I said quietly, wishing I was on the other side of this promise.
He took a breath, suddenly understanding.
Ego spondeo vos ut haud res quis gemma curam et custodiam eam iniuriam.
We broke our hands away and I wiped mine on the side of my jeans.
Okay, we good?
We re good.
He dabbed his hand on his shirt.
Am I walking in on something I m not supposed to?
Nicholas was leaning against the wall, with a mocking expression, back to his normal self.
You need to leave.
I grabbed the collar of his shirt and shoved him out of the room toward the front door.
Hey, this isn t your house,
he argued, trying to plant his feet firmly against the floor.
Yeah, but I m eliminating all risk factors right now.
I opened the front door.
And you re one of them.
What? You don t trust me?
He faked offence.
Nope.
I nudged the screen door open with my foot.
Now go.
He stepped out onto the porch, tripping over the threshold.
Is this a temporary thing?
I hope not,
I said, giving him another shove.
But that s no longer my decision.
Then I slammed the door in his face, glad to see the faerie go.
Aislin stepped behind me, tears in her eyes and a reluctant frown on her face.
Are you ready to go?
Yep.
I said.
Take me to Iceland.
Chapter 43
(Gemma)
It will be alright,
he whispered, brushing my hair back.
I ll always save you.
But I don t want you to save me,
I said.
I want to save you.
It can t be that way.
The ice crackled over his voice.
It can if I want it to be,
I said my hair blowing in the wind.
It has to be me. It just has to.
No, it doesn t.
He leaned close, tracing his finger along my cheekbone.
It never has to be you again. I ll always save you Gemma, just like I promised.
I shook my head, holding onto him as the Death Walkers descended from the trees. Their eyes lit with fire. Stephan stood in the middle, his cloak billowing behind him.
Please don t leave me.
The wind howled against my words. Ice laced my breath. My bones chilled.
I have to,
he said.
This is how it was supposed to be.
No.
I shook my head.
This isn t how our story goes this isn t how I saw it.
Everything happens for a reason,
he said.
Even this.
Then he pulled me against him.
Don t let me go,
I whispered.
But as the electricity sparkled, freeing itself from us, we slipped to the earth, our bodies breaking.
Only one of us survived.
When I opened my eyes, I felt hollow and numb. My room was dark. Alex was gone. All the amazing feelings I d had when I drifted to sleep, had evaporated.
I got to my feet, stumbled across my room, and cracked open the door. The house was silent, except for the sound of the TV. I stepped into the hall and padded down the stairs, finding only one person.
A tall vampire sat with his legs kicked up on the table. He turned his head as if he sensed me.
I was wondering when you were going to wake up.
Outside, the sky was dark, stars twinkling a song I almost knew.
What time is it? And where is everyone?
They took off somewhere.
He shrugged me off.
They wanted to have some brother and sister good-bye or something.
I slumped down on the couch.
But they re coming back, right?
Yeah.
His eyes were on the TV screen.
They ll be back.
You sure?
I asked, crossing my arms.
Or are you just telling me that?
He met my eyes and they were full of truth.
Yeah, Gemma. They’re coming back.
I sighed with relief.
So Alex is finally accepting this, then?
What?
Laylen said.
You two dying? I m not so sure.
If he s saying good-bye than I m sure that means he s accepted it.
I paused.
Has Aislin removed Stephan s Mark of Immortality yet? How s that even supposed to work?
His face sank as if he just realized there was a problem.
You know what? I have no freaking idea.
God, this was stupid. I couldn t just rely on the fact that I knew everything would worked out. We still had to get there. And I didn t see the part where Aislin removed the mark and the shield.
What are you thinking?
Laylen asked, like he knew my mind was brewing up a plan.
I tapped my fingers on the arm rest, hating to do it, but unable to think of another way.
I think I need to see one more vision.
He frowned and rested his arm across the top of the chair.
Why? I thought you weren t into that anymore?
I m not.
I bit at my thumb nail.
But I need to find out how Aislin takes Stephan down.
Are you sure?
he asked.
Because I know how you ve felt about visions lately.
I m sure.
I lied down on the sofa, propping my feet onto his lap. Then I took a deep breath.
Just stay here while I go, okay?
Whatever you want.
He patted my legs.
And I m always here for you. You know that.
One last Foreseer hoorah.
I shut my eyes, picturing Stephan, the Mark of Immortality on his arm, and an invisible shield protecting his body. I let my mind go, pushing past the boundaries of the normal human mind.
And then I was there.
I was standing at the Keeper s Castle in front of the stairway. I d been here before, but it had changed. There was ice spider webbing the ceiling and the banister. The floor was a layer of snow, the footprints of heavy traffic stamped through it. My shoes crunched as I moved to the window and drew back the curtain. There we were, Alex and I, holding hands, far across the lake. This was it. This had to be it.
Voices fluttered from the back room and I walked up the hall, my heart knocking, not because I d see Stephan or the Death Walkers. But because this was it. This was the end.
The door was shut and I shoved it open. A cold air chilled my skin and bones. The fireplace was lifeless. The rug that spread the floor was cracked with ice as a group of Death Walkers paused, listening to Stephan rant.
This is the day,
he said, his black cloak trialing the floor as he paced it with his hands behind his back.
This is the day when we all reunite.
The Death Walkers eyes glowed, their corpse-like hands clapped as they shrieked.
The problem is, you have failed me,
he said.
You haven t given me the star. And now all I have left is a useless portal. I can t free Malefiscus. Do you know what that means?
But we have Death Walkers.
The voice moved over my shoulder and I shuddered.
Demetrius strolled up to Stephan. He wore the same black cloak. Standing side by side, Demetrius was taller, his black hair longer, but the both carried evil in their eyes.
We don t need Malefiscus anymore,
Demetrius said.
You can create marks. You and I can rule the world.
Stephan s eyes were cold as he traced his finger along his scar.
Do you not remember what this represents? Are you forgetting where we came from?
Demetrius flinched.
I m not forgetting, but we don t have the star and we can t free him without it. But we have the portal and there are enough Death Walkers to freeze over the world.
He lowered his voice.
We can still do this. We can still control everything.
Stephan slammed his fist against the mantel.
He s in our blood he s the one who started this all. Don t forget where we came from.
And we re the ones who are going to end it.
Demetrius swished back his cloak.
Years and years you ve sacrificed your life protecting a world that does nothing but cause more problems. But if we do this, we can control the faeries, the witches, the vampires everyone. Forever.
Stephan clenched his jaw.
We were supposed to free him. It was what we were born to do.
He touched the scar again.
It s why we have these.
I backed against the wall as more Death Walkers packed themselves into the room, choking the air away.
No, it s not time yet,
Stephan growled at the Death Walkers.
Stop asking me that same stupid question.
Wow. He was really cracking under the pressure. I liked it.
He picked up the Sword of Immortality and ran his finger along the jagged blade. I thought he was going to stab one of them again as he strode for the nearest Death Walker.
Breathe on this,
he instructed, holding the sword in front of a Death Walker s mouth.
The Death Walker huffed and a mist puffed from its lips, blowing the Chill of Death on the blade. Then Stephan cracked it against the chair, shattering it into a thousand unusable pieces.
No more threats,
he muttered and returned to the fireplace.
Well, let s go then.
It was like an orb when it first appeared, a bright blue ball that built in the center of the room. I glanced around, wondering who was doing it. The ball moved for Stephan and he buckled back, bumping his arm against the bricks of the fireplace.
What is that!
He barked, leaning his head back as the orb bounced for him.
Which one of you is doing this?
I am.
Aislin materialized in the center of the ice army and she wasn t alone. Laylen towered beside her, holding her hand for support.
Stephan grinned wickedly.
Has my daughter finally come to reunite with me & are you afraid of what s coming?
Nope,
she said, lifting her hands and the orb raised with it.
But you should be.
Then she thrust her hands forward and the orb exploded with shimmer, growing bigger and bigger, sealing around Stephan, Laylen, and herself. The Death Walkers charged, but their bodies bounced against the orb, some slamming to the floor and other s shrieking.
Demetrius stood by the door, uncaring, a true evil side-kick.
You can t kill me.
Stephan s voice simmered through the translucent wall and he showed Aislin his Mark of Immortality.
No one can.
That s where you re wrong.
She leaned forward and cupped her hand around her mouth like she was telling him a secret.