She nodded as she rose to her knees and hunched over. Smoke came from her lungs as she wheezed, trying to catch her breath. Her face was already swollen and purple from the hit she took. “Which group was stationed at the east tower?”
There was no time to get my response out before her wild eyes darted to me, gesturing to my leg. She rose up instantly. “Seb, you're bleeding. Like…a lot.”
I glanced down, my jaw tightening at the gash on my outer thigh. It was deeper than I realized. The bleeding was heavy, almost black as it seeped into my pants. I gulped as my adrenaline faded and I started to feel the burn of the wound. “Yeah. I guess I am.” I shrugged the injury off. There was no time to waste on flesh wounds.
She moved forward, hand extended and ready to heal me, but I stepped back.
“It's fine,” I lied, pressing a hand to the gouge. I winced as I felt the indescribable feel of busted muscle. “Don't bother. Preserve your energy. Better yet, use it on your own face.”
“It’s not fucking fine, Seb, you’re turning the grass red.”
Blood seeped between my fingers, but I cocked an eyebrow up. “Who cares about the damn grass, Pia?”
“I don't care about the grass. I just meant that you're bleeding a lot and it's not going to just stop on its own.”
I ripped another piece of my undershirt off and tied it around my leg. The makeshift bandage held for a moment, but soon enough the material started to drip red. “Gods dammit,” I muttered.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Sebastian. Can you not be stubborn for once in your life?”
My palm pressed harder on the wound. “I'm not being stubborn.” I really was—though I didn't know why.
She glared at me so intently, that I actually felt some fear from the girl.
“Pia. I'm fine. Let's go, we have to move.” I started to limp off, but she didn't follow.
“Here you go. Lying to meyet again,” she snarled.
I froze in place, my back towards her. There it was. It was only a matter of time. Her acting fine about the journal had been a fluke, and why wouldn't she be angry about it? If she’d been hiding things from me for years, I'd be pissed, too. I slowly rotated, facing her where she stood tapping her foot, arms crossed.
“I know it's not the time to get into this, but now that some of the shock is wearing off, I can feel how absolutely pissed I am at you for not telling me about this!” she yelled, chucking the journal to me.
Thank gods she kept it safe through all of that.
My teeth clenched as I bent down to pick it up, fresh bloodspurting from my thigh. My body recoiled as I rose and stuffed it into my back pocket, and though I wanted to defend myself, I really couldn't, so I didn't bother trying.
“We have always told each other everything. Do you not trust me?” Pia asked, her tone reflecting her betrayal.
I shook my head. “Of course I do. I just…I don't know. The journal just felt like something special between just my mother and me. Like a secret her and I had together even though she’s gone. For a while none of her predictions were coming true anyway, at least none that I saw. But then Maeve showed up, and it all started piecing together.”
“Does she know?” Pia asked, her face softening at my confession.
I frowned, dropping my neck down in shame. “No. I didn't plan on telling her when we first met. She hated me and I didn’t see the point anyways, because so far the only prediction that had come true was her even existing. But then things started happening—little pieces of my mother’s writing coming to life. AndthenI fell for Maeve…hard. At that point though I was so deep into the mess that I felt like telling her would ruin everything.” Saying the words aloud made me realize how much I really fucked up.I'm sorry, I mouthed the two words that I found myself telling the women in my life all too often.
Pia sighed as she approached to pull me into a hug. “That may just be one of the most pitiful stories I've ever heard.” She chuckled. “I forgive you. Of course I do. But you are going to tell Maeve…or I will,” she threatened. “But I think it would be best coming from you, seeing as you two arein lovenow.”
“I know. I just hope I even get the chance to tell her.” Even if she hated me for it—getting to tell Maeve would mean that she was alive, and that's what mattered the most. “I’ll tell Sawyer and Kohen, too. But Pia, there's one more thing from the journal that I really need to tell you.” Therewas a key piece to my mother’s predictions that she really should know.
She pulled away from me. “Not now. My brain has had enough for the hour. Just let me heal your damn leg,” she demanded.
I blew out a breath. This really shouldn't wait any longer, but I'd already ticked her off enough, so I nodded in agreement and gave her access to my wound.
Chapter
Forty-Six
“Where are we going?” Kohen followed behind me, keeping up with my footing as I directed us to my impending funeral.
“Courtyard,” I muttered, my mind on one track.
