Page 92 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

“And I suppose she wants you?” I hiss, as a strange emotion twists my stomach.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Stay away from her. She’s unstable, and you make it worse with your outlandish power games. With a third element, we know where this is heading—she’ll be a full elemental, maybe the strongest magical human we’ve seen in a long time.”

Without waiting for a response, he leaves to go back to her.

Standing at the window looking over the city, I try to understand her. An elemental witch, with air, water, and now earth in her control. She’s so strong, she’s dangerous. People don’t begin their powers by controlling large bodies of water and creating earthquakes. When we met, she could sense the changes in air currents, meaning she already had an affinity for air.

Her survival of the Eitr poison had proven the myth it was life as well as death. Some gods had survived the Eitr poison—but most didn’t. How had she done it, and at what cost? Nobody but me had glimpsed her eyes. Those gorgeous eyes lined with cosmic power… Is that where this magic is coming from? I could do with speaking to Kay, but he’s been missing for decades. Not unusual; he often disappears to tend to his other duties. He’ll appear at the crucial moment, whenever that may be.

Michael hands me a glass of scotch, his power declaring his arrival better than any greeting. He is almost strong enough to rival me.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asks. He enjoys learning this era’s strange sayings. Some of them I don’t understand like, “There’s no use crying over spilt milk.” But this one I’m familiar with.

When I don’t respond, he laughs. “Oh, brother, don’t tell me it’s a girl?”

I grumble incoherently. Apart from Zac and Jed, Michael is the only one I share anything personal with that may be used against me.

“The Waterford girl?” he probes.

I turn and stare at him. I need to have a chat with Zac about discretion. “She’s confusing, an enigma.”

He puts a hand on my shoulder. “You always were a sucker for puzzles.”

“Logically, I should stay away. But I seem incapable. Following her survival of the Eitr, Khalkaroth has upgraded her status from kill to capture.”

Michael sighs. “Zac told me about the Eitr. Do you think she has anything to do with the threat?”

I furrow my brows. “My instinct is yes, but logically, other than her investigation of Mary’s murder, I can’t understand how.”

“Follow your instincts. Keep her close. It will become clear. Zac wants you to break her shields.”

I shake my head. “That won’t be happening. If she lets me in, it will be because she wants to—not because I coerced or forced it.”

“Hmm…” He swirls his remaining whiskey in the crystal tumbler.

“What?”

He shakes his head. “A little birdie told me you have found the Jar.” Again with the inane sayings.

Retrieving the Jar from my safe, I mentally summon Zac, Nathan, and Barney, purposefully leaving Jed out. We sit around the dining table with the Jar in the center.

Michael reaches for it tentatively. “It’s smaller than I imagined.”

I nod in agreement. “How close are you to finding Pan?”

Placing the Jar back down, Michael sighs. “That’s why I’m here—I felt Pan’s power here in Seattle earlier today, probably following the Jar.” He pauses, looking like he’s sorting through options. “We could set a trap with the Jar, keep it simple. Or we could keep it safely locked up and wait for Pan to make a move.”

“It’s risky to set a trap. If Khalkaroth comes instead, he could escape with the Jar before we kill Pan. Then it’s game over, and we’ve lost,” Zac says, gazing at the Jar as if it holds the answers to how we should proceed.

“Even if he comes, Pan won’t be far behind. If we distract him long enough, it will draw Pan out. What about the inscription on the Jar?” I ask.

Nathan nods at me. “It confirms what the scrolls say about the five protectors.”

“And that’s us,” I conclude.

“It would seem so.” Barney suddenly looks around, narrowing his eyes. “Where’s Jed?”

I grind my jaw. “Protecting Natia.” Where I should be.

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