“Oh, is this one of those mom emergencies where you better grab a green juice moments?”
“No,” I said too quickly. “It’s nothing, just, maybe a little warm out here.”
“Your mom’s in perimenopause,” Skye told her, and I glared at her as Keegan pressed his lips together to keep from laughing.
“Thanks, I’m fine.”
I scanned the street, eyes sharp, searching for anything out of place. No shadows where they shouldn’t be. No figures in cloaks. No shimmer in the air that might signal a breach or a threat.
But the mark continued to warm, but it wasn’t in warning, more like an invitation.
Keegan stepped beside me, his gaze following mine. “It’s pulling you.”
“Toward the Butterfly Ward,” I whispered. “I can feel it.”
“That’s not a good sign.”
“I know.”
But I didn’tfeeldanger. Not exactly. It was more like the Academy was calling me home. Or trying to. Urgently.
And yet, Celeste was here. Skye, waddling blissfully down the lane beside her, humming about lemon scones. I couldn’t just vanish into the mist and leave them in the middle of a town they didn’t even know was magical.
I turned in a slow circle, heart pounding.
And that’s when I saw her.
Nova.
Walking across the square with her arms full of papers and a tote bag that looked like it could hold a small dragon. Her hair was pinned up in its usual slightly chaotic twist, and shewas talking animatedly to someone who had already peeled off toward the apothecary.
I didn’t hesitate.
“Come with me,” I told the others, cutting across the square.
Keegan followed instantly. Celeste and Skye, curious but amused, trailed behind with soft chuckles aboutMom on a mission.
“Nova!” I called out, lifting my hand.
She turned at once, her posture shifting as she caught sight of me. And then she saw my face.
Her brows pinched. “What happened?”
I stopped in front of her, dropping my voice. “My mark is warm. The Butterfly Ward is calling me.”
Nova didn’t miss a beat. She scanned the town square, then looked at Celeste, and back at me.
“You can’t take them with you.”
“I know.”
“You can’t leave them unguarded either.”
“Exactly.”
Nova’s gaze softened, the wheels clearly turning.
Then she straightened. “I can take them.”
