When we stood before Chief Grey Feather’s teepee, Roman turned to me and gently placed his lips to mine for another kiss.
“I can’t get enough of you, my darling. You’ve become more essential than food,” he said once he withdrew his mouth.
My heart soared.
“I feel the same way for you,” I said softly.
Roman drew back the teepee flap and stepped aside for me to enter.
The chief sat before a small fire, bundled in his fur robes. He nodded solemnly when we entered.
Marcellious sat at his side, staring at us with a stone-faced expression.
“Sit,” Chief Grey Feather commanded. “What I must share with you is of the utmost importance.”
Roman and I both lowered ourselves to the hides on the floor on the opposite side of Marcellious.
We waited as the chief closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts.
I glanced at Roman.
He shrugged.
Marcellious looked exhausted as he stirred the fire with a stick, sending sparks flying into the air. His eyes were lined with shadows, and a dried blood stain clung to the deerskin covering his torso at the bullet wound site.
Finally, Grey Feather’s eyelids fluttered open, and he looked directly at me.
The weight of his gaze felt like looking into a portal through time.
“Little Moon, I’ve been listening to the Great Spirit since before the sun awakened. I have been informed that Balthazar knows you, Swift Hawk, and Hunting Wolf have all time traveled together.”
The impact of the words felt like a punch to the gut, and I gasped. “How is that possible? How could he know?”
Grey Feather paused, eyes closed.
I glanced at Marcellious, who bore concern on his furrowed brow.
When Grey Feather opened his eyes again, the impact of his gaze had me swaying backward.
“When Little Moon brought you all together, the darknesses all rallied, combining their strength. They’re far stronger now, allied as one against you,” the chief said.
A shudder rocked me to my core. I clutched Roman’s outstretched leg, and he placed his warm hand over mine, lending me strength.
“Oh, God,” I said. “What can we do? How is this possible?”
Chief Grey Feather was about to speak again, but Marcellious interrupted.
“When you time traveled for the first time, your ultimate duty was to kill your darkness when you had the chance. But since you didn’t and time traveled again, Roman’s and your darkness joined you on your journey, becoming more bloodthirsty than before. Using that bloodlust, Balthazar has been training your darknesses to become more ruthless in their pursuit of you.”
“How do you know all this, Marcellious?”
“There’s a lot about me you don’t know,” he said, but he didn’t say it in malice. He seemed to speak to me as an ally, which was stunning.
“Clearly,” I stated, gripping Roman’s thigh.
“So, how can we weaken or vanquish the darkness?” I asked.
Grey Feather said, “You can’t weaken it, but you can destroy your darkness with your dagger. But now that Balthazar is here, he wants to eradicate all of you. And, with his alliance with your darknesses, he has the power to accomplish his desires.”
