We sat down on the purple velvet sofa—the one still remaining upright—and I began searching my mind for an idea of where to begin, and what details I should give him. But before I could figure any of this out, he spoke first.
“So who bit you?” he asked.
Figures he’d start there. “A vampire,” I said, kicking a broken piece of the apothecary table with the tip of my shoe.
“And what’s this vampire’s name?” he asked impatiently.
“Vladislav.”
“Vladislav!” he exclaimed, slamming his hand down onto the arm of the sofa. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”
“So…I take it you know who I’m talking about?”
“Of course I know who he is.” He sank back in the chair, the muscles on his arms flexing tensely as he crossed them. “I also know how big of a problem it’s going to be if he figured out who you are.”
“Does it even matter if he did?” I asked. “I mean, aren’t we pretty sure that the stars power isn’t going to stop the portal from opening anyway. So what does it matter if someone knows I have it in me.”
“We don’t know for sure what the stars power is for,” he said, staring straight ahead at the dark blue wall, looking as though he was pondering something deeply. “So until we do, we need to be careful about anyone finding out about you. Besides the more people who know about you, the easier it’ll be for my father and the Death Walkers to find you.” I raised my eyebrows at him, questioning his words.
“You don’t know what the stars power is for?” He sat there with his arms folded, staring at me so powerfully that my skin felt like it was on fire. “No. I don’t. I already told you I didn’t.”
I wasn’t sure if I believed him, but decided to stick a tack in it for now and move on to my next problem.
“We went to see Vladislav for a really good reason.”
“Oh, I’m sure you did.” Alex let out a laugh. “What, did Laylen tell you that Vladislav would have all the answers to your problems?”
“No, it wasn’t even Laylen’s idea,” I said defensively. “I asked him if he knew whether we could find out if my mom was still alive, and he suggested that Vladislav might know something. And you know what, he did.”
“And where in that brilliant plan did Vladislav biting you come into play?” Alex asked snidely. “Or was that just an added bonus.”
I shook my head. “Why would you even say that?” There was this awkward silence that built between us as I realized where Alex was going with that.
Vampires’ bites stimulate people’s desires. Although, I wasn’t sure that was what it had done to me. All I had seen were a bunch of images. And, yes, okay, some of those images—some of the ones that included Alex—did kind of make my body buzz a little, but there was also the vision that came after the images, and that was anything but stimulating.
“So anyway,” I said, attempting to change the subject away from my desires. “Vladislav told me my mother was still alive in The Underworld.” Alex shook his head. “Gemma, that’s not possible.”
“Even you said that there might be a small chance that she could still be alive,” I pointed out.
He looked confused. “When did I say that?”
“Back at Adessa, after I’d been pulled into my first vision, and we didn’t know it was my mother I’d seen forced into the lake.”
“I don’t remember ever saying anything like that,” he muttered, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at the floor. “And if I did, I’m sure I just said it to try and get you to calm down.”
“So why would Vladislav tell us she was alive, if she wasn’t,” I said. “There’s no reason for him to lie.”
“Of course there is.” He looked at me like I was a total nut job. “That’s what vampires do—they lie.”
“How do you know that for sure?” I asked hotly. “I mean, how do you know that all vampires lie. Laylen doesn’t lie.” You do.
“I just do,” he said, but his voice had lost some of its confidence.
“Vladislav didn’t lie, Alex.” I rested back in the chair, keeping my eyes on him. “Laylen said that vampires can pick up on when other vampires are lying, and he said Vladislav wasn’t lying.”
Alex ran his fingers through his messy brown hair, and then he turned and faced me, a serious expression on his face. “Look, Gemma. You’re too trusting with Laylen. You need to be careful.” I gave him an are-you-serious look. “You think I should be careful when it comes to trusting Laylen.” Was he joking?
“Vampires are not good,” Alex said sternly. “They’re evil.”
“Laylen’s not,” I snapped. “And besides, Vladislav knew that my mother was a Keeper before we ever told him. That has to mean he’s heard of her.”
“So what if he has heard of her,” he said. “That doesn’t mean he was telling the truth about her being alive. He might have just been messing with your head.”
“Alex,” without even thinking, I grabbed a hold of his arm, electricity tickling my fingertips. “It could mean that there might be a chance that my mom, who I haven’t seen since I was four, and who just might have some answers to what Stephan is planning to do with the star’s energy, could still be alive. And not just alive, but she could be trapped down in The Underworld, and has been trapped down there for fourteen years now, working as the Queen’s slave.” Something I said made his expression change.
“Why do you think she’s the Queen’s slave?”
“That’s the reason why Vladislav said she was still alive,” I told him, my fingers still wrapped around his arm, his bare skin pressed against my own, causing lots and lots of static to flow through me.
“The Queens slave,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it.”
“Why?” I asked. “Is it…bad?”
He shook his head. “No…well, it’s better than being the Water Faerie’s torture victim…but the Queen usually doesn’t use humans for slaves...”
“But that’s the reason she’s still alive, right?” I asked.
Silence.
“Even if she is alive,” he said, looking at me gravely. “She probably wouldn’t be the same Jocelyn
—being there for that long, it most likely will have changed her.”
I swallowed hard, my voice barely audible as I said,
“Okay...I understand.”
“Do you?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Because just imagine being stuck in a place like that—a place of death, where fear and torture is common—for over fourteen years.” He lowered his voice. “Even if Vladislav was telling the truth—even if she’s still alive, she’s probably not your mother anymore.”
“She’s probably not my mother anymore,” I repeated in outrage as I let go of his arm. “She’ll always be my mother no matter what.”
He shook his head. “”Gemma, you don’t understand. The torture that goes on…the way the Water Faeries instil the fear in people…her mind is probably gone.”
I touched my locket with my hand, thinking of how my mother had given it to me when I was little, even though I couldn’t remember her doing so. “It doesn’t matter what she’s like now because I don’t have anything to compare her to before.”
There was pity in his bright green eyes. “Gemma, still —”
I cut him off. “Do you know a way to get her out of there or not?”
“I don’t,” he said simply.
I held his gaze. “Is that the truth?”
He paused and I felt my heart skip a beat. He knows something. Oh yes he did. I could feel it. I could see it on his face and how he avoided looking at me.
“Please just tell me the truth,” I practically begged.
He sighed, leaning back against the arm of the chair. “Even if I did…know something…I wouldn’t actually do it. It’s way too dangerous.”
“So what if it’s dangerous,” I said. “Everything’s dangerous—I’m dangerous, and yet you’re still here helping me.” I hope. “She’s my mom, Alex. And besides, she might know something. Your dad didn’t just send her there for no reason.”