Horror rose within me. “We’re going to do this. You said the full moon is tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Then, we do it tonight.”
“We have tomorrow night too—”
"You all are close to getting your father's location. For all we know, you all may leave tomorrow. I want you protected. I want all the magic that we can figure out and muster. I want to do the Burial Ritual and any other ritual that's out there." I took a breath. "I'll fucking bleed on your guns. I'll bleed on your knives. I just want you coming back to me."
He sat up too and ran his fingers through his hair. “What if there are other consequences?”
“What if there are other gifts?”
He blinked.
“Shoot. Maybe a tiger-shadow comes out of me and now I come to the battle too and fuck everybody up along with you all.”
A sad smile spread across his face. “Tiger-shadow or not, I would never let you come.”
“That wouldn’t be your decision.”
“Actually, it would. You may not know this, but. . .I’m considered a pretty important person on this island.”
“Well. . .” I shrugged. “I’ve never heard of you.”
“Tora. . .” He stared at me and fear rose in his eyes. “Doing this. . .scares me.”
I blinked.
“I could cut myself, jump into danger. I can risk my life, butyourlife. . .it’s too important. And we have to think about the fact that our child can be growing within your womb right now—”
“Kenji, I’m not pregnant. So, let’s just calm down with that—”
“You might be—”
“I’m not. It’s called birth control.”
He frowned. “We should talk about you stopping whatever birth control you’re on too.”
“How about we talk about thatafterthe Burial Ritual, the DNA test, and you know what else?”
He quirked his brows. “What?”
“The war, Kenji. Perhaps, let’s put all your focus on winning the war before bringing in kids.”
His frown deepened.
On the night stand, his phone rang.
Sighing, he leaned that way, picked it up, and answered. “Yes?”
He listened intently for a few minutes and then he nodded. “Get everyone into the War Room.”
I raised my eyebrows as he set the phone down. “What’s going on?”
“We finally have my father’s location.”
Chapter twenty-two
