Desi pushed past me, sitting down on the bed and removing her black leather gloves, hand moving to Tershetta’s cheek. Did she feel it too? Could she sense whatever lay within the unconscious woman? Whatever dormant beast within her had awoken?
“Stars above,” Desi gasped out, her breaths accelerating as she continued to press her magic into Tershetta. Celeste’s hand once more gripped me, this time latching onto my bicep as if subconsciously, her terror seeping into me. Yes, that was why I felt such fear. Celeste was projecting that pain, making us all uneasy with her steadily rising panic. That must have been it.
“What is it?” Celeste questioned, her voice breaking. Desi’s eyes scrunched closed as she tilted her head to the side, nose rising towards the air and jaw clenching. I wanted to scream. To force any words out of her. Celeste beat me to it, thankfully. “Desi!”
“Sorry, I’m trying to figure it out. This is…” Again Desi’s voice faded, her warm chestnut eyes scrunched and her brows furrowed. “I’ve never seen something like this. She must have been hit from a pretty close distance, and it had to have been pure magic. It will take all of my focus to heal her, and even then, it will be days until she wakes.”
“But shewillwake. And she’ll heal fully?” Maitoza’s commentary was an unwelcome sound. Always plotting. Never thinking beyond how those around her could benefit the almighty cause.
Her delusions in regard to the stars were not my problem, but, oh, did she annoy me.
“Yes, she most definitely will fully heal if I have anything to say about it.” I watched as Desi’s eyes went to Celeste, gaze softening. Celeste still held firmly onto my arm, tears dripping steadily down her cheeks as she stared at her sister. I wasn’t exactly sure how to console her. We cores had always been an odd bunch, not raised on love, rather taught that having such emotions beaten out of us was a blessing. Even though we tried to love one another, it was hard to fully understand what normal people would want in situations such as this.
So, like the idiot I was, I reached up my free arm and patted Celeste on the top of her head. She immediately swatted at my hand, wiping her tears and glaring up at me.
“Ew, don’t do that.”
I couldn’t stop the chuckle that bubbled out of my lips. There was something so horribly odd about all of this. The entirety of the last six months had been an exhausting spiral ofwhat the fuck am I doing right now?But something about Tershetta being here had it all feeling that much more impossible and ridiculous. A soft pressure began on my ankle, Murder’s—was that its name?—meow tiny. Squatting, I sighed and obliged, scratching the little black cat behind its ears.
Celeste cleared her throat before saying, “Okay, Pretty Boy, we need to figure out what our next moves are.”
Rolling my eyes at the exhausting and annoying nickname Celeste had given me, I silently considered what the next step should be. We didn’t even know who had done this. Nor did we know how Tershetta found us.
Me. She foundme.
What did it mean that she’d come to me of all people? I’d heard she was looking for me—hunting me, really—but I didn’t expect her to find me. I’d been fortifying the cloak around the islands for months. In fact, my magic was stronger now. So her showing up here wasn’t only surprising, it was baffling.
“I really don’t know what we’re meant to do right now.”
Maitoza stayed silent at our sides, Desi grunting as she shoved her magic into Tershetta. They were both listening though. I knew that for certain, because they’d both have opinions.
“We could just wait for her to wake up” I suggested. “Once she sees you, she’ll probably automatically commit to the cause. Though I was hoping we’d have time before introducing her to it. Give her a chance to breathe.”
I was talking to Celeste, but it was Maitoza who finally cut in. “Now, now, let us think through our next moves a little more thoroughly.”
Celeste turned towards the commander, falling into line as always. I felt this from Celeste the first time I met her; a rage, a desperation. She was a rebel through and through. I couldn’t understand how when she had a sister who was a shaytan. Regardless, she was probably one of Maitoza’s most dedicated followers. The commander used that, keeping Celeste at her side, molding her and shaping her.
For a few moments, they both stared at each other, Desi and I forced to watch in dread. Desi might have always fallen in linetoo, but she, like me, saw their odd relationship for what it was. Unlike me, Desi had a lot more stakes in the game. More interest in Celeste’s wellbeing.
“Maitoza is right. We need to thoroughly think through our next steps.” I waited with bated breath to hear what they had somehow silently communicated to one another. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would hate it. “We need to wait to tell Nova that I’m alive.”
Yep, I hated it.
“Are you fucking insane?” I asked, my mouth opening but jaw still tight. Stepping away from Celeste, I dug my fingers into my hair, which I had recently poorly cut, tugging on the strands in frustration. How could they possibly come to that conclusion? What would that secret get them that was worth the risk of Tershetta’s fury? The sacrifice of her…peace?
“Az, calm down,” Desi mumbled, though I knew even she couldn’t have possibly been on Celeste’s side with this one. Desi was too good. She never chose the wrong side, even when that meant standing alone. At least, that was what I had continuously seen from her the last few months.
“No, Desi, don’t tell me to calm down when she’s being absolutely insane!” I shouted, turning back to the pair of stony figures on my left. Lifting my finger, I pointed not at Celeste, but at Maitoza. “You can’t do this. All it will do is ensure that Tershetta doesn’t trust you. The whiplash of finding out her sister is alive will only burn into rage when she understands the lies you told her. She’ll be useless to your cause!”
“I don’t see why you’re pointing at me when this was Celeste’s suggestion,” Maitoza calmly stated, her hands clasped behind her back and her square jaw lifted. Subconsciously, my eyes flicked towards Celeste, whose pinched face gave away her attempt at hiding all emotion. This would hurt her too. So then why? “However, I agree that it is a smart move.”
“Anything you think is a good idea should be directly avoided!” I yelled, getting closer to her. I stood at least a head taller than the commander, and I used that height now as I scowled down. All she did was look up at me with a pleased smile, the serene expression making my stomach twist—something was so very wrong. A hand grabbed my elbow, tugging me back from Maitoza and likely saving me from further digging my own grave.
“Az, let me explain.” Celeste’s demand was enough to have me sighing as I turned, wishing I didn’t have to deal with this. Begging for life to go back to the way it had been before everything fell apart. Before Nova Tershetta had dismantled it all. Celeste’s grey eyes stared into mine, wide and clear. Her hands, which felt so small and desperate, gripped my biceps. “Please, just listen. If we wait to reveal I’m alive, then she’ll have time to choose the rebellion on her own. She needs to care about the cause. If she only chooses it for me, then we can’t rely on her being a part of this if I…”
I watched as Celeste seemed to shrink, her eyes pinching closed and her fingers tightening at the same time her head tilted forward.Stars damn it all.
Reluctantly, I pulled her into me, letting the crown of her head press into my chest as her back gave out. Sobs poured freely as she relaxed into my hold. At my back, I heard sniffles come from Desi. I stared at Maitoza, who continued to watch the scene in what appeared to bevictory.Her smile infuriated me, just as her smug eye contact did.
