I hold my breath, waiting for Sarah’s response. Will she forgive him? Or tell him it’s too late to say sorry?
To my surprise she does neither. Instead, she bursts out laughing.
“What?” Jareth demands, looking annoyed. “What in Hades could be so funny?”
“Sorry, sorry!” she cries quickly. “It’s just—is that why you’ve been so emo all these years? You think you were responsible for my death?” She shakes her head, looking at him with loving, clear blue eyes. “Oh, Jareth,” she murmurs. “You remember it all wrong. You told me to stay back, remember? You even had a hiding spot for me. But I wasn’t about to back down against those bastards. I may have looked like a little kid, but I was already a hundred years old. I knew exactly what I was doing when I ran out there and took on Slayer Inc.”
“But I could have stopped you…”
“No. You couldn’t have.” Sarah shakes her head. “Even if you wanted to.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I never told you my vampire power, bro. I guess I figured if you knew, you’d find a way to stop me from using it.”
“I don’t understand. What power? And how could it have made any difference?”
“Jareth, I can bend people’s wills,” she explains. “It’s something I’ve been able to do ever since I first turned into a vampire.” She shrugs sheepishly. “That night, well, I knew you’d go in there, fangs blazing, trying to take them all out yourself—even if it meant your own death. So I placed a hold on you. I suggested you stay in one place. I mean, you had all those other vampires in the Consortium to worry about. I couldn’t rightly let you sacrifice yourself for me.”
Jareth stares at her, shaking his head in disbelief. “So I didn’t leave you?”
“Not of your own free will, anyway. There was no way on Earth you could have resisted the power of my suggestion,” she assures him. She reaches out for her brother’s hands again, finding his eyes with her own cool green ones. “Jareth, you didn’t cause my death. I saved your life.”
Her admission is too much. Jareth bursts into tears. His sister climbs over to the couch and hugs him close, rubbing a reassuring hand up and down his back. “Oh, big brother,” she murmurs. “I’m so sorry I did that without telling you. I can’t believe you’ve been walking around all these years feeling guilty over something you didn’t do.” She pulls away, giving him a rueful smile. “Can you ever forgive me?”
He swallows hard, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Only if you forgive me first.”
“It’s a deal! Shake on it?” She holds out her hand. He grabs her into another hug.
“Oh, Sarah. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“No, big brother. Thank you. I’m just glad you don’t blame me for what I did. Now I don’t have to feel guilty, either.”
“I would never, ever blame you.”
As the siblings hug, I look over to the kitchen where Jareth’s mom and dad, who have come back in from outside, are both standing. Mom gives me a thumbs-up. I grin. Victory at last!
But just as I’m about to do a little dance of joy, a loud siren erupts over the chamber. What the… ? Jareth’s parents swing into action, checking the video monitors by the door then turning to us, unable to hide the panic on their faces.
“What is it?” I ask, my breath catching in my throat.
“Demon Patrol,” Jareth’s father announces grimly.
“Here?” Oh God. Not here. Not now. Not after we’re this close for a home-run-happily-ever-after ending. I glance over at Jareth, wide-eyed. How did they find us? And what are we going to do now?
“They must have followed us somehow,” Jareth says, rising to his feet, his face white and his hands clenched. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have come. We’ve put you all in danger.” He grabs me by the hand. “Come on, let’s go out the back door.”
“No, wait,” his father interrupts. He rushes to a nearby floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcase and pulls out a book, seemingly at random. The case swivels, revealing a small dark room beyond. “Get in,” he instructs. “You can hide there until they’re gone.”
“But—” Jareth starts to protest. But his sister cuts him off.
“You either do it of your own free will, or I’ll make you do it with my mind,” she informs him in a tight voice that leaves no room for argument.
Jareth bites his lower lip, thinking for a moment, then seems to make up his mind. “Okay,” he says, leaning down to step into the small chamber. “But I’m not staying here if things get bad.” He gestures to me. “Come on, Rayne.”
I don’t need a second invitation. As soon as I’m beyond the books, Jareth’s father replaces the tome and the bookcase slides shut again. We wait, holding our breaths in the darkness, as a loud, ugly voice echoes through the castle.
“We know you’re in there, so open up,” the demon leader demands. “Otherwise you will be charged with aiding and abetting the living, according to Edict 432543-2. You will surrender them—or be prepared to face the consequences of your disobedience.”
I look over at Jareth with anxious eyes. Even in the darkness, I can see his distraught face. “What are we going to do?” I whisper.
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