Chapter 1173

Rose stood at the water's edge, her hair plastered to her glowing skin, the light within her pulsing with the rhythm of the song. She looked like an offering, her arms lifted, her face turned up toward the dark thing that rose above her. Jude took a trembling step forward, his hand slipping from Sophie's as he fought the pull of the song, of Rose's voice, of his own desperate need to reach her.

"Rose!" His voice cracked through the mist, raw and ragged. "Don't do this! You can fight it. Come back to me, come back to , us., "

For one breathless moment, the light in her dimmed. Her head lowered, her eyes met his, and he saw it, , truly, saw it, the woman he loved staring back at him through the veil of whatever had claimed her. A tear slipped down her cheek, silver in the moonlight.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I tried."