She sips her tea with not even a trace of a grimace, and I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Like she really needs to prove she’s more of a badass than me. We all already know it.
“You have traces of the old magic in your veins, girl,” she tells me, jerking her chin toward my lap where my hands are folded.
I look down to see what she’s gesturing at and see the new rune on my palm that none of us have tested out yet. “Do you mean this?” I ask, holding the rune up.
“I do.”
“What does it mean…and do?”
“It’s very rare. It means you not only claim your Chosen with your marks, but with your magic as well.”
My brow furrows with confusion. “I thought all Sentinels used magic to mark their Chosen?”
“That they do,” Getta agrees. “But they can only share their marks. You can share your marks and your magic.Thatis what is rare. Your mama could do it too.”
“Hold up, are you saying that all of us now have the same branches of magic that Vinna does?” Sabin asks, the surprise in his tone reflecting the look on the rest of our faces.
“Yes,” Getta replies simply as she takes another sip of her fuck nasty tea. “It also means that you can pull and give power at will to each other. Each member of your Chosen will be able to share their abilities when this rune is activated.”
“So they could become wolves?” Torrez asks excitedly.
“Yes,” Getta once again answers simply.
“Holy shit!” I exclaim, and we all look at each other even more wide-eyed.
“Now, before you go start playing around with this and get yourselves killed, this kind of magic is rare for a reason. Like with all things, it can be used for good and for bad. In the past, the bad has prevailed, which is why Bond users are hunted by many kinds. You need to keep these abilities quiet and watch yourselves. Not many know what the runes of that branch look like anymore, but they do know what the light does, and they will snuff it out if they find it.”
Getta’s ominous words settle in the room, and we all grow quiet and contemplative.
“What about my Shields?”
Getta looks down at my unmarked middle finger. “What about them?”
“I have marked four Shields—”
“But not sealed them, I see,” she observes, and I nod.
“The thing is, they were marked by another Sentinel when we got here.”
“As Shields?” Getta asks, surprised.
“No, as Chosen,” I explain.
“Ahhh, I see,” she tells me. “The people of this world can only be marked by one Sentinel. Whether that be as a Shield or as a Chosen. If you complete what you started and make them true Shields, then the Chosen claim will sever.”
Relief washes through me, and I let out a long exhale. We can all get out of here. I just need to do whatever it is that needs to be done to complete my marking of Enoch, Nash, Kallan, and Becket.
“Now, girl, I can see that you are a purveyor of excellent male specimens.”
Torrez, Bastien, and Knox all snort out laughs. I roll my eyes at them.
“If Issak here wasn’t already spoken for, he would be a good fit for you and your Chosen.”
This timeIgive a surprised snort, and Issak gives me a look.
“No offense, she just took me by surprise. I’m sure you’d be an excellent mate,” I tell him. He blinks once and then turns away.
“My point is, girl, that you have an excellent and deliciously varied selection of Chosen. Why exactly do you need Shields?”
