Fated Fae (Fractured Fae 1)

“That you have, beautiful. Let’s make a plan, shall we? We can go grab the other kings and discuss what we should bring,” he suggests, leading me away from the well.

As we walk toward the guard training grounds, loud screams rip through the quiet air. At the raw agony in the tone, I take off at a run, Gerwyn right next to me. As soon as I reach

the arena, I spot a body lying on the ground in a pool of blood. My heart stops and a wave of cold pulses through me.

“Jacob!” His name rips from my throat, my tone filled with the anguish and fear. I can’t lose him, not here and not now. He was the only family I had. “Oh gods.”

“Hold her back, she doesn’t need to see this!” Maddox’s voice commands. I ignore his command and growl at the only guard brave enough to try and grab their queen. He puts his hands up and backs away.

“Jacob, sweetie, stay with me.” Falling to the ground next to him, I put pressure around the dagger sticking out of his abdomen. I can see the color draining from his face, he’s clearly lost too much blood already.

“I love you… stay strong… you loved me when nobody else would. Thank you,” he chokes out, blood flowing out of his mouth.

“Don’t speak. I’m going to fix this," I sob, determination the only thing keeping me from a full breakdown. “Get Bowen here, now! Whoever is responsible for this will die, by my hand!” I vow, vehemently, yelling into the crowd. My mind is racing, trying to grasp at any idea that could save him.

His breathing is shallow and I know I don’t have time to think. Instead, I close my eyes and draw my magic forward. Instead of a slow, steady draw, I yank it forward, forcing every last drop of it to obey. Thanks to the bonding with Bowen, I have extra magic now and I intend to use it. Trying to focus on mending and healing, just like I did the land, I begin pushing every ounce of magic I have into Jacob. The pressure of hands on my shoulders barely register, but when an extra jolt of magic hits me I know it’s Bowen adding his power to mine.

“Pull the knife out. Now. Don’t lose contact with my skin either. Help me save him, he’s my family," I command, my tone sharp and angry but he doesn’t take offense. Bowen’s hand reaches forward and grips the dagger, before he gives one hard yank. The dagger wrenches free with a wet, squelching sound, before blood starts to pour from the wound. I put more pressure on it than before and Jacob spasms under me, the pain likely unbearable.

Tuning out the world around me, I continue to cover the wound with my hand. My magic never wavers, flowing like an extension of myself. Internally I beg the Spirits of Faerie to help me heal him. I’m so focused, I barely register as Emrick joins me, adding his magic to mine.

His wound isn’t healing, the blood still flowing freely, so I switch tactics. This time I envision his skin and tissue knitting closed and his internal damage mending, going layer by layer. My magic obeys, but my supply is nearly exhausted. Blackness dances in my vision and my body sways, but still I refuse to back down. Giving up means losing him and that’s not an option.

“Bowen, Maddox, Gerwyn, push your magic into me," I beg desperately, sobs following my pleas. Jacob’s breathing is now so shallow I can hardly see it and I’m afraid the battle is almost over. Blood starts to drip from his ears and a fresh surge of panic wells up in me, yanking me out of the grief pulling me under its wing. As I watch in fascinated horror, I push my healing magic into him with renewed vigor.

Soon my knights’ magic supply is also waning, so Bo yells out to the crowd. “Find more healers, now. We need more magic. Your queen needs your help. Go!” I hear the pounding of footsteps as I start shaking, my magic on its final leg. My eyes drift close as my body starts to shut down, but I fight the darkness with everything I have. The sight of my blood covered, pale best friend enough to keep me fighting until I absolutely can’t go on.

I open my eyes to check his breathing. It’s still extremely shallow, but steadier than before and hope starts to bloom, chasing away the darkness.

“Stay with me, Jacob. You can’t leave me, you can’t leave me," I continue to push what little essence I have, into him, but I’m dangerously close to passing out. My voice is raspy with tears and desperation.

An unfamiliar voice breaks my concentration. “Our healing hands are yours, my queen.” I look up to find two fae women. I nod my thanks, unable to muster more words and from the worried look in their eyes they knew how far I’d pushed myself.

“Send your magic into me, and I’ll continue to heal him," I command. I feel the wave of healing magic, the extra jolt giving me a bit of energy. Perking up, I continue working on knitting the angry wound since it had yielded the best results.

My eyes drifted over his face, the skin a sickly shade of blue now and the blood surrounding him in an angry pool. He’d always been my rock, my strength, and seeing him like this was tearing my soul to pieces. Tears slide down my face as I continued to beg him to fight.

“Jacob!” I hear Andras’ distressed voice and cry even harder. He loves Jacob so much already. He collapses next to me, pulling Jacob’s head into his lap. He brushed the hair out of Jacobs eyes and strokes his face, not caring that he’ll be covered in blood too. “I love you, my Jacob. Please don’t leave me. I’ve never met anyone quite like you. The realm would be a sad place without you and I’m not sure I could go on. Please keep fighting, love. Please,” he continues to whisper to Jacob in a calming voice, our melancholy chants the only sound in the entire land.

With one final surge, I feel the last of the magic leave me, and I feel oddly empty without its presence.

“I’m sorry if I failed you Jacob, I have nothing left," I murmur as I fall face first into him and the world goes black.

Epilogue

Exhaustion. Pain. Emptiness. My entire being feels hollow and cold as I regain consciousness. The feeling is a testament to how much magic I’d used in an attempt to keep my best friend alive. I’m awake enough now to open my eyes, but I mentally can’t just yet. The idea of facing a world without Jacob in it, is something I’m not sure I can do.

“Bella baby. Are you awake? Please open your eyes. I need to know you’re going to be alright," Maddox’s voice sounds desperate. My face twitches, but opening my eyes is nearly impossible. My eyelids feel so heavy that it takes everything I have to peel them open.

“Jacob?” I ask in a wavering, quiet voice. Depleting my magic was even harder on my body than I anticipated. My entire body is sore, but it’s nothing compared to the hole forming in my chest. Maddox lets out a choked sob at my words and leans forward to hold me. My panic surges at his reaction, knowing it can only mean one thing.

“You’re awake, we were so worried you wouldn’t wake up after that. You’ve been out for days. Thank the Spirits, Bella," he chokes out, actual tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Jacob?” I repeat in a slightly stronger voice, desperately needing to know.

“I can’t say that he’s fine, but he will live.” My eyes grow wide at his admission. Is my Jacob paralyzed? A vegetable? What did I do?

Maddox must have noticed my horror and shakes his head before I can spiral too far down a pit of despair. “He’s going to be more than okay. Promise." I sigh heavily in relief, but now I need to see him for myself to really believe it. The last image I had of him was lying on the floor in a pool of blood, the light slowly draining from his eyes.