And Gemma s the one that s going. I ve already explained this.
Maybe we could find another Banshee then,
Gemma suggested, biting at her nails.
We can t,
I answered for my mom.
No other Banshee will bring your soul back.
This was so stupid. Both of them were exactly the same, throwing their lives down like it didn t matter, like they were worth nothing.
Now that everyone understands their job.
My mother stood.
Should we get started?
You know,
Gemma said, lying on her bed, her hands overlapped across her stomach as if she was preparing her body for death.
In the dream I had the one where I died Nicholas was the one that appeared to me.
That s because you secretly have the hots for me.
He rolled around in the computer chair, but without his body, it was just a chair moving on its own.
Or maybe she just feared it d be you,
I said, from the other side of the room because apparently the electricity would keep the poison from working. And when she actually took it, I was going to have to clear the room altogether, something I was really struggling with.
Or maybe it s because she can t stop thinking about me.
The chair spun in a circle.
Or maybe it s because for three straight weeks you wouldn t leave me alone,
Gemma said, her eyebrows furrowing.
I mean, you were watching me day and night, even when you shouldn t have been.
She pressed her lips together as Nicholas let out a laugh.
Say whatever you want,
he said.
He can t hurt me.
It took me a minute to catch on.
Wait. Was he & when you say watching &
Yes,
Aislin said shaking the vile.
We all know Nicholas is a pervert. Now will you all shut up so I don t mess this up? It s important.
I sealed my lips and leaned back against the wall.
Okay.
Aislin sat down at the foot of the bed.
I need complete silence.
She waited until the house was hushed.
Signa hoc venenum cum osculum vitae,
she whispered, swishing the liquid.
Servare quicumque bibit spirans. Sed signa voluntas osculum mortem et eorum cor mittimus.
The vile bubbled, morphing to a shade darker than black.
Now, that s death.
Is it time to go?
My mother entered the room.
Aislin showed her the vile.
We re all set.
My mother nodded. Aislin ran over and hugged her.
This isn t good-bye,
my mother whispered.
I ll be back one day.
Aislin pulled away, rubbing the tears from her eyes and nodding.
Then it was my turn. She pulled me into a hug and it almost popped my lungs.
I cleared my throat as I backed away.
You better come back.
I ll do my best.
She turned.
Gemma, I ll meet you there.
Then she was gone, as quick as she d arrived, like a mere visit from a ghost.
I was sadder than I expected. A rush of emotion overcame me, making me uncomfortable. I cleared my throat hard and tried to gain composure.
Are you ready?
Aislin asked Gemma.
Gemma nodded and took the vile from her hand.
As ready as I ll ever be.
Aislin looked over her shoulder.
You need to go downstairs.
I pressed my lips together, stepping for the bed.
But Aislin held up her hand.
You can t be near her at all. She needs to be calm.
I locked eyes with Gemma and thought of our Forever Promise, made one dreary day, when two kids were trying to hold on to something that might never be again. And it was like she understood, like she knew what I was thinking. She touched the scar on her hand.
It was one of the hardest things, walking away, leaving that room, knowing she would breathe her last breath.
But I left, just like I was supposed to.
When I walked into the kitchen, Laylen was there messing around with the pipes under the sink.
You re not going to see her before she &
I trailed off, not bothering to even try to say it.
He focused on twisting a bolt.
I can t … it s too &
I nodded, rolling up my sleeves.
So you need any help.
He shrugged.
Sure.
I reached for the wrench, feeling her slipping away as she died.
Chapter 33
(Gemma)
I watched him leave, his eyes sad, his muscles tense as he forced them to move. He took the electricity with him, along with some of my soul apparently. When I returned, I d press him for the details.
I clutched my hand around the vile, letting out a hefty sigh.
So this is it? The Kiss of Death.
Don t worry,
Aislin assured me from the foot of my bed.
You ll come back.
I knew I would. After all, I wasn t finished with life quite yet. I d seen what was going to happen with my future. And since I hadn t been able to change it, as far as I was concerned, my life was over. Alex and I would go to the lake and take our own lives, along with Stephan, Demetrius, and every Death Walker on this Earth.
I wonder how it tastes?
I examined the bottle as it bubbled.
Because it looks really gross.
It probably tastes gross,
Aislin said.
I m sure death can t taste good.
Well.
I raised it in the air, like I was making a toast.
Here s to coming back to life and freeing the souls.
Then I kissed my lips to the rim, tipped it back, and swallowed.
You re right &. It doesn t taste …
My limbs went numb, my heart silencing. I fell back on my bed, into my soul, absorbed by the darkness of death.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a field, the breeze a soft lull as it skipped across the grass. Crows circled above me like death and I thought of my nightmare. Then they dove for me and I shielded my head. Their beaks clipped my hair and hands.
Stop it!
I cried out at the madness and they scattered like mice. I lowered my hands, breathing relief. But where was Alana?
I noticed that one crow lingered behind, soaring in loops, like it was dancing. Then it flipped directions, flapping its wings, and headed off into the unknown. I shoved my way through the tall, dry grass, making a path as I chased after the crow. With every step I took, the crow flew further and then it curved up, becoming just a spot in the sky. I trampled through the field until I broke through to grassless land. There was a house, ancient and damaged, the wood singed with traces of a fire.
I climbed up the front porch and opened the door. Suddenly, I was standing in the same house that was in Iceland, surrounded by charcoaled wall paper and a floor stained with ash.
Hello,
I called out and the door slammed shut. I whirled, yanking at the doorknob.
Gemma.
The sound of her voice was like fresh air.
I turned to Alana.
I wasn t sure if I was in the right place.
She smiled, stretching her hand to me, her bright green eyes welcoming.
You re not quite there yet, but almost.
I took her hand and she led me up the stairs, my body strangely lighter with each stair. I felt a weight rising off my chest, one I hadn t known I was carrying and everything started to make sense, like the pieces of the puzzle had finally connected.
We re going to die,
I said, calm and composed, my head clearer than ever, as if the poison I drank had been filled with knowledge.
Alex and I we have to, don t we? Otherwise, there s no getting rid of the star or Stephan and everything that comes with him. It has to happen that way, because it s the only way.
The portal will open regardless,
she said, nodding.
But the death of the star will kill it and everything in it.
Is there any other way?
I wanted to make sure.
A way where I could at least save him?
You d do that?
Her hair drifted across her face as she turned her head at me, astonished.
You would save him and let yourself go?
It was like my life flashed through me, my mind trying to reach unreachable memories. A month maybe even a week ago, I d have said I didn t know. But now, in my death, it was different. My eyes were finally opening from a life of blindness.
I think so,
I said as we stopped at the top of the staircase in front of solid black door.
Hold onto that thought for a while.
Alana gripped the doorknob.
Right now, you need to focus on the queen.
Because it s not as easy as you said it was going to be,
I said, knowing there was difficulty before me.
She swung the door open.
Nothing s ever easy, Gemma. Even in death.
And death this was. The air was so thick it suffocated the light, replacing it with a darkness so heavy I nearly buckled to the floor. The foulest smell touched my nose, like the stench of something rotting. I gagged, feeling like I was floating yet falling.
Keep your head down and try not to look at them,
she whispered and then vanished through the doorway.
I tipped my chin down, my hair a curtain around my cheeks. I tried not to breathe the intoxicating air and that s when I realized my need for air was gone. It s the most fascinating thing and that s where I fixed my attention. But then I glimpsed a bony foot in my peripheral vision and I couldn t help it. I peeked between the slivers of space in my hair. They were like mummies, pail and frail, with no meat on their bones, eyes as hollow as their coffins. I told myself to shut my eyes, but I was too fixated on the dead. The tortured. The lost.
Some of the souls you re here to save,
Alana explained over her shoulder.
But don t look at them. It ll upset Helena.
Lovely. I hurried to catch up with her.
How s it going to be harder? Is the queen going to want more than the ring?
No, you ll understand soon. And Gemma, whatever you do, don t give her that ring until you ve sealed the promise for the freedom of the Lost Souls that were lost because of the mark.
Will she know what I mean when I say that?
I asked, shutting my eyes as one of the souls let out a sharp cry.
Does she know why I m here?
She s the Queen of the Afterlife,
she whispered.
Not the Ruler of the City of Crystal.
I dared another glimpse at the souls, secretly looking for one that looked like my mother, hoping I wouldn t find her.