Page 12

Early morning light hovers outside the window. Mack and Luther are sleeping. I’m supposed to be sleeping too, but even my third whiskey did little to ease the tightness in my chest.

The brief snatch of time I spent with Luther and Mack, letting them fill me up until there was no room for my grief, feels like a million years ago already. As soon as we stepped out of the shower, the relief dissipated and swirling, gnawing, anguish returned to my chest. They brought me to bed and curled themselves around me, clearly hoping that if they cradled me between them, exhaustion would take over and I’d manage to sleep for a while.

They fell asleep quickly. Their orgasms and the come down from the fight at The Hollow made their eyelids heavy and their breath slow. Now, they look peaceful. Both of them look so peaceful.

I lie still for a few more minutes before sliding out from between their arms and off the end of the bed.

The soles of my feet shiver as they meet the cold wooden floor. I’m wearing one of Luther’s tees but move quietly to the chest of drawers in the corner of the room and take some of my own fresh clothes from it.

I wait until I’m downstairs to dress. Kole and Tanner are missing. I haven’t seen them since I yelled at Kole, and the part of me that is bonded to him flutters with worry. Pushing the sensation away, I get dressed then take my sneakers from the shoe rack by the door. It’s cold outside, quickly approaching fall, so I grab one of Mack’s hoodies and toss it over the top of my own thin sweater. Then I snatch the keys to the truck Kole used to get the others back here.

On the veranda, I put on my sneakers and jog down the steps. I don’t look back at the cabin, just head straight for the trees. At the turn-out just beyond the shield, I hop into the truck and start the engine. I’m a terrible driver but manage to turn the truck around and make it into Phoenix Falls with little trouble.

Town is eerily quiet. It’s early, but there should be signs of life. People should be flitting about, opening the stores and cafes, heading off to work in other towns, walking their dogs, jogging on the trails by the river.

The entire journey, I see no one. By the time I reach Rev’s, I’m starting to think the uprising has started already; Eve sent her deadly black flies to swarm through the town and kill all its residents.

Swallowing down a shudder, I park up at the back of Rev’s then climb out and knock on the door. It takes at least a minute for her to answer. When she does, her eyes widen at the sight of me. “Nova? Holy stars, come in before someone sees you.” She grabs my arm and tugs me inside.

In the darkness of the stairwell, she folds me into her arms. Tears fill my eyes and I try to fight them.

“What happened?” she asks, stepping back to meet my eyes.

As she frowns at me, I ask quietly, “Can we go upstairs? I need to speak to Sarah.”

A flicker of understanding pinches Rev’s face. She sucks in a heavy breath, and says, “Of course. This way.”

I follow her upstairs into her small brightly decorated apartment. While I sit down at a small round table, she puts a kettle on the stove and leans back against the counter. “Do the boys know you’re here?” she asks, tilting her head.

“No, they don’t.” I hug my arms around my middle. “I wanted to speak to Sarah alone.”

Rev nods slowly, then moves into the center of the room and calls, “Sarah? Are you awake, honey? We have a visitor.”

When Sarah appears, she looks like she hasn’t slept in days. Her face is pale and gaunt, and she’s holding her cardigan tightly around her small frame. “Nova?” A smile flickers on her lips, but then she looks around the room and realizes I’m alone. “You’re here?” She frowns and moves closer.

I gesture to the chair opposite me. Slowly, Sarah takes it then leans onto her forearms and laces her fingers together. “Sarah, I need to tell you something,” I say, looking down at my hands.

In the kitchen, the kettle is beginning to boil.

“It’s about Sam.” My voice cracks, so I clear my throat and close my eyes. I can hardly stand to look at her. “He’s…” I force myself to meet Sarah’s eyes. “Sam is gone.”

Sarah blinks at me, then she glances at Rev, then back at me. Laughter bubbles in her chest. She shakes her head and laughs again. “Gone where? Where has he gone?”

“Ragnor was going to sacrifice Sam in order to bring back Elena,” I speak the words that I rehearsed on the journey here. “He made a deal with The Shadow King; he’d find my name and hand me over. And in return, The King would bring Elena back for him.”

Rev lets out a whoosh of breath and mutters, “Fuck.”

Sarah simply stares at me.

“Ragnor’s witch Eve performed some kind of ritual. The sky opened up, and a voice—The Shadow King’s voice—told Ragnor he had to sacrifice his own blood in exchange for Elena’s. He was going to kill Sam, but Nico jumped in front of him. Ragnor stabbed Nico instead.”

“Nico?” Sarah is frowning at me. “Nico Varlac? The one who pretended to be Sam?”

I nod and press my palm flat onto the table. “Nico is…” My stomach twists, and I correct myself. “Nico was Sam’s half-brother. Kayla and Ragnor’s son. He tried to save Sam. He jumped in front of him, and Ragnor stabbed Nico instead.”

Rev moves toward us and sits down in the third chair. “Holy hell, Nova.”

“The earth was opening up like an enormous hole was swallowing everything. Nico disappeared, but I thought Sam was going to make it,” I say, my voice on the verge of cracking. “Then Kayla…” I shake my head, “she pushed him. Sam fell into the hole. He tried to hold on, but he couldn’t. Then it closed up, and he was gone.”