The Hidden Gemstone

Chapter: 42

Alex's POV:

For a long moment, Julie stood still in the middle of the clearing, staring at Ryan.

My heart was pounding in my ears. I was still bleeding, the wound draining my energy, but I couldn't think of anything other than the woman in front of me. For reassurance, I touched the ring on my finger, still feeling the gemstone radiate its power. Ryan knew I had it - the change in my aura had told him that much - but he didn't know where on my body the gemstone resided. He couldn't have used or taken the Charger even when he was attempting to kill me.

Then how was Julie here?

"What have you done, Ryan?" She spoke for the first time since her appearance, walking toward Ryan and kneeling beside him. Her voice sounded delicate, just as the rest of her appearance seemed, but the power in the aura of even just her ghost was prodigious.

"I did it for you," Ryan said, and I was surprised by how soft his voice had gotten. "I did it for us."

"For us?" Julie asked sympathetically. "You made a hell of so many lives for us?"

"You didn't deserve it," Ryan said, his voice pleading. "Let me bring you back."

"What about them?" Julie pointed at me and Cody. There was an accusation in his voice, but it was barely detectable by how softly she spoke. "Did they deserve it? They weren't the ones who killed me. Those people are long gone, but them? This is their only chance at life. Their first and last and short life. They're not Guardians, they can't and won't intake the lives of others to extend their own. They don't deserve this."

"Julie, you don't understand. Someone has to pay-"

"But why does it have to be them?" I blinked in surprise when I heard Julie release a sob. "You were so kind, Ryan. What happened?"

"The kingdoms," Ryan answered, looking at Julie with pain in his eyes. "They tried to take you away from me. And when they couldn't, they killed you. I spent my whole life in their service and that was how they repaid me. How did you expect me to stay humble after that?"

Julie smiled sadly, the tears gone from her cheeks. "I guess I can't blame you for that. But you don't have to make other people's lives hell for what happened to you."

"No, Julie, I'm going to bring you back. And once I do, I'm going to give you the life you want," Ryan promised and for a moment, seeing the genuine look on his face, I almost considered giving him the stone.

Almost.

Julie shook her head slowly and got to her feet, turning away from Ryan. I looked at Cody, at his deep blue eyes as he still struggled to keep my wound from bleeding. His hands were covered in my blood, but he didn't seem to care. I tried to reach out to touch his face, but I didn't even have the energy to move my fingers.

I looked back at Julie and found her making her way toward us. The closer she got, the more I realized how beautiful she was. With her long lashes, perfect nose, and stunning dark eyes, I doubted Ryan was the only man attracted to her.

She slowly knelt on the ground beside Cody and regarded my wound for a moment before looking up at me. I was breathing heavily, strands of my wild hair sticking to my forehead with sweat. Compared to her beauty, I probably looked like the Grinch, but to be fair, I was kind of dying, so I cut myself some slack.

"I'm sorry," Julie said, her gaze shifting from me to Cody and then back. "He wasn't always like this."

"We know," I told her sympathetically. She shouldn't have had to apologize for Ryan's actions, but I doubted he was ever going to do that himself. "We heard the stories."