Page 91 of Moonlight & Mayhem

“I’m serious,” she said.

“So am I,” he insisted.

“The night root makes him vulnerable,” Morrigan said.

Moon stepped closer to him. “Then we stay together.”

Morrigan’s eyes moved to their joined hands. “If they complete the transfer⁠—”

“They won’t,” Moon insisted.

“You don’t understand.”

Moon had heard enough of that phrase tonight. “Then make me understand.” Morrigan hesitated, and Moon’s temper snapped. “No more riddles. No more half-truths. No more telling me there are things I don’t understand and expecting me to follow you anyway.” She stepped closer. “You knew my mother. You knew what happened to her. You knew they were coming for me, and you still showed up at my clubhouse expecting me to blindly trust you.” Morrigan lowered her gaze, and Moon continued. “My mother spent her life hiding this place from me. If I’m going back there, I want to know exactly what they intend to do.”

Morrigan was quiet for several seconds, and then she nodded. “The ritual requires three things.”

Moon waited. “The Silver Healer, the carrier—Mayhem.”

Moon’s fingers tightened around his. “And the third?”

“The Hollow itself,” Morrigan said.

Christmas frowned. “Meaning?”

“The ritual chamber beneath the settlement.” Morrigan looked toward the mountain. “The first healer’s blood is sealed beneath it. The elders believe Moon’s blood will awaken what remains.”

“How?” Moon asked.

“They’ll bleed you over the seal,” she said. Mayhem growled, actually growled, and Morrigan looked at him.

“They’ll use the night root inside you to force the bond open.”

Moon’s stomach twisted. “And transfer it into me.”

“Yes,” Morrigan said.

“What happens then?” Moon asked.

“You become connected to the Hollow,” Morrigan explained.

“And what happens to Mayhem?” Morrigan didn’t answer quickly enough, and Moon knew.

“No, I won’t let that happen,” she insisted.

Mayhem’s hand tightened. “Moonlight.”

She looked at Morrigan. “What happens to him?”

“The carrier dies,” she said.

Mayhem shrugged. “Figured.”

Moon spun toward him. “Do not say that.”

“Say what?” he asked.

“Don’t stand there like it’s acceptable to be fine with dying,” she said.