“I don’t know why he made me take one of you stupid things.” Stasha slams the door and I hear her keys land on the table. “I mean, it’s not like you do any good. And I can’t even hear what you’re saying. And don’t ruin my plants,” she snaps at someone, clearly not alone. “I need them to keep me alive.” There’s a pause and then she says, “This is ridiculous. Do you leak ice or something?”

Laylen’s head whips in my direction. Ice, he mouths as the temperature drops and frost begins to glaze the floor around us. I’d be afraid, but after taking so many of them down at the castle, it doesn’t seem as terrifying.

“Do you want to take down Stasha or the Death Walker?” I whisper in Laylen’s ear as the ice slips under our feet and along the wall behind us.

“I’ll take death girl, since you’ve proven you can handle a Death Walker,” he whispers back. “Besides, her touch won’t kill me.”

I nod and then take out a knife from my pocket. Then Laylen peeks around the corner and looks back at me. “Okay… the Death Walker’s on the couch. And Stasha’s watering her plants.”

I poise the knife in front of me and Laylen lifts his hand, counting down on his fingers... three… two… one…

We jump out from the hallway and take them by surprise. The Death Walker’s eyes flash yellow as it towers to its feet. Stasha drops her pail she has in her hand and water spills on the floor. “What the hell?” she says, her face reddening with anger.

The Death Walker instantly marches toward me as I step forward with the knife out in front of me while Laylen goes for Stasha. The Death Walker’s eyes flash murderously as pieces of its rotting flesh fall from its face. As it approaches me, it throws back its head and lets out a shriek before charging. Like at the castle I feel in control and powerful as I dodge out of its way. But it turns around and circles back. So I stop moving and its eyes flicker as I lunge for it. Its hands shoot out toward my neck, but I duck and evade it, skidding on my knees across the floor. Then it backs up, trying to get out of my reach. I get to my feet and swing the knife at it, but miss and cut its cloak.

I don’t give up, swinging back around and as it lets out another wail, I stab the knife into its chest and drop low to the ground as its breath puffs through the air while its body sways to the side. Then its eyes burn out and it tips over, hitting the floor with a thunderous boom. But I know it’s not dead, just passed out, because it’s Immortal and I don’t have the Sword of Immortality.

I whirl around, relieved to see that Laylen has Stasha pinned up against the wall. He holds her there by her shoulders and she glares at him.

“You’re messing up my hair,” she whines when Laylen shoves her against the wall harder.

I hop over the unconscious Death Walker and go over to them, Stasha’s eyes immediately narrowing on me. “Well look who was stupid enough to come back,” she says “What? Did you not get enough of me the first time?”

I point the tip of my knife at her throat. “You know, it really doesn’t seem like you’re in much of a position to be such a bitch.”

Stasha gives me a dirty look. “This is such bull shit. You have nothing over me.”

I move the knife closer until it clips her skin and draws blood.

She winces, pressing herself closer the wall. “Fine, what do you want?”

I raise my scarred arm. “I want you to take your death out of my arm.”

She shakes her head. “No way. You deserve it there—you deserve more pain than even I can inflict.”

The sight of Laylen’s fangs descending from his blood red lips causes her eyes to nearly pop out of head. “I think you’re the one who might deserve something a little more painful.” He pauses. “Now I know what you’re thinking. Vampire bites don’t hurt, in fact they feel good. But since I can manipulate your emotions, I can make it painful for you.” He grins at her, flashing his pointed fangs.

Stasha is pissed, but I can tell he’s scaring her. She leans away, turning her head to the side. “Fine. I’ll remove my death from your hand,” she snaps. “But you two are lucky that that stupid monster’s ice froze over my plants, otherwise this would have gone down differently.”

“And if you try to kill her instead of removing the death, I’ll drain you of all your blood, got it?” Laylen says with his fangs still out.

“Got it,” Stasha replies through gritted teeth.

Laylen slightly loosens his grip so Stasha can slip off her one of her gloves. “Give me your arm,” she says to me.

Hesitantly, I extend my arm to her and she enfolds her fingers around my wrist. Within seconds, the olive-green lines fade away, until my skin is back to its normal color. I let out a breath of relief as she withdraws her hand, but then gasp as I catch sight of something on her wrist.

A black triangle around a red symbol.

Laylen tracks my gaze and he shoves Stasha back against the wall roughly. “Where did you get that?” he demands.

Stasha looks down at the mark on her wrist. “This? I’ve always had it you dumbass.”

Laylen shakes his head. “That’s not possible… I’ve know you for long enough to know it hasn’t always been there.”

“Yes, it has,” she says in a condescending tone. “I’ve had it since the day I was born, but apparently you’re too stupid to remember.”

“Alex would have seen it when he was dating you,” I say, gripping the knife in my hand, fighting the compulsion to stab her. “And he would have mentioned it by now.”

Stasha laughs sharply. “Yeah right. He’s lied to me more than anyone in my life and I’m sure he’s doing it to you.”

Laylen starts to say something, but then the Death Walker starts to stir, waking up.

“We need to go,” I say and reach for Laylen’s hand.

“What about her?” he asks. “What should we do to her?”

I shrug. “Whatever you want?”

Laylen considers this but not for very long and he knocks her out by clocking her in the head with his own. Stasha falls to the floor, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as the Death Walker charges at us. But I’m already blinking us away.

Chapter 29

When we get back to the house, Laylen and I decide that the best thing to do is go downstairs and simply ask Alex if he knew about the mark. We could sit there and try to figure it out ourselves but at this point I am tired of dithering around things.

In the living room, Aislin has herbs and candles in front of her as she reads a page on her spell book. She hasn’t had any luck yet getting the mark off my mother and has been burying herself in trying to solve what went wrong. It shows through her red eyes, bags under them, and, she’s in her pajamas, her hair a mess. Alex is sitting beside Aleesa as she watches something on television, but it’s clear he’s not paying attention, gazing off into empty space.

When he looks up at me, he sort of flinches as if seeing me is painful for him. I simply raise my arm up and show that the lines are gone, figuring that’s the best way to start this conversation.

He drops the remote onto the table, stunned. “How did you get them off?”

I glance at Laylen beside me and he gives me an encouraging look. “We paid Stasha a little visit,” I tell him.

“What?” He’s baffled and so is Aislin, who looks up at us, confounded. “When?”

“Just barely,” I explain. “I had a little hunch that if they were gone, the Purple Flame might work.”

“I wish you would have said something before you took off,” he says, trying to keep his need to be dominant and controlling intact.

“Yeah, I know, but you were talking to Aislin and I didn’t want to bother you.” I glance from Laylen to Aislin, who are listening intently, then back to Alex. “Can I talk to you alone for a minute?”

He gives me a funny look, but goes into the kitchen with me without asking questions.

“Okay, what’s going on?” He reclines against counter, arms folded. “You’re acting weird.”

“When Laylen and I—” I start, but a strange noise escapes his throat, like he’s choking back a cough. “What was that noise you just made?” I inch toward him, attempting to pick up on his vibe.

“You really want to know?” he asks and I nod. In three long strides, he’s stolen the space between us and backed me up into the counter. An arm comes down on each side of me, trapping me between him. “My problem is that every time you have a problem, you run off with Laylen. And it’s driving me crazy. After how far we’ve come… after the things I’ve shared with you… I thought by now you’d come to me when you needed help—it’s what I’m good at.”

“I’m sorry, but it seemed better to take Laylen since he can’t die from Stasha’s touch.” I suck in a loud breath. “And she’s your ex-girlfriend.”

“I already told you she never meant anything to me.”

“Yeah, but you clearly meant something to her—she has pictures of you two all over her house.”

He presses his lips together. “What do you want me to do?” He pauses and I can tell the way his eyes crinkle that he’s trying not to smile. “Go to her house and steal all the photos away, because I will. Just say the word.”

I shake my head, attempting to stay annoyed. “No, that’d be silly.” I pause and his smile starts to break through, so I reach forward and playfully pinch him on the side. “This isn’t funny.”

Now he’s grinning as he touches the spot where I pinched him. “It kind of is.” He brushes a strand of hair out of my face. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“That’s not what this is about,” I tell him then remember what I’m really supposed to be discussing with him. “Did you know Stasha has the Mark of Malefiscus?”

The shock on his face is too real and I know right away that he didn’t. “No, she doesn’t… I’d know….”

“She does, though. I saw the mark on her wrist, and she told us she’s had it since she was born.”

“That’s not possible.” He shakes his head, gripping onto the counter. “I’d know if she did.”

I hated that he would know. “So I’m guessing that either he recently put it on her and tampered with her mind to make her think she’s had it forever, or this is another case of the butterfly effect from resetting time…” I look down at my hand and flex my fingers. “It’s time for me to go see what I can do about this.” I open my hand and the flame smolders.

“You think it’s going to work now?” Alex asks, the flame reflecting in his bright green eyes.

“There’s only one way to find out.” I march out of the kitchen without putting the fire out and Laylen, Aislin, and Aleesa all jump back. I scoop up the mapping ball and place it in my hand as they all watch. It fits perfectly and my skin begins to sizzle. Energy torrents through me, violet, passionate, untamed. My eyes snap wide as searing heat spills through my veins, gives me an indescribable power, and then sucks me into the glass.

Chapter 30

It’s so dark it makes the air thick and heavy, bearing down on me and crushing my body. I have to be dead. There’s no way I could be alive with this much pain. But then I open my eyes and see the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen before me, like I landed outside of the world, where the stars shine. They are everywhere. Above me. Below me. As far as my eyes can see.

“It’s so gorgeous,” I whisper in wonderment. But as I start to wander across the stars, my heart sinks in despair. There is no sign of memories or anything that will lead me to it.

But as if answering me, one of the stars just in front of my feet illuminates. I hop back as light flows out of it and casts against the darkness like a movie screen. At first it’s blank, but then people appear on it. A man probably about twenty years old with dark brown hair and violet eyes—my dad. He’s talking to an older woman with flowing auburn hair, wearing a pressed tan dress—Sophia.

“Well, I don’t see how that would be possible,” Sophia tells my father as they hike up the grassy hill toward the grey stone castle at the top. “Jocelyn’s too busy with things. And she’s supposed to be taking her Keeper’s test soon.”

“I understand your concern,” my dad replies, attempting to dazzle her with a charming smile. “But I promise you, I won’t keep her out too long.”

Sophia fixes him with a stern gaze, one that I had seen many times, not at all affected by my dad’s charm. “Well, I’ll have to think about it and discuss it with her father, but we’ll see.”

My father stops on the hill, beaming. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

Sophia gives him a curt nod and then hurries to the front door of the castle, leaving him on the hill. My father turns, picks up a rock, and chucks it into the lake, making the water ripple. He looks happy, not like someone who is about to cause the end of the world.

“He couldn’t have always been evil,’ I say. “There’s just no way.”

The scene swirls back into the star. Not the vision I’m looking for, but it was interesting to see my dad, just a normal guy, wanting to ask my mom out.

Suddenly, another star lights up against the darkness just a few feet away. On the screen, my father is the main focus, about the same age as he was in the last one. He’s sitting next to my mom who looks around the same age as him. Her makeup is done and her hair is curled up and they’re in the corner, huddled together, with a stack of books by their feet.