Текст книги "The Promise"

Автор книги: Jessica Sorensen

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Chapter 4

(Gemma)

“ Iknow you’re there,” I said to my bedroom ceiling. “So go away.” A soft laugh. “How can you tell without the ring on?”

“Because I can hear you breathing,” I said, rolling my eyes. “And I’ve been meaning to ask you how can you breathe if you’re dead?”

“Why do you see me if I m dead?”

“Because I’m a freak of nature,” I replied, turning onto my side. “Now go away. I’m trying to sleep.”

“Oh, relax and stop feeling sorry for yourself, “Nicholas s voice whispered from the corner of my room. “The witch didn’t take your life.”

My eyes snapped open. “How d you know about that?”

“Because I was listening,” he said with something in his voice I didn’t like. “What? Did you think just because you couldn’t see me that I wasn’t there?” I slowly sat up, my eyes scanning my room. “How often do you do that? Hang around and listen without me knowing.”

He gave a low, devious chuckle. “Maybe you should start leaving the ring on, otherwise who knows when I’m here and when I’m not… nice place for a Keepers mark by the way.” I touched my shoulder blade, cringing self-consciously. “You’re such a pervert.” Then I picked the ring up off my night stand and slipped it on my middle finger.

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The blonde faerie appeared, full bodied, looking like he was a living human, only he was as far from it as one could be.

He grinned. “Knew that would get to you.”

“How do you know the witch did’ t take my life?” I asked, getting to my feet.

He sighed tiredly. “I m not sure I want to answer any of your questions. I m still a little upset about you taking the ring off and leaving me in the dark by myself.” He faked a pout. “It’s lonely, you know.”

Now I was the one sighing tiredly. “Please, just once, can you answer a question simply, without complicating things?”

His face sank into a solemn stare. It was as human as I d ever seen him look. “I will, but no more taking the ring off.”

Something in his voice made me feel sorry for him, which made me feel a little bad for lying when I said, “Alright, the ring stays on. Now give me what you got.”

“She can’t take your life,” he said, stepping in front of me. “Because your life isn’t your own.” I frowned, confused. “I’m not following you.”

He patted the bed, sitting down, and hesitantly I took a seat next to him. “No one can just take your life. Not without taking someone else’s too.”

“You mean Alex’s?” I hated saying his name aloud. It caused my heart to do somersaults and my eyes to sting.

He nodded. “You both have to go down together.” He grinned evilly. “Which, if I m remembering correctly, you will.”

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I thought about all the times one of us had almost died, but never fully sealed the deal. “Is it because of the electricity?” I asked. “Is that why we have to die together?”

“That, and the Blood Promise you both made,” he explained. “You two are wound together about as tight as anyone can be. The witch might have stolen some of your life, but you’ll be fine.”

“So what happens if one of us actually dies,” I said, my heart thudding in my chest. “And I mean, really dies like forever.”

“You won’t,” he said simply. “You both have to go down together.” Hope rose in me, but it was quickly squashed.

“Don’t get too excited,” he said. “You’re both going to die soon. Remember the lake?” I scowled at him for bringing up the painful vision. “Does Alex know about this?” Nicholas shrugged. “Who knows what he’s got locked away in his head. Considering the countless lies he’s told, you can never really know.”

“That’s like the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it?”

He smirked. “Perhaps.”

Normally, I’d be upset with him, but I d just found out that Alex was alive. All that worrying was for nothing. But it was impossible for just one of us to make it. Either we were living and Stephan could open the portal. Or we were dead and the world was saved.

So why did my dreams say otherwise?

I headed downstairs, to the kitchen to tell Laylen and Aislin that everything was going to be fine. That I wasn’t going to, that couldn’t die yet.

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“So Alex is okay, then?” Aislin asked, like she had been fretting he was dead, just like me.

I nodded, taking a bite of my sandwich. “At least that’s what faerie boy said.” She no longer looked relieved. “But how do we know he’s not just being… well, you know, himself.”

I shrugged, picking the crust off the bread. “We don’t.”

Laylen plopped down in a chair between Aislin and me. “I thought you were going to keep that ring off for a while, take a break from him.”

“It doesn’t do me any good,” I said. “He can still talk to me. And his voice is the most annoying part of him. Besides, I don’t feel comfortable anymore. Now that I know he can still see me, even when I can’t see him.”

Aislin’s face fell. “Ewe,” she muttered, getting my meaning. She pushed her plate away. “I think I just lost my appetite.”

It took Laylen a little longer to catch on, but then he flexed his hands, irritated. “If you want, I can take care of him,” he offered. “I mean, do we really need him?”

“We might.” I touched the purple stone on the ring. “I mean, so far he’s the only ghost I’ve seen, so he’s got to be the key to fixing the apocalyptic mess. Besides, you can’t actually touch him his body is nothing but cold air.”

He touched the ring on my finger. “Maybe I should put it on and see if I can see him?” He popped his knuckles, all tough guy. “I could have a little talk with him.” I shook my head. “Talking with him will only make things worse.”

“I almost perfected the Scutum Distillans spell,” Aislin announced over us.

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“Is that the shield lowering spell thing?” I asked.

She bit into her sandwich. “I only need one more thing and I’ll have it. Then we can drop the Shield Spell from my father and attack him.”

“What’s the last thing?” I slid my empty plate out of the way.

She frowned at her sandwich and picked out a bad piece of lettuce. “More power.”

“I know where you could get some.” Laylen elbowed me and winked.

Abruptly, Aislin stood from the table, put her plate in the sink, and walked out silently.

“Is she still mad?” I asked. “About the… incident.”

He laughed softly. “It wasn’t an incident. It was an accident. And she’ll get over it.” I frowned, pinching his arm. “You should be more sympathetic. Seeing us in bed like that had to be hard for her.”

“Ow,” he laughed, rubbing his arm. “It could have been harder. We just fell asleep together in the same bed. It was completely accidental.”

I rolled my eyes. Guys were so unsympathetic sometimes. “Be nice.”

“I am being nice.” He pushed to his feet and gave my hair a playful tug. “That’s why I m going to go upstairs and apologize again, even though Aislin and I aren’t really together.”

“You could be with her,” I said. “If you wanted to.”

“I know.” And then he left.

I let out a sigh and rested my head on the table. God, I’d really screwed things up. Not only did 23

I have to find a way to erase the Mark of Malefiscus mess, but I also had to prevent Alex and me from dying without the world ending. So far I had nothing but a ring that let me communicate with an extremely obnoxious faerie that apparently had been playing peeping tom on me.

It wasn’t like we didn’t try. We tried and tried and tried, but every path seemed to have a loophole. Change a vision mess up the world more. Kill Stephan the Death Walker’s and Demetrius still survived. Maybe I should kill them all. But I hadn’t figure out a way to do that yet. Unless somehow I could create my own deadly army.

A cool breeze blew and a moment later, I heard heavy breathing. “Go away Nicholas,” I said.

“That is unless you’re ready to tell me what the ring’s for.” Silence was the only answer I got. I raised my head. The kitchen was empty, the back door locked, the windows still boarded. But I got to my feet, peeking in the living room. Then scratching my head, I turned back. Instantly my body smacked into something the wall. I quickly scooted away, blinking.

I wasn’t alone. My hands fell to my side, my lips parting at the ghost that stood before me; dark hair, blue eyes and features similar to mine, only aged. But this couldn’t be right. No, she couldn’t be dead.

“Mom.”

She smiled. “Hello, Gemma.”

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Chapter 5

(Gemma)

Ishook my head, blinked my eyes, doing everything to make this horrible nightmare vanish.

“You’re not dead. You can’t be dead.”

“Gemma,” my mom said, hovering before me, thin and virtually invisible. “There’s no point wasting time trying to deny what’s right in front of your eyes. We don’t have time for that.” I was still shaking my head moronically. But I didn’t care. “You can’t be dead. I barely had time to know you.”

“I have to be dead,” she said. “Otherwise, he’d use me to get to you.” I didn’t have to ask. “Stephan. He did this to you?”

She shook her head, sighing tiredly. “I did it to myself. I had to.” She traced her finger along her wrist, where the Mark of Malefiscus used to be. “I had to, otherwise I’d have led Stephan straight to you.” She paused. “It’s always the same, Gemma. No matter what you do, I don’t belong here. I was supposed to die.”

I wanted to cry, bawl my eyes out until they were so swollen I couldn’t see the pain. Everyone was gone. My dad. Alex. And now my mom was dead.

My hands were shaking, my stomach in knots. “How did… how did it happen?” She pressed her lips together and headed for the table. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m here to help you.” She floated down in a chair, her fingers seeking the ceramic cow.

“With what? Saving the world?”

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Tears stung at my eyes. I wanted to touch her, but knew it wasn’t possible. The loneliness that possessed me for most of my life was resurfacing.

She placed the cow on the table. “To help you learn what you need to do.” Her gaze moved to the ring on my finger. “I’m here to help you use that.”

I covered the ring with my other hand. “I don’t want you to help me with that.” Tears started to drip down my cheeks. “I want you to go back to your body and keep living.”

“That’s not possible,” she said. “At least not for me.”

I blinked through my tears. “Are you saying that it can be done? That someone can die, then return to their body and come back to life?”

“Yes,” she replied simply, moving for my hand, but then pulling away. “If done right.” I thought about my nightmare, about the crow, the coffin and how I lay awake inside it. “Am I going to do it?”

She nodded. “You are, but it’s going to be tricky.”

Again, my nightmare resurfaced; Alex standing above me, fully alive, which didn’t make sense.

“But what about Alex? Is he going to die too?”

She shook her head. “No sweetie. He’s the one who’s going to bring you back.” 26

Chapter 6

(Alex)

Underneath the light of the moon I tucked the address into my pocket and stepped out from behind the dumpster. I still was unsure how I felt about what had happened with Draven; whether I liked the answer he’d gave me about my mother or what I’d offered up to get it.

A year of my life to the Lord of the Afterlife, which meant doing whatever he asked. What the idiot didn’t realize was that my life was probably going to over before he could collect. So the joke was on him.

I stepped out into the street lined with burning buildings, ignoring the feeding vampires as I headed to my left. Each one raised their eyes at me as I passed, but they knew better than to mess with me. I knew how to kill them, unlike the many humans loitering around, which made them easy prey.

I could have stopped them, but I was in too much of a hurry to find a witch and get where I needed to go. I had never considered this huge downfall when I made the decision to leave on my own. I no longer had a witch or a very talented Foreseer to make traveling easier.

Thinking of her made my pulse speed up. Growing uncomfortable with my feelings, I blinked the thought of her away, knowing if I didn’t move on, I’d cave in and go back. And I couldn’t do that yet. Not until I found a way to save her.

Across the street, I spotted a woman. I could tell right away, from the crescent moon and star mark she bore on her neck, that she was a witch. I crossed the street, sidestepping around an injured faerie sprawled on the asphalt, begging me to help him.

Humans weren’t the only ones in danger. The faeries, vampires, and witches who didn’t bear the Mark of Malefiscus were also targets, which just added more madness to madness.

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The witch saw me coming and smiled as I reached her. “Can I help you with something?” She purred, but it was threatening.

She thought I was human. I raised my shirt, showing her my left rib cage, where my Keepers mark circled. “Still want to use that tone on me witch?” Honestly, I wasn’t sure how she was going to react. If she had the Mark of Malefiscus, she’d probably try to kill me. If not, it could go either way. “I need you to perform a spell for me.”

Her pale blue eyes were locked on me, assessing her options. I guessed, from the worry reflected in her eyes, that she was a normal witch. “What kind of a spell?” she asked.

“A transporting one.” I stepped onto the curve, inching my way to her. “I need to get somewhere quick.”

She considered my request and then the corners of her mouth quirked up. “I could do that for you,” she said. “But I need something from you in return.” I sighed, shaking my head. This journey was really starting to cost me. “What do you want?”

“Your help. With removing a mark.”

I gave her the strangest look. “Why would you think I could help you with that?”

“I don’t think you can,” she explained. “But you know someone who can.”

“Someone’s been removing the mark?”

She nodded, taking my arm and guiding me into the shadows of an alley, away from the dangers of listening ears. “There’s a rumor that there’s a Keeper that possesses Wicca powers.

And she’s created a spell that can remove the Mark of Evil.” Aislin. “Look,” I said, prying my arm from her grip. “Even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean I know her.”

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“Then I’m afraid I can’t help you.” She started to leave, but I pulled her back.

“You get me to where I need to go first,” I said. “And then I’ll help you.” She nodded, obviously the kinder of the witch breed. “I’m Amelia,” she said as I followed her inside the nearest brick building, which turned out to be her house; a small space, with headless dolls, strange statues, and lots and lots of incense scattered all over the place. She locked the door behind us and went to an armoire, unlocking it with a key she retrieved from her bag. She removed a familiar black candle and purple amethyst, and sat them down on the table.

Screams rang from upstairs and my hand instinctively moved for my knife.

“My daughter, Anna,” Amelia clarified, lighting the candle. “That’s why I need your help. She’s cursed with the mark that haunts the streets.”

I dropped my hand. “Are you sure there’s no way for her to escape.”

“She’s chained to the wall.” The witch pulled out a red pill from the pocket of her black jacket.

“Really?” I frowned with annoyance. “You want me to take a mortem pilula.”

“It assures me that you’ll hold out your end of the deal,” she said, urging the pill at me. “No offense, but a Keeper’s word means nothing to me.”

Shaking my head, I snatched the pill from her hand, realizing my little plan of screwing her over wasn’t possible anymore. Well, unless I wanted to drop dead. I plopped the pill into my mouth and forced it down.

She smiled, satisfied, then gestured at the floor for me to have a seat. “Where am I taking you?” She inched the amethyst toward the flame.

“To Niveo Mountain,” I replied.

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She jerked the amethyst back from the flame. “Isn’t that where the Keepers Castle is?” I shoved the candle at her, growing impatient. “Yeah, but that’s not where we’re going. We’re going to the graveyard.”

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Chapter 7

(Gemma)

“ Well don’t I feel honored,” Nicholas said from my bedroom windowsill. “A visit from two Lucas’s. What’s the occasion?”

“Shut up.” I rushed for him, my finger waving. “You’re on the crap list for keeping important things from me.”

“I’m always on that list,” he said, sweeping the curtain at my window. “In fact, I think I hold top slot on it.”

I kept moving for the faerie, wishing I could actually get my hands on him and wring his neck.

“You knew all along what I had to do. You wasted weeks of my time. And now there’s hardly any time left. December 21st is almost here.”

He held up his hands, grinning. “That’s because you kept asking the wrong questions.” I clenched my hands. “God, I wish I could…”

“Gemma.” My mother’s ghostly voice shivered over my shoulder. “You need to move past this you have more important things to do.”

I dropped my hands. “How do I get to the Afterlife? You know, the land of the Lost Souls the Afterlife where the queen reigns.” I scowled at him. “There. Was that the right question?” He clapped his hands. “Bravo, but I might add how slow you were at figuring it out.”

“Answer the question,” I gritted through my teeth.

His golden eyes skimmed to my mother. “Why doesn’t she tell you? She s a ghost, isn’t she?” 31

I let out a sharp choke, wanting to cry, but fought back the tears because I had a job to do. “She does’ t know how to get there. For some reason, she can’t cross over. But you’re a faerie and a dead one and that gives you a direct connection to the queen, with her being from the faerie world and all.”

“Didn’t I explain to you once that I m only half-faerie.” He placed his hand on his chest. “And that makes other faeries, dead or not, not very fond of me.”

“Are you sure that’s the real reason why,” I snapped. “Because I’m sure your amazing personality helps win you fans.”

He shot me a dirty look. “You know what? I really don’t feel like talking to you. Not with that kind of attitude.”

My fist rose. “You better tell me or I’ll…”

“Or you’ll what?” He stuck out his bottom lip. “Hurt me?” An evil shadow masked his face. “Just to refresh your memory, you’re not the one with the power here.” He tapped his finger on his lip. “Now, perhaps if you were really, really nice to me, I might be more willing.” His eyes scanned me from head-to-toe, making my skin crawl.

I opened my mouth, to spat fowl words, but a gust of wind whizzed by me. My mother ran past and straight into Nicholas. Surprisingly, she was able to grab him, her ghostly arms encircling his neck.

“You can’t make me say anything,” he said with a choked laugh as his body slammed into the window.

My mother’s wild eyes snapped in my direction. “I’ll be back in a while. Don’t go anywhere.” I nodded, astonished as the two ghosts dissipated into thin air. Then I flopped down on my bed and let the tears pour out. My heart trembled as I mourned my dead mother. She was gone and so was my brief moment of having a mother.

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Alone.

Always alone.

I let myself have about five minutes before I pulled it together and went to find Laylen and Aislin so I could tell them what was going on. But when I stepped into the hall, the house was as silent as a graveyard, sending a surge of fear slithering down my spine. I leaned back in my room, sneaking my knife out of the dresser drawer. Then I tiptoed down the hall, heading to Laylen’s room, with the knife poised in front of me. My hand appeared steady, which made sense since I was a Keeper now. But every time I faced danger, my heart still pounded like an insane person bumping their head against a wall.

When I reach Laylen’s room, my hand rested motionless on the doorknob. Hesitating, I pressed my ear to the door, but couldn’t hear anything. I gently pushed it open. The room was empty. Okay, so maybe they were where Aislin slept. I started to turn, but my shoulder bumped into something solid and I jumped back, letting out a gasp. But it was Laylen.

“You scared the crap out of me,” I said, pressing my hand to my heart.

He eyed my knife, lifting an eyebrow. “What were you doing?” I shrugged, lowering the knife. “It seemed a little too quiet and I thought maybe something happened to you guys.”

With his bright blue eyes on me, he took the knife out of my hand and tossed in on the dresser.

“You’re going to hurt yourself wandering around with that.”

“Hey,” I said, pretending to be offended. “I’m not as klutzy as I used to be.” He didn’t smile, my joke bombing big time. He backed me into the room and locked the door.

The look he was giving me, for some reason, made me think of Talking Head’s ‘Psycho Killer.’

“You know, I don t think I’ve told you how thankful I am. How great you’ve been to me.” He 33

fiddled with the knife, cutting a narrow line into the top of the dresser. “You accepted me, vampire and all.”

“Laylen,” I said, my voice gentle. “Just because you’re a vampire, doesn’t mean you’re bad.” I placed a hand on his arm. “You’re good, you just don’t realize it.” His gaze moved to me, bright blue and beautiful. “Still… you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you,” I said. “Sometimes I trust you more than anyone.” His lips slowly crept up. “I know you do.” He lazily moved in front of me, running his fingers down my bare arm. “You know I never thanked you for that day in the alley, when you saved my life. Letting me bite you like that, it was really amazing.” I grew uncomfortable, remembering the bite and all the feelings that came with it. My skin warmed, my pulse quickened, and I knew he could sense it. “I couldn’t let you die.”

“You could have.” His fingers grazed my wrist, resting on my vein. “You didn’t have to let me bite you.”

“Yes I did.” My voice came out squeaky.

He rubbed his lips together, continuing to touch my wrist, watching it with passion.

“Are you okay?” I asked, trying to capture his gaze. “You seem kind of…” He met my eyes. “Kind of what?”

I swallowed hard, nervous energy bubbling in my chest. “Off.” Something in his expression sent a chill down my spine. “Off how?” He trailed his hand to my cheek, gently stroking my skin. “You’re so beautiful.”

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Most girls would have been flattered. But I knew better. Something was wrong. I grabbed his hand, trying to lift it from my cheek. “Laylen… I don’t think —” He slapped his hand across my mouth.

“Stop talking,” he said and the dark shift in his eyes wound a knot in my stomach.

His fangs slid out, like murderous blood seekers, wanting to devour me. I tried to yank away, but he snatched my wrists and crashed into me. His body was ice-cold and so were his eyes.

He breathed down my neck, his breath warm against my skin. “You smell so good… I just can’t… can’t…” Then his fangs sunk into my neck.

I struggled to get away, but he was a vampire and a Keeper and much stronger than me. He shoved me to the bed and I screamed as his fangs dipped deeper.

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