BooksBarbecue
Back Seasons of Chaos Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Dedication
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. Epilogue
  66. Acknowledgments
  67. About the Author
  68. Books by Elle Cosimano
  69. Back Ad
  70. About the Publisher

I stroke his cheek. What should I do, Jack?

The answer whispers inside me: I trust you.

A tear slides down my face as I glance up at Kai. She leans on Auggie’s arm, a hand clasped to her chest, her suffering written in the lines of her face.

Our friends all look to me, waiting.

But I know . . . I have to make the choice Jack would want me to make for him. Same as I did that day at the lake. Same as Jack did when he made the choice to pull me through the ley lines. Because in his heart, he knew I trusted him to make the right choice for all of us.

I turn to our friends, certain this is right. That this is what he would want for them. “Help me get him inside.”

60

And Lo, It Is Ended

image

FLEUR

Weak afternoon light filters around the drapes in Auggie’s spare bedroom. An antique clock ticks incessantly in the corner. Jack’s hardly stirred through the hourly chimes. I sit in a folding chair at his bedside, my hand on his chest and my forehead resting on his bare shoulder, fighting the urge to sleep.

Kai and Julio are bickering downstairs. Mostly about Jack. Julio’s scared Jack’s been asleep too long. That something’s wrong with him. Kai insists she’s seen Jack’s future and he’ll be fine—that he just needs time to rest and recover from the trauma and all his injuries. Julio was quick to remind her she inflicted the worst of them, making her an unreliable authority on the matter. I hesitated to leave them in the same room together, but Kai seemed certain Julio wouldn’t kill her, and I didn’t see much sense in arguing those odds with her. Apparently, Ananke’s magic has given her the gift of unerring foresight, a fact that she subtly enjoys rubbing in Julio’s face whenever he annoys her.

To appease my worry, Auggie and the others agreed to remain downstairs and keep the peace so I could stay up here with Jack.

I bury my head in his shoulder. The dull ache in my chest is becoming harder to ignore, the anxiety making it harder to breathe. My palm rests against his heart. This is all going to be new for both of us. I’m not even sure of the extent and scope of our power, or how it will work together. Kai says that when Jack wakes, he’ll be able to see the past clearly, that he’ll see all my memories and choices in my eyes—and that he’ll understand. For now, touching him doesn’t relieve the pain and pressure I’m carrying, and I can’t manipulate time. All I can do is be here when he wakes up and hope I made the right decision.

“Your hands are cold,” he murmurs.