Forever (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, #5)(6)

Her mother gripped the bloodied knife in front of her. “You can’t have my daughter.”

The Reaper hissed his displeasure. “The girl has seen my omen. I am here to collect,” he answered. “I cannot leave without a soul.”

Though her mother’s shoulders shook, she stood even taller. Her voice didn’t quake as she called out loudly, “I know you don’t care whose life you take, as long as it’s a soul. Your omen will not hunt her again.”

“I cannot guarantee that I won’t be sent here again.”

“You will not take her,” her mother repeated. She tossed a handful of salt into the Reaper’s eyes this time. He reeled back in pain, and pressed his hands against his eyes. “Yesss.”

For just a moment, Mina felt like her mother had won. But then her mother tossed the chef’s knife into the grass and stepped off the porch. She walked confidently toward the Reaper.

“Then take your soul.” She held up her hands as if she were walking into her lover’s arms. Her head fell back, and her eyes closed.

The air around the Reaper blurred until the omen stood only feet away from her mother. It snarled and growled and let out a one last long howl.

And then it lunged and disappeared.

“Nooooo!” A young, high-pitched voice wailed.

Mina turned. That wail was her brother’s very first word. “Charlie!”

Brody released her. She wrapped her arms around her brother as he sobbed and cried out in pain.

“No, M-M-Mom.” His eyes were red and filled with tears.

When Mina glanced out the door, the yard was empty.





Chapter 3



“Mom!” Mina shouted. She fled the protection of the salt-circle. Brody reached for her again, but she shoved his hands to the side. He’d held her back! He kept her from saving her mom.

Mina raced outside, ignoring the fresh blood on the back porch. It had to be from the omen. There wasn’t a lot. It couldn’t have been from her mom.

There was no other visible sign. She ran into the grass where the Reaper had stood only moments ago and turned full circle, scanning the woods. Nothing. Only a bit of scorched black grass.

Mina wanted to lash out and scream her pain and her loss to high heavens, but she couldn’t do that. Charlie’s wailing drew her gaze back toward the house. Brody held her brother as he continued to cry loudly.

What a terrible miracle. He was talking. He’d never spoken a word…until now. Until their mother died.

Everything pressed down on her, and she couldn’t breathe. The world grew smaller, colder, darker. Hope was blinking out like a dying star and being swallowed into a black hole of nothingness. She couldn’t survive this. Not when the war was costing the lives of her family.

Her knees collapsed beneath her, and she wanted to give in, give up. The darkness seemed to be her only peace, so she let it claim her. The cold grass pressed against her cheek, and her eyes closed.



***



“Stupid. How stupid could you be?” An angry feminine voice greeted her ears.

Mina opened her eyes and saw a dark head of short hair blur in and out of focus. When she tried to look beyond the shadowy form, she saw the faint outline of the familiar fireplace and bookshelves of her front living room. She was stretched out on the sofa, covered with an old woven blanket.

The girl studied her. Her short black hair with purple highlights looked even darker in the light. But the tone, the snarky tone of voice, was all Ever.

“Dumb. That’s what you are,” Ever snapped.

“Who? Brody?” Mina asked, for once close to agreeing with the pixie.

“Oh no. I’m not mad at him.” She thrust her thumb in his direction. “He’s tolerable. He actually did something smart. Kept you from doing something stupid by running after the omen and suffering the same fate as your mother. You, on the other hand, are foolish. You went back to the Guild? How stupid can you get? The final blast of exploding Fae power probably attracted a whole bunch of evil Fae. They could be sniffing out errant bits of magic hoping to scrape it up, and then you go and get spotted by an omen. I can’t leave you alone for a few hours.” Her hands waved in the air, and she started to speak in pixie. It was impossible to follow along, but Mina just assumed she had run out of human names to call her and had to berate her in her own language.

Mina sighed and dropped her head back onto the cushion. She let Ever’s anger roll off her, ignoring it easily.

Brody sat in a high-back chair nearby, head in his hands and elbows resting on his knees. His hands rubbed his face. He looked consumed in guilt.

Charlie sat on a rug, his arms wrapped around his knees as he rocked himself, staring off into the distance. This wasn’t good. How was she going to keep him safe?

Then Mina remembered what her mom had done. She shoved the hurt away and hid it behind her anger. She didn’t have time to mourn her mother’s death when she had her brother to look after. How could their mom do this to them? How could she abandon them so easily?

She sat up and flung the blanket off of her lap and walked over to Charlie. Kneeling beside him, she wrapped her arms round him. “I’m so sorry Charlie.”

Her brother hugged her back, his shoulders shaking in silent sobs. “M-Mom,” he gushed out.

She couldn’t help but cry tears of relief. Her brother was speaking, and the sound of his young, unsure, and unused voice was the one glorious spot in her grim future.