Callie leans forward, one hand pressed to her temple like she’s fighting a headache. “You’re saying that Tempest gave you storm magic so you can help stop these Revenants.”
“Not just to stop them. Todestroythem.”
It sounds insane when I say it, but that doesn’t make it less true.
Logan’s hand finds mine, anchoring me, as he always tends to do. His thumb traces the inside of my wrist, finding my pulse, and my heartbeat quickens like it’s answering a question that exists only between the two of us.
From the corner of my eye, I catch Callie watching the place where our hands are joined. Her expression doesn’t change, but her fingers curl into her palm, and she looks away a beat too late for it to be casual.
Logan’s thumb stills against my pulse. His gaze flicks to Callie for half a second, and his thumb resumes its trace along my wrist, as if daring her to comment on the location of his hands.
When he speaks again, it’s in the controlled, mission-focused tone that means the soft version of him is gone.
“Does Circe know where the Blood Coven’s operating?” he asks.
I shake my head. “She hasn’t had visitors from the outside world in months. The last people who came to her island were Sapphire and her... boyfriend, I guess? A winter prince. They were there in the spring and told her that Ambrogio hasn’t turned any Revenants yet. She doesn’t know what’s happened since.”
“And Constance warned you about Revenants at the academy.” Logan’s jaw tightens as he puts it together.
“Which means they could be anywhere,” Callie continues, and my stomach twists at how easily she finishes Logan’s thoughts. “Are there ways to detect them? There must be markers. Physical tells of some sort.”
“Circe didn’t say.” I shrug, too tired for academic theorizing. “She just said they’re dangerous, and that it’s my job to stop them.”
No one speaks for a few seconds.
“Jade,” Logan says softly, in that tone reserved only for me. “How are you feeling about all this?”
“Overwhelmed.” The word comes out quiet. “I don’t understand why Tempest chose me. The other champions have won victories. They’ve saved people. And I’m justme.”I gesture at myself. “I couldn’t even get into college. How am I supposed to save the world from an army of superpowered vampires?”
He wraps his arm around my shoulders, and my magic hums beneath my skin as I lean into him.
“You’re notjustanything,” he tells me. “And you’re not facing this alone. Whatever comes next, I’m here with you. Always.”
Always.
The anxiety is still tight in my chest, but Logan’s steady presence beside me helps.
Callie, per usual, ruins the moment.
“I don’t understand the mechanics,” she says. “Vampires are created with venom that burns away all magic but theirs. If supernaturals turned into Revenants retain their natural affinities, the process would need an additional component that preserves the magical core instead of overwriting it.”
“Circe said only Ambrogio can create Revenants,” I offer. “Maybe it’s unique to his venom, because of the god-curses running through it.”
“Possibly.” Callie starts pacing, although she quickly moves to lean against the forward mast. “If Ambrogio’s the source of all vampire bloodlines, his venom could have properties that later generations lost. A magical purity that allows for preservation instead of replacement.” She pauses, steadying herself. “Can you imagine the research opportunities? If we could study a Revenant to understand how the dual magic systems coexist...”
“Callie.” Logan says her name like a warning. “Maybe don’t sound so excited about conducting scientific experiments on the enemy.”
“I’m curious. Not excited.” She glares at him and sits down.
“There are a few more things,” I say, running through all of it in my mind. “Scylla, Charybdis, and someone called Geryon who guards the Pillars of Hercules, which we have to go through to get home.”
Logan drags a hand down his face. “Is there anything on this route that isn’t trying to kill us?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.” I huff and sit back on the bench.
He pulls me close again. “We’ll handle it,” he says, steady and sure. “One monster at a time.”
I stare out at the trees that line the beach, where somewhere beyond, Evie’s searching for a brother she’ll never find.
