I shook my head as I looked up at him. “It’s really weird to hear you call me that.”

“And you think I don’t prefer you to call me Mace?” he asked, raising a brow.

“We could worry about how to refer to one another at another time,” Honor said, reaching down and sliding a locked wooden box out from the side of the couch. “Everything is in here.”

He leaned back, fixing his gaze on the box as if he expected a snake to coil out from the top. It was clear he wasn’t super comfortable around the artifacts.

“Proceed,” he uttered, flicking me a brief look.

“What? Me?” I said, clasping my hands.

Darkness placed his hand on my shoulder. “Yes.”

“Why?” I asked, swallowing hard. “You’re all more familiar with all this stuff.”

“That is precisely why,” Nightmare said, pacing near the front door. “We are not sure we are strong enough to resist the power in these items.”

I shook my head. “Darkness had the medallion before I did.”

“He carried it for the day he’d meet you,” Storm said, staring at the wooden chest on the floor.

“Well, he didn’t succumb to its powers,” I offered with a half-shrug.

“Don’t think that it wasn’t a concern,” Darkness said.

I looked up at him. “So you always knew one day you’d meet me?”

“I wasn’t sure who I would meet, but I knew one day it was possible I would meet Balance Reborn,” Darkness said, gesturing toward the box. “Go ahead.”

“I’m afraid,” I said, biting my cheek. “Why didn’t Noah succumb?”

Darkness stroked his chin. “He was smart enough not to put it on.”

“I don’t think he even touched the medallion when he had it,” I said, staring at the wall as I relived the moment I spoke with him about the medallion. “It was wrapped in a cloth.”

“Can you imagine what would have happened if it would have gotten into the wrong hands?” Storm asked, shaking her head. “This is why we need you, Balance.”

I groaned. “Fine. Whatever.”

I carefully slid off the chair and kneeled in front of the chest. My fingers glided over the cool, aged wood. There was a warm energy pushing through the wood and into my fingers. It tingled as it moved through my body.

Honor reached over and handed me a rusty key. Holding my breath, I inserted it into the lock, and with a single turn, the lock clicked open.

Slowly, I lifted the chest’s lid, revealing a collection of six carved wooden boxes that all looked similar. The one I’d taken from Noah’s house was tucked inside.

“Okay, now what?” I asked, looking at each one of them as they stared into the chest.

“Put them on,” Storm said, covering her mouth as she excitedly leaned forward.

I shook my head. “I don’t think I should.”

“You definitely should,” Nightmare said.

“Won’t they affect me the same? How do we know I won’t want absolute power like everyone else?” I asked, swallowing hard. “If I’m like you, then I won’t be able to resist their powers either, right?”

Nightmare shrugged. “Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you haven’t come into your full powers yet.”

“Maybe we should call upon The Oracle,” Honor said, his nose wrinkled.

Gently, I lifted the first box, cradling the precious artifact. Its radiant warmth enveloped my hands and moved through my body. It felt like being wrapped in blankets in front of a fireplace on a chilly winter night.

As I prepared to open the small box, my focus abruptly shifted, drawn to the scurrying noises at the front of the house. I looked over to see Darkness, Nightmare, Storm, and Honor all swiftly rising to their feet.

The room was filled with tension as Darkness clenched his hands into fists. “We are not alone.”

Chapter

Twenty-Five

The disconcerting sounds echoed ominously as if something were trapped inside the walls. Soft, phantom-like footsteps tapped at the ceiling as if a hoard of critters roamed the second floor.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my eyes shifting with each movement around the house.

Honor snatched the box from my hands and shoved it inside the chest. He closed the lid, locked it tight, and swallowed the key before pushing it out of view.

“We must protect her,” Darkness said, stepping in front of me just as the front door burst open.

A little demon-like beast ran across the threshold and charged toward me. Storm reached out and grabbed the little monster by the neck.

“How did they get here?” she asked, her eyes darkening as she held out the squirming creature.

Darkness’s jaw stiffened. “I am not sure.”

Storm ripped the creature in half with a visceral force before blowing out a breath between her lips. Crimson droplets sprinkled down to the floor as the demon blew through the air and out of the front door.

“This is impossible! They can’t breach our boundaries!” Nightmare roared as he stomped toward the front door.

Darkness snapped his fingers, a sharp sound that echoed through the house. In an instant, an army of imps came out from their hiding spots and circled me.

“Keep her safe,” Darkness said, staring into the eyes of one of the imps, who gave him a sharp nod. “Do not let her out of your sight, no matter what.”

“The chest,” Honor said, taking in sharp breaths.

“Shit,” Darkness replied as he pointed at the box. “Protect that as well.”

The group of imps split in two — half circled around me, and the other half guarded the chest.

The medallion warmed against my wrist. “I can help.”