Ace of Hearts

Epilogue

Kol's hand rests on mine in reassurance. "What happened to her?"

"She was murdered in her sleep. The faction that called for her death and replacement slit her throat at a group of the ancestor's urging. It was her own mother that did it to keep a secret. It was kept quiet that my great aunt had tried to appease both sides. She took the magic and filtered it right back into the land. She didn't want anyone to have to die, even temporarily, and she did it without a drop of bloodshed.

"She replenished the magic to New Orleans—by herself. There was no further need for the harvest, but the ancestors still had her murdered, consecrated, shredded her soul and demanded the harvest continue as planned. The other three girls died and didn't come back.

"Judah and I share the theory that I could eliminate the need for harvests—possibly permanently if not for at least a century longer than planned,— and I'm only a repetition in the bloodline for this kind of thing. He's been training me how to filter magic instead of just taking and giving. The idea we had is that by filtering instead of recycling could kickstart the system. Although, the coven still hasn't listened to his ideas, and with Marcel's ban on magic, they're desperate and scared. Now, Davina, my cousin, is going to be harvested. She has no idea what's waiting for her; no clue that she has to die and be brought back. It's not as beautiful as they want people to believe. Those girls won't come back as themselves, not entirely.

"I know, I'm asking for a lot, but they will kill Judah if he crosses them. Young girls will be slaughtered by the people they love with a whimsical promise to be brought back. All in the sake of the coven's greater good. The worst part is, I don't think I can live with myself if I sit back and do nothing." I explain, holding onto Kol's hands for dear life. "I can't lose anyone else."

"But what about you? What if they kill you?" Kol retorts. "Don't forget, we're still linked, and we have no idea if it's safe to break that yet."

"Which is why it's so important for you to trust me on this."

Kol sighs, clearly frustrated. "I do."

"Then trust that I'll be back as soon as I can. Safe and sound." I promise him as I stand up. Kol refuses to let go of my hand as he pulls me back into his arms. His fingers run through my hair as he presses a kiss to my forehead. "I'll be back soon. I promise."

"I love you, Ace."

"I love you too." I whisper back and take one last look over my shoulder before running straight into danger once again.

...

The cemetery was dripping with magic. I could feel it humming and ebbing as it traces it ways through every nook and cranny. Voices bounce off the stone walls, and I follow them to the source. Judah and some of the elders stand off. "You have to listen to me!" Judah shouts in frustration.

One of the elders, who I'm pretty sure is my aunt, throws him against a crypt and pins him there. "Dad!" I scream without realizing it as I rush over to his side, but soon enough, I'm pinned against another crypt.

"I should have known." My aunt growls as she approaches me with a snarl. "My sister always claimed that you were still out there. Even in her addled state, she knew that you were an abomination. Now you're back, and if what your father claims is true, you're capable of worse things than I would have assumed."

"Depends on what he's told you." I sneer back at her, but it only elicits more anger from her. The pressure on my windpipe increases until there's no breath in my chest. "Wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Don't you understand? We can do whatever we want around here." The second witch laughs in delight. "So, why don't you tell us a few things?"

"Why would I tell you anything?"

"Here's why." The third replies as she pulls out a dagger and proceeds to drag it across Judah's arm. Blood drips out of him along with a string of screams. "Now answer our questions or he'll be feeling much worse pretty soon."

"Don't tell them." Judah warns, his words laced with more meaning and context than they understand. "Don't tell them anything."

"Wrong answer, Rousseau." The same witch snaps as she makes another long incision in the opposite arm. "Let your daughter make her own mind."

"Wait." The second one calls out. She crosses toward me. The first image that crosses my mind is predator taunting its prey before the strike. "She's linked to someone."

"Well, if she's linked, it must be important. Now tell us, what do you know about Judah's claims?" I keep my lips sealed shut despite the trembling fear that rips through me. If I don't tell them the truth, I could lose everyone I love, but the truth could hurt exponentially more people.

"Fine, you don't want to talk? Let's change that, shall we?" My aunt teases as she her eyelids flutter shut. If I was scared before, terror would hardly be able to describe my emotions right now. My link with Kol is possibly the only thing keeping him here with me on this side, and now I can feel the knot tying us together slowly twisting apart.

It's like feeling myself being torn into two. I can feel Kol slipping away with the link binding us together, and before I can process it, he's gone.

"No. No. No!" I scream and fight against the magical constraints. "I'll kill you for that."

"Really? Because I thought we were the one going to kill you." The third witch taunts as she brushes my cheek with the dagger. "Or your precious dad. Unless you agree to tell us what you know."

"Don't tell them anything, Valette!" Judah shouts and his eyes flash with a terror beyond anything else.

We both know the undeniable truth. If they find out that people like me likely come around every harvest season, they likely wouldn't hesitate to erase the whole Rousseau bloodline from existence, which would include Jacques and Theo.

"No." My voice quakes. I just probably lost the one person I've fought so hard to bring back, and there's a good chance that I could lose Judah too.

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" The second witch questions as she and the third stand next to Judah. The third holds a knife to his throat while the second magically presses him from moving. "This is your last chance. Answer us."

"I can't."

"Then this on your hands." My aunt warns as she gives the signal, and I close my eyes to avoid having to see what happens next.

A scream tears its way out of my throat, and all I can see ahead of me is a blinding, red-hot pain. It boils in my veins, searing my skin from beneath. My limbs tremble as I try to fight it off, to avoid succumbing to the pain.

The more I strain, the more pressure builds up beneath my skin. Everything in me begs, pleads to let go, but I can't. Even with the feeling of being torn from the inside out; there's no way for me to let go.

Faces flash in my mind—Judah, Kol, Theo, Jack, and everyone else I love. I fight for them. With every breath I take in, needles pierce into my lungs. My heart pounds so violently I fear it will rip itself in two.

Then suddenly, everything goes black.