and you’ve been hiding from your debt for a very long time, ever since I agreed to give you the gift of Banshee blood and preserve your body’s state.”
“I know what I owe.” She backs away and out into the tunnel, leaving me alone with the queen.
Even though I can’t see her eyes, I can sense her watching me like a hawk, and I try not to squirm.
“I know you,” she finally says. “You’re important, filled with an essence I’ve never tasted before. Annabella would be thrilled to get a taste of you.”
“As much as I’m flattered about that, I really don’t think I want to be tasted ever again.”
Her laughter reverberates throughout the room. “You’re clever, but I wonder just how far that cleverness could take you.”
“I’m not sure I’m following you.”
“You’re freeing these lost souls for the purpose that they aren’t supposed to be here, but tell me, why not free your own soul?”
I pause as her question really sinks in.
“I didn’t realize it needed to be freed.”
“Everyone’s soul needs to be freed in some way or another,” she says. “But yours is different. Yours needs to be freed from the pain you’ve always carried around.”
I place my hand over my heart, but I lack a pulse. “My soul’s fine.” With everything that’s happened to it, though, I’m not so sure.
“It might be okay for now, but not after you die, and you will die very soon.”
“How do you know about that?”
“All humans die,” she replies. “Your life just ends sooner. But you won’t be alone. You’ll die with someone important to you, someone you desperately wish you could save.”
I swallow the pain down as I think of how Alex will die with me. “Maybe.”
“But you can’t save others from death,” she says, “not without a price.”
“What kind of price?” I inch toward the throne. “Are you saying there’s a way to save Alex and me?”
“Not both of you; only one of you.” She smiles, seemingly pleased. “Only one of you can survive, with a sacrifice. One life in exchange for the other. But the question is, who will live and who will die?”
ALEX
It’s been too long. I can feel it in my bones, in my heart, in my soul. I want to run upstairs and wake her up, but Aislin’s watching me like a hawk.
“Quit fidgeting,” Aislin says to me as she sorts through a box of herbs. “You’re driving me crazy.”
I flip through the television channels, and each station talks about the same thing: all the madness, chaos, and death happening. It’s too depressing to watch and think about, so I turn off the TV and pick up my knife and sharpener.
“You’re driving me crazy, too,” I say as I drag the edge of the blade along the sharpener. “You’ve been looking through that box of herbs for, like, an hour. It’s taking forever, and we don’t have forever.”
“I know, but I didn’t mark any of them.” She opens a bag and sniffs the green flakes of leaves inside it. “Or, well, I did, but the crazy me pulled off all the labels.”
“You know, you’re kind of crazy and self-destructing when you’re evil,” I point out. “You tear the labels off all your herbs. Then you go free a Black Angel and risk getting trapped yourself, all so you can seek revenge on Gemma, and for what?”
She shrugs. “Jealous rage. For some reason, I had it in my head that Gemma was trying to steal Laylen from me, which is crazy.”
Jealously twists in my gut. I don’t really believe Gemma was trying to steal Laylen from Aislin, but there’s definitely a connection between Gemma and Laylen that I hate.
I glance around the living room. “Where is Laylen, anyway? I thought he went to check on Gemma, but he’s been gone forever. Maybe something’s wrong.”
“He’s been gone for, like, two minutes, Alex.” She seals the bag shut and drops it into the box. “Just chill out, okay? You’re making a stressful situation worse.”
I point at the stairway. “Gemma’s lying dead in her bed, her spirit’s in the Afterlife, and you want me to chill out?”
“Everything’s going to be okay, Alex. I won’t let anything happen to her.” She picks up another bag, this time filled with dry, red petals. “What is that?”
I shrug. “Why are you asking me? I don’t know anything about herbs.”
“No, not this.” She sets the bag down and twists around. “That banging noise . . . It sounds like it’s coming from the