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“Hold up,” I cut in. “What would it matter if his power lingered? Celestial power can’t be used by others. It certainly can’t be repurposed.”

“The secrets of doing so must have been unlocked, given the fact that it happened today. Caius was influenced by Celestial coercion,” Kai pointed out.

“The way to do so has definitely been unlocked,” Ariana informed us. “It’s an absolute certainty.”

“So, you don’t think Cassius just used his coercion then?

” I asked. “Part of some larger strategy to wreak havoc, divert your family’s attention, and the entire supernatural world’s attention elsewhere so he didn’t experience any further obstacles or interference in training you and forcing you to walk this path of despicable so-called duty? ”

“I’m certain that’s not the case.”

A growl escaped me. “Because you trust him now? Bonded with him during the Compound attack? If that’s the case—”

“The magic was mine.”

Kai started and folded his arms across his chest. “How?”

“It was my coercion magic. From when I coerced Sorin.”

“Sorin?” Kai asked. “How do you know it’s him? What about the other two who were there that night who V and I were also… dealing with when you walked in?”

“I didn’t coerce them. It wasn’t necessary. I only had to resort to that with Sorin because of his Dark Fae power. For the vampires I used Oblivisca.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“A targeted forgetting spell,” Nyx told me. “It can erase specific sections of memories. It’s used when only minor erasure is required—like the events of that night.”

Kai stepped back and scrubbed his hand over his face. “You’re telling us that Puritas has engineered a way to not only siphon Celestial coercion magic out of a being, but to also reuse it?”

“I know,” Ariana said. “It’s horrific.”

“The damage that could be done with this in play…” Kai murmured, starting to pace.

“Cassius is looking into it, into how this happened. I shouldn’t even be telling you this.

He asked me to keep it a secret. Even my family doesn’t know.

He told the Guardian Movement during the debriefing that he couldn’t identify the magical signature.

But he did. He read it as mine and something…

manufactured fused with it, something also with Celestial weight. ”

“What?” Kai barked. “Manufactured? How? That can’t…”

“There must be another player then,” I posited. “Another Celestial player. Fuck. Maybe Draco and Malrik—”

“No. Don’t go there,” Nyx told me.

“He’s right,” Ariana said, reaching out and stroking my arm. “They are both dead. I promise.”

“Well, clearly we can’t be sure of anything, can we?

” Kai snapped. He spun back and asked her, “What about that device? I’ve only just started looking into it, so I don’t have answers yet.

Do they , though? The Guardian Movement?

The place that’s supposed to contain the brightest magical and supernatural minds in existence? ”

“The device was created by Chimera Circle. The Hellfire matched that from Draco’s sword,” she revealed.

Kai stilled. “Draco’s sword?” His voice grew louder, more irate. “Draco’s fucking sword that Cornelius returned to the Celestial Plane?”

Ariana grimaced. “Yes.”

Nyx folded his arms across his chest. “So that means the sword was removed from there and returned here? ”

“That’s right,” Ariana confirmed.

“Motherfucking shit,” I choked.

“Why can’t the Guardian Movement know about Puritas possessing your magic and using it?” I asked. “Wouldn’t them being able to identify the magical signature make it easier to deal with it?”

“Cassius said that the ramifications would be extreme. Knowing that a horrific attack like what happened at the Compound today with fucking Hellfire happened because of somebody who was being controlled by my magic… it would create an uproar. They’d not only fear me, they’d likely react in dangerous ways.

It could destabilize the Guardian Movement, have people losing faith in it, a whole lot.

So, Cassius is conducting his investigation on the quiet. ”

A growl escaped me. “That sounds like a whole lot of fear-mongering. Likely, to keep you in line, Ariana.”

“I don’t think so,” Nyx spoke up. “He’s not what we initially thought. And I also think he wanted this kept quiet and to investigate solo for another reason—a personal reason, if you can believe it.”

Ariana spun toward him as Kai and I stared at him dumbfounded.

“He saved Velra,” Nyx revealed.

“Saved her?” Kai queried. “Healed a wound, you mean?”

“More than that.” A haunted look shone in his eyes. “He brought her back from death. I arrived from helping Ryker take down Caius to find Cassius kneeling beside her and disintegrating an iron blade she’d been stabbed by. And then… he did a whole lot more than that.”

Ariana started. “He… what? That’s a violation of Celestial Law.”

“That’s what I’m saying, he’s not as tied to them as we think.

He’s got his own thing going on. His own thoughts, wants, desires, and emotions.

” He eyed me. “He’s not like the rest of them, not an automaton, as you refer to it.

He actually showed genuine care for her.

Even… seeming to form a connection with her. It was… strange, but undeniable.”

“The Rift Mark warned of a coming threat. Soon,” Kai pointed out. “ If it’s not Cassius, then…” He trailed off, shoving his hand through his hair as he paced again. “Then… there could be another True Celestial on this plane. That being could have come down with Draco’s sword.”

“Motherfucker, this is—there’s so much to do.

The failsafe, me figuring out how to properly wield my Primal Celestial Resonance and learning every fucking thing that it can do that could help us deal with all of this.

” I eyed Nyx. “Then the special cloaking you were trying to develop for Ariana. And then—”

Ariana pressed her hands to my chest.

The contact had me sucking in a breath as a wave of peace rolled through me, jarring against all the rest.

“We’ll figure it all out.”

“That’s a tall order,” Kai pointed out.

Then he started rushing around, grabbing this and that and about to settle into work at his stone table.

Ariana, Nyx, and I exchanged a look.

This whole thing was one of Kai’s worst nightmares now come to life.

“Kai, not right now,” Nyx said, going to him. “You need to get some rest. We all do.”

“He’s right on, Kai,” I spoke.

But he ignored all of that, and started to sink into obsessive mode.

Ariana rounded the table and slid her hand to his cheek, making him still.

Their gazes clashed.

“If you’re going to tell me to—”

“Your head isn’t clear.”

He blinked.

“You can’t even begin to achieve what you want to when you’re in this exhausted and stricken state. You need to be at your best, yes? Nothing less will suffice when embarking on a complicated endeavor like this. Isn’t that your mantra, baby?”

Baby. He would love that.

Nyx and I grinned as we saw proof of it, a spark lighting his eyes.

“Ari, I can’t just—”

“You can , and you need to.” She looked out at us.

“All of us need to take a beat.” She took his hand and gestured at Nyx and I to join as well.

“We’ll crash in my dorm room, be together all night long.

Rest and sleep well, and then we’ll begin again anew.

” She eyed Kai pointedly. “With clear heads. Focused. Ready to do something of this magnitude.”

She was speaking his language and Nyx’s and mine as well with that offering.

Kai gave a nod. “All right. We’ll take a beat.”