Wouldn t you run away if you could?

Maybe &

He twisted at his lip ring.

Do you think maybe in another life, if we d been born human, without marks, without all of this, we could have lived normal lives?

Maybe.

But even the idea of being normal seemed unreachable.

Do you think you and I would have been friends?

I laughed.

I think no matter what you and I will always be friends.

What about you and Alex? Do you think you two would have been together, if the star and the promise never existed?

I traced the scar on my hand, thinking about where it came from, and what it meant. Then I shut my eyes, listening to my heart beat, whispering to its other half.

Yes,

I said and my words surprised him and me both.

He acted kind of uncomfortable, putting his shoes on the table, and then moving to the floor again.

Maybe one day that world will exist.

Maybe. If I could find a way to save Alex and me, without letting Stephan win. But at the moment, it wasn t looking very promising.

Suddenly I leapt to my feet and bolted for the door, stepping into the blackness of the night. Confused, Laylen hurried after me, his boots thudding loudly against the floor.

What are you doing?

he asked from the stairs.

Checking left and right, I spanned my wings out.

Seeing if I can fly. It might be my only chance.

I flapped the giant bundle of feathers, back and forth and back and forth until the air encircled me and lifted me off the ground. I didn t go very high because I didn t want to be spotted. But I hovered around for a while. When I planted my feet back on the ground Laylen was grinning from ear to ear.

See, not so bad,

he said.

I curled the wings against my back.

I guess not, but it doesn t mean I want to keep them.

We exchanged smiles, like two children hiding a secret. I plucked a violet flower out of a flower pot hanging by the front door. I spun it between my fingers, thinking of my childhood hideout.

I didn t know who heard the crackle first. But we dove together, below the window as the sound of ice slithered through the house, chilling even the dessert air.

We breathed heavily, listening to the voices and shrieks breaking the quiet.

Where are they!

Stephan growled.

They were supposed to be here.

I dared a peek through the frosted window.

He stood beneath the light, scar as noticeable as ever. Death Walkers surrounded him as he cussed them out and swung the Sword of Immorality in the air. He looked panicked, unlike his usual eerily calm self. Maybe this was all finally getting to him. Maybe he was starting to doubt himself.

Then I spotted a girl cowered next to him, mute and numb, her dark curly hair and yellow-eyes branding her a faerie. Aleesa.

Stephan breathed ragged and wild.

You guys failed me.

Oh crap,

I muttered.

Aleesa s in there.

Suddenly, for no reason other than he was pissed off, Stephan stabbed a Death Walker in the chest. It let out a cry, yellow eyes glowing with fire before scorching out completely.

Laylen and I exchanged a look.

He s worried we re going to pull this off,

he whispered.

We re getting close.

But then I frowned, remembering that my death was nearing.

Maybe we should help Aleesa.

The window exploded against our ears and jagged glass landing in my hair.

Time to go,

I said, grabbing Laylen s hand as Stephan and the Death Walkers swarmed from the door.

But when we turned, there were only more black-cloaked monsters wanting to devour us.

Stephan strode in front of me, his eyes as wicked as ever.

Well, well, well, what do we have here?

His eyes examined me, his gaze lingering on the wings.

Looks like you ran into some trouble.

I gritted my teeth, hands clenching into fists. Laylen shifted in front of me, but I scooted my hand over to hold him back.

Stephan stared up the street.

Interesting choice to hide, especially since you ve hid here before.

He paused, letting out an exhausted sigh.

I wished you d just give up. It d make my life easier. But I guess I can t be too upset with all of this.

He gestured over his shoulder, toward the city, and what I saw on his forearm sent a shudder through my body.

The Mark of Immortality.

I shook my head.

No.

Stephan turned his arm over.

Beautiful, isn t it? It s amazing how good I m getting at creating marks. Although, I might keep this one for myself. I mean, what s the point of having the power of Immortality if I m going to share it with everyone.

It s still not over,

I said.

You want to know why?

I leaned in, my voice as steady as a rock, even though my insides were trembling like an earthquake.

Because Alex and I our going to kill you.

Instantly I swung my fist into his face, startling him, and everyone else.

He clutched at his nose, buckling back.

Get her!

Death Walkers inched in, eyes twinkling like crazed fireflies. But I flipped out my wings, taking out some of the Death Walkers in the process. I was about to take us away when I caught sight of Aleesa, stuck in the middle of the mess. I backed away, stretching my wings as far as they would go, and twirled. A group of Death Walkers dropped to the ground like dominoes. I snatched Aleesa s hand and held on tight, even when she tried to jerk away. Then I encircled the three of us in a halo of feathers and let the crushed violet flower fall from my hand, hoping he d figure it out. Ice frosted the tips of my wings as I took a deep breath and blinked us away.

Chapter 25

(Gemma)

I think my wings broken,

I complained, tucking it close to my arm.

I think the Death Walker s ice did it.

From the safety of my old childhood hide out, Laylen inspected my wing, while Aleesa lay on the floor, unconscious. It was the only thing we could think of to keep her out of trouble until Aislin showed up.

Does it hurt when I do this?

He softly brushed his fingers along the feathers.

Ye-ah.

I winced.

Laylen sighed and rested back against the dirt wall.

I m not sure, it might be broken. Let s just hope Aislin and Alex show up soon. Although, I still don t get why you think they ll be able to find us.

I shrugged, leaning back against the wall. We d pulled out a candle from the trunk and lit it, so we weren t smothered by dark, but the shadows dancing in the light of the flame made me edgy.

I just have a feeling.

I didn t want to say the real reason, because I wasn t sure Alex would catch on. But the violet flower I hoped would be a good enough message that he would think of the violet bush that conceal our childhood hideout and know where to look.

What are we going to do?

I asked, running my finger down my Mark of Immortality.

He s Immortal now not even Alex and I can kill him. Poor Aleesa.

Our eyes moved to where she lay, breathing heavy, her dark hair a tangled mess.

I think we might have to find a safe place for her, after Aislin removes the mark.

He rubbed his skin where his Mark of Malefiscus used to be.

She s almost like a child, you know. And things are getting too dangerous for her to be around.

I nodded.

But where? I mean, who can we trust?

I m not sure. But I d like to point out that Alex and you are never going to die, anyway. We re going to find another way to end this and we ll find a way to remove the Mark of Immortality. I mean, we found a way to remove the Mark of Malefiscus, didn t we?

Maybe. Somehow.

But I didn t completely agree with him. I wasn t sure we d ever find another way because Alex and I dying was the original mapping of the world s future. Altering it again was out of the question.