“I’m sure I can figure out a way for you to make it up to me,” I tease. “But don’t count your chickens yet. I haven’t had any luck getting close to the big boss here. And it seems even if I do, he might not be so amenable to my oh-so-clever plan.”
My father rubs his chin thoughtfully. “I may be able to pull some strings,” he says at last. “Maybe get you an audience in a few days? Does that sound okay?”
“Perfect,” I exclaim. “Then I get to spend some time with you, too.” Excitement wells up inside of me. This day is getting better and better.
Sunny drags me and my dad together, and we give each other a big family hug. The warmth and love inside the circle is almost overwhelming and for a moment I truly believe everything is going to be okay.
Our hug is interrupted as the front door bangs shut. I look up, confused. It takes a moment to realize Jareth’s missing. I glance over at Race, who’s clicking through the TV channels, looking a little bored.
“He just got up and walked out,” he explains with a shrug. “Maybe too much happiness clogging the air for Mr. Emo?”
My joy evaporates as I realize what must have happened. Poor Jareth. Here I am in a happy family moment and he’s still suffering. I thought finding Sunny would make him happy—or at least alleviate some of his guilt, but I guess it only reminds him of his own pain. I get to hug my sister—maybe save her from damnation. He’ll never see his again.
I rise from my seat, giving Sunny and my dad an apologetic look. Sunny reaches out and squeezes my hand, as if to say she understands. “Go get him, Rayne,” she whispers, giving me a secret smile.
I thank her, then head out the front door to find my ex-boyfriend.
25
Jareth is sitting on the porch swing outside the house, staring listlessly into space. My heart aches because I can see the pain practically radiating from his body as he works overtime to pretend he doesn’t care.
“Hey,” I say, daring to sit down next to him. The swing creaks a little from under my weight. My nose picks up the smell of fresh flowers and I can hear some early morning birds chirp from a nearby tree. “You okay?” Even in this paradise, he looks like hell.
He shrugs, not looking over at me. “Sure.”
I study his impassive face. “I thought maybe you’d feel a little relieved to find Sunny,” I venture. “I mean, we’re so close now to accomplishing our mission. We’ll get her back, safe and sound, and you won’t have to feel guilty anymore. Doesn’t that make you even the tiniest bit happy?”
“Of course,” he says in the saddest voice ever. “I’m overjoyed.”
“Mm-hmm. Sure you are. Except that, you know, you look like someone burned your favorite Batman shirt.”
He leans back against the swing, letting out a long sigh.
“Come on, Jareth,” I press. “Tell me what’s bothering you now. You know whatever you say will be between the two of us. You can trust me, remember?”
He’s silent and, at first, I’m pretty sure he’s not going to speak. I almost give up and go back inside. But just before I start to stand, he opens his mouth.
“It’s just… watching you in there,” he says in a voice filled with agony. “Reunited with your sister…” He shakes his head. “You never had any doubt, did you? You weren’t scared. You knew what needed to be done and you did it, with no thought to your own safety…”
“Of course I was scared,” I protest. “I was scared out of my freaking mind. But Sunny needed me. And so I did what I had to do. Like my dad did for me back at Fairyland. That’s just what family does for one another.” I look at him helplessly. “I mean, you did the same for your family, right? When Slayer, Inc. attacked, you did what you could to save your sister…”
Jareth cringes, rising from the seat so quickly I almost fall off myself. He walks to the opposite end of the porch and stares off into the neighborhood. I rush after him, turning him to look at me, surprised to see the blood tears shimmering in his eyes.
“What aren’t you telling me, Jareth?”
He hangs his head. “I lied to you,” he whispers.
“What?”
“I didn’t tell you the whole truth. Of what really happened the night my sister died. All these years, I’ve made it sound like I did all I could. That I tried my best and still failed.”
I stare at him, horror growing inside me. “What are you saying?”
He’s silent for a moment. “When those first slayers broke through our defenses, one of them recognized me,” he says at last. “He knew I was one of the Consortium members who voted them into power. Who’d given them the right to police vampires and slay those who didn’t conform to their rules. Like my sister and brother.”
“So?”
“So he told me if I fought back—if I harmed even a single hair on the head of one Slayer Inc. operative, he’d consider that a breach of contract. Basically an act of aggression between two parties who were supposed to be on the same team.” Jareth lets out a frustrated breath. “He said I would give them the right to sever the agreement altogether and go after our entire organization. Slaying them one by one until vampires were eradicated off the face of the Earth.”
“Ouch.” I grimace.
“I could choose to save my family,” he concludes in a broken voice, “but it would be at the expense of the entire vampire race. And so I hesitated,” he continues. “Trying to figure out what I should do. I would have gladly died to save those I love. But I didn’t want to betray my people either. The vampires trusted me; they’d placed themselves under my leadership. How could I willingly sacrifice them when they’d done nothing wrong?”