Chapter Six

 Crickets sang into what I could only assume was dusk. Zander had let me sleep the day away, but as I sat up and stretched, my whole body felt better than it had in a very long time. I was completely, utterly at ease. 

"Zander?" I called out slightly, grimacing at the sound of my voice. 

"My lady?" Zander called from the outside. 

I stood and shuffled my way out of the tent, mesmerized by the moment I stepped out, and the orange and purples of nightfall pierced my still waking eyes, and for a moment I wondered if this was even real. 

I felt so close to freedom, yet somehow, I was still shackled to the past, and it felt like I was running as hard from those memories as I could, but would never escape them. 

"My lady?" Zander spoke again, and it was then that I realized I had been gawking at the setting sun just as the fireflies began to dance and the crickets began to sing. 

"Is this real?" I slipped, letting my fear of opening my eyes and being greeted by the fall from the cliff roll from my tongue.

"Yes, my lady." Zander's hand fell to my shoulder, and for a moment, grounded in his touch, I realized it was true. I had been reborn; this was really happenin'. Calista was really mating with Theron, and I was really free of both of them. 

"We should go," I told Zander, grabbing his hand with a squeeze as I tried to steady my quivering chin. 

I mounted my mare once more, setting my sights towards the future that waited for me. 

We rode through the night, talking about everything we could. I decided miles ago that Zander could be a good friend in time, a truth that shocked me to my very core. There was no one in the fae clan I ever wanted to befriend, no one I ever wanted to get close to, and knowing that in just two days Zander knew more about me than Theron ever cared to know made me wonder what would come next. 

Once we stopped at sunrise to camp again, I took a moment to admire the rolling hills, the sun kissing the sky, the colors, the birdsong I drank it all in as eagerly as breathing after being under water. Then once I was satisfied with my fill, I climbed into the tent and rolled myself into the same cocoon as last time, only this time my sleep was not dreamless; it was fitful and nightmarish. 

"Come, Odessa."

Theron's voice drifted through the darkness, soft and familiar. Even now, it made my heart leap. A black envelope appeared on my desk, my seal pressed into crimson wax. Then I saw his smile: gods, that smile. For three years, it had been my favorite sight in the world. Three years of loving him. Three years of believing I had found my forever.

The dream shifted around me. Suddenly Locke was in my arms again, tiny and warm against my chest. I could feel the weight of him as clearly as if I were holding him now. Cool night air brushed my skin while Theron's hand wrapped around mine.

"Not much further."

Excitement danced in his voice. I remembered following him without hesitation, without fear because I trusted him. Because I loved him.

The mountain path blurred beneath my feet until suddenly I was standing at the edge of the cliff. The sky stretched endlessly before me, painted in brilliant shades of gold, pink, and purple. It was beautiful. The last beautiful thing I ever saw.

"Turn around."

A chill crawled down my spine. Even in the dream, I knew something was wrong. Something terrible. My stomach twisted painfully. I didn't want to turn. If I hadn't turned, maybe everything could have remained perfect. Maybe Locke and I could stay trapped in that moment forever.

"Turn around, Odessa."

The command cracked through the air, and I obeyed.

Calista stood tangled in Theron's arms.

My breath caught. His amber eyes met mine, but there was no love in them. No warmth. No regret. Only hatred.

"I never loved you."

The words echoed around me, bouncing through the darkness.

I never loved you.

I never loved you.

I never loved you.

My chest burned as Locke stirred against me. I tightened my hold on him, clutching him closer. Our son. His son. The child I had nearly died bringing into the world.

"Calista is carrying my pup."

The dream fractured again. My sister's tears. Theron's sneer. The disgust in his eyes when he looked at our son. Then the black envelope returned. The seal. The realization.

A suicide note.

My death had been planned before I ever stepped onto that mountain. Every detail carefully arranged. Every lie prepared.

"Please..."

I wasn't sure who I was begging anymore. Theron. The Moon Goddess. Fate itself.

Anyone.

The world lurched violently.

Theron's hand slammed into my chest.

The ground vanished beneath my feet.

Suddenly there was only air.

Wind roared in my ears as I fell. Locke was still in my arms. Gods, my sweet boy. I pulled him tighter against me, as if I could shield him from the ocean waiting below. As if a mother's love could somehow stop death itself.

The sea rushed toward us.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Salt spray stung my face. Tears blurred my vision. I pressed my lips against Locke's forehead, breathing him in one final time.

"I love you, my sweet boy."

The rocks surged upward.

The impact came, and I bolted upright in bed, a scream lodged in my throat. My lungs burned as I struggled for air. My heart hammered painfully against my ribs while sweat dampened my skin.

For a moment, I could still feel the fall.

Still hear the wind.

Still smell the salt.

I started digging through the sweat-soaked blankets searching for Locke, praying that he had been reborn this time too. 

Zander burst through the tent door, buttoning his shirt. I could tell by his disheveled appearance that I had woken him up, but my body hadn't caught up to my mind, and I screamed when he entered. This nasty, blood-curdling sound poured from my lips until Zander shook me violently. It was only when he called my name that I realized I was safe. 

"Odessa!" He yelled once, twice. Then finally, I came around, my body shivering despite being coated in sweat. 

"It was just a nightmare," he soothed, pushing my sweat-soaked hair from my face, forcing me to look in his eyes as my body finally managed to catch up to my brain. 

"A nightmare." The words sounded foreign on my tongue; it was as if they were spoken in a language I couldn't speak.

Little did he know, it was a memory to me.