Page 44 of Total Lunar Eclipse

“You love us?” Khal asks quietly.

Oh shit.

RED ALERT! RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

“What’s she thinking?” Illu wonders.

Both Arawn and Caed struggle to explain my panic.

“Sirens are going off in her head. . .” Arawn attempts, but trails off in confusion.

“What’s wrong, little girl?”Caed queries inside my head.

“I won’t soul bond with anyone else!” I hiss adamantly, fear twisting my insides.

The twins and Mio look crestfallen at my announcement, but Khal raises a hand in supplication.

“Ok, no one said you had to. How about we get back on track?”

Just then, the office door opens and in walks Mary.

CHAPTER 21

NEPTUNE

We all freeze, as Mary walks into the office and then screeches like a frightened hen when she sees us all. Papers go flying and she has a hand over her heart, which is beating wildly inside her chest. I feel a pang of guilt for scaring the older woman; humans are such a fragile species.

“H-h-how did you get in here?” she croaks when she finally finds her voice.

“Secret entrance,” Khal says flatly. “Sorry to have startled you, Mary. Here, let me help you pick those up. Did you get a call about the Anderssen account?”

His smooth explanation and questions put Mary at ease and divert her attention.

“Yes, Mr. Al-Zahil. I will get your messages and faxes.”

She leaves with a frown marring her brow, but says nothing more about our presence.

“She’s gone,” my twin needlessly points out. “Zahra, you mentioned the Moon becoming ingress. Are there any other fluctuations that might help us? Or are we entirely fucked?”

Both Zahra and I raise a brow at my brother’s words.

“Ingress just means the Moon’s entered a new sign,” Zahra reiterates. “I mean, again, it depends on the sign the Moon’s entering. . . Wait! I forgot! The void-of-course!”

She shouts the last part triumphantly, a beatific smile lighting her face, making an answering one grace mine. I feel Uranus stir with lust, but my own loins are already on fire with a need to claim her, to make her want us as much as we want her.

“Of course, the void!” Mercury cheers.

Zahra tips her head back and laughs, and we all revel in her carefree nature.

“No, not of course, the void. The void-of-course. It’s an astrology term. It’s when the Moon is transiting into a new sign and makes no aspects to other planets during this time. Theoretically, it’s the weakest point for the Moon. The only time Lina would be weaker is during the void-of-course while in a new moon phase.”

“How long does this void last?”

“Depends. Minutes to a few hours.”

Saturn swears eloquently.

“Listen, you sexy sailor,” Zahra says. “I can look it up and get an exact time.”