Chapter 2

2

I didn't wait for Caleb to speak. I walked straight to the bathroom.

The mirror didn't lie. My skin looked horrific.

But these scales were my heritage. They were the source of a power Caleb couldn't imagine.

I touched the ridges on my face. They were hardening into scabs, preparing to fall off and reveal the skin of a deity.

I just needed a few more days. Then, I would make them all pay.

I took a breath and headed back toward the lounge, but I stopped at the door.

"Caleb, you don't actually love that freak, do you?" Reid's voice drifted through the gap.

"Don't be disgusting," Caleb snapped. "I'm doing this for Elowen."

Reid sighed. "Right. Everyone knows you hiked to the mountain top on your knees just to pray for her soul."

Caleb sighed, his voice full of fake holiness. "If it weren't for that accident three years ago, Elowen would be here."

"Since she died, you've been acting like a monk," Reid said. "I was happy you were getting married, but to that thing?"

"I'm marrying her to take her heart," Caleb said coldly.

"Ancient texts say the heart of a Serpent Daughter can bring someone back to life. But her blood is too cold."

"It needs to be mixed with the essence of a man first, or Elowen's soul won't survive the transition."

Reid burst out laughing. "Man, you're dedicated. But why do it yourself? Just pay some homeless guy to do the job."

"She's got a nice body. Wrap a bag over her head and throw her under a bridge. Plenty of guys would take a turn."

Caleb actually sounded like he was considering it. "You have a point."

I kicked the door open, my heart burning with fury. Caleb's expression shifted instantly.

"Baby, come sit down," he said, acting like the perfect fiancé.

I forced a smile. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing important," he lied. "There's a family dinner in a few days. Invite your parents so we can finalize the wedding."

I agreed, hiding the poison in my heart. In my last life, Caleb's family treated my parents like stray dogs.

My family wasn't as rich as the Sterlings, but we held our own. My parents only agreed to the marriage because I threatened to end my life.

My mom offered our family's mining business as a dowry. My dad drank himself into a hospital bed just to please Caleb's father.

Even then, Caleb's mother just sneered at us. She called me a whore who trapped her son.

"I'll tell my parents. I should go now," I said.

Caleb looked at me suspiciously. "You seem different today. Is everything okay?"

I didn't look at him. I was afraid I would kill him right there.

"I'm fine," I whispered. "See you tomorrow, Caleb."