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Celeste shrugged a shoulder. “Not that long. I was hanging out with Abi earlier. I waited for the moon to get up in the sky before I came out.”
I frowned. “I don’t want you burning yourself out. Do not work too hard, Celeste.”
She raised a brow. “Fenris, there is no room to take it easy right now. Your fate is, quite literally, in my hands. If I mess this up…or if I do everything right, but I’m not strong enough…” Celeste cut herself off and shook her head.
“Celeste…”
She held up one finger. “Everything is much easier for me under the full moon. Smoother, even.” She raised an eyebrow, even as the corner of her mouth twitched. “Trust me to know my own limits. I know what it feels like when I’ve gone too far—and that takes time to recover from. I won’t take that same risk.”
“Alright,” I said, making myself comfortable. “Well, I’ll stop interrupting you, then.”
“Thanks.” Celeste chuckled. “Here, this is something else I saw and wanted to try. Check it out.”
I sat up a little straighter, content to watch my mate. Even as she took the time to center herself before the magic began, I couldn’t help but think of how beautiful she was. The way the moonlight caught her dark hair, the curve of her neck as she looked up and smiled. I could live in this moment forever.
“Ah!”
Celeste’s cry of pain made my blood run cold. I was on my feet within seconds, springing across the sand to catch her before she hit the ground. She cried out again, clutching her hands as she crumpled forward, supported only by me as I slowly lowered her down.
I recognized the distant look on her face at once—she was having a waking vision. My heart swam in my chest as I gently held her. All I could do was ensure she was safe until the moment passed. I didn’t dare wake her.
When she gasped and sat up blinking only moments later, I hugged her against my chest. “Are you alright?” I asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “What did you see?”
She jolted and looked up at me with wild eyes. “It was Lyka,” she said, almost breathless. “He’s in danger, Fenris.”
“What?” I felt like I’d swallowed my tongue. “What do you mean?”
Instead of explaining, I felt her reach out to me mentally. I forced myself to relax my barriers and received an image from her mind’s eye. It was my brother, walking himself out to the ocean. His expression was blank, seemingly indifferent to the wave smashing into him and knocking him down. He didn’t even try to stand up.
“He’s going to drown,” she said with a gasp.
“Shit.” I felt like someone had just removed me from my own body as I took a step back, shoving my hand into my pocket as I fumbled for my phone. I needed to call Delila at once. I needed to get to Lyka’s island. I had no idea if she’d even answer, but I had to try. I had to get to him.
Celeste was getting to her feet and setting her jaw.
“What are you—Celeste!”
I recognized the feeling of the dark magic more than the sight of it. I’d never thought I’d see her perform it. Here was a dangerous slope I’d seen more than one witch slide down in my lifetime. My eyes widened, and for a moment, just a moment, I’d forgotten what she’d just shown me.
I reached for her wrist. “Celeste, don’t.”
“We need to gonow,” she replied as she stepped out of reach. “I don’t have time for your lecture.” She scowled fiercely at me. “I need your blood to reach the island,” she said before removing one of the studs from her ear.
I hissed, but took the stud and poked my thumb with it before holding it out to her. She swept her fingertips over the shimmering blob of silver and whispered something under her breath. Her eyes closed, and I wondered, for a moment, if it would work.
A second later, unbearable cold fell on us, and then the darkness swallowed us up. I forced myself not to panic. My wolf howled and writhed against the unnatural feeling of dark magic, but when I opened my eyes again, we were on new sand. I didn’t need to look to know my brother wasn’t far off.
I was on all four paws without another word, charging down the length of the beach before I found Lyka. I bounded in, clawing my way past the waves as I grabbed him in my jaws. The waves were still pummeling him, but he did nothing to stop it, still unresponsive as I dragged him back toward dry land. As soon as my paws hit the sand, I shifted back to my human form so I could carry him in my arms.
He is so light.
“Celeste!” When she didn’t answer right away, I stopped walking and glanced around. “Celeste!”
Lyka didn’t even stir as I shouted. I turned, realizing Celeste had managed to get a few feet from where we’d appeared on the island before she’d seemingly passed out. “Shit.”
I fumbled with Lyka and fished my phone back out of my pocket. “Call Walter,” I commanded, barely able to bark the orders with the phone pressed to my ear. Thankfully, Walter understood the urgency—I would apologize for my curt replies later. Time was of the essence.
“I’ll send your nearest allies immediately,” he said as I carried Lyka further toward the tree line. “What are we doing with Lyka?”
