Page 39 of Frosty and the Reaper
“I know, but I still want to thank you for it.”
“If you two are just going to stare at one another, I’m going to take off,” Devlin grumbled.
“Before you go, we were hoping we could talk to you about the seal in the Shifter Realm,” Raiden said.
“Yes, it’s the magical mosaic in the sacred chamber,” Zander confirmed.
“The Council of Nine used to be the Keepers of the Seal,” Devlin explained. “The apex alphas made an agreement to guard the seal together since no individual wanted that responsibility on their own.”
Sapphire laughed. “That sounds about right.”
“Are we supposed to wait until we have nine apex alphas again? Will the seal be safe if we wait? Or should we do something about it now?” Raiden asked.
“I’m not comfortable leaving it unguarded knowing it can cause the apocalypse if broken,” Sapphire declared.
Devlin sighed as he stood up. “Let’s go take a look. If the source accepts you as keepers, you can take over the task ofsecuring the seal now. You can always add more keepers as you get more council members.”
Raiden and Sapphire got to their feet. “Kellen, you coming with us?”
He sighed as he stood. “Sure. Might as well.”
“Since Devlin is also a keeper, you don’t need us to go with you,” Zander said.
“I’ll let you know if we run into any issues,” Devlin said.
“Tomorrow,” Zander insisted. “Don’t contact us tonight.”
Devlin snorted out a laugh, then he disappeared with Raiden, Sapphire, and Kellen.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Jackie blurted out. She cleared her throat delicately. “It makes me very uncomfortable not being able to reach you in the other realm. And the time difference could cause a problem if we have information to share.”
Kami realized that her sister was trying hard to keep her argument logical when she really wanted to demand she stay in the Winter Kingdom. Beneath her calm, rational reasoning was a protective concern that was almost palpable. Jackie didn’t want to let Kami out of her sight because she was worried about her. It was clear her sister’s desire for her to remain in the Winter Kingdom wasn’t just about safety. It was about the deep bond between sisters and the fear of separation.
Due to their father’s refusal to see her, Jackie was worried that Kami would end up cutting ties with the Winter Kingdom. She was also terrified that Zander would make the decision to keep her away to protect her from being bullied or hurt. Jackie feared him. Not just because of who he was, but because he had the power to take Kami away from her for good.
“Is that what you are hearing in her head?”Kami asked him.
“No, beloved. It is whatyouare hearing from her.”
Hearing that startled her. It never occurred to her that she might start to pick up other people’s thoughts and feelings withher new powers. She felt tears sting her eyes and rushed forward to wrap her arms around her sister.
“We’ll stay here tonight,” she said softly.
Jackie’s arms tightened around her. “Waffles for breakfast?”
“Excellent choice!”
When they broke apart, Zander took her hand in his. He raised his other hand, and a red crystal pyramid appeared. The crystal sparkled in the light with a brilliance that made her squint at it.
“Use this to contact us in the In Between. If we are there, we will sense you trying to reach us. Just press your hand on it and activate it with your magic.”
Jackie blinked at it before reaching out to take the gem. “Thank you.”
“That’s a big freaking ruby.” Micah leaned closer to study it. “I’ve never seen one this large with this kind of color and clarity.”
“See you in the morning!”
Leaving them to study the gift, Kami pulled Zander out of the great hall and led him up to her suite of rooms located in the far east wing of the enormous palace. She could have teleported them there, but she wanted to give him a mini tour of the place she had called home.