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I nodded. “Weakening the veil.”

“How?” Onyx questioned, his voice pitching a little high.

I hesitated, trying to piece it together myself. “I don’t know. But I have a feeling it has a whole lot to do with Gray and me. It’s not a coincidence we were able to open a portal for the beastie-bear.”

“Beastie-bear?” Onyx said. And after pondering it over, he added with an approving nod, “I’ll allow it.”

“Anyway,” I said, steering the topic back to the importance at hand. “The first time we met, our magic…reacted.”

“Reactedhow?” Onyx pressed, while Orion narrowed his eyes, wondering why I’d never spoken of this before, I presumed.

I blew out a breath, running a hand through my metallic strands, glad to have them back. “Like an explosion.” I relaxed into my chair, bracing for the barrage of questions that was to come as I recounted the story.

Orion’s face had gone sheet white, while Onyx gaped at me like I’d committed the ultimate crime against him. The Kinetic beside me asked, “Why haven’t youevertold us this before?”

“Because I didn’t think it really mattered,” I lied. “I thought it was a freak thing.”

Orion didn’t buy it, judging by his raised brows. “Well, that information is quite helpful. Apparently, due to your hybrid natures, your powers are intertwined, perhaps?” he mused.

“Maybe. But that’s not the only weird thing that happened that day,” I continued to confess, and went on to divulge the secret about feeling her emotions.

It typically took a lot to shock Orion, but it seemed this did it. Silence fell. “Chrome, you do realize what you’re saying has never been accounted for before, right?”

“I do realize that. Why do you think I haven’t said anything until now, Uncle?” I snapped, annoyed that they didn’t believe me.

Orion exhaled, poured a pinch of bourbon, and then tossed it back. “Okay, I believe you,” he conceded. “Does she know?”

I shook my head. “Not yet. I can’t bring myself to tell her, with everything she’s learned and has been through. She’ll likely feel like it’s an invasion. And it is. Which is why I’m bringing it up now, to learn how to control it.”

“What did your contact say?” Onyx inquired.

“He said he’d look into it, but it was new to him, so he didn’thave anything for me.”

Orion leaned back in his seat, head falling back on the chair. “Anything else?”

“Just that this magic-draining dark magic is killing off Arcadia. The beastie-bear is apparently considered a regal and honored animal there,” I explained. “But we do think there is a link between the Endarkened and the magic that the Tempests are wielding.”

“And if we fail in stopping Forest from opening the portal? Then what?” Orion pushed to get to the crux of it all.

“That’s the thing,” I said. “The magic they’re working with won’t just be opening a portal. The power is designed to obliterate the entire veil altogether, plopping Arcadia down right on top of this world. Our worlds would be merged. Tempests will attempt to drain what magic exists here. The poisonous residue left from their magic will infect this world, and the humans wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Wonderful,” Onyx hummed sarcastically, sinking into his seat.

Aella and River waited on me outside my room after my meeting with Onyx and Orion. Aella stood with her long, dark tresses full of voluminous tight curls resting on her waist. Her arms hung relaxed at her sides, but a hint of anxiety glinted in her eyes. River Oakland propped her shoulder against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest, wearing her usual spearing expression that rivaled Gray’s.

“Ladies,” I greeted, my tone languid as I expected their pushback.

“We need to talk,” River demanded, while Aella nodded in agreement before casting her eyes to the floor.

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. Not out of annoyance by their arrival, as it was expected, but I had hoped to grab a few minutes alone with my violin before showing Gray to the dining hall for dinner. “Of course,” I said, and used my magic to unlock the metal mechanism that composed the lock on my door. “After you.”

River didn’t hesitate to stride through the doorway and make a beeline to my bed, where she jumped and plopped on top of the mattress. Aella moved like a wispy shadow, easing inside and sitting in a chair in front of my desk.

“What’s up?” I asked, glancing between the two before sitting on the sofa in the living area.

It didn’t surprise me that River spoke up first, her bright red lipstick vibrant against her brown skin and sleek black hair. “I know most of us here are happy about the princess’s arrival, but let’s not forget there are a few that are rightfully skeptical.” At the tilt of my head, River rolled her eyes. “Not me, I think I’ll actually like her. But some of the quieter ones here feel their opinion matters, too,” she explained before casting an encouraging look to Aella.

Aella nodded but refused to meet my eyes. “I don’t trust her. I mean, she’s…anassassinand the king’s daughter. She is known for killing our kind and wanting your head. What’s to say she’s not putting on an act to destroy us from within? Like the Kinetic delegates did all those years ago.”