He stroked her cheek and lifted her chin.
“Cobon aims to kill you. Soon.”
Her heart hit the basement again.
“I know you’re afraid,” he said gently. “And you should be. If I’m to save you, I have to release your energy to him, and the pain will be excruciating.”
Excruciating. She let the word sink in, and her blood ran cold. “I don’t understand it, Asher.”
He tilted his head and placed his hand over her heart.
“Your body and soul are bound.” He flipped his hand over and stroked her with his knuckles.
“The energy that binds them resonates and was collared in the instant your mother gave you her necklace. Cobon needs that energy—yourenergy—to bring to fruition a centuries-old design. The black rock will open a gateway. Through that gateway, the Envoys will go home.”
He stroked her cheek again.
“I can hold your soul, release your energy, and rebind your soul and your body with a different energy. The Envoys will leave this place, but I will stay. With you.”
Even though she already knew all this, hearing it out loud and in no uncertain terms shocked her brain. It took a few seconds to reestablish the gray matter-to-mouth link. All the while, Asher gazed intensely into her eyes, gauging her reaction. Finally, like a car engine in the winter, her brain revved and sputtered and finally spit out a thought.
“He’s already waited centuries. Why can’t he wait another fifty years?”
“He’s gone mad.”
“Oh.”Like you.
“He wishes to speak with you. Tomorrow.”
Asher regarded her carefully. Frankly, she was still shell-shocked from Fin’s cruelness, the possibility that Asher could control her thoughts, and now the emotionless explanation of why exactly he wanted to rip her soul out. She couldn’t register any more shock, so she went with it.
“What time?” That was the normal thing to ask, right?
“Evening. He’s invited us for dinner.”
Hailey pushed him away. The arctic air assaulted her skin.
“I thought you said you hadn’t spoken to him!” she yelled. Guess her holy-crap-meter wasn’t pegged after all.
“I hadn’t.” He said it coolly and offered his hand again. As it hung between them, he explained, “He beckoned me from the ball. That’s why I left you.”
Oh. It was ten below outside his warmth, and she accepted his hand, letting him pull her close and out of the frigid night.
“You eat dinner?” For some reason she found the thought amusing, and she shook her head, stifling what would otherwise be a welcome grin.
“No, I don’t eat dinner,” he said smiling back at her. “Butyoudo. And you need to rest. You’re exhausted.”
He led her back to the dorm with his arm around her shoulder, his hand gripping her upper arm and her body pulled close.
“You haven’t taught me to use my gift,” she said, looking up at him. Maybe he regretted giving it to her. “I gotta tell ya, I don’t feel any different… Haven’t seen any evil coming…or heard any…discord...”
She remembered her premonition dream. “Although…”
Asher’s eyes darkened. “What is it?”
“I had a premonition dream. Weeks ago.” She looked up at him. He waited to hear more. “You and Fin were…arguing, like usual…”
“Arguing about what?” he asked forcefully, but she couldn’t help get the impression he already knew.
