Until Fate

Chapter Eighteen

I folded my hands on the wooden table and checked my cell phone. She should have been there by now. I played a game on my phone to pass the time. In the reflection of the touch screen, I saw the Tahoe pull up and park across the street. An involuntary grin tugged at my lips and I watched her get out of the vehicle. She was lovely with her long black locks bouncing around her shoulders. She wore a pink tank top and shorts. Suddenly, she paused by the Tahoe and her face was torn in distress. Dismay crossed her beautiful features and I felt a shiver slide down my spine. I reached out and read her thoughts. I didn't want to, but she was just standing there with a terrifying look on her face. Then I heard it, I have to die. She inched closer to the road and I felt the panic eating away at my heart. She was serious.

I jumped up from my chair and felt the table flip over as I pushed it out of my way. My mind was racing a million miles and I felt like my world was tilting on its axis. I was running to her but I wasn't fast enough. Why am I not fast enough?! I blew through the glass doors and fell to my knees. I was too late. A large dump truck had smashed into Phina and she flew forward. My vision was dim and bleary. I stood up and rushed to her. People were screaming and nearing her.

"Get away from her!" I yelled. The crowd dispersed and I gathered her frail, broken body into my arms.

Her eyes were frantically searching mine and her mouth was open. Blood spilled from a gash on the back of her head and from multiple wounds on her body. I assessed the damage and poured every healing magic I knew into her. I smoothed back her hair and kissed her lips.

"Phina!" I bellowed. "Don't do this to me! Don't you leave me!"

Her voice struggled to speak and her pale lips quivered as she tried. I ran my hands over her body trying to heal the wounds. I felt her small heart ramming against her chest. She was dying. Everything I was doing wasn't enough. She had too much internal damage. It wasn't like the bullet at the homecoming dance.

She started convulsing in my arms and I wailed in agony. She was hemorrhaging and losing too much blood. Every time I stitched a blood vessel back together another burst and another wound reopened. The people surrounding us cried and screamed for paramedics.

"No, no, no!" I moaned. Tears were raining down my cheeks like an endless storm.

I held her face up to mine and rocked her gently.

She sputtered incoherent words. I pulled back. The light dimmed from her eyes and I heard the last beat of her heart. Then there was silence. Terrible, disgusting, desolate silence. My stomach churned and I stared into her lifeless eyes.

"Phina?!" I shrieked. "Come back! Do you hear me? You come back to me!"

Her dull eyes blamed me for this. She didn't answer me.

"Until Fate, remember?" There was deafening silence.

I sobbed uncontrollably and screamed in rage. I banged my fist on the road, it split the ground. I showered her face in kisses and closed her haunting eyes.

"Until Fate." I whispered. "Remember? You promised. You promised..."

Paramedics surrounded me and my head rose. I grilled them with my violent eyes and shouted at them to back away. They flinched at my vicious tone and hesitated. After a few minutes they tried to peel me off her. I threw them back and waved my hand over the people. Time froze and I gestured my hand again, this time erasing their memories of this occurrence. I lifted myself into the air with Phina and unfroze time. Below me, they stared at each other in confusion.

My wings carried us to the ocean. I finally stopped levitating and sat down on the beach with my deceased fiancée. I wasn't sure where we were, but I knew we were still in Louisiana. My body shook as I held her in my arms, begging her to return to me. I laid her in the sand and looked up at the sky.