“Marigold, stop. It’s okay. I’ve got you.” He shushes me, holding me tight. Still, I thrash in his grasp. “There’s a note. She left a note.”
My skin turns clammy while I burn and nausea bubbles in my gut. Maybe I’ll puke on him and he’ll leave me be. A note means nothing. A note only says she was here, not where she is. A note does nothing to alleviate the guilt.
“Read it to her, for fuck’s sake,” Karma hisses.
“I’m not invading her privacy, Karma. Why the fuck are you here, anyways? You’re not needed.”
“Well, you weren’t here and someone needed to show her the way. Besides, I wanted to meet the one who fused to your dumbass soul. Why she chose you, I’ll never understand. Maybe I actuallylikeher. You ever think of that?”
“You met her two minutes ago. You can’t figure out if you like someone in that amount of time.”
“How about two months? Hasn’t it been that long sinceyou’veknown her? You should know whether you’re just fucking around or if you’re actually going to keep her.”
“She’s not a fucking pet, Karma. Go bother someone else. Or better yet, make yourself useful and find her fucking sister. It should be easy since they look fucking identical.”
Karma scoffs and her footsteps fade away. I have no idea whether or not she’s left. It doesn’t really matter. Neither of them is particularly helpful in this situation. If they don’t know where Lark went, they’re of no use to me. The thought sends a pang through my chest, and I curl into myself. Dimitri cradles me in his lap, whispering words I can’t decipher.
He tucks the note between my hands and urges me over and over to read it. It’s then I realize how badly I’m shaking. The paper crumples in my hand as my heartbeat pounds in my head. I pull in deep, even breaths, willing my body to calm down. I can’t help Lark if I’m freaking out. Besides, it’s just one more selfish move on my part. Par for the course, I suppose.
“Put me down,” I croak, forcing the words from my raw throat.
He shuffles me onto the cold floor and leans me against the bars of an empty cage. I clutch the note in my hand, Lark’s familiar script on the front spelling out my full name.
Dimitri paces away, then starts arguing with someone—probably Karma. His harsh words float back to me garbled and indistinct. When I unfold the paper, the edges curl and ash eats at the corners. I sit up straighter and scan the words as quickly as I can, then once more. I barely get to the end when the entire thing crumbles, turning my hands a sooty black.
Dimitri crouches in front of me, though I don’t know how long I’ve sat here, committing her words to memory.
“Where to, spitfire?” he murmurs, his hand reaching out, then flopping to his side before he touches me.
“Nowhere,” I whisper. I thump my head back against the hard metal, relishing the dull pain it causes.
“Is she…Ludo didn’t…”
“She says she’s as safe as she can be, but she doesn’t want me to follow.” My gaze meets his, and my heart cracks. “Take me home, please.”
He nods, then snaps his fingers. His sad smile is the last thing I see before my world goes dark. I carry that image with me all the way home.
Ablanket of murkiness has settled over the world—myworld. My muddled thoughts aren’t processing. Sounds around me are muted. No, silent. Nothing moves. Nothing breaks the silence. Nothing matters.
All because of my sister’s choices. Her decision to leave me behind. We were supposed to do things together. Our fates are inextricably intertwined. Yet she still ran from me as if I wasn’t enough for her. I thought I’d dealt with my inadequacy when it came to my sister. I spent too much time comparing us. Her light outshone my dark. She was always the kinder twin, the happier twin, the better twin. Our aunt used to say we were two sides of the same coin. Yet when a coin is flipped, there’s always a side landing facedown.
I groan and curl into a ball, burrowing under the covers. A dry, musty smell wafts over me, and I sink into the darkness once more.
At least I try to. The void in my mind doesn’t embrace me. Instead, it ejects me into reality, and a choked sob falls from my cracked lips. I clamp my hand over my mouth and swallow down my tears. Nothing good will come from wallowing. Except the words feel hollow.
Still, I force myself to sit up. It takes another five minutes for me to register the dark room around me. I thought the quiet, the nothingness, was in my mind. Unfortunately, it was also in my room.
When I finally swing my legs around and attempt to stand, I crumple back onto the mattress. I went to the bathroom while I was lost in my emotions. My body should technically work. Then again, I might have crawled there and just forgotten. As I stumble toward the toilet, my brain clears away the cobwebs. At least enough to realize how utterly alone I am.
Lark and I haven’t gone longer than a few days without talking. Except for this last time. I waited too long. It’s my fault. She suffered because I convinced myself she was fine.
Dimitri said she was in that cage. How long did she waste away in there, her magic slowly draining, while I shied away from the truth? While I was running around dragon realms and fucking a demon, she was wondering if anyone out there would save her.
I don’t care what her note said. None of it matters until we talk face to face. She could have stayed, waited until I was in front of her. Then she could go off on whatever adventure she wanted. Rage stirs in my gut, and I splash water on my face to shock my system out of it. The light above the mirror flickers, and my gaze snaps up.
“Dimitri?” I call softly. I close my eyes, waiting for the telltale sign of his imminent arrival. No demons crash to the ground. No feet shuffle down the hall. No thunder rolls overhead.
I clamp my lips together and swing my gaze to the ceiling, refusing to cry. No one owes me anything. Percy probably doesn’t even know I’m here. Dimitri kept his promise, then his duty was done. I can’t fault him for washing his hands of me. I brought nothing but trouble to his life. He didn’t seem to mind me tagging along, or fucking me. Still, he didn’t sign up forthis. I glance down at my wrinkled shirt, and greasy strands flop over my shoulders.
