Page 8 of Fallen Star

Could the amulet be doing more harm than good?

I don’t know. But I’m desperate enough to try anything.

The clasp is cold, but the warmth of the charm radiates through my fingertips as I undo it and slip it off Zoey’s neck. The glow dims as I set it aside, and the air around her feels colder, sharper.

Hopefully it’s enough to break her fever without freezing her completely.

Please be enough.

Unable to do anything else—and desperate to escape the scent of Zoey’s blood—I stand and walk around the cave, keeping her in sight as I do.

Shelves have been carved into the walls, and they’re lined with bottles and vials of all shapes and sizes. Some are empty, and others are filled with liquids that glisten with an otherworldly glow. There are also dried plants, smooth stones, and something that looks disturbingly like old blood.

Riven said he and his mother used to come here when he was young.

Is this what they were doing? Making potions?

I pick up one of the vials, holding it up to catch the wall’s light.

The liquid inside swirls with an electric orange energy that makes my skin tingle. A blue one emits waves of calming energy, and a red one makes my heart race simply from looking at it.

What were Riven and his mom trying to do here?

I don’t bother asking the whisper stone. Clearly, I won’t get an answer.

So, setting the vial down, I sink onto a nearby stool, my head spinning. Not just from exhaustion, but from everything that’s happened. Everything I’ve learned about myself.

I thought discovering I was fae was overwhelming enough.

Now, I’m apparently part vampire.

A laugh bubbles up in my throat. One week ago, I thought I was human. Now I’m some sort of fae-vampire hybrid that can astrally project.

My hands shake as I rest my head against the workbench. I’m so tired. Apparently not even the blood of a dark angel can reduce my need for sleep.

Maybe if I rest—just a little bit—I’ll be able to think clearer. Figure out what to do next. After all, I’m no good to Zoey if I’m delirious.

Decision made, I walk back to her and sit against the wall, with my dagger resting on the ground beside me.

A few minutes of sleep. That’s all I need.

“Just for a little while,” I tell her, closing my eyes as the cold seeps into my bones. “Just enough to stay strong. For you.”

With that, my eyes drift closed, and darkness claims me before I can change my mind.

Sapphire

Something rustlesat the cave entrance.

My eyes snap open, and I grab my dagger, positioning myself between Zoey and whatever’s coming.

The frost ivy’s leaves chime as they part, and my heart rises to my throat, my fingers tightening around the dagger’s hilt.

Did the branch monster find us? The shadow monster? A dark angel? Or something worse?

As I stand there, bracing myself for anything, a massive white leopard emerges from the shadows.

Ghost.

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