happily. I smiled back through my tears, squeezing his hand as if I could anchor his soul to the world by sheer willpower.
“I saw ... ” His smile drooped. “I must tell you. Something . . . is out there.”
“Theo, don’t talk,” I whispered. A tear slipped loose and trickled down the side of my nose. “Save your strength.”
“Did you see it?” he groaned. “A spirit, perhaps, come for this old sou l... So beautiful, so strange. All silver, like the moon . . .” He shut his eyes.
“Theo!” I shook him very gently, wild with terror. “Theo, come back!”
He grunted and his eyelids lifted just slightly, eyes staring up at the darkening sky. “The hunter becomes hunted. Keep watch, Tu!um-sa
.
Watch for silver eyes. The lion is hunting. . . .”
He coughed once, then sighed a long, long breath, his eyelids falling shut, his facial muscles slackening.
Just like that, he slipped away.
“Theo? No, no,
no.
Theo, look at me!” Wildly, I patted his cheeks, called his name, tried to shake him from his stillness. I pressed my head to his chest and felt a jolt of alarm when I could not hear his heartbeat. “Theo! Wake up!”
“Sarah . . .” I looked up to see Sam and the others standing over me, their expressions shocked and horrified. Kase cursed while Miranda went white as a sheet. Sam knelt beside Theo. “Oh God, Sarah. I’m so sorry.”
“He’s just unconscious,” I insisted.
Sam glanced up at me, and I refused to read what was written in his eyes. He held his fingers to Theo’s neck, then his wrist.
“Sarah—”
“No.” I looked away, my jaw set. “No, no,
no
. He needs a doctor. Avani?”
She backed away from my pleading look, averting her eyes. Sam just stared at me, full of sadness.
“Don’t look at me that way!” I snapped. “Here, let me do it!”
I began pumping Theo’s chest with my hands. His blood was slick and warm beneath my fingers. I breathed into his mouth, pumped his chest, breathed, pumped, breathed, pumped. . .
Finally Sam pulled me away. I fought him, struggling to get back to Theo.
“Sarah! Sarah, stop! He’s gone; there’s nothing you can do. It’s over, Sarah,
please. . . .”
“I have to try!”
He took my face in his hands and pierced me with his gaze. “You can’t save him. It’s too late.”
I went perfectly still, my face burning under his palms. His hands slid down to my arms, holding me upright. His eyes were uncertain and watchful, as if he couldn’t predict what I’d do next. I slumped forward, falling against him. Tears leaked from my eyes but I couldn’t feel them; my skin had gone numb.
“He’s dead,” I said tonelessly.
Despite his silence, I could hear Sam’s heart hammering at his ribs. Why was he so warm, while Theo was turning so cold? So still? So . . .
lifeless
?
“Are you okay?” Sam asked, looking at me as warily as if I were standing on a bridge about to jump.
“No.” The question made me angry. “How the hell could I be okay? What about this is remotely okay?”
“Sarah—”
“What do you want, anyway?” I demanded. I felt as if the top of my head were lifting off and steam were pouring out of my skull. “You’re always following me, always asking questions—what is your problem?”
“I just—”
“Shut up!” I screamed, jumping to my feet, Sam quickly rising with me. “He’s
dead
!
Theo is dead
!”
I began sobbing and grabbing fistfuls of my hair, as if I could pull the pain out of my head. Sam gripped my wrists and held them so tightly that my fingers tingled. He twisted my arms away from my face as I thrashed, kicked, and sobbed. He managed to spin me around while keeping a grip on my hands and held me tight against his chest with my arms crossed in front of me, a human straightjacket preventing me from harming myself or him. My knees gave out and I sagged; Sam knelt with me, still holding me tight, staying silent as I hurled curses at him, not caring if I sounded
“I saw ... ” His smile drooped. “I must tell you. Something . . . is out there.”
“Theo, don’t talk,” I whispered. A tear slipped loose and trickled down the side of my nose. “Save your strength.”
“Did you see it?” he groaned. “A spirit, perhaps, come for this old sou l... So beautiful, so strange. All silver, like the moon . . .” He shut his eyes.
“Theo!” I shook him very gently, wild with terror. “Theo, come back!”
He grunted and his eyelids lifted just slightly, eyes staring up at the darkening sky. “The hunter becomes hunted. Keep watch, Tu!um-sa
.
Watch for silver eyes. The lion is hunting. . . .”
He coughed once, then sighed a long, long breath, his eyelids falling shut, his facial muscles slackening.
Just like that, he slipped away.
“Theo? No, no,
no.
Theo, look at me!” Wildly, I patted his cheeks, called his name, tried to shake him from his stillness. I pressed my head to his chest and felt a jolt of alarm when I could not hear his heartbeat. “Theo! Wake up!”
“Sarah . . .” I looked up to see Sam and the others standing over me, their expressions shocked and horrified. Kase cursed while Miranda went white as a sheet. Sam knelt beside Theo. “Oh God, Sarah. I’m so sorry.”
“He’s just unconscious,” I insisted.
Sam glanced up at me, and I refused to read what was written in his eyes. He held his fingers to Theo’s neck, then his wrist.
“Sarah—”
“No.” I looked away, my jaw set. “No, no,
no
. He needs a doctor. Avani?”
She backed away from my pleading look, averting her eyes. Sam just stared at me, full of sadness.
“Don’t look at me that way!” I snapped. “Here, let me do it!”
I began pumping Theo’s chest with my hands. His blood was slick and warm beneath my fingers. I breathed into his mouth, pumped his chest, breathed, pumped, breathed, pumped. . .
Finally Sam pulled me away. I fought him, struggling to get back to Theo.
“Sarah! Sarah, stop! He’s gone; there’s nothing you can do. It’s over, Sarah,
please. . . .”
“I have to try!”
He took my face in his hands and pierced me with his gaze. “You can’t save him. It’s too late.”
I went perfectly still, my face burning under his palms. His hands slid down to my arms, holding me upright. His eyes were uncertain and watchful, as if he couldn’t predict what I’d do next. I slumped forward, falling against him. Tears leaked from my eyes but I couldn’t feel them; my skin had gone numb.
“He’s dead,” I said tonelessly.
Despite his silence, I could hear Sam’s heart hammering at his ribs. Why was he so warm, while Theo was turning so cold? So still? So . . .
lifeless
?
“Are you okay?” Sam asked, looking at me as warily as if I were standing on a bridge about to jump.
“No.” The question made me angry. “How the hell could I be okay? What about this is remotely okay?”
“Sarah—”
“What do you want, anyway?” I demanded. I felt as if the top of my head were lifting off and steam were pouring out of my skull. “You’re always following me, always asking questions—what is your problem?”
“I just—”
“Shut up!” I screamed, jumping to my feet, Sam quickly rising with me. “He’s
dead
!
Theo is dead
!”
I began sobbing and grabbing fistfuls of my hair, as if I could pull the pain out of my head. Sam gripped my wrists and held them so tightly that my fingers tingled. He twisted my arms away from my face as I thrashed, kicked, and sobbed. He managed to spin me around while keeping a grip on my hands and held me tight against his chest with my arms crossed in front of me, a human straightjacket preventing me from harming myself or him. My knees gave out and I sagged; Sam knelt with me, still holding me tight, staying silent as I hurled curses at him, not caring if I sounded
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