Hollow Souls

•17•

Emily

Seeing him start to step off the edge, it scared me. I did the only thing I thought to do. Call out to him.

"Spencer." My voice cracked. "Don't.
He didn't so much as look at me as he started to move his other foot. I moved as fast as I could, gripping his wrist before he could fall. My knees dug into the roof, my hands gripping his arm. "Please." My breath shuddered in my chest.

"I have nothing to live for Emily. You know that as well as I do."

I knew my fingers dug into his skin. I didn't care. "She'll see the truth Spencer. You have to give her that chance. If you die, she'll one day die hating you." Each word was slightly quiet, focusing more on holding onto him than trying to talk.

"And that's exactly what I deserve." His hand flattened, starting to slip from my hand.

"Please. Please Spencer." Gods if only I'd tried to talk to him in these months. Maybe we wouldn't be here. Maybe he wouldn't have tried to jump. "If you won't do this for Lilah then do it for you. This," I looked at him, then at the ground. "Is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Just please stay. Your parents didn't die for you to kill yourself. Jacob didn't die just so that Lilah could hate you. Lilah didn't give her life for your court just for you to take your own. We both know that she is your mate and that you are hers. Show her that you are not what she thinks. Fight for her. Fight for yourself. Just please, climb back up." I could see him reading my eyes, my face. "Please." My voice dropped into a whisper. "It is your power to heal and yet you remain broken. Let Lilah see that she is wrong. And she can heal you. I know her well enough to know that she will fight for you." I knew that pain had laced itself into my voice, but I focused on holding my grip on him. He nodded and grabbed the edge of the roof, starting to pull himself up. I gripped his arms, helping to pull him up. I swallowed a son once he was fully standing on the roof.

"I'll try." Was all he said, looking down at the ground.

"That's all I'm asking you to do." My grip on his arm tightened slightly with each word that left my lips. I walked down back into the building with him, waving off the guards that had offered to help. We walked into the library and he sat down, covering his face with his hands. I knelt in front of him. "You have to call in the bargain."

"No." He shook his head. "I won't do that to her."

"Spencer. This is going to kill you. Constantly pushing her away. When you know someone is your mate but you can't get to them, it eats at you. You have to bring her here. You know she'll be ok here. She may not like that she's here but you know that she'll be alright. Please Spencer. At least once. Call it in."

He sighed slightly before nodding. "Alright." He stood and brushed a hand through his hair, attempting to compose himself.

"Don't tell her that I'm still here. She'll do anything to try and get me to tell you to let her out of the bargain."

He nodded to what I said. "I'll be back."

"Alright. Keep her out of the east wing if you can, seeing as that's where I'm staying. She'll recognize my things."
He nodded and winnowed away, there and gone in a blink.

I walked back to my room, sinking into a chair and picking up a book.