answer as he picked up the broken clock and flipped it over to the back, fiddling with the knob. Tick Tock. Tick tock. The ticking and tocking was slowing down to a gurgle.
“So we get the Ira crystal ball, and we use it to go to The Underworld?” I asked, making sure that was the plan.
Still no answer as he twisted the knob on the soon-to-be-dead clock.
I stood up. “Alex…if I use this Ira crystal ball, what does that mean for the promise you made to Dyvinius?”
Tick…tock…tick…The clock stopped.
Times up.
Alex set the clock down on the floor. “That’s not for you to worry about.”
“Just tell me what happens if I use the crystal?” I asked, taking a step back as he walked by me.
“I already told you that was my problem,” he said, his voice tight. “I made the promise. Not you.”
“But that doesn’t—” I started.
“Look,” he turned around to face me, “”I’ll figure something out, okay? Do you want to get your mother out or not?”
I nodded. “I do, but I—”
“Okay, then let’s go summon Nicholas.”
Before we set out to bring Nicholas here, we first went to go find Laylen and Aislin and let them in on our little plan. I felt kind of proud of myself that I’d gotten Alex to cooperate, but I also had a ping in my gut when I thought about how he was going to have to fulfill the promise he’d made to Dyvinius. Although I wasn’t sure what that promise was exactly, I figured it had to be bad. The dark look that had passed over Dyvinius’s eyes when he gotten Alex to make the promise had proved that it was bad.
As we searched the downstairs for Laylen and Aislin, I casually mentioned to Alex that maybe he should apologize to Laylen for accusing him of biting me, because I figured it would make things easier if the two of them weren’t fighting. He ignored my casual suggestion, though, so I decided I would drop it….For now, anyway.
We found Laylen and Aislin in one of the bedrooms upstairs. Aislin was sitting cross-legged on the bed, still wearing her plaid pajamas. Laylen was sitting in a corner chair, and I could tell he was still all worked up over the fight. But I also got the impression that Alex and I might have interrupted a very serious conversation going on between the two of them, like we might have shattered a private moment they had been having.
Alex gave both of them a quick rundown of our plan. After he had finished, Aislin sat on the bed, a shocked look frozen on her face. Laylen secretly gave me an I-told-you-so look because he had guessed that Alex would know how to get into to The Underworld.
Something occurred to me as I stood there staring at the maroon walls of the bedroom, with my hand pressed to my bitten neck. Had it really been necessary to go speak to Vladislav? I mean, if Alex knew a way to get to The Underworld, maybe he knew another way to find out if she was alive. Of course, I’d had to use what Vladislav had told us about my mother being the Queen’s slave for Alex to admit he knew a way. But still…maybe our little trip could have been avoided.
Well, I guess we had really messed up on that one. And now Laylen might end up getting hunted down by a bunch of revengeful vampires.
“Jocelyn’s still alive…in The Underworld…” Aislin said. “For all these years?”
Well, according to Vladislav, she is” Alex replied, shooting Laylen a glare.
“He wasn’t lying,” Laylen assured him, standing up from his chair. “I could feel that he wasn’t.”
“I already said we’d go try to rescue her,” Alex said sharply. “I don’t need you to try and convince me.”
“I wasn’t trying to convince you,” Laylen said. “I was just pointing out the fact that, despite what you believe, vampires do tell the truth sometimes.”
“That might be true,” Alex replied. “But your little trip out there also backed up my theory that vampires can’t control their need to bite.”
“Well, I can control my need.” Laylen took a threatening step toward Alex.
“Yeah, but for how long?” Alex asked, taking a step toward Laylen. “How long do you think you’ll be able to keep it under control before you lose it?”
“Can you two just stop arguing,” I cried out, startling myself and everyone else in the room. All their eyes were on me. “The longer we