to drop myself back into the vision before I finally open my eyes.
“Did you see what you needed to?” Laylen asks the moment our gazes meet.
“Not exactly.” My heart bottoms into my stomach as I painfully realize that, no matter how much I want to see how this is going to turn out, I might not be able to. I’m not sure why other than maybe it’s considered cheating since I’m trying to skip to the end and see all the answers for myself.
My father told me once I can’t cheat my way to the end, that sometimes I just have to figure stuff out on my own. It makes me sick, though, knowing there’s a possibility Alex may somehow still die, that with all the sacrifices I made, he still doesn’t live.
But I think I know where Stephan got the powerful witch’s blood to put on the sword. From cutting Aislin. So I can at least stop that from happening, which should change what I dreamed.
“I did see something that’ll help us, though.” I sit up and plant my feet on the floor. “I saw how Aislin got Stephan’s shield off him and the Mark of Immortality. You help her, too. Like, majorly.”
“Really?” He scoots to the edge of the sofa, not looking as excited as I expected him to be.
“Is everything okay?” I ask
He nods. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”
I’m not buying it. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
He places a hand on my knee. “I know, but I’m really not ready to talk about what’s bothering me just yet.”
I decide to let it go for now, but I make a mental note to talk to him later.
If I have a later. The thought sends a terrifying chill up my spine and I shiver.
“Laylen, I know you really don’t want to talk to me about it now, but . . . I might not have much more time . . . And I really want to make sure you’re okay . . . before I go.” Tears sting my eyes.
God, this is more difficult than I thought.
He fiddles with his lip ring, sucking the metal between his teeth. “I just don’t get why you guys have to die if we remove Stephan’s mark. Can’t we just kill him and end it?”
I want to throw my arms around him again, try to erase the pain in his expression, but I know a hug’s not going to do it, not with this. This is something he’ll just have to work through.
“Alana told me something while I was in the Afterlife,” I tell him. “She told me Malefiscus is part of the star, and therefore, it connects the portal to Alex and me. He can’t walk free without the blood of the ritual Stephan is planning on performing with you guys, but the portal will still open up on its own as long as the star exists. And it can do a lot of damage to the world by just opening up. She said the only way to stop it all is for the star to be destroyed.”
“So that’s it, then?” He shakes his head, his jaw set tight as he battles back the tears.
“I’m sorry.” I can’t think of anything else to say.
“I wish things could have been different for you.” He places a hand on my cheek and traces his finger underneath my eye. “You deserve so much more. You deserve a life full of happiness and freedom, where you get to do crazy things that make you laugh and smile.”
“Do me a favor?” I ask and he nods. “Can you live that life for me?”
His fingers tense on my face, and I cover my hand with his.
“I promise,” he says softly.
I start to smile when a bang shakes the entire house.
“Now what?” I jump to my feet and pat my pockets for a knife.
“It’s just Sophia,” Laylen says, guiding me back down to the sofa.
I relax as I plant my ass back on the cushion. “I forgot she’s here. It’s so strange she’s been trapped down there all this time.” I pause. “Can you make sure she’s let go after I’m gone? I want to make sure she doesn’t rot away down there.”
His head slants to the side as he gives me a puzzled look. “You don’t hate her for what she did to you?”
“I don’t hate her, but I don’t really like her, either. It’s kind of hard to figure out how I feel because