Rose, Wilted: Book 1

Chapter 26 - Everything Ends

They were already out.

And another thing: there were claw marks in the rocks. I hadn't broken the curse after all.

There was a blood trail out of the hole. There were red splatters of it rained across the rocks, and I followed it with my eyes until it trailed like wet paint over the grass and out of sight. I went after it as fast as I could. They couldn't have gotten far.

There was fur snagged on roseless thorns, and the trail kept growing more and more visible by the lightening sky. I went faster, past familiar hedges and bowed trees. The rose petals didn't even flutter under my feet anymore. They had already given up the ghost.

I shuddered. Wrong metaphor.

I rounded the corner of a hedge and saw the scene.

It was the rose arch. The white marble fountain was dry and dead in the dark and there were ropes of thorns crawling across the ground. The rose trellis was a mess of thorns and only a single, shriveled, rose still clung to them. The Beast was sprawled out on his side. There was so much red on his fur that I couldn't even tell where he was bleeding from.

And Avoln was there too. One hand was clutching his ribs, one foot was twisted, there was blood trickling from his lips, but there was still a twist in his grin and knife in one hand.

What do I do?

"You're ending," Avoln said. "You're finally ending."

I don't have a weapon!

"Avoln, stop!"

"Isn't it a relief? It's over. And I win."

"Avoln, please!

Adam groaned. The Beast lifted his head.

"No," they said. "No, Anna, don't."

Jayla's words echoed in my head.

You're not a killer. Not even a fighter.

Avoln tossed back his head and laughed.

"Oh, this is sweet. After everything you've done to protect her, she still hurls herself into danger. How does it feel to know your fight was useless? How will it feel to watch me kill her now, when you can't lift a finger?"

Jayla is right. I'm not a killer. But there's something she doesn't know.

I might not have a weapon, and I might not be a fighter, but I am a protector.

I dashed at Avoln.

"Don't. You. Touch. Him!" I screamed.

I barreled into his body and saw his eyes fly wide. The knife slashed at air and caught my back, slicing through fabric and lighting my shoulder blade on fire. I screamed, but it wasn't in pain. It was anger and frustration and fire. I shoved Avoln with all my might.

He flailed as he flew backward, trying to regain balance, but his heel caught a thorn rope. Avoln fell backwards. His neck found the rim of the fountain. His skull smashed against the marble and a snap like the crack of a frozen lake pierced my gut. His neck was askew, his eyes wide, mouth open in one last scream.

Crimson ink trickled like water along the fountain's edge, writing a promise of spiderwebs and rot.

Everything ended in time.

Now Avoln had too.

I stepped back. Dead. He was finally dead. He couldn't hurt us anymore.

Us.

I turned around, ran back to the Beast and fell to the grass beside his head.

Before he could get out a word I said,

"You aren't allowed to die, Adam. Not after that."

The Beast tried to chuckle.

"You figured it out."

"It only took me million years."

"I told you to stay put."

"Good thing I didn't listen," I said, trying to smile. There were tears welling up in my eyes. The horizon was growing brighter by the instant. The Beast shuddered and gasped. I bit my lip and took his head in my lap.

"You're going to be okay," I said, eyes hot. I stroked his mane gently and he moaned.

"Anna- don't- don't deceive yourself."

"Shh," I said.

"You can't break it. It's over. It's ending."

"Everything ends, Adam, but we're not ending yet. We can't. I'll break it. I'll find some way. I promise."

"How?"

The sky was streaked with lilac and pink. Gold peeked over the horizon and I begged it to go back down. I choked on tears. His face was blurry, his twisted, beautiful face. I knew the petals were falling. The last rose was almost gone.

The despair, the panic, it all came flooding in. My voice cracked.

"I don't know," I said.

Adam's heartbeat grew fainter. The thunder was rolling out. The beautiful storm was leaving. Gold rose over the mountains.

"I don't know how," I gasped, the tears slipping down my cheeks now. "But I know why."

Adam watched me, his green eyes locked on mine.

I choked and closed my eyes. I couldn't watch him die. I couldn't.

"Because," I said.

The final rose petal shuddered.

"I love you."

It fell.

The sun rose.

And the Beast ended.

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Before you kill me, this is not The End. I still have to do resolution stuff. And I know you guys all hate cliffhangers so I'll try to get out the next chapter ASAP.

So, to be clear:
To be continued very soon.