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“We’re doing it now.” I shake my head, then rub my palms over my face. “Fuck, Kole, I heard the voice. I know Nova wants this but…” I meet his eyes and stare deep into them. “Will Tanner be okay? Have you seen what happens?”

Kole sighs heavily. His tattooed upper arms, visible from beneath his black t-shirt, twitch as he clenches his fists. “Tanner will be okay,” he says.

I move closer, studying his face in the eerie light of the moon.

“I am telling the truth,” he says bluntly. “Tanner will survive the jump. I’m not sure what it will do to him, but I know he’ll survive.”

I want to ask why he’s able to tell me this but couldn’t tell us about Sam, but I don’t. Seer laws are complex, and I won’t even try to pretend I understand them.

“Alright then,” I tell him. Clearly, neither of us is going to mention the fact that Tanner surviving isn’t necessarily a good thing if he ends up completely fucked up. The way he was when we first found him. Or worse. “Mack wants us all there.”

Kole nods solemnly. “After you,” he says, motioning to the rocky path that leads down the side of the falls back to the lake.

When we reach the bottom, the others are waiting. Nova is moving from foot to foot as if she’s standing on hot coals. Tanner is in the distance, stock still, face tilted toward the moon. Mack is sitting on the upturned log, staring out at the lake.

“We’re here,” I announce, even though they know that already. “Is Tanner ready?”

Mack looks over at him. He’s still staring up at the moon. I move toward Nova and put my arm around her in an attempt to ease her jumpiness.

“Did anyone bring a knife?” I ask, the question sticky and uncomfortable in my mouth.

“A knife?” Nova swallows hard.

“It’ll need to be more than a pin-prick this time,” Kole says darkly. “Not like in the cellar.”

Nova’s fingers move to the scar on her upper arm. The one we all know Johnny gave her but haven’t dared to imagine how or why. “I’m not sure I can let you cut me like that.” She shudders and curls her arms around her own waist.

“Alright, we don’t need to use a knife.” Kole moves slowly toward her. I step away, allowing them to move into each other’s orbit. Barely an inch away from him, Nova inhales sharply—I can practically hear the power of the bond they share throbbing on her skin. Kole runs his tongue over his teeth. “Did you ever wonder how I was able to puncture your skin so easily?”

Nova stares up at him, her eyes moving to his half-open mouth.

“My teeth were shaped when I was with the League.” Slowly, as if he’s worried he might startle her, Kole brushes her damp hair from her shoulder and runs his index finger down her neck. “Do you still trust me?” he asks, his dark eyes boring into hers.

She breathes in, her chest rising slowly. There is a stretched moment of silence between them then she closes her eyes and nods. “Yes, I do.”

Kole’s features twitch. His eyes soften, and a low rumble comes from deep in his throat before he says, “Then I will bite, and Tanner will drink. No knife.” He takes his hand away from her, even though it’s obvious that everything in his body is telling him to keep her close.

Nova’s fingers brush Kole’s upper arm. “Okay,” she says. “I’m okay with that.”

From a little way down the beach, Tanner calls, “I’m ready.”

24

NOVA

Luther lights a fire on the beach by the lake, and we sit in a semi-circle around it. After hearing the voice for himself, he seems to have accepted what’s about to happen, but I can tell he is still worried.

“She’ll be safe, won’t she?” he asks Kole.

Before Kole can answer, I squeeze Luther’s hand. “All Tanner needs is my blood. He’s the one who’s at risk, not me.” I stroke his palm with my index finger. I know he’s remembering Thessaly’s vision. I know he’s thinking of The Original Six and their pain at losing Ava. But I am not Ava, and I’m not going anywhere.

Angling myself toward Kole, I brush my hair from my neck and tell him, “Go ahead.”

He is kneeling, scratching his thighs with his fingernails. For the second time, a low rumble comes from deep in his chest. He moistens his lower lip and his eyes darken.

“Kole, can you do this?” Tanner asks. “The Hunger is strong right now. Are you sure you can?”

Flashing his eyes at Tanner, Kole snaps, “No blade will touch her skin. I will do it.” Then he wraps a bulky arm around my waist and pulls me toward him.