The Promise (25 page)

Dammit!

Stephan cried, slamming his fist against the floor.

It s gone!

What is?

Demetrius asked, still leaning motionless against the doorway.

Stephan s eyes burned in his direction, blood streaming down his face.

My shield!

He glanced at his arm.

And my Mark of Immortality.

You can put it back on,

he said.

So relax. It s almost time.

A ringing filled the room. Stephan retrieved his phone from his cloak. He stared at the screen before wiping the blood from his face. Then he answered it.

What.

He snarled into the receiver. A voice chattered from the other end and Stephan s face took on anger mixed with excitement. Unexpectedly he shattered the phone against the icy ground and stampeded for the door.

What is it?

Demetrius scooted out of the way.

Our stars waiting for us,

he said and then grinned as he rushed for the outside.

Demetrius followed, a fog of ice blustering against my skin as the Death Walkers flocked after them, their yellow eyes glinting.

All of them were ready to kill Alex and me.

When the room emptied, I dropped down to the floor, my heart aching because I knew what was happening outside. I stayed there for a while. I couldn t get my legs to cooperate, so I let them lay lifelessly in front of me as I watched the ice melt and puddle in the quiet room. The air began to warm and my body thawed. I didn t want to go. But I knew I had to.

Eventually, I willed myself up and took one last glance back. I could have went to the window and seen the damage outside, but I didn t want to.

When I woke up in the living room, I was lying on the couch, my feet still on Laylen as he stared at me worriedly.

What s wrong?

I sat up, looking around for danger lurking in the corners.

You were & what happened?

he asked.

I saw what Aislin did,

I said, realizing I d been crying and I dried my tears.

Did we win?

He looked at me with hope in his eyes

Does she remove the shield and the mark?

I nodded.

And so do you.

He pressed his lips together, wanting to say more. His blue eyes looked brighter somehow, maybe because they weren t burden with the mark.

Are they back yet?

I slid my legs off his lap, but he held them down.

What s wrong?

It s nothing.

He played with his lip ring.

Would you & could you explain to me why you have to die? Because I don t get it. If we removed his mark, then we can take him down.

But we can t take down everything else,

I told him.

Alana told me something while I was in the Afterlife. She said that everything was supposed to happen this way. And that the star had to die because if it lives, the portal will open. Malefiscus is part of the star and it connects the portal to us. He can t walk free without the blood of the rest of you guys, but the portal opening up will do enough damage to the world. And we I can t let it open.

I wished things were different,

he mumbled, eyebrows furrowing.

I wish I could have done things different.

I didn t say anything, not completely agreeing with him. Yes, I wished most of my life had been different. But there were a few things I wouldn t change.

A bang shook the floor and I jumped to my feet, searching for a knife.

Sophia s still down there,

Laylen unnecessarily explained and pulled me back down.

I know,

I said, glancing over my shoulder at the kitchen.

Could you do me a favor?

Anything you want, Gemma.

Could you free Sophia?

I asked.

After all this is over. Don t just leave her down there.

He titled his head to the side, his blue-tipped bangs falling across his forehead.

You don t hate her for what she did to you?

I considered my answer carefully.

I don t hate her, but I don t really like her either. It s kind of strange, I guess because I know all those years her mind wasn t her own. But all the pain she caused is still fresh in my mind. She s my grandmother though, and I don t want her locked underneath the house forever.

He fidgeted with his lip ring, perplexed in his own thoughts.

Gemma, how do you know for sure that you won t be around for this? How do you know you re going to die and Alex s isn t?

I leaned in, lowering my voice.

Can you keep a secret?

Chapter 44

(Alex)

Aislin dropped us in front of the house, letting out a shiver, as the cold air encircled her.

Are you sure you want to do this?

she asked again, wrapping her arms around herself.

Because maybe there s another way. We still have a little time left.

I shook my head, opening the gate.

There s no other way, Aislin. Time s up. This is it.

Well, I m waiting here.

She refused to step onto the sidewalk.

That s fine.

I walked for the front steps.

I d rather do this on my own, anyway.

I banged on the door, causing an eruption of howls from the neighborhood dogs.

Open up! I know you re in there.

Next door, an old woman stepped out onto her porch.

Keep it down. We don t want any nonsense.

I banged on the door again, this time louder.

No one lives there,

the old woman hissed, tying her robe.

Now leave or I ll call the police.

I shook my head, giving the door a good hard kick, and then I stomped down the stairs, grabbing Aislin by the arm and headed down the street.

Where are we going?

Aislin trotted to keep up.

Just keep walking.

I glanced over my shoulder at the old woman who was still watching us. I turned the corner, rounding the back, and hopped over the fence to the back door.

Wait here,

I instructed and left Aislin on the bottom steps.

I checked the back door and the window, but both were locked. I kicked the house.

Dammit! I don t have time for this crap.

I punched my fist through the window, cutting my knuckles.

Alex! Aislin cried over the howl of the dogs, but I was already diving headfirst through the window.

Her wail blasted my ears as soon as I hit the floor. I didn t bother taking out my knife, because I was already giving her what she wanted. I ran up the stairs and kicked down the door.

Way to make an entrance,

the Banshee sung from the windowsill, her blond hair white in the pale moonlight.

But you could have just knocked.

I took a deep breath, ready to make my offer, but she held up her hand.

Let me guess,

she said, whisking from the window.

You found your mother, but now she s trapped in the Afterlife, paying her debt until Helena will let her walk the world again.

I started to nod, but then shook my head.

But that s not why I m here.

Her eyes were curious, her smile malicious.

Then tell me, what do you want from me?

She circled, tracing her finger across my shoulder.

I can be very giving if asked the right question.

I clutched my hands into fists, knowing this wasn t easy. But it was right. And that was all that matter.

I m ready to make a bargain with you.

A few minutes later, I returned outside, this time using the door. Aislin was waiting for me on the steps, in the crisp snow, shivering and chattering.

Can we go now? I m freezing my butt off.

You should have worn a jacket,

I handed her mine.

I didn t even think about it.

She put the jacket on and zipped it up.

All I could think about was you saying you re going to die.

I rubbed my hands across my face, taking in what I d just done. I felt different, sacred, but less burdened.

It ll be okay. You ll be okay.

She kicked her boots at the snow.

I know you think this is how this is supposed to work, but why can t someone save you too?

Because I m not worth it.

I stared at the sky.

I ve lived my life, did a lot of crappy things, and now it s time to make up for it.

She sucked back the tears and sniffled.

You re not as bad as you think you are, Alex. And I think Gemma would agree with me.

I realized this was probably the last time I d see her. When I returned home, it would be time. And even though she bugged the heck out of me most days, I d still miss her. So I pulled her in for one last hug.

Take care of yourself.

I gave her a pat on the back.

She nodded, sobbing, just like she always did. Then she pushed back, dabbing the tears from her eyes.

Can we make one stop before we go back to the house?

I asked.

There s something I need to get.

Where do you want to go?

she asked.

Hopefully somewhere easy.

I shook my head.

Sorry, but this is anything but easy.

She crossed her arms defiantly.

Then I m not going. I m so sick off this. I just want to go back and all of us live normal lives.

That s not going to happen,

I said with honesty.

At least not for everyone.

She pressed her face into her hands.

Fine. Where to you want to go?

My breath puffed out in front of me.

To the Keeper s Castle.

Are you insane?

Her hands fell to her side.

You do understand that s where Stephan is, right?

Well, we re not going there to pay him a visit,

I said.

We re going to sneak into my room.

Why? That seems like the last thing you should be doing right now.

You want your power for your shield spell?

The neighbors lights clicked on and I scooted us into the shadows.

You remember how Gemma and I use to steal crap from Stephan all the time, just to piss him off.

Yeah, I always thought you guys were stupid.

She laughed her eyes wide as she stared off into empty space.

Not stupid,

I said.

Smart. I have quite the collection hidden in my room.

I m surprised you didn t give it all back to him,

she said.

I mean, after she left you seemed to just do what he asked.

I motioned my hand, stirring the falling snow.

Everything happens for a reason. Now can we go? We re running low on time.

She glanced at the sky and nodded. Then she chanted under her breath as the snow sped us away.

When we hit my bedroom floor, both our feet slipped out from under us. I braced myself with the bedpost but Aislin fell to the floor, her elbow cracking against the ice.

My eyes did a quick scan of the room, making sure it was empty. There was ice everywhere, coating the walls and the floor. Icicles hung from the ceiling.

Aislin winced, cupping her elbow as she sat up.

What? Are they just living here now? He s really lost it, hasn t he?

I don t think he ever had anything to lose.

I stood, getting my balance and headed for the trapdoor. But it was frozen shut by ice.

You got your knife on you?

Yeah.

She regained her steadiness with her hands extended to the side.

Why?

Because we re going to have to chip some ice away to get to the stuff.

She took her knife out of her snow boot, knelt down, and stabbed at the ice.

Quietly.

I sat down with my knife in my hand and shaved a layer of ice away. Aislin followed my lead and it seemed like we worked for hours, before we removed enough that I could snap the door open. Finally I glided inside, remembering the time Gemma and I hid in the space. It was one of the most unbearable moments of my life; hours seemed like days and I was surprised we even made it out alive.

Hidden at the farthest wall was a bag. I snatched it up, rolled over, and heaved myself back up. Aislin grabbed it from me and untied it.

Her eyes sparkled.

Holy crap.

She blinked at me.

How did you get all this?

Inside the bag were many things that contained a lot of power; The Flower of Malina, The Box of Aurora, The Dust of The Burning Bridge. To me, it had always been a bunch of useless stuff. But maybe Aislin could use the power for her spell.

Dad s always been power crazy,

I said.

I just hope they ll work for you.

So do I,

she said enthusiastically.

But there s only one way to find out for sure.

We scared them with our sudden appearance in the middle of the living room.

Gemma hopped to her feet, her violet eyes stormy and anxious.

Where were you?

She tried to sound calm, but failed.

I had something to do before we headed to the lake.

My hands longed to touch her, like they did last night.