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Her eyes slid to Aneurin’s journal a few feet away. “But history repeating itself, I might believe in that.” She gently placed the diadem back onto the table. “Kai has his own theory that Deimos may be heading towards the same fate that Phobos was dealt and that we—we’re supposed to stop it.”
Jonah’s features paled, roiling guilt in her gut. “I figured everything was connected, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be in that way.”
Isla hummed in agreement. “It’s all been so strange with the Wilds lately, and everything sounds so eerily similar to what you said Aneurin went through against the Imperial Alpha back then.”
“I almost wish Kai would catch whoever killed his family so we could get answers from them more than justice. Though I’m sure everyone would want their head on a spike immediately if Kai even gives them a chance to draw a breath when he gets them.”
Isla’s stomach hollowed, and the rich brew suddenly tasted like ash. The image that flashed through her mind made bile crawl up her throat. But it wasn’t Kai seeking revenge on her mother, it was himnot.It was others learning the truth, her mother in chains and hauled out as an alpha killer before a bloodthirsty crowd.
Her features strained to remain impassive while Jonah continued, “I mean, they gave us all of this: the journal, diadem, dagger, markers, and they communicated with us through all these symbols. They could probably answer all of this. They have that last piece we’re missing. They’re clearly lingering around Deimos. Maybe you and Kai should talk about putting more resources into tracking them down.”
Isla’s hands dropped to her lap, her fingernails gauging so deep into her palms she felt the wetness of her blood. “I don’t think they’ll be much help.”
It was such an illogical claim that Jonah’s brows drew together, and he observed her with concern. “Why not?”
“Have you ever heard of something called the dark moon?”
Jonah took a large gulp from his mug, finally opting to sit. His analyzing eye still bore holes into her. “Never in my life.”
This would be a pretty good distraction, then.
Isla breathed, relaxing her hands as she began to explain everything Adrien had mentioned about the moon and its effects. Jonah’s hand moved so fast, writing it all down, that she was surprised smoke hadn’t flown off the page. She kept Cassius wanting Kai dead vague enough that she didn’t need to dig into Kai’s power or anything regarding Raana.
When she’d finished, Jonah remained silent. For five seconds, ten, twenty—
“You know how my face sometimes makes you nervous?” Isla traced anxious circles along the table’s surface. “You quietmakes me nervous.”
Jonah still didn’t speak, though; he only took a seat and flipped through Aneurin’s journal, riddled with folded pieces of paper containing the shopkeeper’s own notes.
“What’s bothering you?” Isla asked.
“All of it.”
Isla didn’t have it in her to laugh. Her anxious movements moved up a notch with the tapping of her foot. “What’s bothering youmost?”
“That something like this exists and that the Imperial Alpha is the only one who knows about it.”
“Well, now we do.”
“But we’re likely missing the part that can actually be weaponized.”
Isla pursed her lips. “Most likely.”
Jonah kept flipping, grumbling about needing a better tabbing system for himself. “Do you know how rare auroras are in Deimos?”
Isla lifted her brows. Why had they ended up here? “Extremely?”
“It’s never happened before. At least not in any of the written records I’ve combed through these past few days—here.” Finally, he reached what he’d been looking for and cursed in relief. His finger pressed down on the page riddled with ink. “My translation isn’t great, but Aneurin talks about seeingskylightswith Saoirse and calling it a ‘Goddess’s beckon’. I wondered if it was the same.”
Isla had heard and seen in the papers that some had called the aurora a blessing. A sign that her and Kai’s reign was about to be something “special” and “Goddess-blessed.”
Lucky them.
She hadn’t particularly given it much thought. Her greatest concern at that moment had been getting Kai to calm down, and then it had been about Eli’s death and tracing his killer.
But even with the aurora being brought up again, she found her mind tugged elsewhere. “Who’s Saoirse?” She hadn’t realized she’d reached towards the dagger again until she felt the dull buzz of it along her fingers.
“His mate. Phobos’s luna.”
