“It’s simple memorization. You’re good at remembering details. This will be easy for you.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
“No,” he says, grabbing my wrist before I can get up. “Not tonight. Tonight is about you relaxing and having some fun.”
“I won’t argue with that.”
“Good.” He closes the notebook and sets it on the nightstand. “Do you want to watch a movie?”
“Yeah, that’d be nice, actually. With all of you.”
We go downstairs and I take my spot on the couch between Thomas and Gilbert. We cuddle up together and they restart the secondHarry Pottermovie, which was only seven minutes in, while Jacques makes popcorn. We watch the whole thing and I say we should start number three. I start to doze off, and Jac gets up, taking my hand and telling me I should go to bed.
I brush my teeth and crawl under the covers, flicking off the bedside lamp. I lie down feeling happy—really fucking happy—for the first time in way too long. Jac gets in bed next to me, sticking his feet under the cover. He kisses my cheek and puts an arm around me.
“Goodnight, Ace. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I think I’m still smiling when I fall asleep. Only an hour later, I wake with a start, heart beating out of my chest. Jac is next to me, eyes closed and breathing steady and rhythmic. He’s asleep, and I’m pretty sure I just had a nightmare. I can’t remember anything from my dream, but something just feels off. The mattress sinks down near our feet and I blink in the dark, trying to focus my eyes.
“Acelina.” A soft, feminine voice floats through the air. I know that voice, and her face comes into focus a second later. Braeya looks at me, eyes filled with worry. A tear rolls down her cheek when she shifts her gaze to Jac. She’s holding something golden that glints in the moonlight. She leans forward, pushing it into my hand. The second the cool metal touches my skin, I know she’s giving me the cross necklace Jacques gave her the night she died. “They don’t have much time. And neither do you.”
