CHAPTER 52

Helena's pov

I dropped the pieces into the puddle, instantly, the ink began to bleed and Jarett’s words washed away.

“The oath says one dies,” I said. “It doesn’t say when. So I’m buying time. And while I buy it, I’m going to figure out how to break it.”

Maren stared at me, for a second I thought she’d lunge. Instead, she laughed softly and brokenly.

“You sound like him,” she said.

“I learned from him.” I replied.

She turned and walked to the edge of the bridge.

“This isn’t over,” she said over her shoulder. “Midnight comes every night, Helena.”

“Then I’ll be ready every night,” I said.

She jumped onto the lower walkway, and then she was running, barefoot into the dark.

I stood there until my legs shook. Then I turned back around and started heading back to the hospital.

In forty minutes, I was back in the hospital and in Jaretts ward.

Jarett was already awake. The black at his jaw was becoming lighter.

“You’re back,” he said.

“I’m back,” I said and took his hand.

“Tell me what happened?”

“I made a choice,” I said. “I chose us and tore up the photo.”

He let out a breath he’d been holding. “Good.”

The machines kept beeping, the rain finally stopped outside

Then I laid my head on Jarett’s bed and didn’t let go.

I didn’t let go of Jarett’s hand until a nurse came in and said, “Visiting hours are technically over, but…” She looked at the monitors, at the black under his jaw that was fading to gray, and sighed. “Ten more minutes.”

The nurse came back. “I mean it this time, sweetheart.”

I stood. Kissed his knuckles through Grandma’s scarf. The blood had dried darker now.

“I’ll be in the waiting room,” I whispered. “Scream if you need me.”

“I will,” he said. “Loudly.”

***************

The waiting room was empty except for a TV playing a hockey replay with no sound and Dell.

He was in the corner chair, his tie loosened and holding two coffees.

“You look like hell,” he said, pushing one toward me.

“You look worse.”

I sat but I didn’t drink it immediately.

“She ran away,” I said.

“I know.” He’d been watching the bridge cameras. “Down to the service walkway. Then into the rail yard.”

“Is she truly gone?” I asked him.

“For now.” He rubbed his face. “Helena. You shouldn’t have torn the photo.”

“Why? Because it made her mad?”

“Because the photo was proof.” Dell leaned forward. “Pack law. That picture with his handwriting? That was a contract. You destroyed the contract.”

My stomach dropped. “So?”

“So now she can claim you broke it first. Which means she doesn’t have to wait for midnight. She can come anytime.”

The coffee in my hand was already going cold.

“Dell. You said midnight. You said rules.”

“I lied,” he said flatly. “To get you to go and get her to show herself.”

“You used me as bait.”

“I used you to keep him alive.” He met my eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. You think I like this?.”

We sat in silence for a long while.

“What do we do now?” I asked.

“We go home,” Dell said. “We lock the doors. And we figure out how to kill an oath without killing each other.”

********

My apartment didn’t feel like mine anymore. Dell had come back home with me.

The lights were off and my bed was still cold on Jarett's side.

Dell checked every room, including the closets, the shower and under the bed.

“Everywhere is clear,” he said. “For now at least.”

“Don’t say ‘for now’ like that.”

“It’s what I got,” he replied.

I went to the kitchen and made tea I didn’t even drink. Dell sat at the table, flipping through his phone.

“Pack records,” he muttered. “There’s gotta be a way out of a blood oath. There has to be.”

“What kind of oath is it?” I asked.

“The old kind. Pre-law. Before we had alphas and councils. Back when it was just promises and blood.” He looked up. “It’s not just ‘you owe me.’ It’s ‘you bound your life to mine.’ When Jarett said ‘I won’t love anyone but pack,’ he tied himself to Maren. When he fell in love with you, the oath saw it as betrayal. So it demands payment.”

“Can we pay it with something else? Money? A fight?”

Dell shook his head. “It wants life. Either hers, or yours, or his.”

“And if we refuse?”

“Then it takes all three, slowly.” He gestured to his jaw. “Like the black.”

“She’s watching the hospital. She knows he woke up.” Dell said.

“Can we move him?”

“Not tonight. He’s not stable enough.” I sighed and looked down at the tea. It was probably ice cold by now.

I stood up, went to the window and looked through it, the streets was empty and wet.

Somewhere out there, Maren was barefoot in the dark.

I felt so small.

Dell came and stood next to me. “You did good tonight on the bridge.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You bought us time. That’s something.” he said and I sighed.

"Come on, it's late already. You need to catch some sleep." He said again.