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“I don’t think it would have changed anything,” I lied. Lying was getting easier and easier as this day went on. Soon I’d be a natural.
Cade was standing at the bottom of the stairs now that the police had cleared out. His expression was an unspoken question, and I shook my head. I didn’t need anyone’s help this time.
Prescott was nowhere to be seen, so I had to assume that was a good sign for Imeld
a’s long-term health.
“I’m so sorry,” she wheezed.
“So am I.” Her hand was limp in mine, but I still squeezed it lightly to let her know I was there. She was warm, not freezing. All good signs. “I think you’re going to be okay, Imelda. You just need to hold on.”
She nodded gravely. “This wasn’t supposed to happen to us.”
“Why, because we’re beloved by the gods?” My laugh was hoarse, mercilessly cold. “I don’t think it works that way. I don’t think it has ever worked that way.”
This time she opened her eyes and fixed me with a stare so intense it made my organs tremble. There was a ferocity in her still that demanded respect, even as she lay in a broken tangle.
“They’ll never believe again. This…this will ruin us, Tallulah.”
“People will either believe or they won’t.”
Her grip became viselike, crushing my fingers. Her skin was no longer warm, it was downright hot. I tried to pull myself free, but she wouldn’t let me go.
“They have to believe.”
“I don’t…” I drifted off, looking at the mayhem around us, at the film crews broadcasting every second of it. “It’s too late.”
She tried to force herself into a sitting position, and I held her down. “Whoa, come on. You’re just going to hurt yourself.”
“You have to fix this.”
“What?” Something in her expression, in the manic gleam in her eyes, made me nervous and excited all at once. The emotion unfurling in my belly was one I hadn’t expected to feel, not here, not ever again.
It was hope.
“What are you talking about?” I leaned closer to her, afraid to miss a single word. She looked borderline insane, but I didn’t think this was madness speaking. She was trying to tell me something, and I’d be damned if I ignored it.
“I can’t do it to myself.” She shook her head. “The power doesn’t work like that.”
“What power?”
“Tallulah.” She gripped both my hands in hers. “Would you fix this? If you could fix it, would you?”
“Of course.” I didn’t hesitate for a second.
“The cost will be high.”
There was no cost higher than what I’d paid here today. I’d pay with my life if I had to, and I’d do it without thinking twice. She must have seen the determination etched in my features, because she gave me a weak smile.
“You’re special.” She kissed my knuckles. She was so hot it burned my skin. “You can do this.”
I still wasn’t totally sure what she was talking about, but when she reached up to touch my face, I let her.
“Close your eyes.”
I did as I was told, and her hand covered mine. Her skin was fire. It was acid. My whole body burned like I’d been doused in flames. When the pain subsided, I opened my eyes, and my breath caught in my throat.
I was standing across from Imelda at the Starbucks café. The air was clear, and people were milling around in the early-morning sunshine, chattering pleasantly. Imelda was herself, prim and poised, a little annoyed looking.
