A few hours later, Chris woke up, sore and disoriented, and had a piece of glass pressed into his cheek. He quickly realized the nightmare didn't end when his eyes opened. For some reason, though, he woke up with a clearer head and a cleaner conscience. He had made mistakes and behaved regrettably in so many ways, but evil pulled his strings at every crossroad.

Chris sat up, dusted off the shards, and attempted to rub some life into his face. Then he finished cleaning Cassie's old room. While doing so, he had a renewed sense of purpose. He knew what he had to do and would do it before anyone had the chance to talk him out of it.

After flinging the pillowcase full of broken glass into the West River, he left the room, shutting the unlocked door behind him.

With the candle in hand, he climbed down stairwell after stairwell until he returned to the spot where he had last seen his father—the balcony overlooking the Hall of Crystal. He was one turn and a hallway away. 

He closed in on Cassie's chamber, bracing himself for bad news, expecting to see blood everywhere, dirty medical instruments littered about, or worse, an empty bed.

But that was not the case. When he opened the door, white was the color that captured his eye. Her sheets were new, her bandages looked fresh, and she was no longer wearing the nightmarish gray dress that embodied all of her pain and suffering. In her white nightgown, she glowed with purity, like a sleeping angel. Most importantly, she was alive.

Chris's eyes shifted to his kid brother, asleep in a chair beside her with one hand wrapped around hers, his hair hopelessly disoriented. Chris was reminded of better times—those carefree childhood days when he and Joe had fought over things like a new toy or their mother's attention.

They'd definitely had their differences, both before and after Andromeda had reunited them. And they'd exchanged some hurtful words. They also shared a lot of laughs and were there for each other when it counted most. Deep down, they loved each other. And Chris hoped it would always be that way.

Chris wanted him to remain at peace, so he walked with a light step to the other side of Cassie's bed and took a seat in the other chair. A few minutes later, Joe's elbow slipped off the bed. He woke up with a jolt, stretched, rubbed his eyes, and smiled. "Hey, you're back!" he said while yawning.

"You always were the observant one, weren't you?" Chris replied dryly.

Joe chuckled with one eye squinted. "And you seem light years better."

"I am. You?"

"Hanging in. Things got more interesting once you left, but she's hanging in there, too."

"Glad to hear. And good job last night. Sorry I was in no place to appreciate it."

"Uh, thanks?" Joe said, both eyes now squinted in suspicious amusement. He had to be wondering what the catch was, but he never asked. His growling stomach cut in. "Hey, it feels like eons have passed since I've had a decent meal. If I find something edible in this place, do you want me to bring you back something?"

"No, I'm cool."

Joe shrugged and rose from his chair. "Okay then." 

"Good-bye, Joe." 

"Good-bye? I'll be back in ten minutes."

Joe went into the hall without looking back. He didn't pick up on Chris's sincerity, and Chris believed that might be for the best.

When Chris touched Cassie's cold, limp hand, his better mood vanished. With a shaky sigh, he interlaced her fingers between his. "See? You did make it through the night. That means, surprisingly enough, I wasn't being completely irrational last night. You are a fighter. Don't let anybody ever tell you otherwise." 

Attempting to keep things light for her sake wasn't easy. He wanted more than anything to hear her tinkling, utterly magical laugh again.

He spent a few moments staring at her restful face, trying to will her back to consciousness. "I'm not sure you can even hear me. Can you?"

Silence.

"That's okay. I'd be giving me the silent treatment right now if I were you. I definitely deserve it. I'll pretend you're awake anyway, because there's a lot I need to get off my chest before I go. If you don't hear my words, maybe you'll feel them like you always could. It's worth a try, right?

Her exhale made a slight squeak. He took that as a yes.

"First, I want to thank you. Thanks for taking a chance on us. We owe you our lives, me more than anyone. The final score is four to three, in your favor, by the way. Just thought you should know. And I wish I'd gotten a chance to tell you how much the past couple of weeks have meant to me. The truth is, I've learned so much from you. You've lived through such a nightmare. No one ever gave you love or taught you how to use it, but for some reason your heart bubbles over with it. I still don't know why you chose to share some of that love with me. Thanks for seeing something in me that was worthy of your affection.

"No, no, don't get up. I'm not finished yet. There's more. I am well aware that I owe you the biggest apology in the history of apologies. . . ." Chris kissed her cold fingertips. "I am so sorry for how I treated you. I will never forgive myself if you die in my place. That blade was meant for me. Like me, you are reckless and impulsive, but, unlike me, you are also completely selfless. And you once called me brave. Ha! You were wrong. Because you're the brave one, the bravest soul I've ever met, and I hope someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me. And know that I'm out there somewhere doing whatever it takes to make your mother pay for this. And that . . . that. . ." He took in a breath, pressurized it to the point that it was dangerously explosive. "There aren't words suitable for your ears that could describe the fairy who hurt you or what I would like to do to him. I intend to take care of him. That, I promise.

"Well, Cass, I have to go." The resolve in his voice abandoned him as his whole head seemed to fill with tears. "But I know I'm leaving you in good hands. Wake up soon and get well . . . please," he muttered with a sniffle. "Someone needs to make sure Joe behaves himself. I will never forget you, not even for a moment, and I hope you find all the happiness you deserve."

Even as she teetered on the edge of death, her beauty and aura drew him in once again. His lips first touched her pale forehead. Then they drifted down and shared with her a good-bye kiss.

Chris withdrew from her lips. His head hovered over hers. He watched, waited. He listened breathlessly for some change in her. When nothing happened, he stepped away.

He nodded, in acceptance and defeat. She didn't love him, couldn't forgive him, or perhaps she was just too far gone. Whatever the reason, in his kiss there was no magic.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cassie lay there in a deep, dark sleep, barely breathing. Her body remained still, yet her mind's eye saw Chris walking away. No one tried to stop him. No one even noticed.

He pushed open the palace doors, hurried past the front gate, and charged out of Pyxis without looking back.

It was the brutal end of a bad dream.

Her eyes cracked open. "Chris, are you there?" she tried to call out, but it came out as little more than a whisper.

She struggled to lift her head for a better look, but the pain held her back, like shackles. She had never felt weaker, emptier, or more alone. That's how she knew, even though no one was around to tell her, that Chris was gone.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Chris emerged from the caves of Pyxis, he faced the frigid winter wind. And yet for some reason, he did not feel cold. Even though it was early morning in the far north, he closed his eyes and felt the sun.

He took a moment to think of his loved ones—those lost and those who remained. They were the reason he still had the will to live on. They were worth fighting for. Worth dying for.

Above all, he thought of what it would be like if Cassie were standing in his arms, alive and well, the sun lighting up their faces, warming their hearts, bonding their souls.

A nagging thought lingered that she would never be able to forgive him even if he begged, groveled on his knees, and admitted he was as dense as lead. But then her song drifted through him, the lyrics and melody he thought he had forgotten. And that's how he knew, wherever her consciousness resided, that she wished him well, sent her love, and blessed him with the courage, strength, and prudence he would need for the next phase of his journey.

Good-bye until the day

when flesh is warm no longer.

Meet me on the other side,

where love will make us stronger.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Whitley. More than life.

~

"To touch something real

Will help your wounds heal

Like the sun on your face

The dreams of starry nights"

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⭐️END OF BOOK I⭐️

❤️Thank you for completing Winter's Bite. It means a lot to me.❤️

And great news! The Rising Star, Book II, is complete on Wattpad for the first time ever and The Son of Grace, Book III, is now posting!

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