Free The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter Page B

painted on the walls. There were sitting rooms, game rooms, studies and even two libraries. It seemed impossible that these were all in the same house—and apparently only belonged to one boy who wasn’t much older than me, unless his parents lived here, too—but it never seemed to end.
    Finally we turned down another hall and entered a room that had dark green walls and gold trim. The furniture seemed more worn and comfortable here than in the other rooms, and Sofia directed me toward a black leather couch.
    “Sit, dear, and I’ll have someone bring you refreshments. Henry should be with you shortly.”
    I sat, not wanting her to leave me alone, but I could do this. I had to. Ava’s life was at stake, and this was the only chance I’d have to make this argument. If Henry wanted to keep me here, then fine. As long as he brought Ava back, I would do anything he wanted me to do, even if it meant spending the rest of my life behind the hedges. I pushed away what James had said in the car about Ava not being my mother. That wasn’t why I was here.
    But even as I thought it, I knew I was lying to myself. Wasn’t the mere possibility of Henry being able to save my mother—orsomehow save me from the pain of losing her—exactly why I was here? I would do everything I could to save Ava, but she’d been dead for hours, and the entire town knew. Henry would undoubtedly want a steeper price for bringing her back a second time, and no matter what brave face I put on, the thought of staying behind these hedges for the rest of my life terrified me. I’d meant what I’d said about doing everything I could to try to bring her back, but even if that was impossible like James had said, my mother wasn’t dead yet. There was still a chance Henry could do something to save her.
    I don’t know how long I sat there in silence, staring blankly at a bookcase full of leather-bound books. I went over my speech in my head, making sure everything I wanted to say was there. He had to listen to me, didn’t he? Even if he didn’t want to do it, if I talked long enough, he had to at least hear me. I had to try.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Henry standing in the doorway, holding a tray laden with food. My fingers dug into the sofa, and all of the words I’d practiced flew out of my head.
    “Kate,” he said in a low, pleasant voice. Stepping inside, he set the tray on the coffee table in front of me and sat on the sofa across from me.
    “H-Henry,” I said, hating myself for stuttering. “We need to talk.”
    He inclined his head, as if silently giving me permission to speak. I opened and shut my mouth, not knowing what to say. While he waited, he poured us both a cup of tea. I’d never had tea in a china cup before.
    “I’m sorry,” I said. My throat was dry. “For not listening to you yesterday, I mean. I wasn’t thinking, and I didn’t think youwere serious. My mom’s really sick, and I just—please. I’m here. I’ll stay. I’ll do whatever you want. Just bring Ava back.”
    He sipped his tea and motioned for me to take mine. I did so with shaking hands.
    “She’s seventeen,” I said, my voice growing more desperate by the word. “She shouldn’t have to miss out on her whole life just because of my stupid mistake.”
    “It wasn’t your mistake.” He set his cup down and focused on me. His eyes were still the same bizarre shade of moonlight, and I squirmed under the intensity of his stare. “Your friend made her choice when she decided to jump into the river and abandon you. I do not hold you accountable for your friend’s death. You shouldn’t either.”
    “You don’t understand. I didn’t know that you were serious. I didn’t get it. I didn’t know she’d really die—I thought you were kidding, or…I don’t know. Not kidding, but something. I didn’t know you could do that, and now that I do—please. She doesn’t deserve to die for making a few mistakes.”
    “And you do not deserve to