I glanced at Laylen, remembering our silly little rollercoaster ride, and wondered if it was the same kind of happiness as what I felt when this photo was taken.

Alex removed everything from the box, and piled all of it onto the floor, except for one thing: a sapphire-blue teardrop diamond.

“Thank God,” he said, clutching the diamond in his hand.

“That’s it? That’s what’s going to get the Queen to agree to free my mom?” I slipped the photo of my mother and me into the back pocket of my shorts, which were almost dry now, and leaned toward Alex to get a better look at the blue diamond resting in the palm of his hand.

“Is that the Cruciatus diamond?” Laylen’s eyes were huge as he stared down at the teardrop diamond.

“Yeah, it is,” Alex replied, his voice wavering.

“Is it—does it do anything?” I asked nervously, worried that maybe my energy would set it off or something.

Alex closed his hand around the diamond. “The Queen use to use it to suck the fear out of people before one of the Keepers took it from her.”

“But if no one can enter The Underworld, then how did they take it from her?” I asked.

“A long time ago things use to work differently,” Alex explained drowsily. “The Queen used to be able to come up to the castle to discuss matters of business and to make truces with the Keepers. That’s how the Keepers ended up sending people down there as a punishment. This,” he held up the diamond between his fingers, “was once used during a bargain.”

“Well, how did you end up with it?” I wondered.

He almost smiled. “You and I stole it.”

“Stole it,” I said, stunned. “Why would we do that?”

“For fun,” he replied with a shrug. “We used to do a lot of things like that.”

Interesting, I guess, and it was kind of nice that he was giving me a little insight into our past.

Alex closed his eyes, the blue diamond still clutched in his hand. He looked like he was sleeping.

“So what do we do now—just take the diamond with us when we go to The Underworld, and offer it to the Queen in exchange for my mother.” Well, that’s if we even get to The Underworld. We still needed the Ira, which Nicholas had, and after what happened at the City of Crystal it appeared that Nicholas just might be working with Stephan.

Alex didn’t answer, his eyes still shut.

“Alex,” I said softly. “Are you okay?”

He still didn’t answer me.

I looked at Laylen worriedly, and he shook Alex gently by the shoulder. “Hey, you okay man?” he asked.

But still, Alex remained silent and motionless with the diamond resting loosely in the palm of his hand.

“Maybe the diamonds doing something to him,” I said, reaching for Alex’s hand that held the diamond. When I touched his skin, I noticed how dull the flow of electricity was, and I immediately panicked, worried he might me dying.

“Alex.” My voice came out loud and panic-stricken. I grabbed his arm.”Wake up.”

His eyelids lifted, and a rush of relief swept through me like a breath of fresh air on a warm summer day. I started to pull my hand back, but he caught hold of it and grasped onto my fingers.

I stared at his hand grasping mine. “What are you doing?”

“Shhh…” He shut his eyes again. “I just need a minute, okay?”

Like a light bulb clicking on, it suddenly occurred to me what he was doing. He was feeling weak and our little electric connection was…well, it was recharging him. I could feel it too, ascending and boosting my energy.

Laylen got to his feet and dusted the dirt off of his jeans. “I’m going to go check and make sure no one’s coming. I’ll be right back.”

“You think someone would show up here?” I asked, glancing up at the hole.

He looked at Alex and then shrugged. “You never know.”

I almost told him to stay. Something inside me felt afraid—a strange kind of afraid. One I couldn’t quite explain and had never felt before.

Confused about my feelings, I sat there on the ground as Laylen climbed up the ladder and disappeared into the daylight. Alex was still holding onto my hand, the electricity growing hotter and hotter with each beat that went by. In all actuality, its heat was making me feel a little better too. I wasn’t even aware I had closed my eyes, until I heard Alex say my name. I cracked open my eyes and found him watching me with this intense look on his face.

I started to ask him what was wrong, but something in his eyes made me pause. I don’t even know what the look was, maybe a mix between tired and…vulnerable. Or maybe it was just that he was really looking at me. And I mean really looking at me.

Then he was leaning in toward me, and I felt my body tense up. Half of my brain was begging for me to rip my hand out of his and run. But the other half was telling me to stay put.  He had done so many bad things to me—terrible things that maybe I should have ran. But he also had gone to the City of Crystal, knowing he would be chained up to the energy sucking crystal ball, all so I could try to get my mother out of The Underworld. There were still small wounds in his skin where the tubes had been inserted. It wasn’t pretty, and he had done it to help me.

So I didn’t move away, watching, waiting, knowing I was going to let him kiss me.

“Gemma.” His voice was soft and shaky. A moment later his lips brushed mine, and electricity spun through me.

But the kiss lasted only a split second, because right as our lips touch, someone shrieked from outside. Alex and I both pulled away, and both our gazes shot toward the ladder.

Alex’s eyes scanned the room. “Where’s Laylen?”

“He said he was going to go check to make sure no one was outside.” My heart raced as I stood up. “Don’t you remember?”

He shook his head and slowly got to his feet. “How longs he been gone?” he asked as he walked over to the ladder.

“I’m not sure…I lost track of time,” I said stupidly. “Not too long…I don’t think.”

Another shriek ripped through the air, and this time I knew what it belonged to.

A Death Walker.

Alex’s eyes practically bulged out of his head. He ran over to the small little trunk in the corner and threw open the lid.

“What are you doing?” I asked, watching as he dug around in the trunk. “We need to do something—Laylen’s out there.”

“I am doing something.” He took a small pocket knife out of the trunk and flicked open the blade.

“Why would you ever hide a knife in here,” I asked, gaping incredulously at the knife.

“Why wouldn’t I,” he replied, brushing passed me.

Well, look at him, all Mr. Prepared.

I followed him over to the ladder. “Yeah, but that tiny things not going to help us much if there’s a Death Walker out there.”

He stared up at the top of the ladder with his thinking face on. “You got a better idea.”

“I…no.”

“Well, then.” He placed his hands on the ladder and then said, “Stay here.”

“No,” I told him firmly. “I won’t. There’s no reason for you to go up there alone. And besides, even if I stay down here, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be safe.”

He shook his head, and I suddenly felt the prickle. I was sure what emotion was trying to surface, but a voice inside my head whispered, take the knife.  So I did, quickly snatching it out of his hand.

“I’m not staying here,” I said, moving the knife behind my back. “You’re still weak from being in the City of Crystal, and I can help.”

He looked surprised by my sudden take charge attitude. But then he just looked pissed.

“Let’s go.” I tried to sound confident, but I was scared, and it showed through my voice.

Despite my lack of confidence, Alex climbed up the ladder, and I followed, wondering what would be waiting for us outside.

   

Chapter 22

After we climbed out of the hiding spot and slid down the hill, I gave the knife back to Alex because, let’s face it, I was no Keeper.

Another shriek rang through the forest, and out in the open it sounded louder and more terrifying.

“If you’re scared, then you can go back in there,” Alex told me, his voice urging—begging me to please go back.

I eyed him over. His skin was so pale. The little holes dotting across his body looked like they had to hurt. He also had shadows under his eyes, and although he did look a bit better than when we’d first found him in the City of Crystal, he still wasn’t his strong, normal self. And the voltage of electricity flowing off of him was still so muffled.

“No, I’m going with you,” I told him. “You need my help. You’re not strong enough yet.”

“I’m fine,” he snapped. “I don’t need your help.”

“Yeah, you do.” My voice shook a little, but I stood firm. “I can feel that you’re not okay.”

He held my gaze powerfully, like he thought if he stared at me for long enough, I’d back down. And you know what, a week or so ago I might have, but today I wasn’t. It was like I had this adrenaline pouring through me—this inner strength.

“Fine, come with me then.” He pointed his finger at me. “But I swear to God, Gemma, if anything happens—”

“I know, I know. Run. Hide. Save myself.”

His mouth quirked and an amused smile started to show, but then another shriek filled the air, and we ran into the trees.

Most people wouldn’t run toward a shrieking monster that could quite possibly end up freezing you to your death. And normally we did run. But this was a different situation because Laylen could be in some serious trouble. The further we dipped into the forest without seeing Laylen, the more concerned I became. My gut was telling me something was wrong with Laylen, and that maybe this was a trap. And yes, the thought did cross my mind that Alex might be a part of it.

I almost turned back.

But then another shriek reverberated through the forest, and I thought of Laylen, and how the Death Walker might be trying to hurt him.

Then came the fog. It moved across the forest’s damp ground like a snake, icing everything in its path.

Alex stopped as the fog reached our ankles, staring down at the ground, while holding his knife out in front of him. “Stay by me,” he whispered and I nodded.

The fog gradually seeped through my damp clothes and onto my skin, chilling my body to the shivers. I clenched my jaw tight to keep from chattering.

I’ve had nightmares of being chased by Death Walkers in a forest that have come true. And here I was again, in a forest with Death Walkers, only I wasn’t being chased.

Not yet anyway.

Alex scooted us behind the trunk of a very large oak tree and put a finger to his lips. We stood as still as people in paintings, and that’s when I heard it. A voice. A very familiar voice that I was absolutely sure belonged to a half-faerie, half-Foreseer, who might be working for the dark side.

“I can’t believe this,” Nicholas was saying. “I can’t believe she managed to drag all of us into the present time.”