“We should probably get going.”
Soleil nods, and after one more brief hug, I turn back to Callum and find him waiting and ready to step through.
Before we can, though, I remember Gavin’s warning and request, and turn back to my sister.
“Hey, so all those trackers and the damn bubbles?”
“Yeah?”
“You might want to recast them.”
Soleil’s brow furrows. “Why?”
“Because I’m not the only thing that might be creeping out of the Veil in the near future, and you’re going to want a heads-up for any other unauthorized entries.”
Those furrows deepen. “Oh-kay, and what kind ofunauthorized entriesmight we be dealing with?”
“Fae, elves, ogres, maybe a frost giant or two—”
“Seren, what in the—”
“—it’s really not a big deal. And probably not going to happen. Callum and I were just talking about how we should—”
“Ser.”
“Yes?”
For a few long moments, Soleil attempts to regain her composure. She rubs the bridge of her nose and takes a deep breath. It’s so achingly familiar that a little pang echoes through my chest.
I can’t count the number of times she’s looked at me just like she’s looking now. Like I’m a tornado sent to blow right through all her carefully laid plans.
Most of the time those plans needed some blowing around, just to liven things up a little. Tonight, though, I really do feel bad about dumping all of this on her.
“Are you trying to tell me,” she finally begins, enunciating each word clearly, “that we are about to be invaded by beings from other realms?”
“Invadedis a pretty strong term. At most, you’d probably be dealing with a couple of hunters.”
“Hunters?”
“Bounty hunters. Looking for a wielder, actually. Nice guy, but he got himself mixed up with a fae queen and now—”
“This is what you’ve been doing? Bounty hunting? I assume that’s how you met him?”
She glares at Callum, who puts his hands up in front of himself as if ready to ward off an attack.
“If you saw the prize the queen is offering, you might join the hunt, too,” I offer gamely, and she sighs.
“Give me the bare bones. Just what I need to know so I can inform the coven.”
I give her the rundown, and by the end of it, her face has gone several shades paler.
“You’ll tell the coven?” I ask, and she nods slowly, eyes already distant, like she’s calculating what kind of spellwork it’ll take to lock down the Veil and keep any wayward hunters from causing chaos in the human realm.
“Alright,” I say, grabbing Callum’s hand. “You stay safe here, too.”
“I will,” she murmurs.
By the time we reach the Veil and lay our hands on the stone—the ether pulsing crimson—I spare a look back, and she’s already gone.
