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I turned and leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek before taking my arm off her shoulder to gently wipe her tears. “For right now, you need to rest. You’re clearly exhausted.” She was clearly emotionally frayed as well. “I’ll see if Val has anything that’ll help, alright?”
Celeste sniffed, but eventually gave a nod, carefully easing herself back down into the bed. “Don’t be too long,” she whispered, turning away from me to curl around a pillow.
My wolf growled softly, furious to see her so vulnerable. “I won’t be,” I promised, and turned to see where my house witch had gone off to.
As I hurried downstairs to retrieve Val, I found Walter instead. He touched my elbow to stop me. “The members of the Orders of the Stars we sent to Abu Ghurab have been scouring the area,” he said quietly, inclining his head. “But thus far, they’ve been unable to find a trace of who was there, or where they disappeared. Delila thinks they cleared out before she’d arrived, ditching Celeste and the other witch.”
I hissed to myself.Another one of the Solar Sovereign’s tricks.I didn’t know how they did it, but they always managed to disappear without a single piece of evidence left behind. That itself was a calling card, though not a useful one from my perspective. I bristled, repulsed once more by my celestial rival using the woman I loved against me.Whatever you’ve done to her, youwillpay for it, I thought bitterly.
As much as I wanted to question Celeste about anything she might have seen or heard, I knew that must wait. “Did they find evidence of anyone else in the surrounding areas?”
Walter shook his head, looking disappointed. “No,” he said. “Wehavereceived more reports of shifters, vampires, and faefolk going missing after you asked me to alert other members of the Order. No one can confirm if any of these missing individuals are deceased, which I fear doesn’t bode well for us.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I growled. The eclipse was now less than three weeks away, and if they were disappearing in growing numbers, I had little doubt they were under recruitment. The possibility of coercion mattered less than the Solar Sovereign’s rising numbers.
I should’ve been looking forward to the total eclipse, when I’d finally be able to claim Celeste as my mate, when she tied her life force to mine. However, I was instead staring down an inevitable battle. The Solar Sovereign would make their play for power—and that would mean eliminating me in any way, shape, or form. They’d move after my allies, my home, the Order of the Stars, and anyone else who’d pledged their loyalty. The idea that so many could get hurt—or worse—was a weight that only grew heavier with time.
Worst of all, I would be at my weakest. I wouldn’t be able to protect them, and I wouldn’t be able to protect Celeste from whatever the Solar Sovereign had done to her. My wolf bristled, snarling and snapping as we just stood there, doing nothing to prevent this.
“I need to go for a run,” I told Walter, realizing I wouldn’t be able to hold my wolf’s baser impulses for much longer. The last thing I needed right now was to lose control. “Send Val to my room to tend to Celeste. I’ll be back soon.”
“Of course,” Walter said, turning to hurry back down the hall as I made a beeline for the door outside.
Chapter 2
Celeste
Fenris’s Private Villa
Isla Lobo, Panama
Time Until the Eclipse: 28 Days
“Knock knock!” I looked up at the sound of my best friend’s voice as someone rapped their knuckles against the bedroom door. “Can I come in, or are you twooccupied?”
I could practicallyhearthe way Abi wiggled her eyebrows and sighed. “Come on in,” I said. “It’s just me.”
I’d spent most of the past few days sleeping, as much as I’d have liked to practice honing my magic or researching the damn brand Zyanya seared into my flesh. It didn’t ache anymore, but it was all I could see whenever I glimpsed the mirror. I’d started avoiding looking at myself altogether. It didn’t help that Fenris had seemed distant over the past forty-eight hours, though I’d also have questions if he suddenly showed up with a weird mark on his chest he couldn’t talk about.
After all the progress we made talking about things, I bet he thinks I’m a big liar.I sank deep into my thoughts as Abi openedthe door and let herself in. She flounced across the room and flopped over next to me on the bed like she owned the place.
“Man,” she said, looking winded. I wrinkled my nose when I realized there was a slight sheen of sweat on her skin. “Grant just kicked myass. I mean, I know I asked him to teach me how to be a paranormal hunter, but for some reason, I didn’t think it would be such aworkout.”
I laughed. “What did you think it was going to be like?” Fenris had mentioned a Grant Oakley showing up sometime yesterday when I’d woken up between naps, but I clearly hadn’t registered that he was the same hunter who was mentoring Abi.
She shrugged as she propped herself back up. “I dunno, but it’sawesome. I’m going to be fit in, like, a matter of days. I can feel it.” She gave me a winning grin. “I’m gonna be such a badass. Well, at least once I stop getting my butt handed to me. He doesn’t seem to appreciate when I call him ‘sensei’ for some reason. Surely everyone’s seenThe Karate Kid,right?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t met the man, but the movie was iconic. “Maybe he’s just giving you a hard time,” I said, gently nudging my friend with my knee.
Abi snickered. “No one can do that. Look at this face!” She paused, making a silly face. “Hey, you should join in when you’re feeling better! It will be just like that time we took that 7 AM yoga class together in our senior year. I thought you were evil for making us get up that early, but honestly, it’s a really nice way to start the day.” Abi’s smile softened. “How are you feeling, anyways?”
I sighed. “I’m alright. Better than yesterday,” I said while looking down at my hands. It was true, if not the entire truth.
“Well, progress is progress!” she chirped. “What happened to you?”
I bit my lip. As if it sensed my wishes, the death mark on my chest felt tight. I could practically hear Zyanya’s words ringingin my ears. My heart rate soon picked up.Burnt from the inside out.
“Look, as much as I wish I could tell you, I just can’t,” I said.
