Unfaithful (51 page)

“Nah,” Drake said, “you don’t have the guts. You’re so predictable.”

Evan ignored his provocation and his eyes seemed to ignite. All around him a vortex of air rose up like a barrier. The solid mass of air became fire, then earth, water, and again air. He hurled it at Drake, who still had my appearance, and it flung his brother far into the distance.

Evan turned to me. “Run! Gemma, you need to go!” His tone permitted no objections. “Hurry! Take the car!” he ordered, worried.

“No!” I protested. “I’m not leaving you here, Evan!”

“Gemma, do as I say!” he growled, glowering at me.

“I said no!” I insisted.

“Then at least get away from the lake. You’ve got to get off the ice!” he said agitatedly. “Go back to shore and wait for me there.”

I flinched, realizing I needed to obey—staying there would only distract him. I rushed to him and kissed him desperately. “Be careful, I’m begging you.” Evan rested his forehead on mine. “The poison. Watch out for the poison!”

“Wait for me,” he said. His gaze hardened and I realized he wasn’t speaking to me any more. “I have some dirty business to take care of,” he added, raising his voice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Drake watching us, perfectly still, not far away. “What a romantic scene.”

Evan gave me a gentle push, urging me to leave. “Jealousy can make life bitter. I have what you couldn’t have. What’s wrong, can’t you accept that?” His tone had turned harsh and cruel. “You need to face facts—just because you lost Stella doesn’t mean others don’t have the right to love.”

I glimpsed a glimmer of pain—fleeting yet intense—in Drake’s eyes when he heard her name. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw him flinch—or maybe it was just my imagination. This new Drake seemed incapable of feeling emotion. This Drake hadn’t hesitated to wage war on his brother. He’d betrayed him. He’d betrayed us all.

I took a step back, slipping awkwardly on my skates, and skated as fast as I could toward shore, trying not to call attention to myself. I was stunned by how incredibly far away it seemed. All at once a low rumble put me on alert. A second later the ice cracked beneath my weight, bringing me up short. I fell with a crash and lay dazed, as a piercing pain gripped my belly and tore the breath from my lungs. I curled up to ease the pain. After a moment it began to lessen and I tried to get up, but the blade of one of my skates was stuck in the crack in the ice. I attempted to yank it out, shuddering at the metallic squeak it made each time it met with resistance from the ice.

I glanced nervously in Evan’s direction, hoping he hadn’t noticed. I didn’t want to distract him; one false move and Drake could kill him with the poison. Cringing, I saw a tall, powerful figure towering in front of Evan, who staggered back at the sight, almost losing control. Drake had taken on yet another appearance. He was now shrouded in a red mantle that covered his entire body down to his feet. A broad hood concealed his face. Something inside me trembled unexpectedly as I watched the scarlet figure against the pure-white snow.

A deep, hoarse voice issued from the dark hood, uttering words that were incomprehensible to me, though Evan didn’t seem to have a problem understanding them. I concentrated harder, a tingle spreading steadily over my skin. I could feel a dark, ancient energy flowing through those unnerving, primordial words that seemed to spring directly from the center of the earth as if they had existed since the beginning of time. Another shiver rushed up my spine. Some obscure instinct told me a much graver danger lurked behind this mysterious creature.

Drake resumed his appearance and Evan hurled a fireball at him. He crashed onto the ice a hundred yards away and the battle began again.

The crack in the ice advanced with an ominous groan, making my heart tremble again. In the blink of an eye, before I had time to realize what was happening, a gap opened and I slipped through it. I held my breath to avoid screaming, then gasped from the chill that sank into my skin. The water was so cold it took my breath away. “Ev—” I sputtered. Water filled my mouth, freezing my lungs. Something was dragging me down. I resurfaced for a few seconds, coughing up the water I’d swallowed, then gasped, filling my lungs with air. My legs felt heavy. I looked around, moving my arms in the water. I had just enough energy to hope I could do it alone, without drawing Evan’s attention.

I grabbed hold of a slab of ice that had broken free from the surface and tried to catch my breath but slipped over and over. Something still seemed to be dragging me down. With difficulty I kept myself afloat, at times sinking into the icy lake, on the verge of blacking out.

The water was too cold. I felt like I was drowning. My legs had gone numb and my hands were starting to do the same. Just breathing took a tremendous effort. My chest expanded and contracted slowly and heavily, as if a strap were squeezing my ribcage. I clung to the slab of ice with all my strength but kept slipping.

“GEMMA!”

I heard my name being shouted in the distance. “Ev—” came from my mouth, barely audible. My throat filled with ice-cold water as the lake enveloped me in its freezing mantle.
Don’t worry about me
, I wished I could reply as I surrendered to the darkness. But my wish was feeble, full of pain; Evan wouldn’t be able to hear me any more.

Suddenly I felt light. My body was so cold now I could no longer feel the cruelty with which the water was freezing me. A wave of heat filled me like an electric charge and my body trembled in response.

I opened my eyes. I was once again on the surface and Evan was kneeling at my side. I felt the warmth of his touch but before it could sink in, something sent me flying. I crashed down onto the ice, where I lay sprawled for a moment, my energy drained. Moving was too painful and too difficult. Just opening my eyes took too much effort. My body wouldn’t be able to resist the cold much longer, I could tell.

“Evv-vvv-vvv—” My teeth chattered so hard I couldn’t even pronounce his name. Though I couldn’t see him, I heard the sound of blows as he continued his battle with Drake and wondered if it would ever end. I struggled to keep my eyes open, knowing that if I fell asleep it would be the end of everything. For a moment the idea seemed comforting.

No. I couldn’t lose consciousness, otherwise all Evan’s efforts would have been in vain and Drake would win. I couldn’t let that happen.

Slowly I forced my eyes open. Their lids were so heavy. Perhaps my eyes were deceiving me, but Evan and Drake seemed miles away, barely visible as they savagely battled each other. It was too difficult to bear. What would winning mean? Killing Drake? What a miserable price victory would exact.

No, there would be no victory in this battle.

I was devastated. I’d pitted two brothers against each other. My life wasn’t worth this much. I was too tired to think. Every breath was exhausting and I couldn’t tell whether darkness was all around me or if I was about to pass out again. Keeping my eyelids open was becoming more and more difficult; they felt as heavy as lead. All at once there was silence. I couldn’t even hear the incessant spasmodic chattering of my teeth from the cold.

“Gemma!” As distant as an echo, Evan’s voice tore me out of my isolation and I opened my eyes again. He and Drake were closer now, but it was still hard for me to make them out clearly. “You’ve got to keep awak—”

Darkness.

“Gemma! Stay with me, please!” he shouted again, desperation straining his voice.

I focused on Evan’s face, twisted into a mask of hatred and suffering, bitterness and torment. His eyes mirrored his pain. I couldn’t die now, of all times. This couldn’t actually be the end of everything. And yet I was so tired . . .

My eyes went to Drake who was staring at Evan with a triumphant expression. If I died, Evan wouldn’t be able to keep him from taking me with him. I couldn’t let that happen. Gathering the little energy I had left, I fought as hard as I could to stay awake and lucid. I was determined not to surrender to my destiny.

Drake abruptly froze as if he’d seen something terrifying over Evan’s shoulder, and vanished. His parting words, “We’ll meet again soon,” hung in the air. The warning note in his tone made me tremble.

Evan rushed to me, his face filled with concern. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he whispered tenderly. I opened my eyes and winced at the sight of the wounds on his face and body. Seeing the anxiety in my eyes, he shushed me before I could speak. “It’s over.” His tone softened, as did his expression, and my eyes closed again.

“You need to warm her,” someone said in a kind, authoritative voice. Ginevra? I hadn’t realized she was there too. I still didn’t have the strength to open my eyes and make sure. Someone took off my skates.

“My God,” Evan murmured.

“Her body won’t hold out much longer. Look at her feet! She needs warmth.”

Evan was already on top of me. “I’ll take care of her,” he said tenderly.

Heat spread slowly inside me, growing stronger and more comforting until it burst into a powerful energy that warmed every fiber of my being, filling my body from head to toe. A moment later, blurred images raced by in my mind as if my thoughts were whirling on an out-of-control carousel.

I opened my eyes. Evan’s face was the first thing I saw. Simon and Ginevra were also leaning over me. “You’re all here,” I murmured, still dazed. “I sure keep you guys busy, don’t I?” I joked, then became serious again. “Where is he now?”

It was Evan who answered. “He’s gone.” His eyes went to Ginevra’s. “Seems he’s afraid of you,” he said intently, holding her gaze as if privately communicating with her.

“This is insane,” Ginevra muttered as if to herself, a desperate look in her eyes. “Evan, tell me I’m wrong. Tell me your thoughts are lying, Evan!” It sounded like an order, though there was a pleading note in her voice.

Evan’s expression hardened and Ginevra looked devastated.

“Would somebody mind telling me what’s going on?” said Simon, intruding on their silence.

“It’s Drake,” I answered in a tiny voice, my heart crushed by guilt. I swallowed, trying to loosen the knot in my throat. “He’s been the one behind it the whole time. He’s the Executioner sent in to kill me.”

A glint of ice flashed in Simon’s eyes. He looked horrified by the revelation. “No,” he whispered, gazing blankly over the lake, “you guys must be wrong.” He continued to shake his head, seeming overwhelmed by shock and pain.

“I wish we were,” I said slowly.

“It’s impossible!” Simon insisted.

Evan looked directly into his brother’s eyes. “No. It isn’t.” His hard tone banished every doubt. “The only way to get at Gemma was from the inside. The Elders knew nobody could get close to her with us around.”

“Nobody except one of us,” Simon broke in. He looked devastated by the reasoning behind the nefarious plan that had pitted us against each other.

“Exactly. Drake’s the youngest member of the family and they knew it.”

“No. I can’t believe it. He would never do that,” Ginevra said, looking as crushed as the others by the painful betrayal. “The fact that he’s been with us for less time doesn’t make him easier to influence. I can’t accept that.”

“You have to,” Evan ordered in a growl, giving her a hard look. “Drake’s made his decision. No matter how much he meant to me, I’ll do whatever it takes to stop him.”

“Evan!” Simon gasped reproachfully.

“Don’t forget, Simon,
he
was the one who attacked
us
! He was about to kill Gemma tonight,” Evan snarled. “And it wasn’t the first time he’d tried.”

“The poison,” Ginevra said, suddenly gripped by the realization. “He’s the one who took it from my room! I wonder why he hasn’t used it yet.”

“I don’t know, but he won’t hesitate to use it next time. That’s why we need a plan,” Evan stated, so determined, so confident it seemed impossible he was talking about killing his own brother.

“The last time you said that, things didn’t turn out so well,” Ginevra reminded him, sarcasm in her voice.

“This time we won’t make any mistakes. What Drake is doing is reprehensible, but I can’t blame him for not standing up to the Elders. I understand. I was on the verge of making that same decision to follow orders myself, though I already knew I loved Gemma. Why would he have disobeyed them?”

“For you,” Ginevra was quick to say.

“His soul is on the line,” Evan said, resolute.

“Still, it’s insane. I would have bet no one would ever manage to separate us,” Ginevra whispered, gazing sadly into space.

“Looks like you would have lost that bet.” Evan’s tone was matter-of-fact, as if he weren’t bothered by the situation, but I knew that wasn’t the case. “Drake was faced with a decision: with us or against us. He made up his mind, and we’re going to act accordingly.”

This time I couldn’t justify Drake, not even to myself. What he’d done was inconceivable.

“Bullshit!” Simon burst out, overcome with rage. “Drake’s never believed in Redemption! He would never have betrayed us for that.”

“Seems he changed his mind,” Ginevra said coldly.

“Evan,” I ventured, goosebumps rising on my skin at the haunting memory, “who was that man with the hood? Why did Drake take on his appearance?” My words sliced through the air like the crack of a whip. They seemed to sting Simon and Ginevra more than the freezing air. Evan’s face turned grim.

“It was an Elder,” he said somberly.

Beside him, Simon tensed. “What are you talking about, Evan?” he said, shocked. “How can you be so sure? No one’s ever seen an Elder!” I could hear in his tone that he wanted an explanation.

“You’re wrong,” Evan replied coldly. “I’ve seen an Elder before—when I summoned the Màsala to ask to be relieved of the mission to kill Gemma.”

We could read the shock in Simon’s eyes. His face turned to a mask of ice. “I thought you’d summoned them in your mind! My God, Evan, it was enough of a suicide mission as it was. But they—” Simon pressed his lips together as if trying to hold back a curse. “They
showed
themselves to you, for God’s sake? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I didn’t see any need to,” Evan said.