“We’ve been trying to break it for hundreds of years,” Gabriel said. “The key to undoing the curse is finding the fountain of youth—the same fountain that gave Tristan and me immortality. But we haven’t had much luck.
“The fountain is rumored to be in Florida, but we’ve combed the state and found nothing. We’ve searched all across Europe, the Middle East, South America…we’ve followed any and every legend pertaining to the whereabouts of the fountain, but we have yet to find it.
Scarlet said, “But it exists, right? I mean, your mom drank from it, so wouldn’t she have known where it was?”
Gabriel shook his head. “No, she never went to the fountain. She drank a vial of fountain water brought back from an expedfition to the New World. The man who returned with the vials never told anyone where he’d found the water, so it remains a mystery.”
“Vials? There was more than one vial of fountain water?”
Gabriel nodded. “There were three vials in all.
“Where are the vials now?”
“Two are empty and the other is...missing.”
Of course.
“So, there are no more vials left, and no one knows where the fountain actually is, but if we don’t find it then I’m probably going to…die?
Gabriel’s face was pained. “The fountain is the only sure way to cure you.”
Fear and defeat washed over Scarlet.
“That’s not true,” Tristan said. “I have a new plan, and it’s awesome.”
“I don’t think awesome is the right word for it.” Gabriel looked at his twin with narrowed eyes.
Tristan shrugged. “It’s foolproof, and it will save Scarlet’s life.”
“What’s your plan?” Scarlet looked at Tristan hopefully.
“Trust me,” Gabriel said, shaking his head. “You don’t want to know.”
Exasperated, Scarlet said, “You just promised me no more secrets.”
“I know but—”
“Gabriel might have promised you no more secrets.” Tristan looked at Scarlet firmly. “But I didn’t. And it’s my secret to tell.”
She glared at Tristan for a long moment. She wanted to argue with him but, somehow, she knew she would lose. “Fine. Keep your little secret. But are you sure this new plan of yours will work?”
Tristan nodded.
Gabriel made a face. “It might work. But I think we still need to continue our search for the fountain.” He looked at Scarlet with a reassuring smile. “And now that you know about everything, we can look for it together.”
Scarlet wasn’t reassured. She was scared. “But you just said you’ve been looking for centuries and can’t find it.”
He nodded. “That doesn’t mean it’s not out there. We’ll just keep on looking.”
“But…what if we don’t find it? What if my blood, or Tristan’s blood or whatever, kills me first? What if I die?”
Scarlet thought back to the morning she’d woke up in the forest two years ago. The fear...the confusion...the helplessness she felt.
It was coming back to her in vivid color and emotion.
She would not—could not—go through that terrifying experience again. She was on the verge of tears.
“Hey, hey,” Gabriel said, wrapping his arm around her. “That’s not gonna happen. We’ll figure out how to keep you alive, I promise.” He tucked his lips in. “Don’t be afraid.”
Scarlet rolled her eyes with a quivering lip as she stood up. “I’m probably going to die, Gabriel. So, forgive me if I’m afraid.”
If she stayed a minute longer she was going to burst into tears and have a total meltdown.
She had to get out of there.
24
Gabriel watched as Scarlet strode to the front door, her blue eyes wide and glossy.
She looked scared and overwhelmed, and Gabriel felt helpless. In a panic, he started to follow her out, “Scarlet, wait.”
Tristan shot him a warning look and shifted his body to stand in his way.
Gabriel let out a frustrated sigh, but let Scarlet go.
If she needed some space, he could give her that.
At least for now.
Scarlet silently opened the front door and disappeared outside, the large door slowly falling shut behind her.
A moment of tense silence passed between Gabriel and Tristan.
“Well…that went well.” Tristan crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Gabriel shook his head. “Don’t start.”
“You’re an idiot,” Tristan started.
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
“No, you really are,” Tristan said. “First, you go and introduce yourself to her when we specifically agreed to let her live in peace until the curse was broken. Then you jump into her life so she tracks me down in the woods where—surprise!—she learns Gabriel has a twin brother and she’s going to die. Epic fail, man.”
Gabriel shook his head. “I tried to keep her away, I swear.”
“It doesn’t matter, Gabe. She’s smart. She probably would have found out anyway.”
Gabriel exhaled, staring at the cabin door. “She freaked out.”
“What did you expect her to do? Jump for joy? We just told her she was doomed to die. Again.”
“Yeah, but she usually remembers everything once we tell her when she was born. What happened? Why didn’t she remember this time?”
Tristan shook his head. “I don’t know. But this is exactly why I didn’t want you to meet her. She’s scared, and we’re screwed.”
A moment passed.
Tristan said, “You left out a few details, you know. You didnh’t tell her what the curse actually was?”
Gabriel shook his head. “What was I supposed to do? Tell her she’s my only chance at true love? That would’ve been awkward.”
Tristan said, “But you didn’t tell her about me, either.”
Gabriel shrugged. “I didn’t want to freak her more than necessary. And I didn’t want her to be afraid of you. Sorry Scarlet, but when you’re around Tristan your heart condition gets worse. He basically breaks your heart in half with his presence. No. I didn’t want her thinking you could kill her.”
“But I can.”
“But you won’t. And that’s what matters. You haven’t made her sick yet. We’re fine.” He exhaled.
Tristan flexed a muscle in his jaw. “You need to tell her to stay away from me.”
“If she starts to get sick, I’ll make sure she knows to stay away from you. Until then, I don’t want to add to her fear.” Gabriel ran a hand through his hair. “She’s so scared. What do I do?”
“Nothing,” Tristan said, shaking his head. “Just…give her some space and let her process everything you told her today. You can’t just expect her to trust you immediately. You told her things that probably sound insane. Let her be for a while. When she’s ready, she’ll come back.”
Gabriel shook his head. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing while she’s freaking out about dying. I have to find a way to comfort her. I have to do something.” Desperation came over him. He looked around the room for a moment before looking back at Tristan. “I have to find a way to break the curse immediately. We have to find the fountain.”
Tristan rolled his eyes.
“There has to be something we missed before—”
“No, Gabriel. We’ve looked everywhere. The fountain is a dead end.”
“No.” Gabriel shook his head. “I refuse to give up. I will find it. For Scarlet.”
Tristan sighed. “Good luck with that. In the meantime, I’ll be pursuing murder so we can really break the curse.” He moved toward the back door.
“Where are you going?”
Tristan didn’t turn around. “Target practice. It’s been a rough day.”
Tristan went out the back door as Gabriel headed upstairs to go back through his research on the fountain of youth.
Tristan’s plan might work, but Gabriel didn’t have time to wait around fo
r his brother to come home with a corpse.
Scarlet was probably scared out of her mind and needed reassurance—something Gabriel was determined to give her.
25
Scarlet’s pounding heart seemed to quiet as she paced away from the cabin.
She thought she’d be balling by the time she stepped off the cabin porch, but no.
She was too numb for tears.
Air flowed in and out of her lungs, but she felt nothing.
She walked toward her car without a plan. What was she supposed to do? Go home and have dinner with Laura like nothing life-changing had happened today?
Uh, no.
I’m going to die.
The curse had existed for hundreds of years and no one had been able to break it. It was hopeless.
Scarlet’s heart was going to kill her.
Oh, she would come back to life again, but not without the same horrifying, confusing, unfair memory loss she’d experienced two years ago.
Her life? Screwed.
When she reached her car, the schoolbooks on her passenger seat reminded her of the “normal” life she had back home.
She wasn’t ready to re-enter “normal” life yet.
Her feet began walking into the woods and she followed their meandering trail. Through the dense forest and fallen leaves she paced, not seeing anything around her, not feeling anything inside her. Just…walking.
The sun was low in the sky and night would come soon.
Crunch, crunch.
Dead leaves and small twigs broke beneath her footsteps.
Scarlet was alone.
Alone in her fate. Alone in life.
She had no one to turn to, no one to lean on.
She had nothing.
Except a broken heart—literally.
Agh.
She ducked under a tree branch and found herself in a small clearing. Realizing where she was, she froze.
It was the exact spot where she’d awakened two years earlier.
She remembered it perfectly.
Scarlet’s eyes roamed the clearing for a moment.
It seemed fitting to have absently arrived at the origin of all her confusion and fear, since she was more confused and fearful than ever.
With a numb body, she sat on the damp earth and closed her eyes.
She wanted to feel the wind kick at her hair.
She wanted to feel the cold air of the forest and shiver.
She wanted to feel something. Anything.
And she wanted to cry.
26
Tristan lined up his first arrow and aimed at the target in the distance.
Whoosh.
Bull’s-eye.
When Scarlet left the cabin, his insides tightened in her absence, making his breathing labored and painful.
Which was nothing new.
But, for some reason, it hurt more than usual.
And, on top of that, he was stressed out.
He drew back another arrow and let it fly, hoping to relieve just an ounce of tension.
Whoosh.
Bull’s-eye.
No relief.
If anything, he felt more anxious. More helpless and afraid.
Today had been a disaster.
Scarlet meeting him…her not remembering the past…Gabriel telling her about the curse—or at least, part of the curse….
Disaster.
Sighing heavily, he drew back another arrow and loosened his fingers to release it.
Something caught his eye.
Through the thickness of the tall trees, Tristan saw movement. It was brief and shapeless, but he immediately knew what it was.
Scarlet.
What was she doing in the woods?
He blinked a moment, before shaking his head. He drew the arrow back again, trying not to think about her.
Whoosh.
The arrow missed the target completely.
He paused for a moment, wrestling with his instinct to go comfort her.
He was drawn to her physically and supernaturally, that he knew.
But what he was feeling at that moment wasn’t supernatural.
It was something old and deep, something he’d never been able to part with.
He shook his head again, shoving the warmth in his chest back into the frigid pools of his soul where it belonged.
Gabriel was her boyfriend. He should be the one to go console Scarlet in the woods.
And besides, hadn’t Tristan just lectured Gabriel on giving her space?
Tristan shook himself.
No. He refused go over to her—even if it hurt to stay where he was.
Which it did. Very much.
Tristan drew another arrow and lined it carefully against his bow.
Whoosh.
Another miss.
He waited a beat before lowering his bow and cursing.
Not because his arrows had gone astray.
But because the missing piece of his soul—the blood that belonged to him but pulsed inside Scarlet—was huddled down somewhere in the deep woods, sad and afraid.
Tristan dropped his bow to the ground and started walking into the thick forest.
He couldn’t see Scarlet, but he could feel her.
And that was all he needed to find her.
27
A single tear was all Scarlet was able to pull from the numbness inside her. But it was enough.
She let the tear well up against her lowered eyelid before spilling out onto her cheek.
I’m going to die.
Alone.
The tear slid down her face as a cool breeze drifted across her skin, and the trail of wetness chilled against her cheek. Numb everywhere else, Scarlet reveled in the cold feeling on her face.
If only she could conjure up another tear to trickle iciness down her skin.
She tried, but no additional tears came.
Unanswered questions in her head blurred inside the numbness.
She inhaled deeply, her thoughts a repetitive mantra.
I’m going to die.
Alone.
What was the point of living if only to die? Her eyes still closed, Scarlet listened to the forest.
Crunch, crunch.
More leaves being broken, their forms fragmenting beneath the weight of something real, something heavy. Something coming her way.
Crunch, crunch.
A squirrel? A bear?
Scarlet didn’t care.
Let the bear eat her, she had nothing more to live for.
Because I’m going to die.
Alone.
Scarlet tilted her head as her heart began to pound.
She heard someone inhale and, for a moment, the sound filled her with hope. Like she had a reason to breathe.
A soft exhale, slow and steady, drifted into her ears.
She opened her eyes and saw Tristan standing above her.
Her heart perked up even more, beating wildly.
Almost as if it recognized him.
And maybe it did.
Maybe Tristan’s blood, resting in the center of her chest, knew he was nearby and responded to him.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.” Her voice was small.
He fixed his green eyes on her face, studying her for a minute. “So, today sucks.”
She breathed out a humorless laugh. “Yep.”
His eyes trailed across her body, seated cross-legged on the broken leaves and dirt. “Aren’t you cold on the ground?”
Scarlet shrugged. “I like being cold.”
She didn’t like being cold, but the chill—and the forest air passing in and out of her lungs—were the only things she could feel at the moment.
And she was desperate to feel.
He hesitated a moment, then slowly took a seat beside her on the dirt. “I like being cold too,” he said, his body heat tickling the side of her arm.
Scarlet stared straight ahead and nodded.
She was sure he didn’t li
ke being cold anymore than she did.
But still he sat beside her.
Several minutes floated by, fading into the air along with the setting sun. Neither of them said anything as they sat together.
Breathing.
A bird chirped, a few leaves fell, and the wind rustled gently through the trees.
Otherwise, there was silence.
Scarlet turned her head to look at the boy next to her. He was handsome and strong. Exactly like Gabriel but…not.
He turned and looked directly at her, their faces just a foot apart, and gently said. “Everything is going to be okay.”
She looked at his face, and her heart softened as a realization came over her.
She wasn’t alone.
She was scared and overwhelmed, but she wasn’t alone.
She had Heather, who made her feel normal and loved.
She had Laura, who’d given her a home and stability.
She had Gabriel, who’d cared about her for centuries, apparently.
And she had Tristan, who…well, she didn’t know what Tristan’s role was in her life. But he was there, in the cold forest with her, and that was enough.
Something about him brought her peace. And she needed peace.
Because she was going to die.
“I’m scared,” Scarlet said absently.
Tristan looked up at the trees for a moment as the wind blew softly. “I know.” His voice sounded sad.
Because she was afraid and because she wanted to vent, Scarlet mused, “What’s the point of life if you live only to die? If I have no past, and I probably won’t have a future, then I have no real…meaning, right? What’s the point of all that?”
Tristan was silent for a few moments, looking at the leaves before them. “Life isn’t about the past and the future. It’s about today.” He paused. “It’s about five minutes from now and two seconds ago. It’s moments, you know? Not years. Years aren’t what define us.”
Scarlet wrinkled her brow. “But…if you know your moments are numbered, are you really living at all?”
“Oh, yes,” he said seriously. “Even more so than those of us who think we have endless moments. Knowing death is nearby gives you a chance to live…deliberately.”
Scarlet watched a leaf fall to the ground, lying dead among the other leaves on the forest floor. “A brief life seems pointless.”