“How many people have access to the kind of magic Mack found that night?” Cole asks gruffly. “Magic strong enough to affect five immortal beings? Not to mention affect the magic of the Gateway’s mark?”
One look at Fate, with her shoulders straight and a determined expression on her face, would have a lesser man on his knees. Lucky for her, I’m more than capable of handling a strong, powerful woman. She must sense me studying her, or maybe she senses my surge of desire, because she turns those gorgeous gray eyes on me, and I’m lost. This woman pulls me in like no other, and I can’t tell what’s up and what’s down. Left from right. It’s like I’m drowning in her, and I don’t even fight it.
Destiny’s still talking, and I force myself to look away from the one woman I can’t believe I could ever forget, or risk taking her right here, right now.
“Over time, Karma’s gotten...lax with her safeguards. It’s why we’ve been fighting for ages. A few of her higher-ups have disappeared and are still unaccounted for. It could be any one of them if they got their hands on some of the items she stores in her realm.”
“Items like what?” Macklin asks.
“Oh gosh. Any number of things really. She’s gotten bored over the centuries and is always using her powers to create and craft things. Armor for her commanders. Potions. Magical trinkets that she gifts to those that-”
“Trinkets?” Cole cuts her off, suddenly looking very interested in where this is going. “We’ve come across some of these trinkets. Signet rings with rubies in the middle. One of them appeared on the hand of the spirit that Fate took to the Gateway.”
“Ah, yes. Karma designed those to help her commanders manage the unruly souls. Unfortunately, they worked a little too well, and word got out that the rings actually enslaved a soul to the ring bearer.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound good,” Fate mutters.
“It’s really not. At one point, it was believed that Karma’s highest in command was secretly amassing an army using one of those rings. For what, we were never sure, but then she disappeared. After that, Karma promised to collect every signet ring and lock them away. Apparently, some of them were missed.” Her tone has a hint of sarcasm she doesn’t even try to hide. Then there’s the eye roll she adds for emphasis.
“The spirit also said something about a book…” Mack trails off. At the mention of the book, a slew of emotions hits me through the bond. Nerves. Guilt. Satisfaction. Eagerness. There are so many, so varied that I can’t make sense of them all.
When I glance up at the screen, Destiny’s already pale skin has turned a scary shade of white.
“Whatever you do, do not let them get their hands on the book. It would be catastrophic.”
“What’s in this book?” I ask. “Why is it so important?”
“Within the book is the name of every soul and their final judgment. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, the person holding it could change the fates of spirits they wanted to release. It would throw off the balance of the realms, sending the planes into chaos. Fate’s powers, which she gifted to each of you, are fueled by those judgments. Even the slightest change could have cataclysmic consequences. If the balance between realms tips too much one way or the other, the human realm could have an influx of negative spirits flooding the realm, causing chaos.”
“You mean like that scene with the Stay Puft Marshmallow man in Ghost Busters when the city is overrun by spirits?”
Destiny just looks at Thad, one elegant eyebrow arching and her lips tilting ever so slightly, and continues on as if he hadn’t spoken. “Your own powers could flip topsy turvy and become unmanageable. And so much more that I don’t even want to fathom at the moment. Now, do you see why it would be disastrous if it were obtained by someone with the intent to cause chaos?”
“But surely it isn’t as simple as getting the book. Right?” Levi asks. “There’s gotta be a...code word, or key, or some other magical thing that protects it?”
Fate’s gazing up at me when I turn to her, and I don’t need my empath skills to note the worry that’s causing her brows to furrow and her plush bottom lip to be tortured by her teeth.
“Please tell us you all put some sort of protection on that thing and didn’t just assume it was untouchable,” Thad adds, his arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the doorjamb.
“Of course we put safeguards on it. As each of us was tested and given a trial as Guardian of the Spirits, our blood was imbued into the book. Now, the only way to gain access to the contents of the book is through the blood of a sister.”
“Always fucking blood,” Fate mutters under her breath. I don’t have time to question it though, before Macklin asks a question that has the whole room holding its breath.
“Do you know where the book is? In the one memory I have, right before she ran off in the cave, Fate dropped the book. I picked it up, but unfortunately, I have no memory of where I would’ve put it or what it even looks like.”
“Sadly, I do not. It’s a small book, barely bigger than my palm, with a black leather cover and no distinguishing marks. You need to find it before they do. If they get their hands on it, all of our realms will be doomed.”
The second she describes the book, I remember it. The small journal Macklin had on him when we met in Chattanooga. His eyes meet mine with an oh shit expression.
Fate’s head whips my way, her eyes narrowed in calculating curiosity.
Cole continues asking questions, wanting details about the book and how we might find it. What he doesn’t know is that won’t be necessary. Mack and I know where it is. We’ll have to tell everyone as soon as the call with Destiny is over. We need to work out a plan to get it back.
My eyes once again meet Fate’s, and the look she’s giving me is one I can’t decipher. My free hand comes up, my thumb saving her poor lip that’s once again getting tormented by her teeth, and I run my finger across the plump pinkness, soothing it. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, I look into her eyes and wish I could make things better. Make it so none of us has to worry about what might be coming our way, but I know that’s not possible. So I do the only thing I can think of. My lips drop to hers in a soft kiss. They don’t push for more. This isn’t the time for that.
Pulling back slightly, I rest my forehead on hers. “I’m here, little ghost. For whatever you need.”
She sighs against my mouth just before Levi’s big hands begin rubbing her shoulders. I straighten, eyeing my brother. His eyes are on Fate, his brow furrowed and his stance rigid. He’s just as worried about her as I am. When his eyes meet mine, words are spoken without a sound, and I hope he understands what I’m silently willing him to do.
He nods before leaning down and whispering in her ear, “Want to get out of here?”
“Right,” she snorts. “Like Cole will allow that to happen.”
“Always easier to ask for forgiveness, sweets,” Levi says, looking at me with a calculating grin.
And this is why the arrangement works for me. When I can’t be what Fate needs, I know one of the other guys will step in to do what needs to be done. My time will come soon, and my little ghost better be ready.