Page 153 of Let It Snow
"Keep talking. I have a feeling you’re about to throw a metaphoric atomic bomb." His eyes flick briefly toward his fated mate, but Luca isn’t looking at either of us anymore, focused fully on the road. He's driving quite quickly. I hope the police won't stop us.
"I merged our souls."
Moon’s eyes widen.
"What?"
"Yes. I fused our essence into one, living in two bodies, as it is with True Mates."
"Why the fuck would you do it?! Because of Summer?"
I let out a sharp breath. "He wanted it so badly. He wanted us to be True Mates, one soul, not just Twin Souls."
"For God’s sake," Moon mutters with obvious condemnation, rubbing his temples with frustration. "That’s madness!"
"I knew he would accept it at the end. But it would always live in him as a small thorn. Another reason to feel different."
Moon exhales deeply, and for a while we ride in silence. "Snow, that’s not something you just… do out of somebody’s whim! I understand you have feelings for Summer, but it’s a bit insane. Do you even realize what kind of consequences this carries?"
Frustration escapes me in a short, impatient sound as I glance out the window at the buildings sliding past, probably part of some port district.
"If Summer dies, if Rocco finds a way to kill him, you’ll die too. You know that, don’t you? Your bond as Twin Souls was rare, something extraordinary, something most would envy. And now, you’re more like us, like everyone else." His tone carries a trace of disappointment.
"Summer wanted it that way. If I could give him that, I made it happen."
Moon breathes in sharply. "Now it makes sense why you were unconscious for so long. Your energy systems went into shock. The whole merging part."
"Yeah. That wasn’t easy," I murmur.
"How did you even do it?"
"My dad has this… subtle but powerful potency in him. It’s like something dormant, something that comes before the power is formed, a matrix. A harbinger of magic. His matrix energy helped bind our souls. It was an exceptional circumstance, his energy was open, ignited, flowing out. I would never have been able to do it on my own."
Moon just stares at me as if he barely understands, but finally he says, "I get it." After a pause he adds, "But it’s stillmore of a burden than a gift. You’re both more vulnerable now. It’s like you’ve lost part of the strength that came from the independence of your souls. If anything happens to either of you, the fallout could be… catastrophic."
I scoff. "Too late now. What’s done is done. We need to get to Summer as fast as possible. We’ve been driving forever."
At last, Luca speaks. "Calm down, I can’t exactly teleport there. But we’re close. I’ll drop you at one of the warehouses we own. We’ll approach the soldiers at the back entrance together, and I’ll help you get inside. I'll use my trick to disrupt their awareness, and they won’t remember what happened. Still, the farthest I can take you is to the door of the room where Summer’s being held. From there, you’ll be on your own. I can’t risk Rocco seeing me. His vengeance would turn on me, Moon, and Lux."
My jaw tightens until I feel the strain in the muscles.
"I understand. I don’t expect your help beyond that. I just hope I can handle the rest."
The car turns into a narrow alley between two massive warehouses that look more like airplane hangars and stops in the shadow of one. Luca looks over at Moon.
"Stay here. I’ll take him inside and then come back. We’ll wait together."
"Wait, Luca! What about cameras? There could be cameras at the hangar entrance."
I cut in. "If there are, it’s fine. I can short them out with a touch."
"Right," Moon mutters, rolling his eyes. "Energy mage."
No one comments further. Finally, Luca opens the door and we step out. My whole body vibrates, the weight of what’s ahead settling in. I only have one hope now—that we’ll find Summer alive and safe. I don’t let myself consider any other possibility.
We move single file past one hangar and along its side until we spot a smaller one. As we reach its wall, Luca points out a slowly rotating camera. Luckily, it’s not aimed in our direction. For now. The cable running to it is high up, but that’s not a problem. I press my hand against the wall and send a tongue of fire along it. The cable blackens, and the camera freezes. We continue, emerging from around the corner.
Three men stand in front of the hangar.
