“You’re an Ophiuchus, created by a witch born of an Ophiuchus.”
My heart is thundering hard in my chest. “Wait, you think Fee’s mother was an Ophiuchus.”
“I am certain of it. The fire you spoke off, burning so hot it turned bone to ash, that is Bone flame. The Grimswood adversaries have scouts with this ability.”
“Hooded figures? Tulpas?”
“I think maybe they’ve found a new way to scout…Maybe they have someone strong enough to control tulpas. It would make sense. It would fit. The current Grimswood anchor is weakening. Her time is almost up, and we must have a new anchor. Our adversaries have been hunting potentials for years. We’ve managed to find most of them and are working to bring them into the fold, and now…Now I’ve found you.”
“Wait… You want me to be an anchor?”
“I’d like you to come and take the trials. This could be your destiny, Cora. Your higher purpose.”
I’m all for a higher purpose. Heck, I want my own thing, my own mini destiny, but being an anchor sounds awfully permanent and static. I don’t want to be tied down, I want adventure and to see the world. I want my destiny to be motile.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll pass.”
He frowns. “You’ll pass?”
“Yep. I don’t want to do it.”
He looks momentarily thrown. Maybe he thought telling me I was special would have me jumping up and down, eager to be tested and elevated, but that wasn’t me.
“These adversaries…Do they have a name?”
“You can’t go up against them,” Elijah says. “Trust me. Stay out of it.”
“Make up your mind. One moment you’re inviting me into the fold, and the next you’re telling me to back off.”
“Right now, they think your friend is the Ophiuchus. We need to keep it that way.”
What. The. Fuck. “You want me to use my friend as a scapegoat?”
He stares steadily at me. “Your life is more important.”
Okay, so no one has ever said that to me before, and yes, it’s kinda nice, but, “Fuck you, asshole. Fee is not dispensable. Tell me how to stop what’s happening to her.”
“And you’ll test as a potential?”
Anger races through my veins. How dare he try and blackmail me. I lean forward, eyes hot with rage. “Let me explain something to you, Mr. Blackwood. I don’t take kindly to extortion. In fact, it makes me extremely antsy, and when I get antsy, shit goes boom.”
He doesn’t flinch. If anything, his eerie gaze becomes more intense, and for a moment, I imagine I see flecks of silver swirling in his eyes, but then he sits back with a curt nod.
“An unwilling anchor is a danger to the coven. If you truly don’t wish to be a potential, then so be it.”
I ignore the stab of guilt. The Grimswood coven will be fine, they have several potentials to work with. “How do I help Fee?”
“The curse on her sounds like a Demise curse. Usually, a curse of this kind leaves a mark on the infected. If the mark is visible, you need to remove it.”
“Remove it.”
“Cut it out.” His eyes narrow.
“And if it’s not visible.”
His gaze is pitying. “Then the mark is on her soul, and in that case, there is nothing you can do. I’m sorry.”
“In that case, I’ll be back, and I’ll want the names of these adversaries.”
“You don’t understand. If the mark is on her soul, it can’t be removed, not even by the person who placed it. The curse will see its course. If it wants her dead, it won’t stop until her heart stops beating. Right now, it’s confined to her subconscious, but when it slips into her conscious mind, then it will be too late.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it will drive her insane, and even if by some miracle you did find a cure at that point, her mind would never recover.”
I need to get to Fee, and I need to get that mark off her. Now.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Fee
Uri could have jumped us both into Rising Pack territory, but as if in unspoken agreement, we took the bus. It was strange sitting together on the uncomfortable seats watching the city go by.
“I’m sorry about what happened with Grayson.”
“It’s not your fault, and it’s fine. I understand why he was upset. We’ve spoken since and cleared the air.”
Huh? Grayson had spent all night with me, when could they have spoken? Oh, shit, Grayson had gotten us a snack in between our lovemaking sessions. He must have spoken to Uriel then.