The apple fell, the bitemark a small cloud floating in a crimson sky.
Like the water that flowed through his veins, the Daneelie liquefied, gliding into his watery grave.
41
The Wait
Cruz had jerked just as hard as Quinn in his final moment. But since then, he hadn’t moved. Giya, on the other hand, had spun her head away, a fist clamped against her teeth. Her chest heaved, but she somehow managed not to be sick, the same way I somehow managed to feel nothing at the sight of another man dying.
I didn’t wish to become anesthetized to death, because those who were took life for granted. But I hadn’t known Quinn. Hadn’t liked him. So how was I supposed to care that he was gone? I felt awful for Kiera and hoped she wouldn’t hold his death against me. I felt bad for Cruz, because whether he’d been tight with Quinn or not, they’d coexisted in this cell since his own imprisonment.
“I’m—I’m going to go check on . . . Kiera.” He shuddered. “Will you two be all right?”
We would be . . . in time. Giya was shocked and shaking. As for me . . . I existed but wasn’t truly there. Raising my gaze back to the top of the cliff, I murmured, “Go.”
He nodded, then strode away from the sandy graveyard. I’d always loved the beach, but today would blemish that love.
A wavelet lapped at the apple.
Whole again.
I didn’t reach for it. I didn’t want to touch it anymore, even though I probably would have to, if only to make sure no one else tried to take their lives or someone else’s. After some time, Giya went to rinse the suds from her hair, then strode back out and dropped down next to me on the sand.
Since the sky didn’t darken, it was impossible to tell how much time had gone by since Remo had . . . since he’d left. It felt entirely too long, though.
“You’re shivering.” Giya draped her arm around me.
I let my head drop against her shoulder. My sodden clothes stuck to my goose bumps, racking me with more tremors.
For a while, we were both quiet.
Then, “I can’t believe you have feelings for Remo Farrow. The bully who made your childhood hell.” She rested her cheek on the top of my head. “Faith and your mother are going to have to make peace. That’ll be entertaining.” I could hear her smile.
I was incapable of smiling.
She squeezed me against her. “He’ll be back, Amara.”
“What if—”
“He’s a Farrow,abiwoojin. They’re unkillable. Sook tried and failed spectacularly.”
No one was unkillable. Instead of reminding her, I picked my head off the damp cream silk of her top. “Sook tried to kill Remo?”
“Not Remo. Gregor.” Giya stared around her as though expecting to see her twin stroll out from the jungle, wearing his signature wily smile. “Thankfully, your father interceded. With Iba, they managed to bury the assassination attempt.” She sighed, her worry so thick it glazed the air. “I hope he gets here soon.”
I wasn’t sure if she was talking about my father, hers, or her brother. Probably all three.
Even though Sook wasn’t easily frightened, I couldn’t imagine having to fend for myself in this prison. Couldn’t imagine it, because I’d had a companion throughout every trial—an obstinate boy who’d followed me into Hell to keep me safe.
The dam fissured, and tears poked out from the corners of my eyes. “I’m sorry. I know how much you’re hurting. I’m so sorry.”
Giya’s arm was back around my shoulders. “Sook is allergic to apples, so I’m not hurting. My brother will be fine. He’s probably getting acquainted with more animal innards as we speak. But you know as well as I do that’ll just give him more stories to tell. I bet he’s secretly loving his adventures.”
A chuckle broke over my sob, which turned into a loud honk.
“Oh,abiwoojin. . . Remo’s coming back for you.”
I tried to believe her, but with each heartbeat, my confidence frayed. What if he didn’t return? How was I supposed to face a world in which he didn’t exist? Anger welled inside of me at the girl who’d told him she wished he’d never been born. How could I have said such a thing? He’d always been such a huge part of my life back in Neverra. Hardly a day went by when we didn’t have some form of interaction . . . mostly unpleasant, but the fact remained that we’d always orbited around each other. Now I wondered why. Was his presence deliberate or coincidental? HadIsought him out or hadhe?
