AN OFFER SHE CAN'T REFUSE

Left Behind

SABRINA POV:

"She did what?!"

Quinn was already wrestling with himself for not saving his brothers. I needed to get him out of that state of mind and fast.

"There's absolutely no time for guilt right now, Q!" I said, gathering my bags and one of the others, "Can you tote these two?"

Q nodded, taking them from me.

"If they don't belong there, they can't stay, right?"

I shrugged, "It's limbo, but the longer they stay there, the worse off it is–especially because we have to be together when they call us back. "

Quinn's face paled. He couldn't live without his brothers and I knew that. I didn't want to live without them, either. I couldn't.

"Come on! Let's hurry!"

We made our way down the corridors, trying desperately to find the right way. We didn't belong here and the longer we stayed, the worse we felt.

"How could this drain us so much?" Q asked, his breath labored.

"We're being sucked dry," I said, "We have to find them. If we find them, we can get us back."

"Will Lily be a problem?"

"I hope not."

We were barely hanging on by the time we reached the Dead Zone. No one dared touch us—especially me.

"You made it," Lily said as we entered what looked to be a cold, damp chamber, "I have no power, but you certainly do. I have a little surprise for you, though."

She opened up a door and there slept my mates in their wolf forms.

"What did you do to them?"

"They're just sleeping," Lily said, more than haggard, "Is my mother.."

"Yes, she's dead," I said, entering the little room and kneeling down to caress my mates' beautiful fur. Quinn stood guard with me, but we'd no idea why Lily did this.

"You love them—that much I do know," Lily said, watching me cringe at the fact that my mates were on leashes.

"You're cruel," I said as Quinn and I took them off their restraints, "This is the right place for you."

"Maybe it is...I want them for myself, though."

"What?"

"I want your mates. You can go or—even better—they can go and you can stay here with me."

"That's not how this is going to work. You don't even have the power to do that."

"No, but you're taking a chance walking out of here. What's out there for you, Sabrina? You don't want to be queen. You don't want the responsibility of an entire community relying on you. You want to go to Arizona and then Juliard, right?"

"I love them, Lily."

Quinn put his hand on my shoulder.

"Do you though? Do you really or do you feel obligated to..."

"You can't say that! I love my mates...."

I don't know what happened, but I was drifting into nothingness. I was floating along the Dark Realm, down it's horrid corridors and passed it's evil, lost souls—until I was standing in front of two people I didn't expect to see.

"Mom? Dad?"

There they were...or were they?

"Darling, it's us..." My mother came into view as I fought the urge to run into their arms, "You're in the Realm of Paradise, my love."