The Promise

She slipped the ring on her finger and her body shifted into form. Her skin was like the Lost Souls, mummified and hideous, her hair a grey veil. Her lips were thin and her eyes hollow.

She let out a sigh, like she was glad to be back in her own skin. But I didn’t know why. She looked better in liquid.

“That’s much better.” She stretched her arms above her head and gri

I nodded and ran as fast as I could, never looking back. Alana was waiting for me in the archway.

“You did it,” she said happily, but there was sadness about her too. “Congratulations.” I tucked Nicholas’s essence under my arm. “Are you going to be okay? I could try to go back and get her to free you?”

She shook her head. “No, you won’t. I’ll pay my dues, like I’m supposed to.”

“And then what?” I asked. “Will we ever see you again?”

She didn’t answer, drawing me in for a hug. “You’re an amazing girl, Gemma Lucas. You really are.” Then she let me go. “Take care of him for me.”

I nodded. “I will.” Then I turned down the hall and the light captured me.

186

* * *

When my feet touched ground again, I was back in the grassy field only there were no crows.

“Bout time you showed up.” The half-faerie’s voice rose over my shoulder. “I thought the queen had killed you or something.”

I turned, his essence tucked up against me. “Nope, she let me be.” I handed him the orb. “Your essence.”

He swallowed hard, no tricky faerie evident in his eyes. In fact, he looked very human at that moment, about to be reunited with his life. He took the orb in his hands, his eyes glowing against the light, tears staining the corners of his eyes. “Thank you.” Two simple words, but coming from him it was a lot.

“You’re welcome,” I said. “Now can you go tell Alex to revive me?” He nodded, shoving the orb into his chest. And then, he was gone.

I sat down in the field, picking at the grass, and listening to the wind whisper. I felt different somehow, my mind less heavy, like my eyes had suddenly been opened. A

It was that simple.

I shut my eyes, dandelion seeds kissing my cheeks as I was sucked back to my life.

When I opened my eyes, his lips were on mine. Hot and fiery, I wanted to close my eyes again and let him keep kissing me. But the sharp zip of electricity caused him to shudder and he 187

stumbled back.

He let out a huge sigh. “I thought you were dead.”

“I was.” I sat up in my bed, blinking my eyes.

He shook his head, laughing. But then he remembered. “Are you okay? Did you free the Lost Souls?”

I motioned at the window. “Why don’t you go look and see?” He moved to the window and pried the board off. “You really are amazing,” he said, stu

I slid my legs over the side of the bed. “So anything exciting happen while I was gone?” The corners of his mouth curved down. “Yeah, a lot actually. And I’m pretty sure we might need to hide out for a while.”

“Hide out from what?” I stood, the wooziness of death still lingering in my head. “We’re already hiding.”

“Hide out from them.” He pointed to the floor. “Aislin and Laylen and… Sophia.” I gasped, my vision spotting.

Gemma, breathe.

I massaged my temples. “I’m sorry, but I think I just imagined something really weird. Did you say Sophia is downstairs?”

“No, you weren’t imagining it,” he said slowly. “Something happened.” 188

“Something always happens,” I said, giving a nervous glance at the shut door. “But this? This is more than a something.”

“Don’t worry,” Alex said. “She’s trapped in the floor.”

I sighed. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

He started to smile, but then suppressed it. “There’s more to it than that.”

“How much more?”

He sank down in the computer chair. “Sit down and I’ll explain.”

“So you’re saying she’s been trapped in the floor this entire time?” My jaw was hanging to my knees. “And that Aislin and Laylen were the ones who put her there?”

“That’s the rumor that’s going around.” He leaned forward in the chair, overlapping his fingers. “But it makes sense. I mean, when Aislin and Laylen showed up at the Hartfield cabin that day, they seemed so confused about where they’d been. And I think my dad brainwashed them temporarily. When the memoria extracto backfired on him, I think they might have been freed from him because they showed up right after that.”

I choked on a laugh.

He arched an eyebrow. “Care to share what’s so amusing?”

“It’s just that this whole time I thought you were the one lying.” Laughter snuck into my voice.

“And it turns out it was Aislin and Laylen.”

“I don’t think they were lying,” he said. “I just think they couldn’t remember.”

“I know.” I wiped some tears from my eyes.

189

“I don’t get why you think this is amusing,” he said, trying not to laugh. “This is some serious stuff.”

“Oh, I know it is.” I flopped back on the bed, lost in my laughter. I knew it was probably inappropriate, but for such a long time, I’d questioned which legion Alex was part of. God, all that wasted energy.

“Well, I’m glad you find this so fu

I sat back up, putting my serious face back on. “Okay, tell me how we’re going to fix it. How do we know for sure if they’re okay?”

He tapped his finger on his knee, considering. “Honestly, Gemma, I really can’t think of anything. Usually for this particular kind of thing, I’d ask Aislin to do a spell or something, but how do we know if she does it right… and really, it’s been so long, I don t think they’re still brainwashed.”

“And what about Sophia?” I asked. “Are you just pla