Star Blessed

To Hope

MERIBELLA

"I swear to the gods Thorne, if you do not get out of my way, I will drown you," Meribella screeched. Her damaged vocal cords protested, but she ignored the pain. She'd lose the ability to speak if it meant she could have Raff in front of her- unharmed and whole.

"B-B-Meribella! Stop," her friend shoved her back. "We've got people looking, but you are not going in there. You'll just do more harm than good. You can barely stand. Using your powers to protect us took a toll on you."

"Why couldn't I save him too?" She clawed at her hair, the ends uneven, some swinging just below her chin. How had this happened? One minute they were safe, talking about her mother, and the next the world had exploded. Raff's beautiful blue eyes had filled with terror as she was pulled away. Not for himself, she was certain, but for her. She'd reached for him, but in the space of a breath, he was gone.

Wiping away tears, she looked at her hand. The shimmer was stained with soot and blood. Being Star Blessed had saved her life and her friends but not the man she loved. No. No, he is alive. I know it. I would feel it if he had died.

"B, Lincoln is coming."

"Did you find him?" she begged, her fingers grasping at the t-shirt he'd put on after escaping the inferno. Shadows clung to his face and swam in his eyes. Her legs wouldn't support her, and he caught her as she fell forward, sobbing.

"Meribella, listen. We haven't found him."

"But," she gasped between tears, "you think he's dead. I can see it."

"I will not stop looking until I have a body to bury," Raff's Beta snarled, his emotions making his eyes flare. "But we have to be realistic. There are places we can't search because the fire is too intense, and those are the places he was most likely thrown."

She pushed Lincoln away and ran down the hill. The center of her body hummed as she tugged on every bit of her power, drawing moisture out of the air and ground. But it still wasn't enough. The water floating above her hand would not extinguish the flames. Throwing her head back, she cried out, praying they were listening to their Blessed child.

A hand slid into hers, and she turned to find Thorne beside her. Pressing a kiss to her cheek in thanks, she closed her eyes and delved deep within for whatever was left of her gift. The witch began to chant, the language pouring from her tongue foreign to Meribella's ears but it didn't diminish the beauty of it. The pearl ring on her finger was a beacon in the darkness. Together, they raised their clasped hands and thunder rumbled across the sky, heeding their call.

"B," Thorne murmured, "look."

Thousands of orbs of water floated around them, rising up to meet the water falling from the sky in earnest. Streams ran around their feet, rushing down the hill and splashing into the building. Already, the fires hissed and died as droplets pounded into the flames. With a nod, the women pushed out with their hands, the spheres rushing forward on their command, joining the rain and flooding the building in a tidal wave. Shouts and howls of joy vibrated in the night, and the as the last light disappeared, the downpour tapered off to a drizzle.

A red shape whizzed by and Lincoln rejoined the search. He pushed through the ruins with his snout. Wolves in every shade joined him. Others searched as men, shining flashlights into crevices as they hunted for their Alpha.

"Come on Thorne. Let's join them," Meribella insisted.

"B, I just don't want you to see him if he's," she tripped over her words, "if he's gone."

"I could save him," she replied.

"You tried to save Aurora's mom, and you couldn't. What if you can't do it again?"