Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 129912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
For a moment, I wonder if it’s magic that’s keeping me suspended above the ground, that is until I notice the fluttering lights above. Looking closer, I realize the floor is made entirely of glass.
We’re in calmer quarters.
As Hassha and Korah stop on the wooden landing ahead, I tilt my head up to take in the sight before me. An open roof reveals a dark, velvety indigo sky splattered with blinking stars.
In the distance, the ocean reflects silvery moonlight. Several boats are docked along the shore, their hulls capturing the moon’s glow, while smaller boats gently bob on the peaceful surface.
“Caspian, please sit.” Hassha gestures to one of the chairs near the dark, empty hearth. I don’t want to, but I know better than to make a fuss with her.
I sit with reluctance.
She glances at Korah, who has her back turned to us and is staring past the banister of the landing. She seems bothered. Worried.
“There are things you must know. Things that my sister and I can no longer keep to ourselves,” Hassha says after a long sigh.
“So you were hiding something? When I asked you at Ruby Falls?”
She ignores my statement and proceeds. “There is something in the air, Caspian. Something dangerous lurking around us. Korah and I tried holding on to hope for as long as we could. We hoped matters would settle and that Vakeeli would stand strong a bit longer, but we were wrong. I know you sense these changes. There is a new feeling inside you, one that tells you something will go wrong. You feel it right now, don’t you? The energy that hums in your veins? The power you cannot control?”
I don’t say anything, but again I feel that prickling sensation around my brain. Korah peers over her shoulder, scanning me with lavender eyes. It’s her turn to read me.
“Can you just tell me why I’m here?” I demand. “You come to me in the middle of the night and take me away from my mate. If something is lurking about, then I assume we’re in danger, which means I don’t want to leave Willow out there without my protection any longer than necessary.”
Hassha clears her throat and stands, walking toward the hearth. With a flick of the wrist, a fire erupts and the flames crackle over chunks of wood that weren’t previously there. The heat of it rushes my way and smothers the right half of my face.
“You’re here because we are out of options for Warren,” Hassha says. “Korah and I entered his mind a few weeks ago, and what we saw—who we saw—was not at all what we expected. I knew he was troubled, that there was dark energy within him. I didn’t realize the extent of it because she was hiding those parts of him. She does that. Hides. Blends in. She’s always been good at it.”
I frown. “Who are you talking about?”
Her eyes flicker to mine, and a grave look takes over. “Selah.”
FIFTEEN
CAZ
I can’t help but blink with confusion. “Selah?” I repeat.
“She is the reason Warren has become what he is, and I’m afraid she’s gotten too deep within his soul for him to come back. His tether no longer remains. It’s been vanquished because she’s absorbed it.”
“What? So where is Danica?” I ask, looking between Hassha and Korah.
“She fled.” Korah crosses her arms. “Shortly after we placed him in the cage.”
“The only way Selah was able to draw from him is because Warren was around you.”
“Me?” I scoff. “What are you talking about?”
“It is your energy Selah needs to awaken. Your blood. She worked her way through Decius and allowed him to work his way into Warren.” Hassha sighs and pushes a braid behind her ear. “Warren was around you for some time, and he’s a direct link to your mate. They’re twins, born from the same womb, and that bond along with Willow’s tether to you is enough to fuel Selah.
“She’s been drawing from him as an energy source day by day. Only a little is all she needs to start her whispers, to get into people’s heads. We’ve tried to keep Warren contained and to keep his mind in peace, but I’m afraid he’s gone. Though he has eyes like ours, he no longer lives inside that creature.”
“What are you saying about Selah?” I shift in my chair. “That she’s trying to hurt people? Trying to kill us?”
Hassha presses her lips briefly, glancing at her sister. Korah keeps her back to us, but I notice her chin drop a notch.
I push to a stand. “Please stop beating around the bush with me, Hassha! I’m done with your vague bullshit. If my mate is in danger, I need to know. Now!”
“It’s not your mate who is in danger here, Caspian. It’s you,” Hassha snaps back. “It is your energy she’s hungry for. If she gets that, everyone in Vakeeli is as good as dead.”