Page 84 of Mostly Shattered

“No!” Lorelai dives after the amulet but misses.

“I loved you so much in those few days.” I kiss Paul again before turning to watch Conrad.

The amulet had landed next to his feet, and he swoops it up.

Almost numb, I stare at my brother. “Do it. Put it on. Take everything you deserve.”

“You should have listened to her,” Conrad says. “I am going to shoot you both anyway. Thank you for making it so easy.”

“Put it on,” I growl at him. I don’t care that he can’t hear me. I want him to suffer for what he’s done.

Conrad seems jittery with excitement as he places it around his neck. The red stone shimmers.He thinks he’s won, but the gloating doesn’t last. The amulet shifts and changes. The red suddenly gives off a green glow and begins to buzz.

Conrad makes a strange noise as a bullet wound magically appears in his neck, and he bleeds. Next, vampire bites appear on his neck, followed by fire erupting at his feet. Every death the amulet has protected me from is visited onto him. He tries to fight it, but as the labyrinth has made all too clear—there is no fixing this moment.

I watch Conrad burn, not blinking or turning away. The amulet falls to the ground and shatters as his head turns to ash and tumbles from his body.

I don’t know how long I stay there, watching Conrad die in the flickering flames. Time stands still, and all I can feel is the crushing weight of grief and helplessness. No matter what I do, it’s never good enough. I can’t save anyone.

“Tamara.” Costin’s voice cuts through the nightmare, sharp and tense. “Tamara.”

Chapter

Twenty

“Tamara.”

I turn at the sound, startled to hear it in this moment. Costin is watching me, his face a mixture of frustration and something else. Hurt? Pain? It’s so hard to tell with him.

“How did you get here?” When I turn to indicate Lorelai’s home, it’s gone, and we’re surrounded by mirrors.

“We never left,” Anthony answers. “You disappeared into the mirror, and we couldn’t get you out.”

I don’t understand what any of this means. The mirror revealed my greatest pain, but also what could be described as my greatest secret. Except it forced me into the memory and didn’t let me do anything. How is that courage?

My brother stands near Costin.While the vampire stares at me, Anthony peers into the mirror. I follow his gaze, and he’s watching as Lorelai’s home fades and turns into the scene outside my birthday fire when time reset itself. I hear soft voices from the past coming from within. I don’t stare into the mirror too long, not wanting to go back inside.

Movement catches my eyes, and I see the exact same story playing out in all the reflections, as if to tell me I can’t escape it.

If this is my labyrinth trial to complete, why is it showing my past to Anthony and Costin?

“I don’t understand.” I try to work through my confusion. “This test doesn’t make sense. I know I have to figure it out, but… How do we get out of here?”

“So that is Paul,” Costin states, not answering my question. I hear the jealousy in his tone. He tries to hide it, but I can tell it’s there. A hand lifts to my face and brushes away a tear, smearing it on my cheek. His hands are cold, and I see the hunger in his gaze. He’ll need to feed soon. I’m the most likely target here. “He does not look like he’s no one to you.”

I flinch. He’s right. I had lied to him about that.

“It doesn’t matter.” It’s only a partial lie, but what else can I say? “That life never happened. Paul doesn’t even remember it. As far as he’s concerned, we’ve never met.”

I can’t look into Costin’s gaze. I don’t want him mesmerizing me and forcing any truths out of me. I’m no longer sure what those truths would be.

“Is this what you’re holding on to? A man you knew for a few days in a time that no longer exists?” Costin’s voice is tight. “Is this what’s keeping you from me?”

From him?

“I haven’t been keeping anything from you,” I say. “I might not feel the need to share every detail of my life, but…”

I can’t finish the defense. Costin’s right. I didn’t want to tell him about Paul. I don’t want to talk about it.

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