Chapter 139: Collapsed
"I don’t know," Ava whispered, her eyes dazed as she collapsed.
Zoe’s training kicked in, terror folding itself into action. She was by Ava’s side in an instant, trying to keep her upright, panic flooding her throat. Her vision began to blur too. Her limbs turned sluggish. Her heart stuttered. The room suddenly felt too tight.
She looked around and noticed the store attendant was on the floor in the corner passed out already.
She was about to call out, scream maybe, when the door to the boutique creaked open and Nolan stumbled in.
"Run..." he rasped, and Zoe’s blood turned to ice.
There was a silver stake driven straight through his chest. Blood dripped from his mouth.
"Save Ava," he choked out before collapsing in a heap on the boutique floor.
"Nolan!" she shouted as she scrambled to her feet. No. No time for grief. Later. She could scream and break down later. Right now, she needed to act.
She drew on every ounce of strength she’d ever cultivated. She could feel the magic trying to crush her, an invisible force creeping through the boutique. But she pushed through it, because that’s what warriors do. And Ava needed her.
Zoe crouched, sliding her arms under Ava’s limp body. "Come on, Luna," she whispered, "don’t you dare quit on me. You still have a wedding to plan."
She struggled to her feet, legs wobbling. Then the boutique door creaked open again.