“We have to match each other’s moves here,” Ben replied, scratching his stubbled chin. “A one-minute delay could screw us all.”
“Hey, we’ll just have to make sure we have everyone in check before we even cast the bilocation spell,” Corrine said. “We’ve all been trained for complex and last-minute missions. We can do this!”
She sounded energetic and determined, but, deep down, I knew she was terrified. Not so much for herself and Ibrahim, but for Kailani. She was the apple of their eyes, their single most precious bloodline continued. Corrine, however, was also a bit at peace whenever she looked at Hunter. She knew they were in a relationship, and she liked seeing them together.
“We’ve done crazy crap before,” Hunter replied, giving Corrine and Ibrahim a sheepish smile. “At least, this time around, it’s well-planned crap.”
We all placed our hopes in Hunter, in the end. The white wolf seemed to be the only one who could rein Kailani in whenever she unwillingly slipped into Word-mode. If anyone could stop her from releasing another uncontrolled but deadly pulse, it was him.
“I’ll give it everything I’ve got,” Kailani added. “I’ll do my best to keep my Word glitches under control, too.”
“I’ve got you covered,” Hunter whispered in her ear, barely loud enough for me to hear it.
“I guess we’re putting our faith in Perfects to get us through this, huh?” Lucas chimed in, wearing a crooked smirk. He was no fan of the species, but he did understand why we were so keen to rescue Douma and Raphael—and why Dmitri had fallen so hopelessly in love with Douma, too.
“They haven’t failed us so far,” Rose replied. “Douma, Raphael, Araquiel… Nathaniel, Uriel, Angelica, and Deena… They’re more than we could’ve possibly asked for in the middle of this fresh hell. I trust them, and I know they won’t betray us.”
“And I trust your judgment,” Lucas said. Rose’s uncle was a peculiar character—a reformed baddie who’d wreaked quite the havoc in his heyday. But he was also a brilliant strategist who understood our situation and was able to recognize an opportunity or an ally when he saw one. Most importantly, he trusted us, the so-called next generation, to carry the mission to its very end, and to save the entire universe.
I, for one, wanted everyone to live through this. I wanted us to win. I wanted Ta’Zan dead and the Perfects liberated from their poisonous doctrine. I wished for the Perfects, the Faulties, and the Draenir to share this planet in complete harmony, so I could run away with Nevis. So Kailani could get a shot at an actual relationship with Hunter. So that Vesta and Zeriel could one day rule over the lagoon together.
So Rose and Ben would see Caleb and River again. So we can all get back to our lives. To freedom and love…
Kailani
Lumi and I had already described my blackouts to my grandparents. They knew about the frequency with which they occurred and what happened around me while I was out, but I couldn’t tell them about what I saw and experienced during these episodes. My oath to the Word compelled me to keep all that to myself.
The entire dome had been warned to get down in case I showed signs of another devastating pulse during one such episode.
Grandma Corrine and Grandpa Ibrahim quietly listened to everything I had to say, after getting over the earlier, initial shock. The others in our crew could hear us, too, since we were all clumped together inside the diamond dome, but no one interfered or offered an opinion. Not that one was needed.
Hunter stayed close, silent but always with his ears open, occasionally exchanging glances with my grandparents. The more I watched him, the more I loved him. If it weren’t for Hunter, I probably wouldn’t have made it this far.
“Maybe your next apprentice will get a better environment to develop this connection to the Word,” Corrine grumbled, frowning at Lumi.
I wasn’t sure if she was angry or not. Grandma had a way of masking her emotions when she spoke. Lumi nodded slowly in return.
“I would’ve given anything to change what’s already happened, but I can’t. I’m sorry,” Lumi said.
“We cannot change the past,” Grandpa replied, giving Grandma a gentle shoulder squeeze. “Kale is with us now, and that’s what matters. Whatever comes next, we’ll all deal with it, like a family.”
Corrine smiled, then looked at Hunter. “That includes you, too, wolf-boy,” she said.
“Tha-Thank you… I guess,” Hunter murmured, blinking rapidly and blushing. I stifled a giggle, then leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder for a brief moment. My way of saying that I wanted him by my side, now more than ever.
“I was expecting an I-told-you-so speech from you, Grandma.” I sighed. “After all, you did warn me not to get into this.”
“Do you regret it?” she asked, her eyebrow gracefully arched.
I shook my head. “I’m scared, but no. As complicated as it may seem, this bond with the Word feels amazing.”
“Had it not been for your swamp witch magic, you probably wouldn’t have been out there for so long,” Grandma replied. “For better or worse, the Word got you through all this. Let’s just make sure it doesn’t kill you in the end, okay?”
“To be honest, no form of magic is ever truly safe. Not even the one we’re born with,” Grandpa said, resting his elbows on his knees. “We’ll have to work with what we have, and make sure no one else gets hurt in the process.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” I murmured. “I already killed four Draenir who didn’t… really didn’t deserve it.”
Hunter held me close. “You know the circumstances of that incident. They just weren’t fast enough. We know better now. We can prepare for it, if it happens again. I’m here, Kale, and I will make sure we come out of it alive.”
Grandma chuckled, her tone loaded with bitterness. “That’s sweet of you to say that, but let’s not fool ourselves. You’re just a werewolf, and Kale is a witch with too much power on her hands. Like my darling husband said, we’ll do our best with what we’ve got, but let’s keep a healthy dose of realism around, just in case.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, fighting back tears. It tore me apart on the inside to know I could do it again. I had enough blood on my hands already.
“Oh, honey… I’ve been around for long enough, and I’ve seen plenty. You’re hoping your blackouts won’t hurt anyone else, but we have to be prepared for the worst. If or when that happens, you’ll have to face it, and you’ll have to live with it,” Grandma said, her gaze softening on me. “That doesn’t mean you should let the guilt eat away at you. On the contrary, you have to take it all in, learn from it, and take control over this bond of yours with the Word. Take control of it, Kale, accept and acknowledge it, and do something with it. I’ve already made my peace with that. You should, too.”
I was surprised to hear her talk like this. Grandma Corrine was usually adorably overprotective, and whenever I made a decision without involving her, she didn’t shy away from giving me a piece of her mind. In a way, I’d grown up with three moms—the one who’d given birth, Grandma Mona, and Grandma Corrine. They’d all been around, nearby and nurturing me over the years, teaching me and reprimanding me, when I got out of line.
“I think the most important aspect of Kale’s blackouts is for her to take control once she goes under,” Lumi said, then looked at me. “It might sound crazy or impossible, but everything you’re going through happens in your subconscious. Your spirit never leaves your body, and every interaction you have with the Word is in your mind. Therefore, it’s on your turf.”
“Lumi is right,” Grandma replied. “The next time you go under, take control. Figure out what it is you want from the Word, what you want to do with the powers it gives you… and own it!”
“If your will is strong, then every molecule around you will fall in line,” Grandpa Ibrahim added, smiling gently. “Remember, you’re not just a creature who’s taking up swamp witch magic. You’re a natural-born witch, Kale. That, alone, gives you an edge that no one else has.”
Grandpa had a point. Lumi had said the same thing, too. I did have an advantage here, and I was letting my fear get the better of me. The Word had accepted this bond between us; otherwise, I never would’ve been able to use any of the magic it had given me. I had to take control. I had to get my crap together. I’d been so consumed by my fear of losing control that I’d nearly forgotten the great things that the Word had already given me.
“You two look amazing together,” Grandma Corrine said, changing the subject as she wiggled her eyebrows at Hunter and me.
It was my turn to feel my face burn up. “Grandma…” I mumbled.
