The Alchemy of Forever Read Online Free PDF

wallpaper, and dim rose-colored bulbs flicker in copper sconces. At the top a long hallway leads us to our destination. Jared and Amelia stand guard outside but move aside to let us pass. I float by them on a nervous cloud. Amelia gives me a strange look, as though she can see deep inside me, her avian eyes wary and her head cocked to the side. I want to say I’ll miss her, but it is actually a relief to know that I will soon be free of her.
    Claudia and Cyrus enter the lounge, and I close the heavy walnut door behind us, locking it. Cyrus is surprised—I know he wants it open for Jared and Amelia in case anything goes wrong—but he doesn’t say anything.
    “It’s beautiful,” Claudia says breathlessly, taking in the walls made of milky green glass, backlit by twinkling lights. The ceiling is covered with gossamer fabric, billowing softly in the breeze wafting in from the open balcony doors. This private room with its balcony is exactly why I asked Cyrus to hold my party here.
    “Glad you like.” Cyrus’s voice is slightly slurred as he steers her toward a cluster of couches and sits down. He rubs his eyes as if to clear his vision. I take a nervous gulp of air and hand Claudia a glass of absinthe, trying to find a comfortable position on the pillows piled on the floor. I try not to look at the balcony doors. Even in his impaired state, I’m terrified that Cyrus can read my intentions. My good-bye note feels heavy in my pocket.
    “So, Claudia, tell me about yourself. You’re not from San Francisco, are you?” I lace my fingers together to keep from tapping them impatiently. Cyrus’s wine is half gone.
    “No,” she replies. “I am from Munich.”
    “Traveling with friends?” I ask.
    “Oh no, traveling alone. I adore it. I’ve been all over, but San Francisco is an amazing city. That’s why I want to get a job here, so I can stay.”
    Even though Claudia will ultimately survive the night, rage courses through me. Cyrus knows my one criterion—that I only take bodies ready for death, either physically or spiritually. But Claudia is clearly healthy and happy and looking forward to her future. She is alone and beautiful—all that Cyrus needs to know to decide she deserves death.
    Cyrus, pale and with dilated pupils, shoots me a smile devoid of any trace of remorse. I close my eyes for a moment, willing myself not to give in to the anger that’s sparking in my heart.
    Claudia smiles shyly. “So tell me about the photo shoot.” She crosses her legs and touches her hair. “I have done some modeling.”
    I stand up, needing to dispel my anger somehow, and the effort causes the room to swim briefly in misty gray. I walk slowly over to the bar, feeling their eyes on my back. I pull a bottle of water out of the minifridge. “The shoot, right.” My voice sounds thick. “It’s an editorial piece. It should feel like a fairy tale.”
    “Like Snow White?” she asks. “That is my favorite story.”
    I glance at Cyrus. “You remember that story. Is it like that?” I ask him.
    His expression is dreamy. “The wicked queen demands Snow White’s heart,” he whispers, and something snaps inside of me. I walk over to the leaf-green sofa where he sits.
    “But she doesn’t get it!” I say. “Snow White tricks her and sends her the heart of a deer instead.”
    He sees my rage, but just smiles and drains his glass in one swallow. Suddenly I realize just how much I’m going to enjoy what’s about to happen.
    One, I count silently.
    His eyes, which had begun to close, fly open, and his hand snakes out and grabs my wrist.
    “What’s going on?” asks Claudia.
    Two.
    I lean close to Cyrus, ignoring the pain in my wrist. “She doesn’t deserve to die. None of them did.”
    “Sera?” His voice is weak and his grip on my wrist loosens.
    “Good-bye,” I answer.
    Three .
    His eyelids flutter, then close, as he slumps forward. I plunge my hand into my dress and pull out the note, slipping it into his pants