"What are you doing?" Cain groans. "Stop dressing yourself."

I button my jeans and I pick his shirt up, throwing it at him. "We need to get dressed."

He lays on the ground, grinning at me as he fiddles with the shirt in his fingers. "Come back here."

I sigh and drift back to him, planting myself at his side. He picks my hand up and holds it tightly.

"Do you regret it?" he says.

"No, it's not that. I'm still pissed with you."

He grins widely. "I know. I could feel some of it."

I smile back, meeting his soft gaze. "I missed you though."

"I missed you too. My hunger is curved for now but it will return as soon as we're apart and I can't do that to you. I gave you a life here, you shouldn't have to live it in fear of me returning."

"What are you suggest. . ." I trail off as I see the blade rise from the other side of his body. He holds it loosely, his hand tightening around mine.

"Do you remember what I said to you when we first met?" he says.

"No."

He sits up and I cross my legs as he positions himself right against me. I keep my eyes on that blade, my body tensing. "Do you know how long I have waited to find something like you?" he whispers, repeating the words that I vaguely remember. "You are rare and you are valuable and although I have thoroughly enjoyed having your soul inside of me, it is time for it to end."

"So the hunger will stop?" I whisper.

"Yes. I'm never going to be able to take your life, not even in thirty years or fifty years. The hunger will drive me insane. More insane. I will give you your soul pieces back and leave you in peace."

I'm surprised that he's the one suggesting it. I thought I'd have to convince him, manipulate him into doing it like I did outside the cave. "But you. . . you said that you'd kill me without the connection."

"That was the hunger talking," he says. "I was crazy. I don't think I would. Once you taste human desires it is very hard to shake them."

I smile gently. "You'll lose the completed soul."

He laughs. "After all this, do you really think I give a damn about the completed soul? I will never forget you, Aurora. Our time together. I will leave you in complete peace."

He cocks an eyebrow at me, insinuating something with his words. I lean back as I understand his meaning, my jaw opening slowly but no words will leave my mouth. I'm in shock.

"I will ring the bell and we will leave your planet," he says.

"Really? You'd do that?" Tears stream down my cheeks and he wipes them away with his finger.

"For you," he says. "I'd do anything. I don't think I've ever said this but I am so sorry for everything I've done to your planet, to your species, to your family." He caresses my jaw softly, the blade getting nearer to his arm. "The universe is full of mysterious and bizarre lifeforms; I have met trillions and trillions of them. But I have never found one worth sacrificing my own soul for."

"Cain," I cry. The blade stabs into his arm and he starts to cut.

"Close your eyes," he says. "It'll only hurt for a moment."

I surrender and close my eyes. My breathing is jagged and unsteady. His lips come back to mine for one last kiss. It's slow and sad, like the goodbye kiss we shared in my bedroom. He takes my hand and twists it so the palm is facing up. I feel a sharp pain across my palm as the blade slices my skin. I hiss out before a jolt enters my body. My hand grips around his wrist and my fingernails dig into him as I gasp loudly. He did it. He actually did it. But what was the cost?

I believe that he'd ring the bell and leave the planet, I believe that. But this isn't just about the living, this is about setting all of those lost and trapped souls free. And I can't let him do this to another planet.

I open my eyes, choking on my cries as I feel something small enter my other hand beside my leg. Cain is adjusting to the transition silently; he remains in the same position but his eyes are down as he inhales deeply.

I take my chance while he's distracted. He still holds the blade in his hand while I slowly bring out my own that was just planted there. He looks up at me.

"I'm sorry," I say.

I rock forwards and I stab the blade into his gut. The noise he makes is like a growl, followed by an intense pant as he holds my shoulder. I pull the blade out and he pushes me backwards. I regain my balance and stand to my feet as he paralyzes on the floor.

The heart, the voice says. Go for the heart!

"Screw you!" I scream at them.

I run out of the cave, frantically searching for the creatures at the top of the cliff. I see a pack of lions staring down at me.

"Get Marina!"

I pace in front of the cave as I hear Cain attempt to stand. He stumbles around the cave as he searches for his clothes. The same thing is happening to him like it did Saffron. I extracted souls from him and made him weaker.

"Aurora!" he shouts. "What have you. . . done to me?" He pulls his pants up and holds the wall as he drags himself to the entrance.

"I'm sorry," I cry. "But leaving isn't enough. They have to die."

"What? Die?" He holds his head before falling into the wall, he misses it and meets the ground.

Marina lands down on the beach. Cain sees her and snarls, pulling himself up as they stare at each other.

"I'm sorry, brother."

"Marina, what are you doing?"

I flinch as Kazeelek's army land on the beach. The lions and wolves form a line around him, he becomes angrier as more of them land, trapping him against the wall.

"I am saving the planet," Marina says. She grabs my arm and lifts us into the air.

"She will die!" he screams. "Aurora, if you touch that bell it will kill you. It will kill any lifeform. Marina!" Cain's scream is the loudest thing I've ever heard and we're already quite far from him.

I bury my face into Marina's shoulder, I don't know if she can feel my tears but she doesn't comment on it. She paralyzes me a moment later and I don't feel a thing for a long time.

The reason, I tell myself. One reason. I think it over and over to myself as we speed through the dark sky. It starts to get lighter, the sun's rays pierce through the clouds that we are hovering over. It is daylight at the other side of the world and that means that we are close.

I turn my head to look at the ground below as feeling comes back to limbs. I see a glimpse of the magnificent palace first with its sky-high towers, then I see the nannery, and finally I see the bell within a smaller tower, guarded by over a dozen creatures that won't leave its side.

I see the others on the other side of the hill as the animal-eaters drop them off. Some of them start running towards the nannery while Christian stands with his hands above his eyes, looking directly at us.

"You have to pull the lever three times," Marina says. "The first time will get the attention of every single one of them around the world. They will know something is wrong and you'll have maybe a few minutes before millions show up here. Do not hesitate."

"I got it," I say. "Three times, don't hesitate. Marina?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

I hope she knows how much I really mean that. I can see how much betraying Cain is hurting her even if she's pretending like it isn't. It's hurting us both.

She smiles and turns away. "See you in the next life, kid."

I almost squeal as she drops me to the ground, it's only a few feet but I still somehow land on my knees. The tower is a small distance in front of me and the guards don't know where to look. They see me but they are more concerned with Marina who is circling them. She swoops down and grabs a guard by his arm, throwing him miles across the field. Half of them pursue her into the sky while the other half remain behind.

Kazeelek's enormous head that is half the size of my whole body appears right next to me. A low growl rips from his mouth as he sets his sights on the human creatures. Even in his lion form, it sounds personal. The creatures must hate each other. More of them appear around me. Lions, wolves, tigers and even eagles. Marina has spent the last few days assembling a secret army.

I pull on his thick mane as I swing myself onto Kazeelek's back. I freeze in place. Everything is suddenly becoming real. The entire freedom of the world lies upon the next steps I take. But to do it, I will have to sacrifice the one thing I love most in this world. My eyes become teary and my hands tremble. My heart is breaking and I can't stop it.

Part of me wants to turn around and go back to him, to wrap myself in his arms and feel the safest I've ever felt. I don't know how to look at the world without him. I don't know how to breathe in it without him. If I was merely sacrificing myself then the choice would be so much easier. I wish there was a way that he could live, I wish there was a way that my soul could still be inside of him to keep him safe.

I'm being so selfish. I hate being that way. I hate what he's done to me. I am so deeply in love with him that it makes this choice unbearable.

"Get me as close as you can."

I'm not sure if Kazeelek can even understand me but I cling for my life as he starts running towards the tower. The tears fall harder as we move. In my mind I'm suddenly back at the nannery and I'm watching all those precious children leave with no way to stop it.

The one reason.

I think of their faces, their terrified and broken eyes that locked to mine as if they were pleading for me to save them. It is the only thing that makes me keep going and if I stop thinking of them then I'll turn around and run.

The bell isn't too high up. It's actually quite low which surprises me, I imagined that he'd keep it too high for a human to reach. It's located on a raised-up platform around twelve feet off the ground and there aren't any steps up to it. I stare at the large golden metal that is engraved with pale markings, like scribbled letters. There is a thin, long lever that falls underneath the circular base. It looks heavy and I hope I'm strong enough to pull it.

Focus. I tell myself. You can do this.

I shake my head. My eyes narrowing at the tower. The guards step forwards and Kazeelek's army attempt to distract them. The animal-eaters have strength in their huge forms but the human creatures are stronger. One of the guards swings his wing at an animal-eater and Kazeelek has to twist us as a wolf is soared right at us. Kazeelek doesn't stop. His run only gets faster and he jumps us through the air, his teeth tearing at a guard's throat and tossing him aside.

I am thrown from his back onto the platform a dozen feet above the chaos. I leave him behind to fend off the creatures as I make my run for the lever. It is suspended in the air but I can just reach it, my hand grabs it and I pull it across with all my might, the lever hits the other side of the metal. A flash of light occurs, blinding me for several seconds, but there is no noise. It is silent. I fall backwards, the lever leaving my hand as I cover my eyes. When my sight returns, I look around the field to see them all staring at me, the human creatures are covering their ears while the animal-eaters are whimpering. Whatever noise they are reacting to, human ears cannot hear it. Several of the guards snarl and head in my direction, Kazeelek throws his body towards them and attempts to stop them but I know I only have seconds until I'm done for.

I move back towards the bell, my hand reaching up to the lever. Something runs at me and tackles me over the platform. A creature's body crushes me into the rough ground, his strong hand tight around my throat. He hesitates to kill me as touching me makes him hiss, he pulls back his hand and starts shaking it. I frantically feel for the blade that I tucked into the side of my jeans, relieved that it's still there. I pull it out and I stab the creature in his chest. The creature's body evaporates into white lights and I clench on my teeth as I try to stand to my feet.

Another human creature runs at me at full speed but a large wolf tackles him sideways and pins him against the ground. I hear the noise before I see the sky darken. I look up to the sky to see thousands of the palace guards making their way here. They are the closest and Marina said I'd only have minutes until creatures around the world start arriving. Kazeelek sees them too, he turns his head to the sky and unleashes a terrifying roar before two human creatures collide with him.

"Shit," I mutter.

I look back to the platform, studying it from all angles as I look for a way to get back up there. I run to the other side of it, attempting to jump high enough to reach the top. My fingers just barely graze the edge before I fall back to the ground.

"Need a hand?"

I look left to see Christian running along the top of the platform wall. "What are you doing here?" I demand. "You should be at the nannery. Get out of here!"

"Like I'd miss this."

He drops to his stomach and reaches his hand over the edge. I jump and he grabs my wrist, I make it halfway up the wall before a hand grabs my ankle and yanks me backwards. The pull is so strong that Christian releases me immediately, otherwise my hand would have been ripped off. I am dragged backwards along the ground, feeling wounds open around my chest and stomach. I turn with a snarl, my hand tightening around the blade as I move to stab my attacker in the chest.

I pause when Cain looks down at me. My hesitation gives him the opportunity to forcefully remove the blade from my hand. I'm not hurt but I'm in shock. He stands over me, glaring down at me with fury. The intimidation leaks from his aura. I adjust my position so that I'm on my knees. He rubs his chin as he calms himself. I keep my eyes down. That was my one shot and I blew it.

His guards descend down and restrain the animal-eaters. There are too many of them to fight. Marina is hurled out from behind a smaller tower by four creatures, they have her hands pinned behind her back, she takes one look at Cain and stops resisting.

"Why, Aurora?" he says. "I have given you everything. Why would you betray me?"

I remain silent. I don't know what to say, I don't know how to put this right. I feel like I've failed everyone I care about, everyone I love. Including him. I didn't know how he'd feel about me without my soul inside of him, without the connection, but maybe he was right all along. Maybe his memories are strong enough to know how much we mean to each other. They are strong enough for him to be hurt from my betrayal.

"Answer me!"

I flinch.

"This wasn't her fault," Marina says. "I was the one that brought her here. Blame me."

"Don't speak to me," Cain yells, glaring at Marina threateningly. "I will deal with you later."

"She touched the bell and she is still alive!" Marina says. "It didn't kill her, Cain. The prophecy is real, why can't you see that?"

"How long have you been plotting this?" he demands. "The extinction of your own species? Your own brother? If you hated your existence that much, Marina then why not just ask me to end it?" He walks towards her with the blade.

"This isn't just about my existence," Marina says. "Our creators helped her because they do not want us to exist anymore. That blade in your hand is proof that Aurora has been chosen to end us."

I look over my shoulder towards the platform. It's quite far from me. I wouldn't be able to make it in time before he caught up to me. I wait as he gets closer to Marina.

"You know that it's true. We have lived lifetimes, we have killed, we have caused suffering beyond imagination. It's time to leave the planets and the lifeforms be. It's time to move on which we should have done the day our planet was destroyed."

I rise to my feet slowly. Cain looks back to me for a moment, I keep my eyes on him as he turns back to Marina.

"We are higher beings, Marina. This is what we were created for."

"No," Marina says. "We were never meant to be created, Cain. She exists to shift the balance back and restore order. Aurora is our freedom."

I flinch as the council arrive, along with thousands and thousands of creatures that remain in the air, staring down at us with silent panic. Axel and Dimitri run out of from the other creatures, their eyes locked on the animal-eaters for a moment before they see me.

"What is the meaning of this?" Axel demands.

"Stay there," Cain says, pointing the blade at him. "You move towards her and you die."

"The completed soul that you said was dead just touched the bell!" Axel yells. "We all heard it."

"We are leaving the planet immediately," Cain says.

"No," Axel says.

"No?" Cain's eyes lock on Axel's and he begins to charge towards him. "You bring your army here and you think that intimidates me?"

I suddenly realize that the thousands of creatures that have just arrived are in a different part of the sky as Cain's guards. The council stand firmly behind Axel, the stand-off is tense.

"We are not leaving the planet," Axel says. "I knew this would happen. I warned you that this would happen. My army aren't the only ones that agree."

Cain snarls and turns his head upwards as tens of thousands of creatures fill the entire sky. Male and female creatures of all ages and sizes touch down on the ground, even Marina is stunned. Blake drifts closer to me from the palace guard army, he lands down gently between me and Cain.

"You can drive that blade through my heart but it won't stop them," Axel says. "That girl is dying today."

I see Cain's lips twist into a smirk before he plunges the blade into Axel's stomach, dragging it up his torso until it pierces his heart. Dimitri attempts to strike Cain first but his fist collides with his face and it knocks him into the rest of the council that are all sent rolling across the field.

"Go!" Blake yells at me. "Run!"

I look over my shoulder and I see Christian pacing against the platform wall. I have never run so fast in my entire life. I've never really had to. The sound is like thunder behind me as the armies collide.

"Stop her!" someone screams.

Christian kneels down and cups his hands, my foot lands in them and he pushes me up onto the platform. I roll across it, the side of my head smacking into the floor. My vision is blurry as I get to my feet. I cover my head as multiple creatures are thrown into the side of the tower, causing half of it to collapse around me. I regain my balance, setting my sights on the lever, as though it is the only thing that exists.

I pull the lever across the inside of the bell; I pull it so hard that the vibrations numb my hand. Despite how heavy it is, it glides easily, as though it was meant for me. The bell generates a strange yellow glow that isn't as strong as the first time, it eats the air around it but no sound can be heard. Everything is silent across the field. Creatures begin dropping out of the sky as though their wings have been cut from their bodies. All of them are covering their ears.

One more time and it's over. One more time and I lose him forever. I don't know if I can. I don't know if I'm strong enough.