I didn’t answer him, my gaze searching desperately for an alternative way out. But after a few seconds, I realized I was trapped.
“Where’s Laylen?” I asked him, keeping my back pressed into the rocks, even though it hurt.
He tapped his finger on his lips, his golden eyes watching me like a cat watched a mouse. “Haven’t seen him.”
I opened my mouth about to tell him that I knew Laylen had come back here—that an auburn-haired girl back on the beach had told me he had, but the wicked smile on Nicholas’s face stopped the words from leaving my mouth.
“It’s amazing what a little faerie charm can get people to say,” he said, casting a glance back in the direction of the beach. “Well, except on you. My charm never seems to have any effect over you.”
“Charm?” I said snidely. “Is that what you call it?”
Nicholas pressed his hand to his heart dramatically. “Oh Gemma, how your words hurt me.”
I glared at him, and he grinned.
“Well,” he said. “As much as I would love to hide out here with you all day—I mean, think of the endless possibilities of the things we could do back here, way out of sight of everyone. But I’m afraid I have a promise to finish.” He reached for me, and I jumped back, bumping my head on the serrated wall of the rocky cliff.
“Careful there.” Then, the next thing I knew, Nicholas was in front of me, so close I could smell his flowery scent overlapping the scent of the salty ocean air. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite,” he whispered, sliding a finger down my cheek.
I kneed him in the stomach, and he buckled forward. I seized the opportunity to dodge around him, but I didn’t make it very far, before Nicholas grabbed me by the shoulder and threw me to the ground. My head smacked against a rock, and the world started to spin like a merry-go-round.
He stood above me, looking relieved, as if a huge burden was about to be lifted from his shoulders. “It’s time to go,” he said.
I think my head had started to bleed. Either that or I was lying in some other kind of warm, sticky liquid. I still tried to get up, but my legs weren’t having any part of it. I tried to use my Foreseer power to take me away, but all I got in return was a headache.
Nicholas knelt down beside me and placed his hand on my arm, and there was nothing I could do but lie there as he retrieved the miniature, ruby-filled Foreseer ball out of his pocket. He held it close to my face as if to taunt me, and closed his eyes.
Then we were gone.
Chapter 43
When I opened my eyes again, Nicholas was gone. The room I was in was completely empty. And cold—Wyoming mountain cold.
I was lying on the floor, my face pressed against the hard floorboards. My head felt like it had been split in two, my body ached, and there was dried blood in my hair. I also noticed that my necklace was missing from around my neck, which sent a surge of panic soaring through me. The one thing that could protect me from magical harm and it was gone
I sat up slowly and glanced around the room that had nothing more than a door on each side of it, and a single window, which was barred shut. I have been here once before. This was the place that I had seen myself, lifeless, curled up on the floor.
This was bad. I thought Nicholas would take me to the City of Crystal, especially since he had taken out the ruby-filled crystal ball. But he brought me here instead. Why, though?
Fearing the answer, I got to my feet, ignoring the painful head rush I had, and took a few wobbly steps toward the door. It took me forever to get there, but I finally made it. Before I could get the door open, though, it was opening by itself, and I was hit with a puff of air so cold, it froze my body over in a heartbeat.
And then I saw him and part of me wished that the cold air had turned me to ice and killed me.
Stephan stood in the doorway, dressed in black, Death Walker’s towering on each side of him, their ravenous eyes gleaming yellow beneath the hood of their black cloaks. Snow was blowing in from the outside, and I could