Ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness.
”And how did you know Raven in your last life?”
“And why does she know where you died?” Tristan looked like he wanted to break something.
Scarlet bit her lip. She knew she couldn’t avoid these questions forever. After all, if she wanted Tristan to live, she needed to find the fountain, so keeping the fountain’s location a secret was no longer an option.
Taking a breath, Scarlet briefly recounted the details of her last life, leaving out the part about how someone has to die in order to gain access to the water. No one needed to know that but her. Because no one was going to die, but her.
“So let me get this straight,” Nate held up a hand after she finished. “The Fountain of Youth is in an underground cave?”
“Yes.” Scarlet nodded once.
“And to get to this cave, we have to go through a series of other caves that are basically kryptonite for immortals.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t tell us about any of this in your last life because you were afraid we’d try to track down the Fountain of Youth with you and die in the process?”
“Yes.”
Tristan slid his eyes to her.
Look convincing, Scarlet. Look awesome and believable.
His eyes stayed on her.
Nate said, “But Raven found out and came after the map and then you died?”
Scarlet nodded.
“That still doesn’t explain why Raven would want to keep Gabriel,” Tristan said.
“She’s obsessed with him,” Scarlet lied. She shrugged, just to add icing to the cake of deceit she was throwing together here. “I’m sure Raven’s just screwing with him or whatever.”
Nate ate the cake. “Sucks to be Gabriel.”
Tristan did not. “Huh.” His eyes bored into her like tiny, cake-destroying lasers.
Nate exhaled. “Okay. Well, now we know what we’re up against. And we have,” he looked at his watch, “five hours to get to—where is this place we’re meeting Raven?”
“It’s called the Avalon forest, but it’s actually about a hundred miles outside of Avalon. Once we get there, we’ll have to park and hike a mile or so in.”
“Hiking. Oh goodie.” Nate said. “Why does Raven want to meet in the middle of the forest?”
Scarlet took a deep breath. “Because from there, it’s only a two day hike to the Fountain of Youth.”
Nate grinned. “Then let’s get packing.”
“No, no.” Scarlet sounded more panicked than she’d meant to. “Tristan and I will go. We’ll send Heather and Gabriel back here and then go to the Fountain of Youth, grab some water, and come back.”
“What?” Nate said. “That’s a crazy plan.”
“Is it? Why put yourself in danger? You don’t need the fountain for any reason.”
“But I want the fountain,” he said. “I’m over being immortal. Sure, it was fun for a few centuries, but I’m ready for something else. So when we get there, I’m so drinking the fountain water so I can be mortal.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep.” He grinned.
Scarlet frowned. This was not part of her plan.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here where it’s nice and safe and guard the cabin?” She smiled.
Did her smile look forced? It felt forced.
Tristan shifted and his arm brushed against hers, and Scarlet stood frozen for a moment while the pleasure swirled around inside her.
“I’m sure. And besides,” Nate lifted a brow, “do you really think you can survive a booby-trapped cave, a crazy-ass witch, and Tristan’s freakishly happy mood without me?” He shook his head. “I don’t think so. At the very least I need to be there so you guys don’t accidentally get naked with one another.”
Okay, wow. Super awkward.
“Really?” Tristan said.
“Yes,” Nate said emphatically. “In fact,” he shoved Tristan and Scarlet away from one another, disconnecting the stream of bliss Tristan’s arms had been sending into her veins. “Is ten feet really so hard? It’s like you’re both trying to die. I’m so coming along.”
“Fine. Come,” Scarlet conceded, hating that this was turning into a group trip.
“Excellent!” Nate grinned. “I’ll go get my Thor hammer.”
CHAPTER 36
Gabriel watched Heather’s pink toes wiggle as they hung in silence.
She was obviously freaked out, and why wouldn’t she be? Raven had drugged her and basically sentenced her to death.
He tried to cheer her up. “Don’t worry. We’ll get out of here and we’ll find the fountain and everything will be fine.”
“Except my brain since I’m going to go crazy. And then, you know, I might just die. So yeah. Everything’s totally going to be fine.”
Gabriel’s lips twitched. At least Heather was approaching her imminent death with a sarcastic attitude. Sarcasm he could do. Tears, he could not.
From the warehouse hallway, he heard Raven’s voice ring down the hall. “We’re moving them in just a minute, but keep them bound during transport!”
Gabriel’s spirits lifted.
“Hey,” he whispered to Heather’s downcast face. “We’re being moved.”
“Ooh, yippee. I can die while being transported.”
“No,” he lowered his voice even more, “we can escape.”
Heather blinked and her eyes lit up. “Oh yes! Let’s do that. Yes, yes, yes. How?”
“I don’t know.”
Her face fell. “Way to get my hopes up, Mr. Useless Immortal Guy.”
”Wait. I might have a plan.”
Gabriel explained his idea to Heather and, after arguing with him and throwing her two cents in about everything—she was so annoying—they finally agreed on an escape strategy.
So when the Ashmen entered to free them, Gabriel was feeling optimistic.
Two Ashman untied Heather first, as expected, and kept her hands bound in front of her as they stood her up and cut the ties around her ankles so she could walk.
The remaining three Ashmen did the same with Gabriel, keeping surprisingly tight grips on his arms as they pushed him toward the warehouse door.
Right before they reached the door, Heather started to cry.
She flopped to the floor and threw an all-out temper tantrum, kicking her legs and screaming bloody murder like an overgrown toddler.
Brilliant.
While the Ashmen were busy looking at Heather in confusion, Gabriel threw his elbow into the Ashman on his left, then the one on his right, before wrapping his bound wrists around the third Ashman’s neck.
Using the Ashmen caught in his hands as a shield, Gabriel spun around and shoved into the two Ashmen he’d just elbowed, knocking them both to the floor.
Seeing their comrades under attack, Heather’s guards came after Gabriel, leaving an incredibly loud Heather unguarded on the floor. As Gabriel struggled to avoid the Bluestone knives coming at his body and keep the struggling Ashman in his grip from slipping away, Heather rolled over and snuck her bare feet to the table.
Gabriel created more of a diversion by lifting the Ashman in his arms by the neck and tossing him into the two Ashmen to Gabriel’s right. A sharp pain cut through Gabriel’s forearm and he spun around just in time to block a second jab of Bluestone coming down at him from one of Heather’s Ashmen.
Gabriel led the fighting away from the table as Heather used the scissors Raven had left to cut her ties off before grabbing one of the blood bags from the bin.
Heather cut open the bag and dipped the scissors into Gabriel’s blood, coating them in the only substance they knew that could destroy an Ashman.
Gabriel was losing ground against his opponents and another sharp pain tore through his back as he spun around and tried to defend himself with his tied hands.