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ROSI

Petting Yuka helpedme relax to the point I’d almost forgotten I was in mortal danger. I’d always loved animals but hadn’t had one of my own since I was twelve. That was when Sparky passed over the rainbow bridge, and my ever-practical parents seemed more relieved than upset. Though they let me place his picture on the altar during Dia De Los Muertos, they’d never agreed to get another pet.

Why was I thinking of my parents?

The ground beneath us jolted, and before I could catch a breath, the entire world shook. Artifacts tumbled down around me as Ila dropped beside me on the floor, screaming. I hugged Yuka to me and put my other arm over my head.

“It’s okay, Ila, it’s just an earthquake,” I yelled, trying to calm her. Living in California made me a pro at handling these situations, though my body still went into fight-or-flight mode with the adrenaline rush.

This was a long earthquake.

The ones I’d experienced lasted all of ten seconds, maybe twenty. This had to be going on thirty or forty.

Panic gripped me as I released Yuka and crawled along the ground toward the doorway. “Come with me.”

I prayed silently that the architects had designed this resort with some solid foundations and an earthquake-proof design. Was that part of the laws when building in Greenland? Nicole seemed like a lot of things, but a woman who cut corners wasn’t one of them.

The rumbling stopped when we reached the doors, but the room was in shambles, save the AC glass which held together well, making the missing tupilaq an even bigger issue in my mind.

The doors had jammed partially open so that only a very petite person could squeeze through sideways. I doubted I’d make it without getting stuck, but Yuka ran straight through and down the corridor.

“Yuka, wait!” I called, but her barks had dimmed to barely audible by the time I got the words out.

“We’re trapped,” Ila said, eyes wild with panic. She grabbed my arm a bit too tightly, and I yanked it back.

“We’ll be fine. It’s okay, Ila. But I need you to stay calm.”

“This is all my fault,” she said as I tried hard not to react to her frightened expression.

“None of this is your fault. We don’t even know what that was,” I said as evenly and slowly as I could. “I know this is stressful, but we are doing really well, considering.”

The attempted smile fell from my face as she shook her head of raven hair back and forth. “No, I’m an abomination.” She burst into sobs. “It’s come for me, finally. The tupilaq demands payment.”

This time I grabbed her arms and shook her to get her to look at me. “No one is going after anyone except the atshen. Whatever it is or whoever it used to be is no longer human. Do you understand? You are not responsible for the sins of your father.”

Ila gulped down air, and I did not release my hold on her until she’d mostly quieted.

Then she looked away. “I’m sorry. I’ve embarrassed myself.”

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” I reiterated. “You’ve been through more than anyone should have to in a lifetime. But you’re going to get out of here with your son.”

“Rosi!” Austin’s voice was like warm sunshine on a winter’s day.

My heart leaped. I reached through the door to touch his face as we both sank to our knees.

“Thank God you’re all right,” he said, drawing me toward him to kiss me through the opening.

“What happened?” I asked when he pulled away.

He tucked a stray hair behind my ear which promptly boinged out again. I waited, hoping to hear him tell me it was all over, but the longer he hesitated, the faster my heart beat.

“Where are Cora and Toklo?” I asked, straining to look around him to the hall. “Austin?”

He held my face in his hands, gray eyes like clouds blocking the sun. “They’re still at the track.”

“Are they—they aren’t—” I couldn’t get myself to say the word I feared most.