Chapter 19
“Jac…Jac…” I can hardly open my eyes, and moving, forget it.
My arms feel as if they weigh a hundred pounds each and my legs are too heavy to even wiggle.
The room is dark again, but this time light spills in from a large window across from me.
I’m on the floor, that much I can tell, and my wrists are bound together once more.
“I’m here, Ace.” Jacques’s voice comes from the dark, and it’s the best thing I could ever hear. “I’m not leaving you.” He moves, trying to get closer, and the sound of chains dragging across the floor echoes through the empty room.
“What…what happened?”
“You were drugged.” His fingertips brush over mine, and I don’t understand why he’s not coming closer. Why I’m not nestled in his arms, taking solace in his embrace. “So was I.”
“Are you…are you okay?”
“Yes,” he says definitively. “It didn’t seem to have the same effect on me as it did you. Probably because I’m not entirely human.”
I let my eyes fall shut again and take a few seconds to rest. Only, what I thought was a few seconds must have been much longer.
“Ace, are you with me?”
My eyes flutter open and I see Jac’s outline. He’s in front of the window, with his large wings blocking out the light. Right away I can tell I was knocked out for hours by the glow of the night sky.
“Yeah. I’m just…so tired.”
“Whatever they gave you…” Jacques trails off, shaking his head. “Are you able to move? You have chains on your ankles.”
“Oh.” That could be part of why my legs feel so heavy. “Motherfucking Trent. I’m going to kill him,” I mutter, and Jacques laughs.
“I’ll help.”
I try to sit up again and the world spins around me. “The others…”
“They’re fine.”
“How do you know?”
“I can sense them. I’ve always been able to, in a way. They went somewhere safe with Gemma and that police friend of yours.”
One of the million knots in my chest loosens. “But you…you’re here.”
“Yes. I came to save you.”
I try to crack a joke about how well that worked out but fall short.
Because there’s nothing funny about this moment right now, and I’m close to falling back to sleep.
“You shouldn’t have come. You’re what…what…
” I get dizzy and lower myself back to the ground before I pass out and whack my head against the polished marble floor.
“I’m what Mr. Trent wants, I know,” Jacques says softly.
“Gemma told me that Mr. Trent visited Lyra before and was asking about runes. He’s not after your house or your book, so the runes that call us to stone every night had to be the only thing.
He collects magical items and likes powers. We’re magical and powerful.”
“He thinks he can control you if he does some sort of ritual with the runes.”
“He might be able to,” Jacques says. I was not expecting that at all. “It’s entirely possible.”
“You shouldn’t have come,” I say, anger fueling me. I sit up again, heart breaking when I see Jacques shackled to the ground. That’s why he couldn’t come to me. He can hardly move. “I would have been fine! He can’t have you! If he controls you and makes you do—”
“Ace,” Jacques interrupts. “It’s going to be okay. He’ll let you go in exchange for me.”
“Jacques, no!” I pull against the chains on my ankles.
The links are large and heavy, looking like something that would be used to hold back an elephant, not a slim woman.
I’m wearing handcuffs again, and the chain between them snaps.
I gasp and extend my hand, trying to summon a fire hot enough to melt the metal.
But nothing happens.
Bringing my wrists closer to my face, I look for a seam or opening—anything I can pry apart. There isn’t one. They’re far too tight to slide down and over my hands. They were secured by magic, and only magic can take them off.
Son of a bitch.
“Calm down.”
“Calm down?” I hold my hands out in front of me, heart beating a million miles an hour.
“How can I calm down? He’s not going to let me go!
Obviously, Jacques! I’m tied up just like you!
He’s going to control you and make you get the others!
That’s his plan. He’s fucking nuts and wants to rule the world by forcing magical creatures to do his evil bidding. ”
“Ace,” he says again, and sits up as much as he can, chains digging into his skin. “It’s going to be okay. Even if he does figure out a way to gain control, he can’t control me for long. The others will come for you. Your police friend said something about a SWAT team.”
“They’ll die. Trent has powerful charms.”
“So do we. Gemma and Lyra are working on something, and Lyra called some of her friends. And you have Hasan, Thomas, and Gilbert. They’re more than ready for a fight.”
“Then why? Why did you risk yourself and come here?”
“To set you free, Ace,” he says gently. “I…I offered myself as a trade. I brought the rune and gave it to Trent.”
“Jac!” My heart beats faster and faster. I want to go over to him and slap his handsome face. Tears run down my cheeks. “Why? Why would you do that to me?”
“Because, Ace…I lied to you.”
“What?”
“I told you there were a few weeks left until the curse hit its thousandth year. Which is true…for the others. I was cursed first. My time is almost up.”
My racing heart comes to a dead stop and plummets out of my chest. It breaks into a million pieces on the cold, hard floor. “I could have broken the curse.”
“You will break it, Ace. But you need to get out of here in order to do so. This way, Trent gets me and will let you and the girl go.”
“But I want you, Jac. I love you. Please! Don’t do this!”
“It’s already done. Come sunrise, you and Rachel will be free to go. Trent will control me for a day or two before…”
“No!” I yank against my chains, pulling in as much magic as I can.
If Jacques can’t get back to the rune by sunrise…
well…I don’t know what will happen. The closest he came to resisting the transformation seemed painful.
Really painful. “I’m not going to let him do that to you!
I won’t lose you!” A sob escapes my lips and I slip back, falling hard against the floor.
My head, still injured from the car crash, aches something fierce. The pain radiates through me, making me feel like I’m going to throw up. But the heartbreak is worse. So much worse.
“Jacques, please,” I cry, chest rising and falling rapidly as I sob. “You can’t leave me.”
“I’m not leaving you,” he says, and even he knows it’s a lie. “This is how it’s meant to be. You showed me life, Ace. You showed me love, real love. And for that, I will always remember you.”
“Stop it!” I yell. “Stop talking like you’re saying goodbye! This isn’t how it ends. That’s not us. We…we’ll find a way. Break out at the last minute and fly home. I’ll break the curse and we’ll be together. I need you!”
“You don’t need me. You’re strong, Ace, and I don’t just mean with magic. You’re the strongest person I know. You’ll get through this. And you won’t be alone. You have many people who love—”
“Shut up!” I scream. “Just stop! Stop saying goodbye!”
“We have the chance to say goodbye. We should take it.”
“No! No, we shouldn’t! Because this isn’t goodbye.
This isn’t how things end. It can’t be.” I pull myself up, crying so hard my vision is blurred with tears.
I need to take a breath, calm myself down, and concentrate on pulling in every single bit of energy I can so I can burn this place to the ground.
I’m not losing Jacques.
“Ace,” he soothes again. “This is the way our story was meant to end.”
“No!” I yank against the chains, pulling over and over, until I’m exhausted and can hardly move.
The sedative is still coursing through me, making me weak.
I fall back, vaguely aware of how cold I am, and suck in air.
My throat burns, my lungs hurt with every breath, and I’ve never had a worse headache in my life.
But I won’t let it stop me.
I ball my fist and turn my hand up, and then whack the metal cuff against the floor. Over and over. Something sizzles inside the metal, glowing red for a split second. I’m breaking it.
“Ace!” Jacques calls. “You’re hurting yourself!”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m getting us out of here.”
The door opens behind me and I stop, twisting around to see Rachel standing in the threshold. She’s holding a bowl of herbs in one hand and a candle in the other. Her eyes meet mine.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. She puts the candle into the bowl and purple smoke swirls out, surrounding me and making me fall asleep.
“Ace?”
“Jac.” My eyes flutter open and I inhale, temporarily forgetting about my broken ribs.
Pain shoots through me, forcing me awake.
The glow of dawn illuminates the room. Jacques is standing by the window, wings tucked in tightly against his body.
He’s not tied up anymore, and his face is twisted in pain.
The sun is rising. He needs to go to the rune and turn to stone for the day.
“Get her up.” Mr. Trent’s voice is like a knife to the heart. With a whimper of pain, I push myself up and turn to see him standing a few feet behind me, holding a rune in his hand. Did he really get control? My heart skips a beat. If Trent does have control, I know exactly what he’s going to do.
He’s going to force Jacques to kill me.
Jacques rushes forward, dropping to his knees. Oh my God. He does have control! Tears well in my eyes. I failed the guys. Gently, he scoops me up and holds me close to his chest. I’m not chained to the floor anymore, but I feel as if I am.
I’m going to lose Jacques.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper as the tears fall. “I should have broken the curse before and none of this would have mattered.”
“Then you wouldn’t have been able to save those kids.”
“You still think I’ll get through this? You still think I’ll get out alive?”
He presses his lips to mine. “I know you will.” He winces, body twitching of its own accord. He’s resisting turning to stone, which I’ve only seen him do once before. It’s incredibly painful.
“You have to let him turn!” I yell to Mr. Trent. “Or you’ll kill him.”
He looks me right in the eye and smirks. “Not before he kills you.” Holding up the rune, he flicks his gaze to Jacques. “Finish her.” Brushing lint from his suit jacket, he pushes off against the wall and goes out the door, shutting and locking it behind him.
Jacques turns his head, jerking away from me. He lets me go and I fall to the floor with a heavy thud. I hurt all over, and it’s a struggle to get any air.
“Ace…I…can’t…”
I push up, hands slipping out from under me. My chin hits the floor and my teeth click together.
“Jac,” I pant, pushing myself up again. “You can fight this!”
“Ace, I…I don’t think I can.”
I blink, trying to focus my vision. And then I realize he’s not talking about fighting against Trent’s orders.
He’s talking about being able to fight the resistance to go to the rune and turn to stone.
Trent doesn’t have control over Jacques at all.
Jac was faking it, giving Trent exactly what he wanted.
But Trent doesn’t understand—or care—that Jacques needs to go to the rune.
He’s locked in this room away from it, and if he doesn’t go to the rune and turn to stone for the day…
I have no idea what will happen.
Jacques goes to the door and claws at it. His fingers are turning into the talons he has when he’s in stone, and his skin is quickly losing color.
“Jac!” I cry, finally pushing myself up onto my feet. I stagger over to him, taking a hold of his hand. “What’s happening?”
“I…have…to…go…to…it,” he pants, and his eyes lose all their color. His hair starts to harden and he’s jerked back, twisting and falling down, being forced by magic to take on the crouched position he sits in when he’s in stone.
“Ace,” he says, struggling to get the word out. “I…love…” He doesn’t finish his sentence. He turns into stone, face twisted in pain. He’s half crouching, half reaching for me.
My bottom lip quivers and my hands shake. He’s stone again, but not the way he normally is. Will he wake up?
“Jac?” I whisper, gently cupping my hands around his face. He doesn’t look like himself anymore, but is the monster the curse turned him into. “I’m going to get you out of this,” I promise, but as soon as the words leave my lips, the stone on his chest starts to crack.
“No, no, no!” I put my hand over it, trying to keep the stone from cracking even more. A big chunk comes out, clattering to the floor. I pick it up and try to put it back to no avail. “No! Jac…no!” I cry, desperately trying to keep him from crumbling apart right before my eyes.
He starts falling apart faster than I can pick up the pieces, and suddenly, his whole form collapses into a million little pieces.