Page 35 of Premonition of Peace

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. My loci was already in a state of chaos, each one of my selves scrambling for a solution, trying to find a way out of this nightmare. I rubbed at my temples, feeling a throbbing ache settle behind my eyes. Justwhat I needed. I wouldn’t be able to see things clearly if it turned into a migraine.

Then, suddenly, something clicked.

See.

The Eye.

“There might be something that can,” I whispered, shifting my gaze as my thoughts raced.

“What did you think of?” Kat demanded, her brows furrowing.

I shook my head at her and kept walking for the front door. “No offense, but not only do I not trust you, there is no way I am going to give The Morrigan a chance to figure me out if she gets to you first.”

The words were harsh, but the situation called for blunt honesty.

“Right.” She rolled her eyes and huffed.

“Look, I have to go. Stay safe and out of the way,” I told her firmly.

“If The Morrigan wants me, she’ll find me,” Kat replied, her tone flat and resigned. There was no hint of self-pity, just a stark acceptance of the reality we faced.

“Then I will have to fix this quickly, won’t I?” I sighed as I stopped at the door, pulling it open. “Just . . . don’t do anything rash until then. I will handle this. I promise.”

She didn’t respond, only giving me a nod that conveyed a lack of faith in my vow. It stung, but I couldn’t blame her. We were in this mess partly because of our family’s secrets—secrets Kat had kept, thinking she was protecting us. I felt a mixture of frustration and sadness as my sister placed a hand on my shoulder, a silent farewell, before retreating back into the house.

As I turned to leave, a pang of sympathy struck me. Despite everything, she was still my twin, my psychic bondmate, and inthis moment, she was just as trapped in this nightmare as I was. And she was next to die.

twelve

NATHALIE

LeavingKatherine behind felt like shedding some weight, but it was only a temporary relief. As I drove away, the familiar pressure began to build again, like I was Atlas, struggling to hold up a world I wasn’t sure I could bear. The past few months had been a relentless barrage of challenges, each one adding to the burden until I felt like I might collapse under the strain.

My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, the leather cool and smooth against my palms. The road stretched out before me, a seemingly endless ribbon of asphalt leading me back to the chaos I had left behind. I couldn’t shake the conversation with Kat from my mind. The revelation that our mother wasn’t actually our mother was already a devastating blow. Part of me felt a grim relief that a woman as vile as Dolores wasn’t truly my blood, but that small comfort was overshadowed by the tidal wave of new questions and problems. To learn that my existence was intended to house my evil ancestor who just wouldn’t stay dead? It was enough to make anyone spiral into madness.

Each revelation raised the stakes in this deadly game. I had been almost positive I was contending with The Morrigan, but I had thought it was a simple matter of exorcising her from Sasha’s body. I had hoped the solution would be straightforward. But now, with the knowledge that The Morrigan was destined to pass from host to host, inevitably targeting me, I realized how wrong I’d been. Removing her from Sasha wouldn’t end this. It would only bring her closer to me. Everything felt so irrevocably screwed up, like a puzzle where none of the pieces fit together anymore.

One thing was clear: I had to get The Morrigan out of Sasha’s body before she could do any more harm. Then handle her before she reached Kat. And long before she got to me. The question was how. I had an answer, but part of me bucked against it. The implications weighed heavily on me. I wasn’t just considering the risk to myself; I was contemplating the broader consequences of wielding such power.

Inside, I was torn between the necessity of action and the paralyzing fear of making things worse. The stakes were incredibly high, and I couldn’t afford to falter now. But was I truly prepared to wield such power? The pressure of my choices felt suffocating, and the thought of making a mistake weighed heavily on me. What if the solution I was clinging to wasn’t enough? What if it only led to more chaos and suffering?

My mind raced as I tried to piece together a timeline. How long had Carissa been dead? Had The Morrigan killed her as soon as Sasha’s body became available? A knot of guilt tightened in my chest as I remembered how I had unwittingly given The Morrigan directions to Sasha.

I needed to think, to strategize.

A small café I knew about was nearby, so I pulled into their lot and put the car in park. I slipped into my memory loci. Normally it was a place of comfort. A mental sanctuary wheredifferent facets of myself gathered around a table to debate and plan. Today, the atmosphere was tense. The arguments hadn’t stopped since I had left Katherine.

The Warden sat back in her seat, arms crossed, her expression resolute. “We need to use the Eye. It’s our best chance to sever The Morrigan’s tie.”

Peace, always the voice of caution, shook her head, her legs folded beneath her in a posture of anxious energy. “But the Eye is unpredictable, and the way we use it is risky,” she countered. “It could cause more harm than good.”

“It is a risk.” Ann tilted her head side to side, her analytical mind weighing the options. “But it’s a calculated one. The Eye is the only thing powerful enough to disrupt a soul tie.”

“Without it, we’ll be sitting ducks,” The Warden emphasized, her eyes hard. “We’ll be waiting for The Morrigan to kill her host bodies and jump to ours. We need to be prepared. Using the Eye is not just about severing the bond. It’s about survival.”

“She’s right,” Analytical Nat agreed. “We don’t get second chances with Morgan Le Fay. This is it. The Eye has the power to do what we need.”

Caretaker, ever the nurturer, looked pained. “But using the Eye could hurt us too,” she said softly. “We have to consider our well-being.”

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