Chapter 20
I jolt up, shrieking at the top of my lungs. The sky shadows above and the grass is crisp against my legs. My body is broken from the fall, disarranged and scratched. I feel strange, but alive and in control. My mother was right: Helena can’t take my soul without permission. But what about Laylen?
“You went through with it, didn’t you?” Nicholas asks from behind me.
I pivot around and totter to my feet. “I had to—I had to save Laylen.”
“You’re always saving someone.” His eyes are like fireflies against the darkness of night. “The problem is no one ever saves you.” He eyes me over. “What happened? Do you still have your soul? By your nervous demeanor, I’m guessing yes.”
I insert my arm back into the socket and crack my fingers into place. “Yes, I still have my soul.” I dart past him and investigate the front yard.
He marches after me. “What are you looking for?”
“Laylen.” I race to the driveway and check the front seat of his car. It’s empty. “His body’s got to be around here somewhere.”
“So now it’s Laylen you’re worried about.” He skids in the gravel. “Tell me, do you ever worry about me like that?”
I blink at him. “Seriously? I think you know the answer to that question.” I revolve in a circle. “Laylen! Can you hear me?!” I tug my fingers through my hair, wrenching at the roots. “Laylen!” Tears leak from my eyes.
“I could make you worry about me,” Nicholas carries on the conversation without missing a beat. “I’ve made you do things before.”
My hands fall heavily to my side. “What are you talking about?”
He rests his elbow on the car, his eyes penetrating under my skin. “What do you think I’m talking about? I’ve asked you a million times why it is you always come to me for help and I think you know the answer.”
“I can’t believe…” I let out a frustrated grunt and then surrender my hands in the air. “You know what? I don’t care. I need to find Laylen.”
He strides alongside me. “That’s understandable, but you’re going the wrong way.” He dodges in front of me and turns me by the shoulders, directing me toward the castle. He points a finger at the tower. “He’s up in his room, sleeping like a baby.”
I sprint up the pathway and burst into the foyer. My feet hammer up the stairs as I rush to Laylen’s bedroom. I fling open the door. He’s lying in his bed, his hands overlapping his stomach. I swallow hard and hurry to his bedside. Veins bulge under his pallid skin and his body is nothing but bones.
“Laylen,” I choke, tenderly touching his arm. A Black Widow crawls out from under him and makes a path to his stomach. Gasping, I fling the bug across the room and it splatters against the window.
His eyelids bolt open and he sucks in an immense breath. Stunned, I leap back, my heart racing.
“Oh my God.” My hand presses over my heart. “You’re alive.”
Wide eyed, he nods. He inspects his arms, his legs, his hands. The color returns to his cheeks and his cheekbones start fill out. His veins blend beneath his skin.
He pants for a while, too shocked to speak. I sit on the edge of his bed and find his gaze. “Hey, are you okay?”
He nods, staring at the wall. “I think so… I mean it’s weird.” His gaze connects with mine. “Don’t you think it’s weird?”
“To be dead?” I check and he nods. “Yeah, but that strange feeling you have will eventually vanish. Trust me.”
“I do trust you.” He shawls his arm around my shoulder and guides me closer. “But the question is do you trust me?”
“Of course.” I rest my head against his shoulder just as Nicholas appears in the doorway.
“Am I ruining a moment between you two?” He points a finger accusingly.
“You ruin every moment of our existence.” Laylen glares. “By just being here.”
Nicholas clamps his lips together, his eyebrows knitting. “Don’t you two want to know what’s wrong with Aislin?”
“Did you take her to the Foreseers’ holding cell?” I ask and he nods. “Is she okay?”
He stuffs his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “She will be when the magic spell wears off. Apparently, when Aislin was captured by the sprites, she put a spell on herself which basically made her temporarily stupid in case Luna showed up.”
“You got her to tell you that?” I rub a smudge of blood off my upper arm, lingering evidence of my fall out of the window.
He nods. “In a few hours she’ll be as good as new.” He pauses. “Until then, what do we do? Because there are a million different things you need to fix.”
“Like what?” I put him on the spot.
He’s speechless by my attitude. “Like closing the Faerie Realm in the closet, getting your mark back, freeing your dad and your lover.”
“Alex isn’t a prisoner,” I say. “He’s there on his own freewill.”
“You’re awfully sure of that,” he expresses. “Yet, you haven’t even talked to him.”
“I did, on the phone,” I respond. “He seemed pretty content with Stasha. And pretty pissed that I called.”
He ambles across the room, glancing around at the clothes on Laylen’s floor. “It looks like a tornado blew through here. Are all vampires this messy?”
Laylen’s lip twitches. “You better watch it faerie. All vampires like to feed, especially on fey.”
I eye Laylen, curious to know if he’s joking. “Are you sure you’re okay? Did Helena do something to you?” My gaze sweeps his body, his torn shirt, the holes in his dark jeans, the fresh blood in his blonde hair.
“I told you I’m fine.” He smoothes his hand down my back, his harsh demeanor alleviating. “How about I go get that crystal of yours fixed while you go check on Alex?”
“You want me to go to Stasha’s house and see if Alex is there against his will?” I mope. “What if he isn’t? What if he’s there doing things I don’t want to see?”
“Like what?” Laylen wonders.
“Like…” My eyes wander to Nicholas. “Stuff.”
“Don’t hold back on my account.” Nicholas takes a seat next to me, smelling like daisies, rain, and perfume. “Is it because of what I showed you?”
I scowl at him. “Why do you even care?”
Laylen slants forward, glancing back and forth between Nicholas and me. “What did he show you?”
Nicholas waits expectantly. “Do you want to explain or should I?”
I sigh and direct my attention to Laylen. “There’s nothing to explain. I’ll go free Alex or whatever, and you go fix the crystal ball.”
We nod in agreement and depart for the door.
“What about me?” Nicholas chases after us.
“You’re going to take me to Stasha’s,” I say. “Does she still live on the east coast?”
Laylen heads into the bathroom. “No, she got a place in town to be closer to us.” He turns on the sink faucet and dunks his head in the water, rinsing the blood from his hair. He shuts the water off and snatches a towel from the hanger. “She mentioned this when she was here the other day, but I didn’t want to tell you.” He dries his hair and tosses the towel in the corner.
“I’m glad you didn’t.” I lean against the doorway and fold my arms. “I don’t like knowing now.”
He combs his fingers through his hair, rearranging it into place. He leans over the counter, admiring his reflection in the mirror. “You need to get over it, Gemma. Alex is Alex.”
“Since when have you been so into your looks?” I raise my eyebrows critically.
His gaze sweeps my body. “If I were you, I’d be doing the same thing.”
Taken aback, I stand up straight and inspect my filthy clothes. “That was kind of rude.”
Sighing, he pulls me in front of the mirror. “Look at you. You’re a beautiful girl, you just don’t try.”
I stare at my reflection, my matted brown hair, dirt and dried blood on my pale skin, long limbs covered by an oversized black tee and some faded jeans.
He dips his lips next to my ear. “You’re really beautiful. You shouldn’t hide it.”
Nicholas watches us uncomfortably from the entryway. “He’s acting really weird.”
I consider Laylen’s behavior, and a strange tingling feeling kisses my skin. I squirm away from him. “He’s right, though. I do look like crap all the time.” I wedge past a stupefied Nicholas. “Hold on. I think I’m going to go change first before we go.”
I march to my room and throw open my closet. In a nutshell, my clothes are a lost cause. But I make do; taking out a pair of denim shorts and a sleeveless black shirt Aislin gave me. I put them on, wash my hair and face. Then I twist my damp hair up, leaving a few stray pieces to frame my face, and secure it with some hairclips I stole from Aislin’s room. I trace some black eyeliner around my violet eyes and dab some dark red lipstick on my lips. When I look in the mirror again, the girl staring back at me isn’t Gemma Lucas. She’s someone more powerful. More confident. More venomous. My eyes darken as I smile, wondering just how far I could go with this new look.
I meet Laylen and Nicholas at the bottom of the stairs. They’re arguing about something and Nicholas looks edgy. When they notice me, they stop.
Laylen gives me an approving once over. “Nice.”
I stand proud. “Thank you.”
Laylen holds the broken Crystal of Limitation in his hand. “Well, I’ll go get this fixed and you two can go drag Romeo back here.” He opens the door, eyes lingering on me. He lets out a low growl. “You really should keep that look.”
Our fiery gazes remain linked until he steps outside and shuts the door.
“What the hell happened to you two down in The Afterlife?” Nicholas investigates my eyes. “I’d guess you are possessed, but that’s not possible. You’re a Protected One.”
I pat him on the head. “There’s nothing wrong with the way I’m acting. Now will you please take me to Stasha’s?”
“There’s something going on.” He grimaces. “And that’s saying a lot coming from me.”
Disregarding him, I take his hand. “To Stasha’s.”
He shakes his head with befuddlement. “Fine Gemma. But if you try anything tricky—if you try to attack me or something—I will hurt you.” His hand constricts around mine. “Don’t forget who you’re dealing with here.”
I almost laugh at the ridiculousness. We walk hand in hand out the door and to the shore of the lake, far enough away from the praesidium. He obtains the miniature crystal ball from his pocket, giving one more protest and threat before we go. But I don’t care. Because I know he can’t hurt me—I’m much too powerful.