“Well, my skull is still intact,” I say. “But just barely.”
“I am sorry,” she says again. “But we had to tell you, Sakesh is on the move.”
“He is?” I ask, dread ringing through me. “Where is he?”
“Right now, we don’t know,” Trix says. “Gretchen is still in deep meditation. She’s barely moved for days.”
“She’s waited her whole life for this,” Kyra says. “Her mentor told her the chance to stop him would come in her lifetime.”
“But she hasn’t eaten or slept,” Trix says. “I’m so worried.”
“That will only heighten her spirit senses,” I say. “She will be more in the otherworld than here at the moment, and Sakesh can’t hide from her there.”
“True,” Kyra replies. “He leaves a big, fiery trail everywhere he goes—but especially in the spirit realm. I was wondering why I couldn’t focus on him, but it must be because I’m too anchored here.”
“And Gretchen would want it that way,” I say. “She’s passing her knowledge on to you, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” Kyra confirms.
“Then she needs you here,” I reply. “Grounded in reality. That means we stop him here, in the real world, and destroy his link to physical existence.”
“This is freaking me out a bit,” Trix says. “When I joined the order at thirteen, Sakesh was an abstract. I never thought I’d be dealing with him directly.”
“You just got lucky, I guess,” I laugh.
“The other thing we came to tell you is that the runes on the rock are glowing,” Kyra says. “And Rex’s guys have been checking it out.”
“We need to keep them out of harm’s way,” I reply, with concern. “They’ll just get incinerated if Sakesh makes any moves.”
“Agreed,” Trix says. “But we can’t reveal ourselves.”
“Yeah, that part’s getting old,” I reply, sighing.
“How is it, with Dan?” Trix asks, rubbing my shoulder. “Your aura is chaotic.”
“It’s been… challenging.”
“It shouldn’t be,” Kyra says, narrowing her eyes at me.
“What do you mean by that?” I snap, losing my temper. “Are you about to give me another completely cryptic pep talk?”
“Grace…” Kyra says, looking pained. “The last thing Gretchen told me is that Sakesh is waiting for you to fully come into your powers.”
A hot blush rushes to my cheeks as I understand her words. After my talk with Alisha, right after she was with Brad, I know exactly what that means.
“Are you saying I have to—have to—” My throat closes, and I can’t finish the sentence.
“You don’t have to do anything,” Kyra says. “Everything is still your choice. This is just how the cards have fallen.”
I stare at Kyra, holding back my tears and every raging emotion in me that wants to scream at her.
You forced me out here, made me marry him—now I have to fuck him, and you’re saying this is all my choice?
“Grace,” Kyra says wryly. “I can’t read your thoughts exactly, but I’m getting the gist of things.”
“You’re not me,” I almost wail. “You’re not the one jammed up in this situation.”
“No, I’m in a worse one,” Kyra snaps. “I’m the weapon. My powers bloomed when I was five, and I had to leave my family to join the order. My powers are so strong, I can’t live in the human world. Tell me how hard your sacrifice is again, whenit involves being a revered luna and living with one of the hottest men to ever walk the planet?”
