Chapter 9

NINE

My heart hurts.

I’ve lost the only woman I have ever loved, and more than that, I couldn’t even save her sister for her. The one time she actually needed me, I couldn’t do anything, but I can save Bert for her. I can and I will. I refuse to let another person she loves die.

It’s the least I can do.

He’s knocked out at the moment. Luckily, he didn’t need surgery, but it’s going to take a long time for him to heal. He’s had two blood transfusions, and I’ll keep him sedated for a while to make sure he doesn’t spring up and hurt himself more.

Scrubbing my hands of the blood, I hang my head as tears fill my eyes.

Her screams echo in my brain.

God, I saw the moment she broke and actually felt it in my soul. Tied to the chair, I could do nothing but watch the love of my life lose everything, shut down, and give up. I hated the defeated expression she wore. I hated the fact that she was struggling to even breathe and talk.

Even then, though, she protected us and made a deal to keep us alive.

She should have let him kill us because living without her is not possible.

The only thing that is worse is knowing she’s out there somewhere, all alone and hurting. I failed her. I failed them all. I should have seen this coming when they knocked me out, but I did nothing. I let Bert get hurt. I let them kill the sister of the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, and then I let her leave.

That moment haunts me as I finally break. Sobs rack my body as I remember the dead look in her eyes as Ana’s blood coated her cheek and hands.

She looked weak and raw—not words I would ever use to describe Nova.

Now, she’s with him, the man willing to kill one daughter and hurt the other, and she’s all alone and hurting. Yet here I am, feeling sorry for myself. I smash my fist into the wall, and the throb of pain cuts through my self-pity.

It feels good, so I do it again and again.

Even as my knuckles split and my bones crack, I keep on hitting the wall, letting it all out until I fall to my ass, cradling my broken hand. My heart hurts as I pray the others have found her and that they are coping better than I am.

Usually, I’m the one in control, helping and containing them, but not now.

Not this time. I cannot even think clearly.

When they come back empty-handed, I know we failed. One look at their heartbroken expressions and I know we’ve lost her.

“He took her on a plane,” Dimitri says where we stand in the foyer, covered in blood. “We will find her. I’m going to right now.” He rushes away, no doubt heading to his laptop. I turn to track him when my eyes catch on Ana’s and Sam’s bodies curled around one another.

Sharp, piercing agony rips through my chest for everything my girl has lost.

“We should bury Ana,” I whisper. “It’s not right that she’s lying there. We should put her to rest and give her peace. Nova would want that and a place where she can go to see her sister.”

“We will,” Louis replies softly. “We’ll bury them both.”

“Together. They’d like that, I think,” I say.

“Together.” He squeezes my hand.

* * *

NICO

I need to keep it together for the others because they are falling apart. Guilt, agony, and stress wreck them. I have to be strong.

Jonas and I dig the graves. We picked a spot under a big apple tree we think Nova would like. I take Ana into my arms and carefully carry her over as Jonas holds Sam. Bert drags himself out front as we bury them, knowing we can’t call the police or offer them a proper burial without drawing too much attention to ourselves.

We can do this, however, for our girl.

Once they are in the ground, we silently cover them up, and then Bert clears his throat. “We should say something.” Tears stream steadily down his face as he stares at the side-by-side graves.

“Miss Ana . . . She was a force to be reckoned with. She was kind, funny, and very talented. When she was a kid, she would come up with the most profound things, and I knew she was going to change the world.” He hiccups but straightens with purpose. “She saved me, an old man with nothing to live for. Those two girls became my world. I watched her grow into an incredible woman who was so kind, generous, smart, and determined, but she was aching. She missed her sister. I never saw her happier than when she got Miss Nova back. They were always destined to be at each other’s side. Without her, there will be a hole. I’m so glad I got to see you grow up, Miss Ana, and fall in love and stand for what you believe in. I’m so very proud of you. I have loved you since the moment you took my hand and declared us friends when you were four years old, and I will love you until the moment I lie in the ground at your side. I will find your sister, our Nova, and I will bring her home. I will uphold your dying wish. I hope that in the next life, you find the peace and happiness you deserve with Sam, Miss Ana, and now I will wait for the day when I pass on and into your waiting arms.”

I know we all wear matching expressions of pain. We barely knew Ana, but we know how much Nova loved her. Stepping forward, I clear my throat. I hate speaking, I hate being vulnerable, but for my girl, I will. She can’t be here to offer peace to her sister, so I will do it for her, and when she comes home, she can say her goodbyes and I will be there to catch her.

“Nova loved Ana more than anything in the world. Everything she ever did was for her sister, to keep her safe and give her a chance at a normal life. I never knew what true love was until I saw them together.”

Bert starts to sob, and Jonas catches him, holding him as he cries.

“I will never forgive myself for failing you, Ana, or your sister, but your death will not be in vain. I promise you that. We will make them pay, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to heal your sister’s broken heart with every ounce of love inside me. We can never fill the hole you have left, but we will keep her happy and loved until you two meet again.”

“The world is a cruel place,” Dimitri says. “I hope now you have peace. If you can hear me, find a man named Bas. He will love and protect you, and when our time comes, we will meet you both on the other side.”

“Love lives on in those who love you, who outlive you. I know Nova will never let your love or your life fade, Ana,” Isaac adds softly.

Jonas nods. “I’m sorry we couldn’t save you, but we will save her.”

“Together,” Louis adds.

We stand around her grave, each saying our goodbyes and offering her our hopes and apologies until, with a wince, Bert gently lays a flower on each of the graves. “I will stay here with you until the very end,” he vows, and then he lets Jonas lead him back to the house.

“We need to find her,” I say as I watch them go. “We all know what he’s doing to her right this moment.” I focus on Dimitri. “Find her.” I stomp off, needing a moment to hide the tears in my eyes, the horror in my soul, and the fear that I have lost the love of my life.