Chapter 9 · Hollowborn - Chapter 9: The Mark Wakes

I couldn't breathe.

Cole was gone. Just—gone. One second he was solid in my arms, warm enough that I could feel his heartbeat through his jacket. The next, he turned into smoke and scattered across the bell tower platform like ash in the wind.

I was still kneeling where he'd collapsed. My hands were pressed flat against the stone floor, fingers spread wide, like I could somehow hold onto whatever was left of him. But there was nothing. Not even a shadow.

"Cole?" My voice cracked. I hated how small I sounded. "Cole, you—"

The bell above me rang once. Sharp. Loud enough that I felt it in my teeth.

I looked up.

Layla—my mother—was still standing by the bell, one hand resting on the iron rim. Her form flickered like a dying lightbulb. Transparent in some places, solid in others. Her face was calm. Too calm. Like she'd just watched a man burn himself out to save me and didn't feel a damn thing about it.

"He made his choice," she said.

I wanted to scream at her. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she explained what the hell just happened.