extract his wolf, Noble may try to shift as a survival instinct—to keep the two of them together.”
Almost on cue, fur rippled down Noble’s arms, and the wolf form I held grew taut as it tried to suck back into Noble’s body.
Whoa.
“Already there.” Noble’s voice was barely human.
“Fight it!” Justice shouted.
Rage squeezed his brother’s shoulders and said, “Do this for Honor.”
Looking at me, Geoff raised his eyebrows. “Now, you made the deal with the Keeper of Souls, you must call for Honor.”
My jaw dropped. “Uh … how?”
“You’ve done this before,” my grandfather said. “Don’t let go of the wolf, but close your eyes and feel for Honor’s energy. Then go to him.”
Hysteria bubbled up inside of me. “You make that sound like the easiest thing in the world.”
“Nai, I’ll help you.” He closed his eyes so I closed mine too. “Now think of Honor.”
Honor. Sweet Honor.
I thought of him sitting at the edge of the lake in the Realm of the Dead, staring out at the vast expanse. I thought of him telling me that he was going to train me to shift. And how he told his brothers to stop teasing me at the beach.
Honor? Where are you? I felt for his energy, but what did his “energy” feel like? What did anyone’s energy feel like?
Honor was peaceful and calm. He was thoughtful and deep. If Rage’s energy was the sun, Honor’s was … like that lake. Cool, calm, soothing, and still.
Breathing in and out, I noticed light starting to flicker behind my closed eyelids, and then I felt a tug like someone had hooked a cord to my bellybutton and pulled. Then, I was floating, I could no longer feel the ground under me; everything felt light and free. My eyelids snapped open, and a shriek tore from my throat.
“I’m flying!” I screamed into the dark empty air.
“You’re free of your body, Nai,” Grandpa chuckled beside me, and I looked over at his soul. It was younger—like he was maybe forty, but the lighthearted expression quickly disappeared.
“Let’s go. We’re running out of time,” he said.
Right.
I let Gramps lead, and together we flew across a familiar landscape. The lake came into view with the Keeper’s castle on the hilltop. Glancing to my right, I gasped when I saw my body was semitransparent. I was a freaking ghost! Or a soul, or whatever. Just like Gramps.
Before I could process any further, the ground rushed up to meet us, and with Geoff’s help, I landed on my feet. I scanned the area and saw thousands of souls lazing about near the lake.
“Honor!” I shouted, running up to a young man sitting on a picnic blanket, but when he turned, I saw he wasn’t my friend but someone who looked like him. How much time did we have left? Was I too late? Should I go up to the castle and demand Honor—?
‘Stop. Don’t panic. Feel for him.’ Grandpa Geoff’s voice was in my head in the same way Rage and I spoke.
Letting out a shaky breath, I tried once more to feel for Honor’s energy. If I couldn’t see him with my eyes, was there another way to sense him? I knew the answer as soon as I thought the question. I needed to use my magic. I unwound the ball of magic “thread” in my chest, but instead of reaching for fire or water … or exhaling air, I sent magic feelers out into the realm of the dead like a net—a special Honor Midnight net.
Boom!
I felt him then, a large energetic presence to my right.
My eyes popped open and zeroed in on him. Honor was walking along the lakeshore with his father, and with them were my biological parents.
My mind blanked, and for a second I forgot why I was here.
“Mom!” I yelled.
‘No!’ Grandpa warned. ‘There’s no time. Honor’s soul is getting heavier.’ With a shake of his head, Grandpa added, ‘It may be too late. He may not go with you now.’
I spared my parents one more look, my heart breaking when my mom waved, her eyes filling with tears. I wanted to run to her, to hug her and ask her and my bio dad a hundred different things, but … I had to focus on Honor. ‘What do you mean Honor may not come with me?’
‘We’ve waited until the last possible moment. He feels rooted here now, and he may not want to leave.’
‘But—’
‘You need his permission,’ Gramps said. ‘Everyone has free will.’
No flippin’ way would