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“And Eve’s even crazier than she was before?” Luther asks, raising an eyebrow as he pads down the steps ahead of Nova.

I nod slowly. “And more dangerous.”

While Luther heads for the kitchen, Tanner rises to his feet and crosses the room, taking Nova’s hand when she reaches the bottom step.

Even when she first arrived in Phoenix Falls, I never saw her as fragile. Yes, she had scars—both emotional ones and physical ones from that fucking asshole Johnny—but there was a strength inside her that shone from her eyes. Right now, that sparkle is gone. As if she’s a ghost or something not quite here, she keeps hold of Tanner’s hand and lets him guide her to the singed couch.

If Luther minds that she scorched the place he built with his bare hands, he isn’t letting it show, which is unusual for him.

Kole brings her a mug of coffee. She takes it but doesn’t look at him. It will be daylight soon, and I’m not sure if that means it’s too late for coffee or if time has stopped meaning anything at all since last night.

Luther tells her she should eat and starts rummaging in the fridge, but Nova doesn’t reply.

Sitting down on the coffee table, I put my hands on Nova’s knees. She’s colder than usual and clearly exhausted. “I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I’m sorry about Sam, Nova.”

I want to tell her I understand the pain of losing a sibling. For the first time in a long time, I want to open myself up. Expose my deepest darkest memories so she knows I truly know how she is feeling.

But this isn’t about me; it’s about her. And talking to her about Layla right now won’t do anything to ease her pain.

For a long moment, Nova doesn’t meet my eyes. When she finally does look up, she blinks back tears then she turns to Kole. He’s lingering by the window, arms folded, a blanket of misery quivering around him. As if he knows what she’s about to say, his jaw twitches and he widens his stance—bracing himself for what’s to come.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Nova asks quietly.

I breathe in slowly and glance at Tanner. I think we were all hoping Nova wouldn’t put the pieces together and realize that Kole allowed Sam to leave the cabin knowing what would happen if he did. But she’s smart, and she notices things, and there’s no way she wouldn’t figure it out.

Tanner presses his lips together. He’s barely spoken to Kole since we got back and is having a hard time remaining neutral. Clearly, he’s also pissed that the seer in our group didn’t warn us about what was going to go down.

Kole fixes his eyes on Nova’s. “Yes, Little Star, I knew.”

As if she expected him to lie, Nova frowns. She stands up and walks over to him. When she’s close, she looks up and—for a second—I think she’s going to collapse into his chest and let him hold her while she cries. Instead, smoke begins to dance on her skin. “Fuck you!” she yells. “Fuck you for lying to me!” She punches his chest far harder than she punched me. While it doesn’t physically hurt him, it’s obvious Kole is wounded in other ways. “You told me you loved me,” she says, arms quivering as she stands back and meets his eyes.

“I do love you.” Kole’s reply is steady and sincere.

“If you loved me, you wouldn’t have let my brother die.” Nova’s eyes widen as the words leave her mouth, as if she knows she shouldn’t be saying them but can’t stop herself.

Kole breathes in slowly, then he reaches out and brushes the side of her face with his index finger. Without saying another word, he turns and walks out of the door.

Nova watches him leave. When the door swings closed, she starts to cry again. As Tanner jogs after Kole, Luther and I move in unison toward Nova. When we reach her, her body folds in on itself and she sinks to the ground. We move with her. She’s shaking from head to toe, and I can’t bear to see her breaking like this.

Inside my head, Snow lets out a pained growl. He can’t stand it either.

I pull her into my lap and wrap my arms around her. She leans into my chest, crying against my neck. Her tears start to soak into my shirt but then Luther takes her hand. He tugs her arm. “Stand up,” he says.

Nova curls away from him, pressing harder against me. “Luther,” I warn him.

“Stand up,” he repeats, hooking his arms under hers and heaving her to her feet.

Shaking, she turns her face away from him.

“Luther, leave her.” I stand up, too, and position myself behind her.

Ignoring me, Luther opens his palm. A flame appears. He flexes his fingers, and it grows. Nova’s eyes are captivated by the flame. Like a moth that can’t turn away, she stares at it and its warmth licks her face.

“Take her clothes off.” Luther looks over Nova’s head at me, meeting my eyes. For a moment, as I realize what he’s going to do, I think about refusing. But honestly, I have no idea how else we can ease her pain. So, I do as he says.

7

NOVA