I shook my head. “No. That felt different. This is... personal. It’s like it knows me. Just like the darkness in the elven realm knew Crispin.”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “The darkness is sentient. We’ve known that from the beginning. But this is something more. It’s forming a connection with you specifically.”
“What are you suggesting?” Gabriel asked, his voice low and dangerous.
“I’m suggesting that every time Eva absorbs darkness, she’s not just containing it—she’s allowing it to bond with her,” Sebastian finished. “And I think it’s getting stronger with each event.”
I pushed away from Gabriel’s chest, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. “So what are you saying? That I should just let the darkness run rampant through the realms?”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Sebastian countered, his voice softening slightly. “I’m saying we need to understand what’s happening to you. What this darkness truly is.”
Gabriel shifted beside me. “Perhaps we should consult with Mistral. His connection to wild magic might give us better insight.”
I shook my head. I was doing a lot of that lately. “We don’t have time to figure this out. We’re supposed to meet with Penelope and Varian tomorrow morning. If we cancel now, Penelope will make things even worse. She’s been waiting for this pathway for who knows how long.”
“Your safety matters more than her impatience,” Gabriel said firmly.
Needing to dosomething, I stood on wobbly legs, wrapping the towel tightly around me. “We don’t even know what thismeans yet. The darkness spoke to me, yes, but it didn’t hurt me. It just... talked.” Okay so I was also freezing, but I didn’t necessarily think that was intentional and more just a side effect of the darkness’ presence.
“And you find that reassuring?” Sebastian’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“No,” I admitted, wrapping my arms tighter around myself. “But I don’t think we should panic and change all our plans based on one weird conversation with a shadow monster.”
“Twoweird conversations,” Sebastian countered.
Gabriel stood, towering over me. “Eva, we can’t just focus on the pathways. We need to figure out what’s happening to you.”
I looked down at my hands, half-expecting to see darkness swirling beneath my skin. “Whatever is happening, I’m not going to let the darkness harm this realm or any others.”
Standing near my back, Gabriel looked beyond me toward Sebastian. “Talk some sense into her.”
“I don’t need to talk sense into her,” Sebastian said, his voice dropping to that dangerous, silky tone that made my skin prickle. “She’s already decided, and nothing we say will change her mind.”
Gabriel’s jaw tightened. “So we just continue on as if nothing happened? As if she isn’t being consumed by some unknown force?”
“I didn’t say that.” Sebastian moved closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “But telling Eva what she can and can’t do has never worked for either of us, has it?”
I felt caught between them, the towel still my only protection against the chill that had nothing to do with the room’s temperature. “I’m not being consumed,” I said, though my voice lacked conviction.
“Really?” Sebastian’s eyes flashed. “Then explain why your bathwater turned black. Explain why the darkness spoke with your voice.”
“I can’t explain it,” I admitted, frustration making my voice sharp. “But postponing the pathways won’t fix anything. My mom doesn’t have all the time in the world.”
Gabriel stepped forward, his massive frame suddenly filling the space between Sebastian and me. “Arguing is pointless. We must be practical.”
“Practical?” Sebastian’s laugh was cold. “That’s rich coming from you. You’ve been hovering over her since day one, treating her like she’ll break if you look away for five minutes.”
“She almost died in that bath!” Gabriel’s voice rose, his calm demeanor cracking. “If you hadn’t checked on her—“
“If I hadn’t checked on her, you would have,” Sebastian snapped back. “We both felt the shift in her magic.”
I stepped between them, the towel clutched to my chest. “Stop it. Both of you.”
They barely acknowledged me, continuing their standoff over my head.
“You’ve always been reckless with her,” Gabriel growled. “Pushing her to use the vortex, encouraging her to take risks—“
“And you’ve been smothering her,” Sebastian countered.
