Page 5 (1/2)

Laylen sucks on his lip ring "No he doesn’t He just won’t adht now, he’s upstairs trying to figure out if the Queen of The Afterlife can cross over"

I glance over uessing" He rises to his feet, picks up the book, and tucks it under his arht?"

"Absolutely," I say as we squeeze out of the room "I have no desire to put ives me a small smile "I didn’t think so"

We part ways at the top of the stairway I sot to tell him that I invited Alex too When I reach Alex’s rooht’s on, and the bay ide open, blowing in the cold air I rush over and lock it

"Alex," I call out, hugging my arms around myself

The bathroom door is closed I know better than to walk in there without knocking

"Alex," I say, keeping my distance frohs "Can you co"

I step back "No thanks I think I’ll wait out here"

The door swings open and fog pours out Froreets me with an annoyed look "Really"

"You’re in the bathroo "How am I supposed to respond?"

He shakes his head and tugsand the heat fogs the elongated mirror The porcelain sink is speckled with blood and muddy boot prints track the tile floor

"Are you hurt?" I ask, noticing he’s grasping his side

He holds up a finger "Now don’t freak out" He exhales loudly and yanks off his shirt

I fling my hand over ash, bleeding profusely "Why didn’t you say anything earlier?" I breathe through my hand

He lowers my hand from my mouth "That’s the part I need you not to freak out about… It just happened"

My eyes scan the bathroo?"

He turns on the sink faucet and dips a hand towel under the water "When we got back, I felt this sting across my chest When I looked, the cut was just there"

I hate blood, but not wanting to coe of the cut, forcing backreflexes "Are you sure you just didn’t feel it until we got back? It looks like a piece of glass could have done it" Actually, it doesn’t It looks like a large, jagged knife took a beating to hilass" He presses the wet towel against his chest and winces "I actually felt when it cut et me some peroxide out of there?"

I open the cabinet and hand him the peroxide He unscrews the lid and douses his skin with the bubbling solution, his face twisting in pain He shoves the bottle back at me, every muscle in his body taut I set the bottle on the counter and take out a roll of gauze I turn ht need stitches" He takes the gauze

I fix my eyes on the wound and ers outline the gash "Alex, this is deep Like really, really deep"

"I know," he says My hand begins to fall, but he traps it against his rock-hard chest, blood leaking out and staining the fiery Keepers o in the baseet the first aid kit"

I nod and leave him in the bathroom to strip off his clothes and cli the ceiling beams and dark corners There are narros of shelves I search the my sneakers on the bottolass surface A sainst the cement floor, and splits in half I step down and pick up the pieces, anger snarling in my veins

"He said he didn’t knohere it was," I lass sparkles with a teal shimmer "The Crystal of Li another way"

Clutching the broken halves and the first aid kit, I stomp up the stairs and into the bathroom that connects to Alex’s room He’s in the shower, the curtain drawn closed, but I don’t care

I chuck the kit on the counter loudly to get his attention The curtain inches open, and Alex peeks out, dark hair deater, a wicked glint in his eyes

"Want to join me?" he asks with a mischievous arch of his eyebrow

I set the sections of the crystal on the countertop and his face falls

"Gemma, I can explain," he says hastily

"I don’t want to hear it" I storm out the door The water shuts off and by the time I step over the threshold, his hand comes down on my shoulders

He whirls me around to face him A towel rides low on his hips, water drips down his solid chest, and his eyes sting with fire "Would you letoff?"

I’ht of hie I fold ers through his soaked hair, splashing droplets of water all over the place "Yes, I’ve been hiding the Crystal of Liood reason I didn’t want you to use it"