem as afraid as before.

Shay blazes to life in my mind. The black skin of her face, blotched with white. The multi-colored eyes, set in a tough expression. Kestrel wings spread out behind her.

The gold cord snaps between us as I look back over my shoulder at the wolves again, then down at Danny.

I need Carter.

I close my eyes and a tear drips onto Danny. "I reached out to Shay," I whisper.

Danny offers my dagger again. "You should go. The wolves will follow you."