Burning with impatience, I type a quick note into my father’s phone, and we head out.
Only then do I notice that the guard booth is empty.
"Where are the guards?" I ask, a bit stunned.
"No idea," Moon throws over his shoulder. "When we got here, nobody was inside."
When we climb into Luca’s SUV and pull away, I try to focus on what I need to do, but it's as if my mind is a beehive.
"How far?" My voice is tight with urgency.
Moon studies me, then says, "About an hour. Snow, listen carefully. Luca can’t help you once we get there. You’ll have to do this on your own, completely in the dark. Like I told you on the phone a few days ago, none of my visions cover this period."
"Wait. Then why did you even come here?"
"Simple. I couldn’t reach Summer all morning. I had a bad feeling."
"All morning?! How long have we been out? What day is it?"
I glance at my phone and freeze.
I’ve been unconscious for twenty-four hours!
What about Summer and my dad? Are they still unconscious too? Or awake—and in what state?
"How the hell did you wake me up?" I ask, suspicion prickling as my head buzzes strangely.
Moon jerks his chin toward Luca.
"We tried a few things, actually. We even tried using Luca’s talent!" He chuckles. "He can reset short-term memory or do a few other tricks, let’s call them that. One of the side effects is that it helps wake people after they’ve been knocked out. But it was a mix of several things that finally restarted you."
I take a deeper breath, trying to steady myself. In truth, I’m beyond grateful that Moon came, because I can’t sense Summer’s location at all, not after what happened to our souls when we saved Winter.
My nerves are shredded just imagining what Summer might be facing now, what Rocco could do.
Luca seems to read my thoughts. Suddenly he says,
"Rocco’s been obsessed with Summer from the start. Not just for his power. You should prepare yourself for the worst." He meets my eyes in the rearview mirror.
The look says it all. I don’t answer. I know exactly what he’s warning me about.
Rocco’s favorite ‘tactic’.
And I know one thing: Although I’ve rarely harbored violent thoughts and have never wanted to cause anyone pain, for the first time I’m ready to do so.
Moon turns toward me, studying my face before he finally speaks.
"I wish I could help you. I wish I had something from my visions to guide you, some direction to give, but the truth is…" He cuts himself off. "My power has limits. I haven’t seen anything connected to this situation, it’s almost like something is blocking it. I don’t know why, it feels as if there’s a literal tear in time distorting everything."
A cold shiver runs down my body, like the sting of an icy needle grazing my skin.
"I did something… something very risky," I admit.
Moon’s gaze sharpens, locking on me. Even Luca glances at me through the rearview mirror.
"I had a rare opportunity to make something happen for him…"
Moon stares at me with an almost obsessive intensity, his eyes so much like Summer’s that they make me uneasy.
