His eyes are on me, but they’re closing. Still he’s shaking his head no. “Don’t do it.”
I ignore him. I have to ignore him. I have a part to play. “What do you want, Rebecca? Name your price.”
“I want Tiffany...and Ali Bell.”
Of course she does.
“No.” Frosty shakes his head more violently. “No.”
Again, I ignore him. “Thanks to you, Ali lost all her abilities. She’s useless to your cause.”
“I took her abilities, and I can give them back. Will you do what I tell you or not?”
“Yes,” I spit through clenched teeth. “If you help Frosty now.”
“I’m not a cruel woman. You have my word he’ll be on the mend by the time you return.”
Her word means nothing to me.
“If you fail me, Frosty will die—and your brother will be my next target.”
“Milla,” Frosty croaks. “Don’t. Please.”
I close my eyes, tears leaking through my lashes. I don’t have to fake it. So much rides on my ability to trick Rebecca and convince the other slayers I’m on the up-and-up. Two mountains I might not be able to climb.
But I have to try.
“Take me into the hall and tell me what you want me to do.”
*
Rebecca’s agents drop me three miles away from the mansion, not wanting to be noticed and followed by slayers. I have to run those miles. Every second counts. By the time I reach the mansion, the sun is at its pinnacle, its heat draining what little strength I have left.
The shirt I was given is drenched with sweat and plastered to my chest; I’m operating on nothing but fumes, desperation and determination.
One of the slayers must spot me on the monitors, because the wrought-iron gate whines open upon my approach.
There’s no trace of the battle along the long, winding driveway, no bodies or body parts littering the yard. As I step inside the foyer, my friends—are they my friends?—run from different areas of the house to greet me. They’re still armed, ready for combat, and I doubt they’ve had any sleep.
River yanks me into his arms, hugging me tight. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but Frosty isn’t.” I fight past a fresh wave of tears. “We were captured by agents. He’s badly injured, and he needs help.” I make sure to say only what Rebecca told me to say. If I deviate from her script, she’ll know.
There’s a tiny camera and mic attached to the small, heart-shaped locket she hung around my neck.
One misstep, and Frosty will suffer.
Cole eyes me suspiciously. “I made it through the undead masses as you were being hauled away. I gave chase and tracked the van several miles, but they managed to lose me. Where is he, and how did you get away?”
“Rebecca still has him, but I don’t know where she’s keeping him. I was blindfolded on the drive out.” I rub the tattoo on my wrist—the word Betrayal—and pray someone notices. “Rebecca set me free so that I could deliver a message. Give her Tiffany, and the war ends. Don’t, and she’ll kill us all.”
Curses ring out. Amid them, Cole barks, “Go to your rooms. All of you. Now.”
Several kids gape at him, but everyone obeys.
“You, too, Milla.” He stares at me hard. “I need some time to think.”
“Don’t take too long.” Please.
I hurry to my bedroom. How am I going to tell him what Rebecca really plans?
If I can’t...I’ll have to risk Frosty’s life by telling everyone the truth outright. A whimper escapes me.
Kat appears in front of me and crosses her arms over her chest. As a spirit, the camera can’t detect her and the mic can’t pick up her voice.
Thank God! Cole understood.
“Is Rebecca watching you?” she asks.
I give the barest nod.
“Is she planning an ambush?”
Another nod, and Kat disappears.
She reappears a few minutes later. An eternity. “Okay. Everyone’s gathered in the gym. Let’s see if we can figure this out.”
Yes. Let’s. I walk into the bathroom, grab a bottle of Advil and fish out two little pills. I toss them in my mouth, drink straight from the faucet.
“Headache?” Kat asks.
A shake of my head.
“Advil...medicine...drug! You’re supposed to drug everyone?”
I move away from the mirror and nod.
“To kill?”
A shake.
“To make everyone sick?”
A shake.
“Sleep?”
A nod.
I pace back and forth in front of my desk, ghosting my finger over my new cell phone.
“Is the phone significant?” she asks.
A nod.
“You’re supposed to call Rebecca?”
A nod.
“When? Why?”
I lie on the bed and close my eyes.
“When everyone is asleep?”
A nod. How do I tell her agents will be waiting nearby? I’m supposed to let them in so they can grab Ali and Tiffany, and most likely kill everyone else.
“I’ll be back.” Kat vanishes.
These slayers have no reason to trust me, but I really, really hope that they do. It’s the only way we’ll make it through this alive. The only way Frosty will make it.