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“It has to be that way.”
He was right. It did have to be that way. But she couldn’t accept so little. He’d hurt her once before and she couldn’t let it happen again. She’d be so close to what she wanted, only to have it slowly eat away at her heart until it was devoured entirely.
She pulled out of his grasp and curled up on her side, away from him. The slight soreness between her legs only reminded her of what they’d had. “It’s not enough for me, Malcolm. It wasn’t then, and it isn’t now.”
He lay beside her and pulled her to him. Sofia stiffened.
“Just for tonight,” he said.
Slowly, she relaxed.
Just for tonight. Because tomorrow they would be through.
15
Mud squished beneath Malcolm’s boots as he made his way through the jungle alongside Sofia. It was still thirty minutes before dawn and Sofia lit the way with her wand. Kitty went ahead, jumping from tree root to tree root to stay out of the mud. His wulver night vision sufficed to get him through the forest, but he kept glancing at Sofia, who was lit by the light of her wand. She was once again in the guise of a Crone, but he could see her beneath it.
Lying next to her last night had been a revelation. Truthfully, the last few days had been a revelation.
He wanted her more than he wanted the power. He wanted her more than he wanted anything. But he’d done wrong by her. Guilt clawed at him for his role in her village’s dire straits.
Hewas to blame for this. No question—he’d have to do everything in his power to see that these people stayed safe.
And Sofia… If he wanted any chance at convincing her to stay with him, he was going to have to find a way to shed his Oath Breaker curse. Which meant getting rid of his warlock powers.
He clenched a fist. The idea of giving up his power made him sick. But even worse was the idea that there might not be a way.
“We’re almost there,” Sofia said.
The jungle was alive around them, giant trees on all sides and night animals rustling and filling the air with screeches and growls. The path opened up to a clearing that was bordered on all sides by enormous jungle trees. In the middle, thirteen tall, flat stones rose toward the air. The six faction leaders who made up the council each stood in front of a stone, waiting. All were positioned on one side of the circle.
He’d thought stone circles were primarily found in the British Isles. “Who built these?”
“Our ancestors,” Sofia said. “A long time ago. This isn’t the only stone circle in Brazil, but it’s the only one built by Mytheans. It’s a place where we can come to contact the dead. To be closer to those we’ve lost.”
He followed her into the circle. Aleia and Inara stood near the middle. Sofia greeted the council members who’d taken up their positions in front of the stones, then turned to Aleia and Inara.
“I’m going to open a portal to our afterworld, then I’ll call my ancestors forth. Inara, since you’re a world walker, perhaps you can assist me.”
“I can use my magic to amplify your call,” Inara said. “Just tell me the names of those we’re calling.”
Sofia repeated the names of her ancestors, then turned to Malcolm. “Could you do the same?”
He nodded.
“All right.” She glanced toward the east, where the sky was beginning to turn brilliant pink and orange, the colors bleeding across the sky. “We can begin.”
She turned to face the other side of the circle, toward the seven stones that had no one standing in front of them. Kitty sat at her right and Inara stood at her left. Aleia drifted back to stand in front of a stone.
Malcolm could feel the gazes of the observing council members at his back, and though he didn’t usually like putting his back to other powerful Mytheans, there was no helping it now. He’d committed himself to doing whatever Sofia needed from him. He stepped up to stand next to Kitty.
Sofia swept her black cloak away from her shoulders and raised her wand. She murmured quiet words under her breath, so whisper-soft that he couldn’t make them out. Her wand moved in a square pattern, the tip alight.
As the sun broke over the trees, a glowing space—like a doorway with no door—opened on the other side of the circle. Magic trembled in the air, quieting the jungle animals until all he could hear was the breeze.
Sofia raised her voice, calling the names of her ancestors. Malcolm and Inara joined her, repeating the names she’d told them just moments ago.
“Laís, Karajá,Nauquá,Panenoá,Aparai, Oriva,” The strange, ancient names echoed through the jungle.
