CHAPTER ELEVEN
Calista
Panicked, Kaiden grabbed the chain from the back of my neck and yanked on it. I fought to keep it on, but he was stronger than me and jerked it over my head. I yelped as he took some of my hair with him.
“Wait!” He dashed to the door and pushed it shut before Gina could leave. Something intimate passed in the silence between them. Had they been seeing each other in secret?
Gina sighed and returned to the couch with Kaiden behind her.
“What's this proof?” Gina wrapped one arm over her stomach and propped her other elbow on top of it, cradling the bottle to her chest. “Show me so I can leave.”
Kaiden opened his fist, and the necklace fell from his palm, the chain pinched between his fingers. Determination lit up his face as it swayed.
“Your grandma’s necklace?” Her index finger lifted off the bottle, and she pointed at it. “I've seen that a billion times.”
His smile drooped on one side. For a moment, Kaiden resembled the younger version of himself. The one who had me eating out of his hand because I felt guilty for being mean or not including him. It pained me to see the hurt written so clearly across his face. If it were anyone else, he could mask it from them. But for Gina and me, he wore his heart on his sleeve.
“It wasn't my grandma's,” I told her. “It was a gift.”
“Sorry, it was a gift from your grandma. Same difference.”
“It was a gift,” I gulped, then whispered, “from Astaroth.”
“I'll bite.” She took another drink and watched us for signs of deceit. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be drunk in the next few minutes. “Who is Astaroth?”
Kaiden waved his other hand. “What matters most right now is what it does.”
Its energy reached out to me, and when it connected, a flash rolled over the cursed stone, enticing me to use it. Telling Gina was the worst mistake.
“It's a wishing stone.”
“A wishing stone?” Her incredulous tone said it all.
“That’s enough, Kaiden.” I tried to take it from him, but he pushed my hand away.
“Ever wonder how so many things worked out in her favor?”
Gina looked at me but still didn’t buy it. “You were pretty lucky growing up.”
“Try it out yourself,” Kaiden said.
I scrambled to get it back, but he blocked me every time. “I’m not sure it will work for anyone but me.”
He frowned when I tried to wedge myself between him and Gina. “What is your deal? This is our proof.”
Her face scrunched up as she took a step back.
Kaiden prompted her with his chin. “Take the necklace, Gina. Make a wish.”
Her chuckle sounded forced. “This will never work.”
Gina reached out for it, and Kaiden put his hand against my chest to hold me in place. I reluctantly let her take it. Uncertainty transformed her face when she felt the power emanating from the stone. I wanted to snatch it back, wish for her and Kaiden to forget all this, and grieve our father in peace.
I reached for it when she tried to give it back, but Kaiden shoved my arm down again. “Make a wish. That’s all we ask.”
“Don’t include me in this.” I crossed my arms. “This is a bad idea.”
“This is stupid,” she huffed. “You expect me to believe that if I say, ‘I wish for a hundred dollars,’ that it'll appear in my pocket?”
