Page 281

“What…”

Then I see it.

A thin red line beneath my skin.

I stop breathing.

It moves.

Slowly.

A tiny vine slips beneath the surface of my abdomen, curling once before disappearing deeper inside me.

They didn’t pull it out.

They only ripped off the part they could reach.

“No.”

The Harvest begins to laugh.

Malakai’s face goes blank. “What?”

“Kai.”

His eyes meet mine. “The Sowing started.”

My stomach rolls.

A heartbeat sounds. Not mine. Not Rhett’s.

From beneath us.

THUMP.

The altar pulses.

THUMP.

My body answers and every muscle locks.

THUMP.

Something hard hits the back of my throat.

I choke.

My body jerks forward, but Ezra catches me before I can fold in on myself.

“Sage?”

I try to answer.

Another sharp edge scrapes up my throat.

I gag.

“Sage!”