Page 142 of Eclipse Sector

“You’re infuriating.” She uttered the words with conviction, then threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck as he hugged her back. “Thank you.”

I don’t understand what just happened,I told myself, and Cillian by proxy.

But then I caught some of the answers in Kyra’s and Lorcan’s thoughts.

Lorcan had purposely goaded his mate to take her mind off Ashlyn. Just for a moment.

Because she was blaming herself for not pushing harder when asking Ashlyn about her intentions.

Actually, as I surveyed the group, I realized there was a lot of self-blame going on here.

Cillian, Lorcan, and Kieran all felt responsible as Ashlyn’s protectors.

At the same time, Quinn and Kyra were chiding themselves internally for not making Ashlyn talk.

“She wouldn’t have been able to say anything, even if you had tried to force her to confess,” I blurted out. “She told me she couldn’tshareher visions. That’s why she wrote them down.” I held up two of the diaries. “And these are full of gibberish without timelines. Going through them all is going to take weeks. But if we can figure out what those symbols mean…”

“They might help,” Cillian finished for me. “I agree. And I agree that we need Grey. I don’t think Ashlyn was talking about the pond incident that day; I think she was trying to tell me something else.”

“What about the darkness around Cael?” Kieran asked. “Was she warning us that he’s somehow involved in all this?”

I slowly shook my head. “I don’t think so. She purposely saidsurroundedby darkness. And she also told me he wasn’t dangerous.”

Kieran nodded. “Then we’ll call Cael and Grey, see if they recognize these symbols, and go from there.”

“Do you think we can trust them?” Kyra asked, her head against Lorcan’s chest. He hadn’t stopped hugging her, but her gaze was on Kieran.

“No,” he replied. “But I’m willing to entertain the concept.”

“As am I,” Cillian agreed, his thoughts telling me why.

My eyes widened as he recalled everything Cael had said to him about me, how he’d called Cillian unworthy, telling him he needed todo better.

Apparently, Lorcan had done the same.

I gaped at him and then at Cillian.They said all that?

He glanced down at me, his lips twitching at the sides.Surprised?

Yes.

Why?

I… I don’t know. I just…I frowned.Lorcan never talks.It was a lame excuse, but the first thing to come to mind. For Cael, I had no comment. I was… stunned.

As you already noted, Lorcan’s a little more chatty these days,Cillian drawled, his arm coming around my shoulders.And he cares about you. Me, too. Which is why I’m curious about Cael’s motives.

Out loud, he shifted topics, telling Kieran about Cael’s growing power.

I listened intently, still surprised by everything I’d overheard in his mind, and even more stunned by what he said about Cael blocking him.

It sounded like what I’d been able to do. Sort of.

Only, mygift, as Cillian had called it, seemed to revolve around brain processes. Or sensing those processes, anyway. Or perhaps just sensing other mental talents.

All of it was very confusing.

However, I was intrigued to learn more about Cael and his potential abilities.