It wasn’t her jealousy she had felt.
It was Tristan’s.
Scarlet had tried to ignore it. But the jealousy expanded within her until Scarlet could feel nothing but the intruding emotion.
Not knowing what else to do, Scarlet had pulled away from Gabriel and now, standing in the kitchen with both Archer brothers, she was completely confused.
Nate looked at Scarlet. “So, what’s up?”
Scarlet looked at him for a moment, pulling her thought’s away from Tristan’s jealousy. “What happened to your mom, Nate?” She looked at Tristan, then Gabriel. “And your mom? Did she…did she die?”
Gabriel nodded. “A long time ago.”
Scarlet’s lips parted. “But didn’t she drink water from the fountain of youth?”
Nate smiled sadly. “Water from the fountain of youth is fatally addictive.”
“What?”
He nodded. “Even just a drop of water to your tongue makes you an instant slave to the addiction. Our mothers,” Nate gestured between himself and Gabriel and Tristan, “drank the water thinking it would heal them, but instead they became consumed with addiction. They quickly depleted their vials of water and soon began writhing in pain without more. The addiction killed them.”
Scarlet’s mouth hung open. “Then why on earth are we searching for the fountain of youth? Don’t get me wrong, I want to undo the curse as much as you guys. But I don’t want to develop a fountain habit along the way!”
“You won’t.” Gabriel shook his head.
Nate explained, “The addiction only works on those who are strictly mortal. You have immortal elements in your body, so fountain water can’t poison you. Or us.”
Scarlet bit her lip. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Nate said.
Scarlet tucked her hands into her coat pockets.
“So…” Nate started, “was that why you came over this morning? To talk about our mothers?”
Scarlet shook her head. “No. I had an idea that might help us find the fountain.”
Nate smiled and rubbed his palms together, making a swish-swish-swish sound with his mittens. “Awesome! I love it when you get ideas. What is it?”
Smiling nervously, Scarlet cleared her throat. “I think we should use one of the Head Ghosts to go into my brain and pull out my memory of the fountain’s location.”
Gabriel’s jaw dropped.
Nate’s jaw dropped.
Tristan’s jaw clenched.
No.
Hell no.
Tristan started shaking his head.
No way. Never, ever, ever—
“Now, before you guys say anything, just hear me out.” Scarlet set a hand against her head. “I have what we need inside my brain, somewhere in my memories. If we use a Head Ghost to pull those memories out, then we can find the fountain, undo the curse and live happily ever after.”
No, no, no.
Tristan didn’t care how logical Scarlet’s plan sounded. They had no idea how dangerous the Head Ghost could be and Scarlet’s brain was not up for experimentation. The fact that she would even suggest using a Head Ghost on herself was crazy. She was crazy.
Beautiful and brave and completely crazy.
Tristan kept his eyes away from Scarlet, not trusting himself to look at her without growling.
First, he’d had to silently endure Scarlet’s desire for Gabriel when they were kissing earlier—that was new. Now, she wanted to use an illegal head device to invade her brain?
She was going to give him a heart attack.
Gabriel was the first to respond. “Um...Scarlet, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Way to give a rock solid “no”, Gabriel.
“Why not?” Scarlet looked at Gabriel sternly. “We get the memory, we find the fountain, we’re free of the curse.”
“Yeah, but…” Nate tried to scratch the back of his head with a mittened hand. Finding the mitten to be problematic, he yanked both off his hands and tossed them on the counter. “We don’t know how dangerous Head Ghosts are. What if the Head Ghost causes brain damage or permanent amnesia or turns you into a crazy person—”
“The fountain could fix all that.” Scarlet’s eyes were hard and her face was flushed.
Gabriel shook his head. “We don’t know that for sure. What if the Head Ghost damages your brain and the fountain can’t fix it?”
“Then at least the curse will still be broken and you two,” she gestured at Gabriel and Tristan, “will get to live normal lives.”
Tristan tried his best not to shout out how much he hated this idea.
“Normal lives?” Gabriel stepped closer to her. “Scarlet, we’re trying to break the curse to save you. Tristan and I are fine.”
Scarlet’s lips tightened. “You two are not fine.” Whipping around, she looked at Tristan, protectiveness and desperation rolling off of her in waves. “You live in pain when I’m alive. And you,” she pointed a finger at Gabriel, “aren’t free to love anyone other than me.” Scarlet pressed her lips together, resolve coming over her features. “Nate,” she said, looking at him seriously, “you’ll help me, right?”
Tristan looked at the counter, frustrated by her stubbornness. Stupid, beautiful, crazy, stubborn—
“No,” Nate said without hesitation, as he walked to the pantry.
Tristan looked up.
God love Nate.
Scarlet looked like Nate had just slapped her. “No?”
Nate pulled a box of Lucky Charms down from a pantry shelf and casually walked around the kitchen collecting a bowl, a spoon, and the milk carton from the fridge. “No,” he repeated.
Sitting at the counter, Nate poured his cereal and milk and took a bite.
“Why not?” Scarlet squared her jaw.
Nate finished chewing. “Because your brain has more secrets than just the fountain’s whereabouts. Secrets that we might need you to remember someday. And I don’t want to risk losing those to a Head Ghost. I think the last thing we need to do is screw around with your head.” He shrugged and took another bite. “We’ll find the fountain. But not with a Head Ghost.”
Scarlet turned pouty lips and big eyes to Gabriel.
“Please?” She stepped closer to him, looking up into his eyes. “Please help me end the curse?”
Gabriel looked conflicted as his eyes scanned her cheeks and lips and neck….
Be strong, Gabe. Don’t fall for her pouty face.
“Uh…” Gabriel cleared his throat. “I don’t want to risk hurting you, Scarlet.”
Tristan breathed a silent sigh of relief.
“Agh,” Scarlet huffed and turned to Tristan, her blue eyes piercing his green ones.
Tristan held her eyes. “Absolutely not.”
He felt a flicker of anger pass through her.
Deal with it.
Scarlet turned back to Nate and Gabriel.
“Come on, guys,” she begged.
“No.” Nate took a few more bites of Lucky Charms. Finishing the cereal, he lifted the bowl to his mouth and started slurping out the milk.
Scarlet shook her head in frustration. “All of you are impossible.” She spun on her heel and left the kitchen, Gabriel following after her to comfort her—or whatever else dedicated boyfriends did when their girlfriends wanted to do stupid things.