And it was too much.

It was too damn much. My vision blurred and I saw colors, swirling around in my sight and disorienting me. I felt myself fall limp beside Alek, still clutching his hand. My blood roared in my ears.

I gasped for air, but it never came.

It never came, because my air, the one thing I couldn't live without, was gone.

Chloe's POV

I looked at myself in the mirror. Red eyes, splotchy skin. I didn't even make an effort to tame my loose, wild curls that hung around my face, and simply tied them back into a ponytail.

I was wearing white. A white dress. I didn't even know why.

Because I was going to a funeral.

Alek's funeral.

I glanced at the black dress in my closet, but then zoned out and my memory went back to that day. Alek and I fighting back-to-back, claws extended, the coffee table tipping over with a loud crash, papers flying everywhere, the alarms on the clock ringing, Alek bleeding, falling to the ground – the memories played through my mind quicker and quicker until it became a roaring blur.

My heart was gone. As was my sun. I ached and I couldn't breathe.

I could never breathe lately.

Flash forward to the funeral. It was disgustingly sunny, the soft rays of light beating down on my pale, unourished skin. I was dizzy and my mouth was dry as hoards of mourners dressed in black cried and clung to each other.

Valentina and Jasmine made their rounds, thanking everyone for coming.

Why would anyone even thank others for coming to a funeral?

It irked me.

Flash forward, and I was standing in front of Alek's open coffin. His skin was pale, his beautiful face void of emotion. I matched his expression, placing a hand on the side of his coffin, the cold case leeching the warmth from my hand.

And suddenly, everything went black.

A black so blinding that it almost looked white – if that were possible.

It exploded in my eyes, making me reel back and hold my hands over my face, trying to provide some protection from the ever-increasing light.

More flashbacks from that day, that fated day. My focus zoomed in on random things, little details I hadn't noticed before – like the tracker falling out of the envelope, the rug being torn, books falling off the bookshelves.

I bit back bile as my head rushed.

What was going on?

I shook my head and opened my eyes, licking her lips for some amount of moisture. And gasped and screamed in shock when Bastet was standing over her, the glowing figure almost too beautiful to look at. The goddess's hair flowed in thick waves to the bottom of her back, her robes falling from her body gently. Her expression was one of seriousness, her gaze focused intently on me. Strange drum beats and vibrations flowed around us, making my bones tingle.

"Uniter," Her voice rang out, power and strength backing up her voice. She had a slight accent, drawing out the 'I' in the word.

I bowed my head, and I had to clench hand hands into fists to keep my fingers from trembling. I returned, "Bastet."

"Chloe King." I looked up and saw the goddess smiling at me. "I'm sure you realize that your protector and mate has died."

I bit my tongue back on a biting remark and nodded. "Yes, I am aware."

"That funeral...it wasn't real. Your body is still on top of Alek's, unconscious. Valentina and Jasmine have just found you. They thought you were dead, too."

I blinked at her. Emotions welled up in my throat and I gagged a little. "What...what do you mean?" The itchy material of my white dress caused me to look down, and I realized I was in a wedding dress. My skin was golden and glowing and we were standing in emptiness, the floor and sky not real or plausible.

"That was just a vision of one of the futures you can have. You have two options. Not do anything, and let Alek stay -"

"No! No, I'll do anything, anything. Is there some way to bring him back?" I was so hopeful I was shaking.

Bastet nodded once. "You have to sacrifice one of your own lives. I highly -"

"I'll do it! I'll do it. Right now, right here. Please, Bastet, I'm begging you. I -" my voice caught in my throat and desperation grew in my chest. "Is it too late? Do I need to cut myself, or...?"

Bastet shook her head, the solemn expression never wavering from her perfect features. "This death will be bloodless but painful. Are you ready, child? Are you sure this is the path you want to take?"

"Yes. Yes, always with Alek."

Bastet nodded once. She held out a hand and reached for mine. I reached out and hesitantly touched her. And pain shot through my body. And then I collapsed.

Time Skip

The next day

"She shouldn't have done this. She shouldn't have done this!" someone shouted. I heard a crash and a soothing female voice.

"Alek! Will you calm down? Breaking another one of mom's vases isn't going to help anything. ...You would've done the exact same thing for her, wouldn't you?"

"That's not the same!" he roared.

Jasmine scoffed. "How is it not the same?"

"I...I should've been the one. I should've been the one in pain, the one protecting her."

Only then did I register the whimpering coming from my mouth and the waves of exhausting, nauseating pain rolling through my body.

"Mmm?" I moaned.

"Chloe?" I felt a hand squeeze mine gently. My head pounded and I groaned again.

This time, a British accent rang through the room. "Chlo? You can hear us, right?"

My heart leaped at his voice finally addressing me. I wanted to leap over to him and embrace him, never letting go, but the closest I could do to that was twitch my toe.

The soft hand was removed from mine and a bigger, warmer, calloused one replaced it. Another one cupped my cheek, and I felt his lips against my forehead.

"I'm so sorry, love...I'm so sorry," he murmured.

I coughed. "Why are you sorry?" I whispered, my voice like a thousand sharp needles scratching the inside of my raw throat.

He shook his head, falling to my shoulder now. He was hunched over my bed and rubbing his thumb rhythmically over the back of my hand. I heard Jasmine leave and shut the door. I heard a soft sniffle and despite the pain, my eyes shot open.

"...Alek?" I reached over with a trembling hand and touched his messy hair. He just buried his head deeper into my curls.

I smiled softly. "I'm glad you're okay."

The pain was receding now, my bones and bruises mending.

He shook his head. "Why would you do that?" His voice shook, and I felt shame tremor through his body, and I could hear his jaw working.

"You would've done the same for me," I said quietly.

He stood up, and the loss of his body contact made me shiver. "That's different! You're the Uniter. Your lives are important, Chloe, too important to throw away on me!"

"How is it different?" I yelled.

"I'm the Protector, not you!"

"Well if I didn't save you, then who would be here to protect me right now?" I shouted.

He didn't say anything back, and the room filled with our labored breathing. I noticed now that we were in his room, and I fixated my gaze on a basketball trophy on his desk.

Alek's body seemed to deflate, his chest un-puffing, his fingers uncurling, his breath leaving him. I noticed the dark circles under his eyes, and held a hand out to him. He stared at my pale hand, and sighed and walked over, placing his in mine.

"Sorry," he muttered. He leaned over me and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. I leaned up, wanting more. He chuckled and pulled away. "Thank you, Chloe."

I pulled him down on top of me and slung my arms around his neck. "I'm really glad you're okay, Alek."

He exhaled and pulled me into a hug. "I'm really glad you're okay, too."

Bad way to end the chapter, long wait, rushed writing. D:

I'M SO SORRY, GUYS! High school is getting to me, and my parents are...ugh, you don't even want to know. I'm so sorry for the wait, and I really hope you liked this chapter!

I love all of you and your reviews, so thank you so much! ^_^ I will see you all next time, and hopefully that'll be soon! Thank you for reading!