Sacrifice of Love (The Grey Wolves #7)(48)

Suddenly laughter filled the air around them as each member of the hunting party suddenly began grasping at their throats. Wheezing and gasping filled the air as Sally and Crina looked on in horror.“STOP! Please STOP!” Sally sobbed.
“You know what must be done,” the voice that had been laughing told her.
And just as quickly as the group had started choking, they stopped. Costin bent forward trying to pull air into his lungs, as did the others.
Peri looked at Sally sternly. “Don’t even think about it.”
The tears in Sally’s eyes began to fall as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a little blue pill. She looked up at everyone and then back at the pill.
“SALLY!” Peri snarled. “Don’t you dare! We will figure this out.”
Sally’s head shook back and forth as she looked at Costin. “He will kill you all and make us stand here and watch. The things he said he would do, they’re horrible.”
“Sally you have to trust me,” Costin pleaded.
“Healer, listen to your wolf,” Peri told her as she finally stood up, able to breathe again. “We can totally kick this guy’s—,” before she could get out the words, Peri was on the ground, screaming in pain. Sally let out a squeak of horror as she watched the fae grip her head. Blood began to pour from her nose and ears, and even from her mouth. Sally knew he was killing her. He would draw it out and make it as horrible as possible while she stood watching. Peri’s body flipped and flopped as her breathing gurgled around the blood. She glanced back at Costin. “I can’t let her die,” she told him. “I can’t; it wouldn’t be right; it’s not right.”
“Sally,” Costin’s voice came out in a desperate plea, but what could he say? Could he tell her to stand there while a friend that she loved died a horrible death? Could he really ask her to live with that?
“He will take you all one by one until one of us gives in,” she told him. She looked over at Crina and gave her a small smile. “It is my duty as your healer. I don’t expect you to sacrifice yourself.”
Peri’s screams became louder and then Sally heard the fae’s words. “Sally! Don’t!” she screamed. But she was too late. Sally had already put the pill in her mouth and swallowed. She waited and let out a deep breath when Peri’s screams of pain stopped but then were replaced by her cussing.
“Dammit Sally! I told you not to! Do you know how long I’ve been alive? Do you have any idea how many centuries I’ve lived on this earth?” Peri tried to walk closer to the healer but just like Costin, she was stuck. “ARGH!” she screamed in utter frustration and rage.
Sally felt herself getting sleepy as her breathing became shallow. She swayed on her feet and tried to lower herself slowly to the ground as her legs weakened. Her eyes met Costin’s as he lowered himself to the ground across from her. He reached out to her, unable to touch her, unable to save her and she cried for him. 
“Sally,” his deep voice cut into her heart and the desperation in it touched her soul. She didn’t want to die; she wasn’t ready to die, but Reyaz had left her no option. She wouldn’t watch her friends die.
“I’m sorry, Costin,” she told him breathlessly. Her lungs were on fire and her brain was becoming fuzzy from the lack of oxygen.
“Shh, baby, don’t talk...it’s okay...it’s okay,” he told her gently. “I know why you did it; I do. I’m just not ready to give you up. I can’t give you up.”
Sally smiled, or tried to. “Stubborn,” she wheezed.
Costin couldn’t smile. He couldn’t do anything other than breathe and that was becoming increasingly difficult. It was as if his own body was responding to what her body was experiencing and, he wished with everything inside of him that he was, that he too was dying. But he knew the bond had been broken, and as her life slipped away, he would be left here without her.
Sally felt herself growing even weaker. “I’m tired Costin,” she whispered to him.
“Lay down, Sally mine, I’m here with you.”
She did as he told her and lay on her side so she could see him. Her breaths were so shallow now; she knew at any second she would take her last. “I love you,” she told him and the words were slurred but she hoped he understood. “I. am. S-s—so glad. You. Were. Mine.” her words were choppy and so soft she wondered if he heard her.
“Am yours, Sally mine, not were. I am yours in life and in death and you are mine,” he told her, “And I will join you very soon, my love.”
Sally wanted to tell him no, she wanted to tell him to live, to find love again but she was out of time. She saw his incredibly handsome face move closer and caught his scent just as death took her.
Costin gathered her into his arms as the force that had been holding him in place let go. He wanted to scream, to maim, and kill. Most of all, he wanted his mate back. He buried his face in her neck and breathed deeply, taking her scent deep in his lungs. His chest ached as he tried to hold himself together and when he heard Jacque’s hysterical screams he nearly lost it. He knew she would want to see her friend and would want to hold her, but he wasn’t ready to let her go, couldn’t let her go, not yet, and maybe not ever. His time with her had been so very short. There was still so much they hadn’t experienced together and so many things left to do and say, and yet one little pill and the evil heart of one man had ripped her from him.
Jacque couldn’t believe what had just happened. In fact, she was waiting for herself to wake up and for all of this to be some horrific dream that she could tell the girls about over hot chocolate. But there would be no more hot chocolate, not without Sally, not ever again. She watched as Costin rocked her best friend in his arms and her heart broke right along with his. She felt Fane’s arms come around her and even without the bond she felt his love engulf her and knew that he ached for her and would take all of her pain if he could. Her mind flashed to Jen and she felt tears well up in her eyes. This would break Jen. Sally may have meant the world to her, but Jen had a different sort of bond with Sally. Jacque didn’t even know if Jen was aware of it, but Sally was what kept Jen grounded. Sally was to Jen what a tornado shelter was to those who needed a safe place to run to in the storms of life and now she was gone. Jacque felt her knees go weak and knew that if Fane’s arms hadn’t been around her, she would have crumbled to the ground like a house of cards. She heard Fane’s voice in her ear, but she couldn’t discern what he was saying. Her mind was too much of a mess. Her heart hurt for the death of her mother-in-law, but something inside of her died right along with Sally and she didn’t know if it would ever live again.“We must continue,” Decebel finally spoke up. “I mourn the death of our little healer, but there are the others who still need us and we must find the strength to go on.”
“I can’t leave her,” Costin’s voice was hoarse and he sounded completely defeated.
“She won’t be alone,” Jacque spoke up, “I will stay with her.”
“Jacquelyn,” Fane began, but was cut off when she pushed away from him whipping around at the same time to face him.
“I’m staying Fane. I won’t leave her here in this forsaken place alone. You all go on and finish this and kill that bastard who took from me what is mine! Then you come back for us.” Jacque’s jaw was set and it was obvious that it would take an army to get her away from Sally. She walked over to Costin and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Costin, I’ve got her, honey. I’ll watch her. You go and do what you know she would want you to.” She waited silently for him to respond to her.
He nodded his head and kissed Sally one more time. Jacque sat down and opened her arms for him to lay Sally’s head in her lap. He did so gently and then looked into Jacque’s eyes with his glowing ones. “Thank you,” he told her simply. Jacque bit the inside of her cheek to keep from sobbing. She gave him a short nod. As he stepped away Fane replaced him and knelt down in front of her.
“I love you,” he told her, “you have no idea how hard it is for me to leave you here.”
“Yes I do,” she said, “but part of loving each other is letting go when we have to. I’ll be here waiting for you. I love you, Fane Lupei.”
He leaned forward and kissed her being careful of Sally’s still form, and then stood. Jacque watched as they began to move back into the forest. Peri was still standing there after everyone else had already moved on. Jacque looked up at the fae and saw that Peri had tears running down her cheeks. She didn’t know if she could remember a time Peri had ever cried, at least not in front of her.
“She shouldn’t have done it,” Peri said. “Not for me.”
“You know her well enough to know that she wouldn’t let a fly die for her, not if she could stop it,” Jacque said.
“I should have been able to stop him. I should have been able to stop this.”
“Peri,” Jacque nearly growled, “you are not all powerful. You can’t prevent the death of every person you love, no matter how badly you want to.”
“Perhaps not, but I can sure as hell die trying.”