Page 41 of Lunar Diamonds
Erin put her glass down. “There is a lot to get through tonight.”
Here we go. My stomach tightened. I drew a deep breath, putting my tea down. At the rate my hands were trembling, it’d only end up in my lap.
“You each wield celestial power,” Erin said.
Isaac shuffled a little closer in my direction.
“You, Isaac, are The Sun. Riley, you are The Moon. Unfortunately, The Star is missing.”
Dizzy bubbles fizzed in my head, giving the champagne a run for its money. “He is? Where… Do…” I cleared my throat. “Do you know who he is?”
Erin took a moment to answer. “Aaron, who you met earlier, is leading the investigation into his whereabouts. We did find him in London, but he vanished without a trace hours before we could reach out to him.”
“He’s not dead, is he?” Isaac asked.
“No. We would know.”
“How?”
“I’ll show you shortly. Until Preston is found, your magic will not be strong enough to fight the coming storm. Although you will accumulate great strength from tonight, each of you must be together when the true threat shows itself. The alignment of Sun, Moon, and Star.”
A painful kernel bloomed in my ribs, reality beginning to sink in.
This is happening.
“Are the Kingwoods the threat?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “It will show itself in time, as it has done over the year. But you will become a target to many, regardless of who or what it is.” Erin picked up her up glass. “The mansion is defended by protection charms, as well as cloaking charms to hide our activities from the High Coven. For the time being, at least.”
Wow. That hit like a ton of bricks. “Really?”
She tapped her champagne glass with her pinky finger. “There are dangerous days ahead, and the High Coven will want to help us thwart the apocalypse. After all, they haven’t managed to destroy the shades.”
Very fair point.
“But this will require delicate negotiations later down the line.”
I could only imagine the headache they’d conjure.
“I have every confidence in you,” she continued, “as I always have with this family. We will fight, and maybe we can make a deal with Drake Parish.”
My heart rate intensified. “We can?”
“Scrying witches are precious commodities. He may be able to help find Preston. He found you before me, and apparently knows where we can find the lunar diamonds.”
My brother and I looked at each other. He was paler than before, and I was sure my face resembled a nice shade of shocked horror.
Celestial triplets. Sacred witches, and heirs to a great power.
Anguish spiked in a sudden flood. “What about my mum? Our families? Are you saying we’ve been living a lie?”
“I’d say so,” Isaac contributed.
Not helpful.
A glimmer of anger joined my anguish. I straddled the middle ground between fury and sadness, unsure of my next move, stewing in my thoughts.
How could I be anyone else other than myself? Impossible. This life was all I’d ever known, along with the people in it.
