Page 87 of The Secrets of Jane: Reborn

I feel gross. Like I let her do something to me that I’m embarrassed to admit, and the thought of sealing it in myself is almost too much.

“Jane,” she presses, her thin brow perching.

“What if you can’t get it out?”

“Does it matter? Are you willing to risk the lives of those you love over that stone?”

Fucking bitch. I bet she can’t get it out. I bet, after all of this, I’ll be stuck like this, because why would she care? As long as her god gets what he wants, why would she?

Too late now.

Probably better to heal it rather than risk it falling out and killing me—what a stupid death that would be. I place my hand on the back of my neck with such aggression I nearly smack myself, sending healing energy into the wound while closing my eyes.

My hand flops down to my side once the deed is done, and I sigh. “Can you at least tell me why he wantsme? Shade said there was a reason. There’s something aboutme. Even you said there’s something in my blood.”

Her eyes look comforting, but in a way that only makes me feel worse about myself. It’s like the act is very foreign and uncomfortable for her. “You will find out in due time. I promise, for what it’s worth, that this is all to help you. The less he can feel you, the more freedom you’ll have if you’re near him. The less you know, the more he can’t use your mind against you.” She inhales deeply and slowly looks out the window. “If I exposed the details of what I see is likely to happen, it would ruin your behavior too greatly. And that behavior, as I see it now, is what will allow you to survive.

“There isonething I can tell you, though—” my gaze hones in on her, and I don’t even blink “—once he has you, as he isclose, your goal from then on out is to free the sirens.”

My lips part, only for a sad exhale to leave them. “Is that code for something else?”

“I won’t say more. I can’t,” she says, shaking her head. “I know that’s frustrating. Right now, what I see for you is if I don’t reveal more, you will have the best chance to derail Misery so greatly that he will make severe mistakes. And freeing the sirens is like opening up a massive hole in the bottom of a ship in an open ocean—it will be only a matter of time before it sinks. Your role is to create that opening that will sink Misery and all of his plans, andno oneelse can do it but you.”

A glance at the entrance is like tempting a drowning man with fresh air. I want to bolt,sobadly. What if she’s full of shit?

I hesitate to move… what if she’snot?

“I struggle to believe you,” I say, looking at the floor. “Because I’m not an idiot, and I’m not driven by ego, Cypress. I know that it’s not right formeto be chosen.”

There’s a long pause from her, long enough that when I glance up, she truly seems deep in thought. “You are the only one, Jane, with skin that cannot burn and a magic thatisuseful.AndMiserycannotkill you.” She shrugs, but it’s more out of pity than to mock me. “Mix that with your temperament, your motives, those that surround you… it’s a web of the fates that Icannotdescribe to someone who can’t see it.

“It’s time for me to go, though. You will have until this hourglass drops its last piece of sand before Soren will realize something is wrong, and hewillimmediately seek you out. If that happens, then he will become calamity in Misery’s wrath.” Onyx eyes connect with mine as she pulls out an hourglass as tall as my hand, made of gold. Her shoulders rise and fall with a sigh as she places it on the table, turning it over so the red stand starts to trickle down. “Yes… I think I will tell you this, too… Morvock is Soren’s god.”

My lips wordlessly part, my blinks slow. “He’swhat?”

“When gods exist, their powers can sometimes enter this realm. Oftentimes through us mortals that can use that god’spowers. Morvock has relinquished histruetitle as a god and would rather rule here as a god emperor. Sensors have an origin in something much darker than being an empath… the entire point of this, Jane, is that Morvock has the ability to completely break Soren without much effort, even if their connection is severely broken. Sorencannotbe near him if you want him to live, andthat’swhy he could never know what’s about to happen. I couldn’t tell you earlier, because I bet he’d sense that within you.” The witch stands, some sympathy in her eyes. “What happens next is entirely up to you.”

The witch morphs, like scrunching up a blanket into a ball, except she’s a collection of feathers until a raven’s shape is clear, the bird taking flight out the open window.

My neck starts to hurt, like a deep scratch once the soreness sets in.

I immediately begin to feel wrong, as if I cheated on Soren, knowing if he barges in right now, he won’t be able to feel me, and that I know of his god. What will Soren do when he finds out what has happened here? It’s not like I can just let him open me up and read how my intentions are genuine. How I was afraid of what Cypress would do if others intervened, and how apparently, Ican’tlet him near me.

Perhaps, more than anything, my inaction stems from… well, maybe some part of mewantedthis.

This ismyrevenge.

My father and Soren… they’re both important peopleno onecrosses without watching their backs. I know damn well they’d do anything to have an advantage in a battle, no matter the cost to themselves, so why can’t I?

The red sand builds the smallest mound at the bottom.

Well, shit, where do I go? What do I do? Can I run to Soren and tell him everything? Can I possibly tell him of what I learned, and make him promise to just walk the fuck away? Tellhim who his god is, and explain thatthat’swhy he can’t be near me?

No, he would never allow that.

Nearing the window, all I see is a calm ocean, the sound of the waves so innocuous.

I glance back at the hourglass before surveying the shanty, everything eerilystill, except for the small stream of sand. Tapping my hand on the wooden sill, I give a scoffed laugh. “Okay… so, uh, what now?”