There’s not another way, so you need to stop searching for something that doesn’t exist. It just wastes time that we don’t have.” I climb out of bed, stretching my arms and legs. “In fact, I think we should get going now. We’ve already wasted too much time.”
“Gemma—” he starts, pushing to his feet.
“Is your mom ready to do this or what?” I talk over him, ready to get it over with. Alex may want to find another way, but there isn’t one, and looking only wastes time and puts more stress on everyone. “And what even happens? Because no one has explained that part.”
His Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he swallows hard. “The Banshee in Iceland wasn’t lying. You have to fake your own death so you really look dead, or Helena won’t let you in.”
“With poison?”
“My mom said that’s the easiest way.” He restlessly starts clicking the mouse. “Please don’t do this. If not for me, for our daughter.”
“Our daughter’s going to be fine. The spell won’t let anything happen to her.”
In three long strides, he’s stolen the space between us. Electricity surges as his fingers fold around my hips, and he pulls me to him.
“We could leave,” he says in desperation. “Just you and me. Run away and never look back.”
“And then what? Just let the world end? Could you really do that?”
He presses his lips together. “Could you?”
I shake my head, my hands trembling as I loop my arms around his neck. “It’s time to end this, Alex. We can’t run away anymore.” I brush my lips across his mouth before stepping out of his arms and turning for the door. “You don’t have to be there for this if you don’t want to, but I-I really want you to be.”
Even though I can tell he’s not happy about it, he still takes my hand. That’s when I feel the softest prickle against the back of my neck. I think I know what emotion is coming, and it scares me to death, so I bury it down and focus on my death, instead.
ALEX
It ached like hell to see Gemma hurting over losing her mother. I started to go after her, but Laylen said he’d go see if she was okay. Even though it nearly killed me, I let him go, knowing he can relate to Gemma’s situation better.
After he helps her deal with the death of her mother, I’m left helping her fake her own death, which again, is just about killing me.
We gather in the living room to get everything going. Aislin mixes the poison in a glass vile then gives it to Gemma, looking as anxious as I feel.
“Be careful with it,” Aislin tells her. “If you get any on your skin, it’ll kill the cells.”
Gemma gulps then carefully takes the vile of clear liquid. “So I just drink this, and then it’ll make me look like I’m dead?”
“It will once I seal it with the essence of death,” Aislin says, twisting a lid back on a bottle.
“It sounds like something straight out of Shakespeare.” Her violet eyes sparkle as she studies the vile with her head slanted to the side.
“Like Romeo and Juliet,” Nicholas remarks from somewhere in the room. “Let’s just hope this one over here doesn’t pull a Romeo and take his own life. Then you’ll both be dead.”
I figure he’s talking to me, and usually, I’d be all over getting him to shut the hell up, but I’m too stuck in my own head, racking my brain for another way.
There has to be another way.
“Nicholas, I’m glad you’re still around.” My mother takes sip of water before setting the glass down on the coffee table. “I need your help with something.”
“Oh, I’m intrigued,” he says with a wicked laugh. “I hope it has something to do with hauling Gemma to the other side. Gives me a chance to be alone with her.”
My jaw clamps down as I bite my tongue. “How is Gemma even supposed to convince Helena to give up the lost souls? Because from experience, queens aren’t too thrilled to just hand over things that belong to them.”
My mom leans over and taps the ring on Gemma’s hand. “With that. It belongs to the queen.”
“The last time we tried to make a bargain with a jewel, it didn’t work out so well,” Gemma says, a deep frown setting in. “We ended up trapped in The Underworld.”
“That won’t happen,” my mom assures us. “As long as you’re