The Pledge (The Pledge 1)

Charlie’s eyelids fluttered, then opened. She searched past Max, past Angelina and Brook, focusing solely on the unconscious woman lying on the floor beneath the throne as she lifted her head. “I win,” she rasped at last. And then she closed her eyes and collapsed again.

Behind him, Max could hear his grandmother’s strangled wheeze, and he knew without a doubt that it was her final breath. He didn’t even have to turn to know that she was gone; he could see it in Charlie, as her breathing became calm and even, as the glow from Angelina’s touch spread over her skin like a lightning storm.

Ludania had a new queen.

XXVI

Fingers touched my face, moving lightly over my cheeks and my lips. My skin itself felt strange, foreign, as if it no longer fit me. As if it were no longer my own.

I turned my head away from the irritating sensation and felt a breathy chuckle against my ear. I was annoyed by the sound, and recognized why immediately. I hated to be laughed at.

I struggled to open my eyes, but even that was harder than it should have been; they felt heavy, weighted down. And when I finally pried them apart, I had to squint against the light. Wherever I was, it was far too bright, and it took several tries for my eyes to fully adjust. But when they did, I found myself staring into familiar gray eyes that I’d have known anywhere.

I was relieved to see someone I recognized when everything about me felt so unfamiliar. Still, I frowned, and a ghost of a smile curved his lips.

“Where am I?” I tried to ask, but my voice was lost in an arid whisper.

“Don’t try to talk yet,” Max instructed, reaching for the glass of water beside the bed.

I was in a bed, I noted. But where? How?

And more importantly, why?

He lifted my head and brought the water to my lips. All I could manage was a sip, because again, I was besieged by the sensation that something was off, like I was a stranger inside my own body. Everything felt different and new.

“Better?”

I tried to smile but couldn’t. “Where am I?” I asked again, trying to register my surroundings. Rich tapestries, fine art, delicate linens.

K"0e ne“We’re in the palace, Charlie. Don’t you remember?”

And, like that, I did. I remembered everything. All at once it came crashing in on me, the queen, the pact, dying . . .

. . . and Angelina.

My skin tingled still.

I drew my hand out from beneath the silk coverlet and stared at it, turning it over and pulling back my sleeve, my eyes widening.

“Am I like this everywhere?”

Max nodded, watching me closely, and I wondered what I must look like from where he sat.

White light flickered from beneath my skin, all over, lighting my entire body. The smoldering glow radiated outward, making even my own eyes ache. It was the same radiant light I’d seen coming from Angelina.

“Your sister, it seems, has discovered her gift,” Max explained.

I didn’t tell him that it wasn’t new to her, the healing. Or that it wasn’t her only power. There were still so many things I didn’t understand about what had happened, about what Angelina had done to save me.

Instead I asked, “Where is she? Where are my parents?” I sat up, suddenly needing to know that my family was safe.

“They aren’t far, trust me. They’ve barely left your side. I’m sure they’ll be back soon to check on you. They’ll be glad you’re awake.” His lazy grin made my heart stutter. “Sydney’s with them you know?”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “Sydney? What’s she doing here?”

“Once the news got out, it was impossible to keep her away. She’s very determined when she sets her mind to something. Reminds me a little of Brooklynn.”

“You didn’t tell Brook that, did you?”

His smile widened. “She didn’t really care for the comparison,” he explained in mock innocence.

I slumped back against my pillows, amazed that so much had changed in so little time; I would never have imagined Sydney voluntarily under the same roof as my parents and Brook. But then I remembered the rest of what had happened. My throat was closing even as I dared to ask the question. “What about . . . Aron . . . ?” I couldn’t finish, he’d been too close to death the last time I’d seen him.

Max’s brows lifted. “Angelina. She’s managed to heal Xander, Aron, your parents, and Eden. In fact, I’m not sure even Xander believed Eden would survive. If your sister weren’t already a princess, Xander would treat her as one anyway. I think he plans to build statues in her honor.”

It was all the explanation I needed. Of course Angelina had helped them—she no longer had to hide what she could do. I looked at my hand again. “Is she still . . .” I raised my eyes, hoping Max understood what I was asking.

He laughed again, but this time I didn’t mind. “Glowing?”

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“No. She stopped the moment she released you. You’re the only one. Angelina says she doesn’t know why it happened. No one does.”

Tears burned my eyes as Max reminded me that Angelina had spoken. I remembered the sound of her voice as if I’d only just heard it, and I was relieved that I hadn’t been dreaming.

But I thought about what Max had said. “Do you think I’ll stop too?”

He reached over and ran a finger across my arm. “I hope not.” He grinned, watching the sparks that followed in the trail of his touch, flickering brilliantly beneath my skin.