Aurora's POV
"Aurora... what did you do?"
He didn't scream in the deep, mechanical, modulated growl of the monster who had terrorized my nightmares. The voice that came wheezing out of his chest, choked with blood and agonizing pain, was soft. It was rich. It was a voice that had whispered sweet promises against my skin in the quiet hours of the night.
It sounded exactly like Oliver.
A cold, paralyzing shock rippled through my veins. My gun clattered to the floor, the heavy thud sounding miles away. My hands flew to my mouth as my knees gave out completely, sending me crashing to the carpet beside his chair.
"No," I whimpered, my voice small and full of panic. "No, no, no..."
With a weak, trembling hand, he reached up, pulled the shattered remnants of the matte-black mask away from his face, and threw it to the floor.
I stopped breathing. The entire room tilted on its axis.
