The Spark_What does death feel like?

by R. Mason

  “We need to go,” Leon was already walking away, but Dylan shook his head, and he stopped.

  “There has to be another way,” He said, “You don’t have to die.”

  “I did this,” Volkov’s voice was quiet, and ashamed. Faye wondered how long he had been under Kamini’s thumb, if he really had been taken from his home, “I can undo it.”

  “Volkov-”

  “Go, Dylan,” Volkov sighed, “This is what Grace would have wanted. I can be with her now.”

  Faye wanted to ask who Grace was, and what she had to do with the situation right now, but Dylan nodded like he understood. He looked at Faye, then the empty space where Leon was.

  “Let’s go,” It sounded like it pained him to say it, but Faye nodded. This didn’t need to be harder than it already was. Dylan looked to Leon, who blinked at him like he didn’t quite know what was going on. He frowned, and Dylan looked like he was trying to read him.

  Finally, Leon seemed to settle on a small smile, took off Faye’s hoodie, and turned. He ran back the way Dylan came, and Faye scooped up her jacket, trying not to think about where it had just been.

  “Come on, Ace.”

  “Quickly now,” Volkov was rubbing his hands together, creating sparks of light, “She is about to go off, and you want to be far away.”

  “This way,” Dylan pointed to where he had come from, “We can steal their van,” Faye ran forwards, and heard Dylan and Volkov’s passing words as she did, “Thank you, Volkov. Grace would be proud.”

  “She would be proud of you, too.”

  Then they were running.

  Amethyst was ahead, growling her way through the forest. They went through a clearing Faye didn’t think anything of, but Amethyst stopped. She was staring down at something.

  “Harper,” Dylan said quietly, his expression pained. Amethyst looked up at him, as if asking a question. Faye knew what she meant.

  “Do you want to bring him with us?” Faye asked, her voice gentle. She wasn’t good with feelings, not with people she wasn’t close to, but she and Dylan had been through a lot. She had kind of grown fond of the kid.

  “He doesn’t deserve anything good,” Dylan said, swallowing, “But he doesn’t deserve to die either.”

  That being all the permission she needed, Amethyst bit onto Harper’s wrist and pulled him off the ground. She seemed to be struggling, so both Dylan and Harper helped her get him on her back, and then they were running again.

  Eventually they got out of the woods, and saw a van.

  “Here!” Faye yelled, pointing at it.

  Thankfully, it was unlocked, and Dylan hotwired it while Amethyst limped into the back of it, dropping Harper unceremoniously, and sitting so she could watch him. Faye gave her one last worried look before slamming the doors closed behind her, and climbing into the front with Dylan.

  “You have a lot of hidden talents,” She said as the engine sparked to life, “Ready?”

  “Ready,” Dylan yanked on the breaks and the van lurched forward, when it was meant to reverse.

  “Do you know how to drive?”

  “Kind of,” Dylan shrugged, smiling, then eventually found his footing, and pulled them out of the clearing. He floored it, racing through the empty streets in the opposite direction of the town.

  They had no idea who would die and who would live. They didn’t even know if they were going to survive. All they knew was that they had to get as far away as possible, as quickly as possible. And, goddammit, that was exactly what they were going to do.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  The thing Amethyst woke up on was hard and uncomfortable. She rolled over and felt her leg rub against something hard. Opening her eyes, she looked down to see that it was a crowbar. Why was there a crowbar in her room? She sat up quickly, looking around, and saw that she wasn’t in her room at all.

  She was in the back of a van.

  Then, something that had never happened before, happened. Her memories came flooding back from the night before.

  The turn, killing Kamini, another wolf helping her, Kamini’s body pulsing and the ground shaking, Volkov sacrificing herself, saving Harper, and running. So much running.

  There was another moment, when Amethyt was overcome with longing and fondness for the woman that had tried to destroy her town. Something happened when she bit into her neck. There was a connection she couldn’t explain.

  Suddenly, it had felt like Amethyst had a duty to give her peace, to tell her that everything was going to be okay. She knew then why she reminded Kamini of Ayita, she had seen it all.

  And Faye.

  Faye telling her she loved her, that she always had.

  That happened.

  She wanted to get up, find the girl, and kiss the living daylights out of her, but she was naked. And she didn’t know where they were parked if they were parked at all. She looked around again and saw a bag by the doors. A bag full of clothes.

  Thank God.

  She pulled on the hoodie and underwear, then relished in the softness of the tracky bottoms when she pulled them up her legs. There were no shoes or socks, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

  Deeming herself decent, Amethyst climbed out of the van and looked around. They were parked on a country road, a field on front of them, and another behind on the other side of the road. Searching for the others, Amethyst hopped over the stile and spotted them under a tree a few metres away.

  “Hey,” She announced her presence and flopped down beside Faye. There was a beautiful view of the rolling hills of the Yorkshire dales, and Amethyst sighed. They were alive. She looked sideways at Faye.

  “Hey,” She looked tired, and her face was still splattered with spots of berry juice. She looked calm, though, serene, staring out at the countryside.

  “Are you okay?” Amethyst asked her, and she smiled.

  “How can you ask me that?” She turned, meeting Amethyst’s eyes for the first time that day. It felt like such a relief. Like Amethyst was sure she would never see those eyes again, “You’re the one that has a huge gash down your arm.”

  “I do?” Amethyst’s hand smacked to her arm, and she was surprised by the amount of pain she suddenly realised she was in, “Damn.”

  “Yeah,” Faye’s smile was wonky and didn’t quite reach her eyes, but it was there, which was what was important, “You were pretty banged up. You healed a lot overnight.”

  “Good,” Amethyst, “How bad was it? The damage on the town?”

  “We don’t know,” It was Dylan that replied this time, staring at the stick he was playing with, “We haven’t been back yet. We went straight to Harper’s parents.”

  “What? Why?”

  “To give them their traitor son,” Dylan threw the stick down the hill, “They get to decide what to do with him now.”

  “Do we know why he did what he did?”

  “Because he met Kamini, and she interrogated him for information on the town,” Dylan pursed his lips, “Bit of googling told me her girlfriend was died around the time she started attacking people.” Dylan shrugged, “Harper joined her in the hopes of saving me.”

  “While letting everyone else die,” Amethyst added, because she already knew the rest, and Dylan flinched, staring at the hills.

  “Yeah.”

  “But we’re alive,” Faye rested her head on Amethyst’s shoulder, “That’s what’s important.”

  “I’m gonna go get us some food,” Dylan stood up, brushing off his jeans. He winked at Amethyst before leaving, and she knew he wasn’t hungry. She stared out at the cloudy sky, and thought about how they got here. They survived. They saved everyone.

  “What happened back there? With Kamini, you turned back for a few minutes.”

  “I don’t know,” Amethyst said honestly, “I knew what I had to do, that I had to give her peace. She was driven insane by finding her mate dead,” She looked up and met Faye’s shocked eyes, “She killed herself, Faye, because of assholes that wouldn’t accep
t who they were. Something about the bond and the fact that Kamini found her-”

  “She snapped,” Faye finished the sentence for her.

  “Yeah,” Amethyst closed her eyes, “Just the thought of finding you like that. I couldn’t- I couldn’t do it. I don’t know how I’d react, what I’d do.”

  “I’m not your mate, though,” Faye said, and there was something bitter in her tone. It gave Amethyst the confidence she needed.

  “Speaking of,” Amethyst tentatively reached out to take Faye’s hand. She almost sighed in relief when Faye let her, “You know how I never remember a full moon?”

  “Yeah, your main moonie problem,” Faye’s voice shook, like she was nervous.

  “I remember this one,” Amethyst said, and Faye sat up again, staring at her with wide eyes, “Even if I didn’t, I would remember you kissing me.”

  “I know,” Faye blinked, just staring at Amethyst. She knew that she was meant to make this move. Faye had put herself out there twice the night before, and now it was Amethyst’s turn.

  “You said that you’ve been in love with me since that day,” Amethyst leant closer, and watched as Faye closed her eyes, “I wouldn’t be able to tell you the day I fell in love with you, but I can’t remember a day when I wasn’t.”

  Faye’s grin was blinding, and Amethyst didn't hesitate. She leant in for a sealing kiss, to prove this wasn't a dream, that she wasn't imagining things.

  It was gentle, tentative, but it was the best thing Amethyst had felt since the first time. She tried not to break it up with a smile, but she couldn't help herself. Before she could school herself, Faye was smiling too. They leant apart slightly and rested their foreheads together.

  Staring into those eyes, the only eyes Amethyst ever cared to see again, it was easy to fall even further in love.

  AYITA

  It wasn’t rocket science to figure it out, what she felt. Her eyes fell on the woman from across the room and their entire future was in front of her eyes. It was sweet, sad, deadly. Something pushed her towards the table. The woman was sat with a coffee, a book, and a sour expression.

  She was beautiful.

  Her eyes flicked up when Ayita sat across from her, and she raised her eyebrows.

  This was how it would start.

  Ayita knew it would be wonderful.

  Her wrists stung, but she knew it would all be worth it in the end.

  It would all be okay.

  “Hi,” She tilted her head, a cheesy smile finding its way easily onto her lips, “I’m Ayita.”

  The woman looked confused, but put her book down.

  It seemed almost automatic, the way she smiled back.

  “I’m Kamini.”