“Yes, of course.”
I had no response to that. Sadly, I was sure she was right.
“You could try
stopping
things again.”
“What good will that do? It didn’t last very long the first time.”
“Maybe try fast forwarding.”
“Yeah, and sometimes time reverses. Plus we don’t know if that will help us get out.”
“Okay, this is getting us nowhere. Are we going to talk about the real problem then?”
I snorted. “Which one?”
“The baby. Jack and Junior. Don’t act like I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
“I don’t want to think about it. If it’s real and Mace takes it—”
“If the baby is real and it’s Junior’s, will you want it?”
I’d been ignoring my concerns of what really happened with “boyfriend Junior” in his hotel room, and whether
or not
the baby could be his. Mace hadn’t sensed it until after I’d come back from Fight Night, but that might not mean anything.
“Do you know what really happened?” I asked.
“No, I only know what you know.”
So not helpful. “Yeah, and I was in that hotel room—alone with him—pretending to be his girlfriend. I have no memory of what really happened.”
“Death was there.”
“The bathroom floor was wet,” I added.
“You could have slipped, fell, and hit your head.”
Was that before or after I let Junior fuck me
?
“I think Jack would understand if you did.”
I brushed away a tear.
“Junior’s a big guy,” she said. “He could have hurt you if you’d resisted.”
“Then why don’t I remember?”
She was silent.
I started to run. From what I wasn’t sure. I studied the vast desert before me, considering time as I ran. I imagined the seasons passing in front of my eyes. And they did.
Without knowing how I’d done it, Winter bled into Spring, which bled into Summer, then into Fall. The seasons rolled around in a continuous loop as I ran through the desert, thinking of the next season to come.
~ * ~
“Seven years,” Jayne said, as if I couldn’t sense the passage of time.
I’d figured out how to speed up time. Four or five times faster than normal, but there was still no end in sight. I’d been in the Deeps for almost a hundred years. Because of my ability to manipulate the time, it felt like a mere seven years, but even that was an eternity. My body moved on autopilot now, my mind a constant stream of Lifetime movies and talks with Jayne.
Dropping my gaze to my hands, I stopped. “We’re getting older,” I said, seeing the signs of age in front of me.
“No. Keep moving,” she said. “Time’s not moving on the outside.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Yes, we do. There’s no way this is real. And quit thinking forever, we’ll get out.”
“Something will get out, but I don’t know any more if it will be me.”
She was quiet.
“I’m hungry,” I mumbled.
“I know. I wish you’d stop thinking about it,” she admonished.
“It’s not like before. I’m actually hungry. I have been for months.”
“We can’t eat anything.”
“I know.”
“I know what you’re thinking. Stop it. We can’t let her have that power over us. Mace is bad enough. You know what he did to us. Complete control. We will die of hunger before we give that to her.”
“I know,” I snapped.
Time started moving faster. The seasons were whipping by us at a rate so fast it was dizzying.
“Enough,” Jayne snapped.
“I’m not doing this.”
“Stop it.”
“I don’t know if I can…the storm is coming.”
“Start running.”
“It won’t help.”
I sat
,
then laid down on the ground. My hands had withered as the years passed. Now they were old and craggy. The clock was nearing a hundred. I wanted it all to end.
“Don’t give up,” Jayne said.
I was ready to die. The wind started to howl. The dust and sand began to swirl. Beetles crawled up out of the ground beside me. I hadn’t seen another living thing for a century, and now there were scary flesh eating bugs about to attack me. At least, I hoped this meant the hell was ending.
Within seconds, the beetles swarmed me and engulfed my entire body. They chewed at my flesh relentlessly. Mab would be disappointed I wasn’t screaming, but I’d learned to ignore the perceived pain of this place long ago.
My body was a shell by the time the storm struck. It ripped the bugs off me before the sand finished the job of removing my flesh. In minutes, my bones were exposed to the elements, and bit-by-bit they were pulverized by the debris. I was conscious through the entire process, until the last part of my body was ground to dust and blew away on the wind.
That was the Deeps.
~ * ~
I bolted upright with a loud intake of breath. Rolling off the slab of rock, I rushed over to the tray in the center of the room. It overflowed with fruit so luscious they seemed unreal.
I salivated, eager to eat everything before me. Ripe bananas, tender strawberries, succulent peaches, and juicy apples called my name. I could smell their heady aroma. I picked up an apple. The skin glistened with beads of moisture. I could already taste the crisp sweetness as I brought the fruit to my lips.
Stop
, Jayne cried.
“What?” I said, lowering the apple just as a droplet of water fell and splashed onto my chin.
Are you insane? Put that down, right now
!
As if it burned, I dropped the apple and wiped the water off my hands. “I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”
Quit talking to me out loud. Do you want the guards outside to hear us
?
“Sorry,” I said, then,
Sorry
.
The smell of the food made my stomach roil.
Get away from it. Go check the door
.
There was a large wooden door at the front of the room. I ran to it.
We should check with our presence
.
I know. This isn’t my first rodeo. And before you say anything, yes I’m okay
.
I wasn’t sure how true that really was, but I wasn’t going to try to eat anything else. The movie had stopped, but the life it showed no longer felt like my own.
I closed my eyes and thought about the great hall. I was there instantly.
Cinnamon, Sage, and Sorrel were sitting by themselves gazing blankly into the room. Cinnamon slowly pivoted her head toward me, and although her lips didn’t move, she said,
wait.
Her face became strained. She closed her eyes and more clearly said,
I will not let Mab sense you, but I will not be able to hide you for long.
Why?
You’ll owe me
.
I snorted.
Technically, you already owe me
.
Quit arguing
, Jayne admonished.
She can’t hide you forever
.
Fine, I’ll owe her a favor
.
I cautiously moved into the room. Mab and Mace were talking on the other side, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying.
I looked at Cinnamon.
I can’t understand them
. When she didn’t offer any suggestions to solve my problem, I added,
Mace destroyed the translator
.
She sighed.
He can’t destroy something one of the three created. He shut it off. Turn it back on
.
Could it be that easy? “Fix the translator,” I whispered.
How am I supposed to do that
, Jayne asked.
I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to the watch.
You are the watch.
I know, but since I don’t know another way to access my power, I’m asking the watch
.
Who are you talking to
? Cinnamon asked.
None of your business
, Jayne said.
A pop sounded in my ear, and I could hear Mace and Mab talking.
Be quiet, both of you
.
Mace was begging her, practically whining. “I’ll bring her back as soon as I have completed the task. You must let me finish it.”
He wants us to kill Junior
, Jayne said.
I shushed her.
“And if you fail again?” Mab asked.
“I won’t. We’ll return before sundown.”
Her eyes brightened. “Do you promise?”
He hesitated. Lowering his gaze, he clenched his fists, obviously not wanting to make that oath. The others were still sitting quietly by the wall. Cinnamon’s brow was furrowed, and her lips were pressed together tightly, but he didn’t appear to notice.
Returning his focus to Mab, he nodded. “I promise we’ll return her before sundown. You have my word.”
Mab’s lips curved upward, apparently as happy with these terms as Mace was unhappy. They didn’t discuss the consequences if he failed to return, but considering how overjoyed she appeared at the thought of his failure, I was sure he wouldn’t miss the deadline.
“What about Quaid,” Mace asked. “What are your plans for him?”
Mab straightened, sitting up taller. “Did he play his part at the fight?”
“Yes, he diverted the security team assigned to Junior’s section to another location. We would have succeeded if Claire hadn’t been with Junior.”
“Good,” Mab said, seemingly pleased Quaid had cooperated. “He will be my guest here at the castle. You will return without him.”
Mace rubbed the back of his neck. “But I may need his help to enter the company.”
As if dismissing the concern, Mab waved her hand in the air. “Use the girl.”
Mace’s eyebrows drew together. Quietly, he said, “She may not remember how to do it.”
A wicked grin crossed Mab’s face.
That heartless bitch
, Jayne said.
She believes the Deeps broke us
.
I didn’t agree or disagree. In my opinion, the jury was still out on whether I was broken.
“Her blood will get you in,” Mab offered.
My blood. She’s going to talk about my blood
. I moved closer.
It’s forbidden to talk about. Remember?
I shushed her again.
“Her blood?” Mace repeated. “Why is it
so
special? Why did the blacksmith want it?”
Mab’s eyes became unfocused. She touched the pendant on her necklace, and a slight smile crossed her face.
That’s a pretty pendant isn’t it
, Jayne said absently.
The pendant was antique silver with a red ruby in the center and etched black lines radiating all around. As with all the things I’d seen Mab wear, this was an exquisite piece of jewelry, but hardly anything to gush over.
Yeah, it’s cute. Stay focused and ignore the shiny objects
.
“Aunt?” Mace said. “Is everything all right?”
I focused on him. “Ask her to tell you about her sister.”
What are you doing
? Jayne asked.
I want to hear her say it’s a myth
.
As if to clear it, Mace shook his head, then said, “Um...tell me about her. About your sister.”
Mab’s eyes narrowed. Sweeping her hand in a large arc toward the others, she said, “Quiet.”
She moved so fast it was as if she’d disappeared, then reappeared in front of him. Lifting him off his feet by the neck, she snarled, “You speak of things you should not know.” Mab searched the room as if someone might be listening.
Crap, she’s hunting for us. Cinnamon, can she sense us
?
Cinnamon remained quiet.
Mace placed his hand on the one around his neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he wheezed in a voice barely above a whisper.
She dropped him to the floor. Smiling, she cupped his cheek and lightly stroked it with her thumb. “You didn’t upset me, my boy. It is so rare I get to speak of such things. And I don’t want the others to hear.”
“Of course,” he said, voice trembling.
Mab returned to her throne. He got to his feet, nervously running his hand through his hair as if that might steady his nerves.
“First,” she said. “How much blood did the blacksmith take?”
“A lot,” he admitted. “Claire almost died.”
“Almost?”
“Obviously she didn’t,” he added quickly.
“I will take care of the blacksmith,” she said. His brows drew together. “Don’t worry
,
it won’t be traced back to you.”
“As you wish,” he said.
She touched her pendant again. “Have you heard of the fourth realm, Nephew?”
Mace smiled. “Yes, of course, in make-believe stories.”
That’s what Harry said
, Jayne reminded me.
“What if I told you it was real?”
Mace smiled, shaking his head slightly. “It’s impossible. I wouldn’t believe you.”
Mab’s lips formed a tight line. “Why?”
He moved his right foot back, as if he might turn and run. She glanced at the movement. He stilled
,
then dropped to one knee. “Forgive me for doubting you, Aunt, but to believe the fourth realm was real, I would have to believe in its fate.”
“You find it impossible to believe this?”
“For a realm to be destroyed? I would hope so,” Mace said, his brows drawing closer together. “Am I wrong?”
“You’re wrong.”
He closed his mouth. I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down from swallowing.
It was destroyed.
No!
Jayne said.
What did you think? They just abandoned it
?
I don’t know. Nothing. I’m being silly. You’re right. It would have been destroyed
.