my hands on his shoulders and look him dead in the eye. “You’re not going to die. You’re going to bring me back. That’s how my mom said it happens.”
“No.” His shoulders shake under my touch as he inches his face closer to mine. “I’ll die and go there if one of us needs to go.”
“Alex, she said it has to be me.” My voice is even and firm and so is my heart rate. The other heartbeat, though, races inside me, pouring fear through my veins.
“I don’t give a shit what your mom said. I’m not letting you . . .” He trails off, a pucker forming at his brow. “What is that?”
I glance from left to right. “What’s what?”
“That noise . . . It sounds like it’s coming from you . . .” He leans back, studying me. “ I swear I can hear your heart beating right now. It’s beating really fast. Are you okay?” He lines his palm against my chest, and his perplexity increases. “The sound . . . It doesn’t match your heart.”
I press my hand to my stomach. I have no clue how the hell he can hear it other than maybe it’s the connection of the star. Perhaps it’s linked the three of us. I struggle to stay composed, to hide my secret. Now is definitely not the right time to tell him.
But then he looks down and notices where my hand is. Just like with Aislin, I see it click in his eyes the moment he figures out what’s going on.
“Holy shit,” he breathes, his eyes as round as golf balls as he steps back.
“It’s not what you think,” I sputter. “It’s . . . I . . . Fuck . . .” I stumble over my words until frustration gets the best of me, and hot tears slip from my eyes.
The tears seem to calm him down a little, and his expression softens as he steps back toward me. “Gemma, it’s okay. We’ll—”
“Gemma, what are you doing here?”
Alex and I blink, and then, tearing my eyes off him, I turn to my dad.
He doesn’t look happy to see me. His violet eyes are unwelcoming as he stands there, glaring at me, his silver robe flapping with the breeze.
“You need to go, now!” he shouts, panic flashing in his eyes.
I trip back, slamming into Alex. “Dad, what’s—”
Ice crackles as the ocean rapidly glazes over, the waves frozen in place. Figures appear around us, stirring up a cloud of sand. When the sand settles, my jaw hits the ground.
Death Walkers. And they’re everywhere.
ALEX
No one can make me feels as angry, as happy, as terrified as Gemma can. As she stands there, trying to explain to me that she’s going to die so she can go to the Afterlife, I want to tie her up to my bed and never let her go. Her casual attitude toward her own life drives me so insane. I wish she could see how important she is, and not just because of the star.
I remember when I saw her at her school the day I went to break the spell Sophia put on her. Gemma looked so innocent, confused, and absolutely beautiful. When I met her again, I was such an ass to her, yet she forgave me. Well, eventually . . . kind of, anyway. I’m still a little confused over how she feels about me.
Sometimes I want her to hate me. It would make things easier if she refused to let me touch her and kiss her all the time, if one of us had control.
I start telling her there’s no fucking way I’ll ever let her go Afterlife when I hear something odd. Initially, I think it’s a drum, but then I realize the noise is coming from Gemma. It sounds like another heartbeat, and when she places a hand on her stomach, I just about pass out.
She never actually says the words, yet somehow I know.
She’s pregnant with my child.
Before I can even wrap my head around that fact, her dad shows up out of nowhere, screaming at her like lunatic. Then comes the biggest pain in my ass—the Death Walkers.
With one swift movement, I slide my hand into Gemma’s and sprint down the beach, running faster than I ever have. It’s not just about saving her anymore. It’s about saving both of them.
As I’m searching for a somewhere to hide her, she slips on the ice and lands on her back, cracking