When I open my eyes again, I’m lying in a wooden bed inside a tree room, just like the time I woke up from Rhyland’s freezing spell. Kingsley is sitting beside the bed with his head lowered, his clothes are a little wrinkled, and his shoulders are hunched over. The only difference this time is that Aeribella is curled up in a ball, sleeping beside my feet.

For a hopeful moment, I wonder if all that stuff with Fate was just a dream. But the final image I saw before I left Fate flickers in my mind and I know…

It’s real.

All of this is real.

I’m the next Fate and I’m cursed. And if I want to uncurse myself, I’m going to have to complete an awful task and probably even more than one.

And then I’m going to have to kill someone.

I don’t understand why, what the purpose of the death is, and the idea of doing it, of taking someone’s life, makes me feel ill and disgusted inside.

I groan and Kingsley’s head jerks up.

“You’re awake?” He blinks his bloodshot eyes.

“I am.” My voice sounds hollow. “Why are your eyes red?”

“Don’t worry about that.” He rests his arms on the bed. “How are you feeling?”

I shrug. “Not cracky.”

“That’s good, right?” Hope reflects from his eyes. “It means Fate healed you?”

I shake my head. “Not exactly.”

A crease forms between his brows as he examines me over. “You look fine.” He brushes his fingers along the base of my throat. “Even the dragon fire burns aren’t as bad as they were.”

I scratch at my neck. “That’s probably because I drank some of Rhyland’s blood earlier.”

A flash of pain crosses his expression when I mention Rhyland.

“Something happened,” I say, eyeing him over closely. “Where’s Rhyland?”

Guilt takes over his expression. “Something happened while you were out… Another obstacle.”

I sit up and slide to the edge of the bed. “Tell me what it is.”

He stares down at his hands. “Apparently, my brother has been… Has been unknowingly harboring a demon in him. And it took over his body.”

Fear lashes through me. “Is he okay?”

He shrugs, elevating his gaze to mine. “I’m not sure… He took off before I could talk to him.”

“So how do you know he’s being controlled by a demon?”

“Harper saw him before he left the shimmer blob.”

I shake my head in shock. “I bet the queen had something to do with this.”

“Maybe…” He rubs his lips together, dazing off.

“Is it something else?” I question, because he’s acting like a squirrely vampire right now.

“I’m not sure,” he mumbles.

“Well, shouldn’t we be out searching for him.” I start to get to my feet.

He blinks the dazed look away and snags hold of my hand. “You can’t leave the shimmer blob, sweetheart. You know this.”

“But Rhyland could be hurt.” I try to jerk my hand from his, but he only constricts his grip.

“I know you’re worried, but you can’t go looking for him.” He tugs on my hand, his eyes silently begging for me to sit back down. “Harper and Dex have offered to go search for him. I think, while they might not be the best option, it’s our only option right now.”

“But I can’t just sit here.” Shock seeps through me as I sink back onto the bed. So much is happening and so much still needs to be done. “We need to help him… And I… I need to break the curse.”

He promptly shakes his head. “No, Breezy—the witch doctor—said that would kill you.”

“It won’t if I do it the right way.” If I listen to Fate and kill someone at the end.

Someone I love.

Tears well in my eyes as I think about what I’m going to have to do.

“Hey.” Kingsley wraps his arms around me and pulls me against his chest. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. We’re going to get through this.”

“It’s not really a we thing.” My tears soak his shirt.

He smooths his hand up and down my back. “I don’t give a shit. I’ll make it a we thing.”

My lips begin to turn upward, but then I remember what I’m going to have to face.

“I have to steal a soul,” I whisper, clutching onto the bottom of his shirt. “That’s the first task I have to complete.” As I utter the words aloud, reality crashes against me, about what I must do, about what’s been done to me, about what I am.

I break, a sob tearing from my chest. I may have cracked apart completely and shattered to the floor if Kingsley didn’t wrap his arms tighter around me and held me up, protecting me like he vowed all those decades ago.

I just hope I can trust him. But maybe it’s time. Time to let go of the past, move on from the distrust, and focus on the future.

Focus on freeing me and everyone else from this curse.

I just hope I can do it—complete every task. Because if I don’t, Chaos is going to take over the world and the land will bleed. I’ve seen it with my very own eyes. And what about my parents? And Rhyland? Gods, it hurts deep inside my chest to know he’s out there, wandering around somewhere, being controlled by a demon.

I’ll be fine, sweetheart. Rhyland’s voice rises in my mind so suddenly I gasp.

Kingsley pulls back. “What’s wrong?”

I blink confusedly. “I think I just heard Rhyland inside my head.”

Kingsley goes rigid. “Are you sure it’s him and not the demon?”

I hold up a finger. “Just a second.”

If this is really you, I think, Prove it.

It’s me, sweetheart. We were best friends up until I cursed you. Up until then, I knew everything about you, like your fear of being made fun of, like how you secretly think bats are creepy. I know you’re blood taste like sugar and magic and power. And I know how much it hurt when I betrayed you that night of the curse… Guilt creeps into his tone—it has to be him.

“It’s him,” I tell Kingsley. “I can tell.”

Kingsley slides forward in the chair. “Ask him where he is?”

Where are you? When Rhyland doesn’t respond, I ask again, Where are you? Please tell me so we can help you.

Raven, you need to listen to me. You need to get out of the shimmer blob right now. Go somewhere else that’s safe because you’re not safe there anymore.

Why?

No answer. I try again. And again. And again. But all I receive is silence.

“He says we need to leave the shimmer blob,” I inform Kingsley. “He wouldn’t say why and I can’t reach him again. But he said we’re not safe here.”

Silence trickles by as Kingsley considers something then he quickly pulls me to my feet.

“Then we’ll leave,” he says, towing me toward the door.

I stumble after him. “Where will we go?”

“I’m not sure yet, but we’ll figure something out.” He yanks open the door and Aeribella lets out a yap as she leaps off the bed and chases after us. “We need to grab some supplies first.” He pulls me out the door and I struggle to keep up with him as we rush down the hallway, tears pooling in my eyes.

Kingsley slows to a stop when he notices my waterworks. Then he sets his hands on my shoulders, leveling his gaze with mine. “Sweetheart, I told you we’ll get through this and I meant it.”

“But is everyone else going to get through this?” I whisper as icy tears flow down my cheeks.

He nods, but I can see it in his eyes—the doubt. He doesn’t believe we’re all going to survive and if I do what Fate told me to do, I know for certain someone won’t.