Chapter 16

I honestly thought I was going to die. I lay there face-first in the ground and listened to Lana sing, cursing my stupidity.

When the boys arrived at my call, it broke my heart to hear the anguish in their voices as they beheld me. I wanted to lift my head and tell them I wasn't gone yet. But that took too much effort.

Instead, I closed my eyes, and in the grayness of my mind, the tingle that was Limbo became more pronounced. Having my blood bonded with the soil of this place had deepened my connection with it, and more than ever, I could sense the life that brimmed just below the surface.

Well, what are you waiting for? I asked.

As my heartbeat slowed, I realized what it wanted. Me.

I've given you my blood. I'm about to give you my life. What else do you want?

The answer, so simple, would have made me laugh had I not rested on the brink of death.

I agreed to the terms.

My choice made, the snowball I set in motion started rolling and changing the world as we all knew it.