Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
They glance at me. My heart sinks into my stomach, anxiety coursing through me.
"I'm sorry," I blurt to Marion, wringing my hands together.
Her brows furrow, confusion written all over her face. "For what?"
"For having time with your parents that you didn't have," I whisper. "I got to know them in a way that was taken from you, and I feel horrible for it."
"Kara." Her face falls. "That isn't your fault."
"I still feel guilty," I admit, my bottom lip quivering. "You deserved to know them the way I did. And I feel bad that I'm the one they decided to hide. It should have been you."
"They hid you for a reason, Kara." Marion reaches across the table for my hand. "And because they hid you, the Forsaken didn't get their hands on you. You're here now instead of dead like Abigail saw in her visions. I'm not sorry about that, and you shouldn't be either. I'm glad they kept you from that fate," she whispers fiercely. "Because now I get to know them through the sister they protected the same way they tried to protect me, and I get to know you, too."
I swallow hard, squeezing her hand. "They were so proud of you, Marion. Even if you didn't see them, they were there, watching over you."
"I know." Tears shine in her eyes as she nods. "For a long time, I thought I was abandoned as a kid, but I used to see her in the shadows. I think she wanted me to see her, wanted me to know that she was still watching over me." Her breath shakes as she exhales. "They never forgot me."
"Of course they didn't," Abigail chimes in, wrapping an arm around Marion's shoulders. "They could never forget you."
I wipe my watery eyes, exhaling as I glance at Rissa. She flashes me a tiny smile and nods as if to say she's proud of me. I'm not really surprised to realize that she knew. Rissa is smart. She's also incredibly perceptive. Marion and Tori weren't wrong when they said she was the least likely of us to be corrupted. She leads with her heart.
"Does anyone else have anything to share?" she asks, glancing at our sisters. "Anything we should know?"
Tori quickly shakes her head, but a flash of…something…goes through her eyes. It's not quite guilt, but almost. She's hiding something. Something she doesn't want us to know.
I open my mouth to call her on it, but she places a hand over her stomach. The words die on my lips, shock rushing through me.
Is she…?
A wave of fierceness rolls through her expression.
Holy crap.
"Then we're all in agreement that there are no secrets between us anymore," Rissa says as I'm still gaping at Tori, my mind reeling. "If we're going to figure this out, we have to be open and honest with each other. We have to rely on each other. It's the only way we're going to find the strength to do what we need to do."
"So…what are we doing?" Abigail asks. "Nothing we've tried so far has worked."
"We're going to try again," Rissa says, crossing her arms. "And we're going to keep trying until we get it right." She glances at Tori. "You've got to figure out how to communicate with the Portal. Take Marion with you as soon as the scouts are finished ensuring there are no more Forsaken hiding in Asgard. Surely with her power and your connection to it, the two of you can get it to tell you something."
Tori slides her hand away from her stomach, nodding.
I watch her for a long moment, worried. If she's pregnant…maybe this is the last thing she should be doing.
But I don't say that.
I wait until Rissa calls an end to our meeting and her, Abigail, and Marion go in search of their mates.
"Tori?" I call quietly before she can slip out with our sisters.
She glances over her shoulder at me, her brows furrowed.
"I found an injured rabbit in the forest," I murmur. It's not entirely a lie. One of the rabbits has an injured paw. "I was wondering…"
Our sisters slip out as Tori reverses course, heading back toward me. "What do you need?" she asks.
I bite my lip, feeling guilty for tricking her. But I don't say anything until the door closes behind Rissa, Abigail, and Marion, and then I exhale a breath. "Don't be mad," I say. "But this isn't really about the rabbit."
"Oh." She frowns, confusion swirling through her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Um…it's not really my business, but…" I huff out a breath. This is harder than I thought. "Are you sure you should be the one trying to work out what the Bifröst knows when you might be…?"
She gasps, her eyes flying wide open. "You know?"
"I saw you," I explain. "At the table, I mean. I didn't say anything because it's not my place, but if you are, then we need to be protecting you too."