Chapter Thirteen

I fling open the door to my room, my surroundings barely visible through the waterfall of tears.

I almost killed him.

I almost killed him.

I -

My ominous mantra comes to a screeching halt when I wrench open the desk drawer and the necklace is nowhere to be found.

I scramble, pushing the contents to the side haphazardly, my movements frantic. It was just here. I know I didn't put it anywhere else. My heart is a wild stampede, thundering within my chest as I turn the drawer inside out, yanking it from its hold until it clatters to the floor. Papers and pencils and a various array of miscellaneous shit spills to the floor, except for the one object my eyes desperately seek.

"Looking for this?"

My spine stiffens as a chilling, familiar blade of ice rakes down my back. I turn slowly, my brain already aware of who I'm going to face.

Atropos stands at the foot of my bed flanked by her sisters, Lachesis to her left and Clotho to her right. Her long, silver hair drapes over her shoulders, as luminescent and pearly as her argent eyes. My necklace dangles between her bony fingers, its three gems glittering in a mocking wave. I note, with complete shock, that the delicate golden chain I broke is now whole.

"That's mine."

She flashes her sharp teeth. "So you say, but it appeared to be discarded."

"I want it back." The anger I'd reined in rushes forward with the force of a slingshot.

"You need incentive, Rhiannon," Clotho says.

"You don't have much time," Lachesis softly warns.

"Is that a threat?" I growl.

"It will be, if you fail at your task." Atropos grins, and it's nothing less than threatening.

"I won't fail," I say, wanting to keep them occupied in conversation while I figure out a way to get close to Atropos.

Clotho snickers. "It's been two months since our bargain. You have done nothing."

"I was attacked by a Harbinger trying to find information. I wouldn't call that nothing, " I say through gritted teeth.

"The Harbingers are not of our realm, therefore, not our responsibility," Lachesis answers matter-of-factly.

That gives me pause. I'd assumed the Harbingers were part of our mythology, as well as the Shades. Before I can prod further, Atropos speaks.

"The necklace will be kept as collateral, until you fulfill your end of the Bargain."

I watch the Moirai carefully, wondering if the sisters assume the necklace has sentimental value, which, of course, it does. But not enough to hold over my head. Or have they figured out what took me so long to understand?

I've sacrificed everything for you.

I had known Nick sacrificed something for me but convinced myself it wasn't his life.

Now, I'm not so sure. His insistence I wear the necklace seems less of a claim on me and more of a desperation that his sacrifice wasn't in vain.

And I threw that right in his face.

I lift my shoulder. "Keep the fucking necklace for all I care. Now that I know it wasn't stolen, I don't give a fuck what you do with it."

Pale blue and lavender eyes narrow, but Atropos' stunning silver ones ignite with challenge.

"Is that so?" She holds the pendant aloft in her right palm and grips the serrated shears in her left. She spins the shears once, twice, before closing her fist around the handles. Then, with lightning swiftness, she plunges the shears into the pendant.

I think I scream, I'm not sure, but I certainly move just as fast to stop her. Instead, a blinding pain spreads throughout my abdomen. Sharp. Biting. Downright excruciating. More so than when she pierced my palm. I look down, my mind taking a moment to come to terms with the fact that the shears protrude from the center of my stomach, just above my belly button. Blood stains my shirt, spreading rapidly from the wound. I grip the shears with both hands and slide the weapon from my abdomen, a bloodcurdling scream ripping from my throat as the pain causes my vision to darken.

I stumble back, crashing into my desk before I crumple to the floor. I position my right hand over the gaping hole in my abdomen, only to watch blood seep between my fingers and stain my entire hand red.

Atropos looms above me, and I summon whatever strength I have left to tilt my head and stare at the fucking bitch who just stabbed me. I reach for the Scylla, but it's being restrained, though it fights desperately to be freed.

The Cutter tsks. "Your monster cannot help you here."

"What do you want?" I choke as more blood pours from my lips.

She leans forward, her bright hair brushing my cheek, and dangles a very whole pendant in front of my face.

"Called your bluff, Scylla."

Breathing is an arduous task. The more I try to draw in a breath, the more my chest and abdomen feel like they're aflame. Familiar darkness dances at the edge of my vision, but this time, I don't fight it.

I welcome it.

Clotho and Lachesis join their homicidal sister, again flanking her on either side.

"Unmask the one who cloaked your Thread and reverse it," Lachesis says.

"Or you'll never see this pendant again, "Clotho warns .

But it's Atropos who my withering vision fixates on. Because I know exactly what she will say next.

"And Nicholas will die for nothing."

"Rhi, wake up. Wake up. Please. "

Strangled sobs rouse me. Exhaustion weighs down my eyelids, but I force them open. Zo manifests through my blurry vision, cheeks blotchy and stained with tears. A throbbing ache draws my attention to my abdomen. Memories of shears piercing my flesh and blood streaming through my fingers flood my brain.

I gasp and lift the hem of my shirt, still wet and soaked in crimson, which means not much time must have passed since Atropos stabbed me. My eyes widen in shock as I glimpse intact flesh beneath my blood-stained skin. I run my hand over the area for reassurance, finding a smooth surface.

"Oh gods, Rhi," Zo sobs. "You're okay. You're okay."

"Zo—"

"I thought…" She wraps her arms around me, her entire body convulsing. "I thought it was Liv all over ag ain. There's so much blood. I thought…" Her breath stutters. "I thought..."

I grip Zo tighter. "I'm okay, Zo. It's okay."

She pulls back, her coal-black eyes glassy and swollen. "What happened?"

I close my eyes and lean my head against the leg of the desk. "Atropos fucking stabbed me."

" What?! " Zo grips my shoulders, wrenching my eyes open. "How the fuck are you alive? And where is the stab wound?"

"It was on my stomach." I lift my shirt again. "But no stab wound. The same thing happened when she stabbed me in my hand."

"I'm sorry." Zo shakes her head, her black hair swishing over her shoulders. "You mean to tell me this is the second time you've been stabbed?"

I wince. I had forgotten I never told the girls about the first stabbing when I made the Bargain.

"Unfortunately, yeah." I sigh. "Help me off the floor, and I'll explain."

We sit side by side on my bed, and I hold nothing back, telling Zo every minor detail I can think of. She lets me speak, not once interrupting, though her expressive eyes convey everything from shock, to sadness, to horror .

She remains silent once I've finished, and her eyes flit from my palm to the dark stain on my shirt.

"You should be dead," she whispers, her gaze lasered on my abdomen.

I scoff, and self-consciously cover the area with arms. I definitely need to change. "What are you talking about, Zo? We're monsters. We have rapid healing abilities, remember?"

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and shakes her head. "None of us could survive an attack from the Moirai. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

Her thoughtful expression shifts to something that resembles a deer in headlights. It's then I know exactly what she's thinking.

"No way, Zo. Nick thought the same thing, and I went to Talbot and had him pull my file. I'm a Scylla through and through. No godly blood runs through my veins."

Her eyes immediately narrow. "Did it ever occur to you that Talbot might be lying?"

"Zo, why would he-"

"Think about it," she interrupts and shifts closer to me, her gaze close to manic. Even her aura buzzes with a frenetic energy, like she just stumbled upon arcane knowledge previously held from the world. "Talbot can tell when people lie. Who better to lie meticulously than someone who knows all the signs of a liar?"

I open my mouth, then close it immediately. Not only does Zo's theory make sense, but I have almost the same ability as Talbot in that I can sense things. Not lies, per se, but I still can garner how someone is feeling.

And I'm an incredible liar.

"What's the purpose in keeping that from me? Nick has god blood in his veins and everyone knows, so why hide mine if that's the case?" I argue.

Her eyebrows raise in intrigue. "That's the real question, isn't it?"

I wave her off and rise from the bed. "I'm going to take a shower."

"We have to tell them."

I freeze, my back still to her. The fury I'd buried earlier resurfaces, scorching my blood. I take a moment to quell it before I face her. "Absolutely not."

Zo approaches me, her own anger surfacing. "This is getting out of hand, Rhi. You've been stabbed twice by the most powerful entities of our legends. They answer to nothing and no one. And you've been stabbed because you made a Bargain to save Nick's life, inherently endangering your own. I don't need to remind you what happens when you keep us in the dark."

Her last statement slaps me in the face. If the stinging in my eyes is any indication, Zo might as well have physically done it.

Zo blanches, as though realizing what she just said. "Rhi, that's not what I meant."

"Then what exactly did you mean, Zo?" I challenge.

She heaves a sigh. "I just don't want to see you hurt or worse, Rhi. They'll keep coming for you, each time worse than the next if you don't give them what they want. You know better than anyone what we can accomplish when all of us work together." She steps into me, her eyes imploring. "Let us help you."

When will you let us help you? Let me help you? Liv's words pierce my heart.

"I'll go to Talbot and ask to see my file, personally. As for the girls, I will tell them. When I'm ready."

"Promise?"

I nod. "I will. I just want to enjoy a few more peaceful get-togethers before Scarlett tries to kill me herself when she finds out I'm fated to destroy her brother, and then Astrid will no doubt bring me back from the dead to murder me for breaking Scarlett's heart."

She rolls her eyes. "That's a bit dramatic. You know Scarlett would never hurt you, despite the circumstances of this prophecy."

My lips curl, noticing she never said a word about our favorite Gorgon. "And Astrid?"

Zo shrugs. "Oh. Astrid will totally murder you for breaking Scarlett's heart. No doubt." She then pulls me in for an unexpected embrace. "Everything's going to be okay, Rhi."

Hope lingers on every syllable of her statement. I grip Zo tighter, though I don't share her sentiment at all. I have a sickening feeling things are about to get a lot worse before they get better.