19
Kassius
When I opened my eyes, a circle of fox shifters surrounded me with curious, wide eyes, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Personal space, guys,” I said.
They shuffled back.
“What happened?” James demanded. “You spaced out and none of us knew what to do.”
I touched my forehead. “It was Halo. He contacted me somehow, through a mental link.”
“The connection between fated mates,” Luce said softly.
“I guess so.”
James looked impatient. “Well? What did he say?”
“He’s safe,” I said, and the foxes let out a collective sigh of relief. “But he’s still caged up. He says Zenon isn’t hurting him, but I still don’t like it. We have a new problem, though.”
They hung on to my every word.
“Halo says… he wants to wait,” I said.
“What?” James uttered, his eyes wide in disbelief. “But why?”
“It’s his magic. The pregnancy makes it stronger.” I gestured to the Cinderhollow barrier, barely visible as it shimmered above us. “He doesn’t want to be rescued. It’s too passive. He wants to save himself, with our help.”
James’s brows knit together. “What does that mean for us, then?”
“Three months. He wants us to wait three months,” I told them. “He said that would give him enough time to regain his magical energy.”
“He’s putting himself at risk,” Luce said uneasily.
“At risk? This is total bullshit!” James cried. “You can’t seriously agree with this, can you, Kassius?”
I put my hand to my forehead. “You know what, honestly? No. But Halo needs this.”
“What do you mean?” James asked.
“He needs to be in control of his own fate,” I explained. “He… He was right about a lot of things in the past, and during that time I just didn’t listen. But he needs me to listennow. And that’s all I can do for him.” I faced the foxes. “I know it might not make sense to you all, but it makes sense to Halo, and I need to hand over the power to him. He needs this.”
James still seemed unsure but he shrugged. “Okay. If you say so.”
“If anyone can keep himself safe with his magic, it’s the Golden Dragon,” the other omega named Halo piped up. He wore a look of proud determination, like he was honored to share his name with someone so brave.
The foxes hadn’t been quite as shocked as I expected when James and I explained that the omega by my side was none other than the legendary Halo Fire-Eater. I figured they must have suspected it on some level.
“You’re right,” Luce agreed.
“If he’s safe like he says he is, and Zenon really isn’t hurting him, then I guess three months isn’t that long,” James mumbled. “That would give us time to prepare, too.”
“You’re right,” I agreed, looking up towards the evening sky. A waxing moon illuminated the darkness, just a sliver away from being full. “Let’s meet here at the third full moon from tonight. If we need to speak before then, we’ll find each other. I’m sure your noses can sniff me out by now.”
The fox omega Halo giggled. James nodded more seriously and said, “Okay.”
“It’s settled, then,” I declared. “All of you rest, find help if you can, and get ready. Let’s hope these months pass in the blink of an eye.”
