Chapter 33: The Sacrifice List

I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the list of ingredients for Morgana's ritual.

Dragon's blood resin. Moonstone dust. Silver from a broken chain. A lock of hair from both me and Cole.

And one willing sacrifice.

I pulled the paper from under my mattress. Read it again by phone light.

The ingredients were strange but findable. Morgana had written addresses next to each one. Occult shops. Specialty stores. Places I could visit tomorrow.

But the last item had no address.

"One life freely given. The sacrifice must volunteer. Must understand the cost. Must speak the words 'I give my life for hers' three times before the moon sets."

Who could I ask to die for me?

My phone buzzed. A text from Cole.

"Can't sleep either. Come downstairs?"

I should say no. Should keep distance while I figured this out.

But I wanted to see him. Needed to see him.

I threw on a hoodie and went down.

Cole sat in the common room. Alone. Just boxers and a t-shirt. Hair messy from running his hands through it.

He looked up when I entered. Smiled. But it didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

I sat beside him. Not too close. Close enough.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You. The Council. Everything." He leaned back. "They told you something. Something you're not telling me."

"I know."

"Are you going to tell me?"

I wanted to. God, I wanted to.

But if I told him about the prophecy, he'd try to stop me. Find another way. There wasn't another way.

Unless Morgana's ritual worked.

"Not yet," I said. "I need to figure something out first."

"Does it involve you getting hurt?"

"Maybe."

"Lita."

"Cole, please. Just trust me. When I can tell you, I will."

He looked at me for a long moment. Then nodded. "Okay. But I'm here. Whatever you need."

"I know."

We sat in silence. His hand found mine. Squeezed gently.

"Three days," he said. "That's what they gave us."

"Yeah."

"Feels like not enough time."

"It's not."

"Then we make it count." He turned to face me. "Tomorrow, after the Alpha meeting, let's go somewhere. Just us. No pack. No demons. No prophecy."

My chest hurt. "Where?"

"Anywhere. Beach. Mountains. Hell, we can sit in a parking lot for all I care. I just want time with you."

Tears burned my eyes. "Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He pulled me close. I rested my head on his shoulder. Breathed him in.

This might be our last normal moment. Our last quiet time before everything went wrong.

I should tell him. Should warn him.

But I couldn't. Not yet.

My phone buzzed again. I pulled it out.

Unknown number.

"Have you decided? The ingredients are waiting at the locations I sent. But you need the sacrifice by tomorrow night. After that, the ritual won't work. Choose wisely, Luna."

Morgana.

I deleted the text fast. But Cole saw my face.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just spam."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I know."

He didn't push. Just held me tighter.

We sat like that for an hour. Maybe more. Until my phone buzzed again.

This time it was a news alert.

"Breaking: Brian Mitchell found dead in holding cell. Apparent suicide. Investigation ongoing."

I sat up fast. Read it again.

Brian was dead.

"What?" Cole looked at my phone. Read the alert. His face went hard. "Suicide?"

"That's what it says."

"You believe that?"

"No." I stood. Started pacing. "He was too narcissistic to kill himself. Someone killed him."

"Who?"

"I don't know. My mother? The demons? Someone who wanted him quiet?"

Cole pulled out his phone. Started making calls. "Alex. Yeah, I know it's late. Turn on the news. Brian Mitchell. Dead. No, not natural. Find out what happened."

He hung up. Looked at me. "This changes things."

"How?"

"He was supposed to stand trial. Face justice. Now he's just gone."

And I lost my potential sacrifice, a voice whispered in my head.

I felt sick thinking it. But it was true.

If Brian had lived, I could have asked. No, demanded. His life for mine and Cole's.

He killed James. He deserved to pay.

But now he was gone. And I was back to square one.

Who else could I ask to die?

My mother? She deserved it too. But she was human now. Broken. Already paying for what she'd done.

Erica? She was banished. Gone. And despite everything, I wasn't sure she deserved death.

A stranger? I couldn't ask someone I didn't know.

Someone from the pack?

Never.

"Lita?" Cole's voice pulled me back. "Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere. Just thinking."

"About?"

"About how nothing is ever simple."

He almost smiled. "Welcome to my world."

My phone buzzed one more time.

Morgana again.

"Interesting about Brian. Almost like fate didn't want you to have an easy choice. The offer stands. But time is running out. Decide soon, or die forever."

I looked at Cole. At the man I loved. The man who would die in three days because of a prophecy.

I had two choices.

Let us both die and stay dead.

Or find someone to sacrifice and bring us back.

But who?

The answer came to me slowly. Horribly.

There was one person who would volunteer. One person who already felt guilty enough to die.

One person who owed me everything.

My mother.

The question was, could I ask her?

And if I did, would she say yes?