I nod.
“Huh, that explains a lot,” he mutters under his breath.
“At first I believed your mother to be of ordinary nature. Yet, there were times when I could swear she sensed me. It was, of course, after the accident that I learned of her origin,” Abigail whispers, dropping her chin to her chest. She eyes her fingertips for a moment as if they’re far more interesting than anything she’s saying.
“When I first moved back, do you remember the first thing you told me?” I ask her.
The place between her eyebrows creases as she thinks.
Rather than wait for her answer, I continue, “You told me I had to break the curse. That I’m the only one who can release you from this binding.” I pause, watching her reaction.
Her lips press tightly, but she nods.
“At the time, I didn’t want to hear any of it. It was all still so new. You know?” I say, remembering back to that day. “It was a lot to take in.“
“I can imagine,” she says.
“Did you mean it? That you thought I could break the curse?”
She clasps her hands behind her back and straightens her shoulders. “I have grown very fond of you, child.”
“Is that a yes or a no?” I spit, suddenly frustrated by her cryptic manner.
A surprisingly pained expression takes over her features and she sighs. “I had hoped…I knew you were different and you are the remaining Blackwood. So, if anyone was to break the curse, it would be you. Otherwise, the Moirai win. Our family dies out with you and I’m trapped in this limbo forever.”
“Not exactly,” I say, swallowing hard.
Abigail’s expression changes to confusion, and I smile softly. It really is nice to be the one in the know. “I’m pregnant, Abigail.”
“No—” she breathes, anguish clear in her eyes.
“Yes,” I say, suddenly alarmed by her fervor.
Dominic nods. “It’s true. I’ve sensed it myself.”
“Should the Moirai learn of this, they will want to act quickly,” she says, suddenly standing directly in front of me. “This is far more dangerous than I feared.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Think about it, child. If you are to stop the curse, you must do so before the Moirai catch on to this turn of events. They will be called in soon to set the course for this child. His or her string will be woven and…” Her voice trails off as she walks away from me. “You must put an end to this curse as quickly as possible. Through which means, I am not certain. But should you decide to ascend to a sin-eater, you cannot perform these rites when there is a child growing inside of you.”
I shake my head, not following her logic. “Why not?”
“You could inadvertently beset the child with the burden of those sins. No innocent life should ever come into this world afflicted with such torment,” she says, reaching out to me. Her arms hover beside mine, clearly wanting to touch me but knowing she’s unable. “I will not allow it. There has to be another way.”
I stumble backward, shaking my head. “That can’t be right.”
If Dom is right, and this is what I’m meant to become, why would I only learn about it when I can’t do anything about it?
My phone springs to life, shocking adrenaline through my system and pulling me from the horrible revelation Abigail just shared. When I realize it’s my mom, my heart jumps into my throat as I fumble to answer.
“Hello?” I sputter, trying to stay calm.
“Sweetie, I think you better get back here,” she says.
“What’s happened? What’s wrong?” I ask, my words tumbling out in a cluster.
“Things have gotten worse.” She pauses for a moment “The doctors are concerned Wade may not make it through the night,” she says, her voice as gentle as silk as she tries to soften the blow. “I’m so sorry, Autumn. I wish there was something I could do.”
I pull the phone back, staring at it, unable to process fully what she just said. Without thinking, I hang up the phone, and the entire world feels like it falls away. It doesn’t matter who else needs me or what needs to be done.
Forget curses. Sin-eaters. The Moirai. Forget all of it.
“We’ll have to deal with this later,” I say, shooting Abigail and Dominic a significant look. Neither one of them raise an objection. “You’re gonna need to find your way home, Dominic. I gotta…go.”
With that, I race up the stairs, leaving the resurrection room behind. I don’t stop when I reach my bedroom, either. I keep running, grabbing my keys and heading straight out the door of the manor.
If I was speeding before, it’ll be nothing like this time.
Hang on, Wade. I’m coming. Please, please hang on.
Chapter 18
Ripples
My mind circles all of the recent events—Wade, the mark, the pregnancy, Dominic, the realm of the dead, and the strange box given to me by the Angel of Death.
Intense anger rolls through me and I slam the palm of my hand against the steering wheel.
The Angel of Death…
How could he do this to Wade? Why would he allow this to happen to him? And why would he keep so much from me? We’ve met before? He gave me the mysterious box? Hell, he must have known things were going to go sideways at some point… What else does he know?
My lips press tight, but I can’t hold back the rage.
“Where are you, you bastard?” I call out. My ears ring as the words echo around the small cab space of the Ford Escape. “Wade is sick because of you. He could be dying. Why aren’t you doing anything to stop it?” I hold my breath, half-expecting him to materialize on the seat beside me. When he doesn’t, I continue. “This is absolute bullshit, you know. Wade doesn’t deserve this.”
Despite my anger, he doesn’t answer my admonishment. Instead, I’m left to stew in my anger, worry, and sorrow. But he’s not going to get away from this that
