After half an hour of walking, we hadn’t encountered any weather demons. I knew we drew demons to us as Sisters, but maybe it wasn’t as instantaneous as I’d thought it would be without Guards. I might have been making the situation a little too dramatic. That didn’t mean I was safe for others to be around in the long term.

“I asked Ren what his favorite part of the trip was so far, and he said here. I think he was being sweet.” It was the kind of thing that was said in the dark. Maybe. I didn’t have much experience with this. “What’s yours?”

He squeezed my fingers. “Here.”

“Oh, come on. We’ve yelled at each other. You can actually tell me the truth. Which place was the best?”

He stopped. “This place is the most memorable. I’m going to be telling stories for the rest of my life about how I was here with you. But the best? When we stepped off the boat from Peter’s, we arrived in a little town called Reginald Cove. I’d never been there. Neil had. He grew up on boats, but for the rest of us, it was the first time we left the island. I know when we talk about it, we make it sound really nice, and it is. It’s also an island. In two to three days, you can walk across it and see all of it. Sometimes it’s stifling. That moment when I stepped off that boat and onto the mainland? That was the best moment.”

I loved that answer. “What did it feel like?”

“Feel like?” He shook his head. “I don’t know exactly. It tasted like freedom, like I’d finally stepped on the right path.”

Something moved in the distance, followed by a shout and a scream. I took off in that direction, Gordon right by my side, and abruptly slid to a stop as soon as I saw the scene in front of me. My powers shot to life.

The weather demon had a woman in front of him. She was on her knees. He looked human—the creepiest demons always did—and he had his hands out in front of him while he sucked the energy straight from her. Above his head, the weather raged.

Well, that was how he did it. At least it made sense. For all the damage he could do, his need for human energy that told me he had more in common with the Succubus than the Chaos Demon.

“I…”

Gordon put his hand on my arm. “You’re going to save her. The whole idea of getting help is gone now that there is a person who is going to die. I see it. I get it. What do you need?”

I swung around to look at him. “I need you to go back and get Anne. If I fail, she has to help this woman.”

He nodded. “All right.”

That was something I really liked about Gordon. He didn’t waste time on things that didn’t make sense. He didn’t argue with me that I should let him stay and help. He did just what I asked of him. The same guy who could simply let me know we wouldn’t be kissing would go and get help because I needed it.

The weather demon turned his eyes toward me. I was used to demons having red eyes, but his were blue. I turned my head to the side to look at him as I walked in his direction.

“Sister Mika.” He continued to pull at the woman, she screamed as her body flopped bonelessly. I continued approaching him, cautious. If I thought running would save the woman I would do so, but this was new territory for me. I had to do this smartly or not at all. I couldn’t save her if we both died.

“How do you always know our names, foul creature, when I do not have the pleasure of your name?” There was power in names. Sometimes, if we could trick a demon into giving us theirs, then we had control over them. It rarely happened, but it was always worth the shot.

The demon laughed. In this human form, he had blond hair. Blue eyes and blond hair. A dimple in his left cheek. I had to wonder if he was some kind of incubus gone awry.

Could demons do that? Switch types? These were not questions I really wanted answers to.

“I would not tell you my name. I was not created yesterday.”

I nodded toward the woman he still abused. This close to him, I could actually see that he had a pile of bodies behind him. This evil being was attacking people in view of our gate and we’d had no idea. I could not save the world from behind the safety of a locked gate—Guards or no Guards. There would have to be changes.

“Let her go, and face me. Or are you afraid of one such as myself?” I used my hand to indicate my person. “I’m alone. Guardless. And surely something as big and powerful as you doesn’t need to hurt regular humans when you could feed off of me.”

They were powerful yet egotistical beings. It wasn’t at all hard to goad a demon into doing what I wanted. In this case, seeing that his current victim didn’t end up in the pile of bodies behind him took precedence over anything else.

He roared and dropped the woman to the ground. She didn’t move, but she breathed. For now, that would have to do. Goosebumps broke out on my body. They hurt. Some Sisters had this side effect every time their powers turned on. That wasn’t usually the case for me, but it did sometimes happen.

“I am not afraid of you, Sister Mika. You are nothing but a secondary thought. Sister Anne or Sister Teagan and I might be afraid. You are nothing, and you never will be.”

I didn’t take the bait as easily as he did. “That is probably true. They are much more powerful than me. But I do have a reason to want to be rid of you more than they do.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Why is that?”

“I am really, really tired of the rain.” I raised my hand and shot power at him. He gasped. The demon seemed actually surprised. Had he thought I might let him walk away from this unscathed? “Sick of the rain. The thunder. The mud. The lightning. You wanted attention. Well, you have it.” I twisted my wrist. “What did you hope to accomplish? Are you seeking death? You can have it.”

I’d actually never felt more powerful than I did in that moment. As when I pulled the demon out of the girl and saved her life, I didn’t even feel taxed from my abilities. Maybe the burn out had been helpful.

“I… I need to speak to the Master under the house.”

Did he mean Bob? He was some kind of Master? That was a new piece of information. “And you thought you could come and—what—flood him out from under it?”

“We have to take the power. You shouldn’t be able to do this. You shouldn’t have this power.”

I twisted my hand, sending him up in the air. I could see the particles that made the cells that formed his demonic body. I could see how to turn him into dust.

“There is no should and shouldn’t. There is no yes or no.” I didn’t know where the words I spoke came from. From somewhere deep inside of me. “There is good, there is evil. There is what there always has been. And you shall be no more.”

Time became meaningless. Instead, all I could see were the faces of babies. Hundreds of Sisters who were yet to be. Their souls sought bodies, their bodies sought souls. And all of them turned to me.

Oracle…

He disintegrated into nothingness. “I forgive you.”

There was quiet. For a moment, I stayed completely still and just let the silence of destruction drift over me. I dropped to my knees in front of the woman. She wasn’t possessed, and although I was lit up like a lantern, there was nothing I could do for her.

“Mika?” I turned at the sound of Anne’s voice. She rushed to my side. “Where is the demon?”

I touched Sister Superior on her cheek. She was so young—five years my junior—and she worked so hard for all of us. If Anne hadn’t stood against Katrina, none of us would be here now; for that I would be grateful forever. She glowed in white light. My powers must be riding me hard. I wasn’t usually quite this… filled with tenderness and thankfulness.

“Everything you do… thank you.”

She gripped my arm, holding onto my elbow. “Where is the demon?”

“Gone from this earth.” I smiled at her. “I’m the Oracle. I don’t want to be, but that’s all there is to it.”

Her mouth fell open. “The Oracle?”

“Yes, that’s me. Please don’t lock me in a room. I don’t want to steal babies. Why would they do this to me?”

Anne shook her head. “Mika, I don’t know. I had no idea that there could be more than one Oracle.”

“Well, there’s more than one Sister Superior. There’s you, there’s Katrina. And the one up there in divinity.”

Anne took my hands in hers. “We represent Her on Earth. Or at least we should have. Katrina is a false Sister.”

“Well, maybe I represent the Oracle here. Only, I don’t want to. I decline the job.”

Anne actually laughed. “I don’t think that’s an option.”

“Well, it should be.”

My knees threatened to give out. I would have fallen forward, but then Gordon was there, catching me. “I’ve got her.”

He turned me around, carrying me in his arms. I wasn’t at all surprised to see Anne’s Guards watching us. There was no way Anne could have charged out of the Sisterhood without them. Wherever she went, they went.

That was how their relationship worked.

“I’m not going to faint.”

Gordon snorted. “Well, you could if you wanted to.”

“No.” I really wasn’t about to blackout. “Thanks for getting help.”

He carried me like I weighed nothing at all. “You didn’t need any, as it turned out.”

“If you hadn’t gone for it, I would have needed it. That’s how these things work.”

The skies were clear. For the first time since I could remember, there wasn’t a cloud to be seen anywhere. Tomorrow might actually be a sunny day.

“Are you drunk? Like on power?”

That was a very good question. “I’ve never been drunk.”

“That we can do something about.”

Wrapped in a blanket, I sat on Neil’s lap in front of the circular table in the guesthouse. I’d started to think of it as their house and that was dangerous, particularly because Neil had just let us all know he thought they had only one more week of work ahead of them.

Just one more week until they moved on. Gordon walked over, set down six glasses on the table, and took the seat right next to Neil. On our other side was Wayne, while Lennon and Ren took the other spots at the table.

“Really?” Neil nodded toward Gordon. “Are we going for getting her drunk?”

I pointed at the glass with the brown liquid in it. “Where did you get alcohol?” It was really hard to find.

Wayne laughed. “Gordon is a guy who knows how to find things.”

“I do,” Gordon answered. “And she’s never had it. So, I thought maybe we were just the fellows to introduce her to the joys.”

Neil lifted a glass and handed it to me. “Sip until you know how it will affect you.”

The taste was bitter, and I set it back down on the table. “I don’t like it.”

“That’s because it’s gross.” Lennon shook his head. “If we’re going to introduce her to drinking, then it shouldn’t be this sludge. She’s a lady. Do the women at home drink this? No they don’t. They have better sense.”

Ren elbowed him. “Some of the women do. Not everyone has the opportunity to drink the good stuff your mother sips.”

Lennon elbowed him right back. “My mother never drank anything other than lemonade.”

“Oh yeah, right.” Neil laughed, and I bounced slightly in his lap.

These were the moments I was certain I wouldn’t forget. People in my life weren’t easy like this. I couldn’t imagine one of the other Guards elbowing another Guard here. Maybe they did behind closed doors. I didn’t know.

I took another sip of the bitter drink. It wasn’t better. But Wayne was drinking his in large gulps, and Gordon had drained half his glass. There had to be some point to it. Drunk people often seemed happy. Maybe it would be fun to be…

My glass shattered into a hundred pieces, the brown liquid spilling out all over the table. Neil jumped to his feet, placing me behind him. In no time flat they were all up, staring at the mess. I wasn’t cut, I was just wet, and Neil had to be a little, too.

No…

I heard the voice and looked up to see a spirit dancing in the room above my head. They looked more like birds than people, but I didn’t really know what divinity was supposed to look like in the first place. The Guards sometimes saw ravens. Maybe divinity had a thing for birds.

Ren looked around the room. “What just happened?”

“I guess it’s not an appropriate time for me to drink. Sorry.” I rushed to the kitchen and grabbed towels while they all stared at the mess as though they’d never seen one before. I had it half cleaned up before one of them spoke again.

Lennon rocked back on his feet. “Wow. The divinity just broke your glass.”

“Sorry. Hang out with Sisters long enough and you get used to them being constantly in the room. Sort of. I mean, I’m sure there are things they aren’t watching. They’re very talkative with me right now.” This was uncomfortable. “Maybe because I don’t have Guards? They need to make sure I’m not screwing up.”

Ren laughed, and all eyes in the room turned to him. “And you thought I was going to see something cooler than this on this trip? The divinity just broke her glass.”

I was glad someone thought it was great. It was just another reminder of how I would never, ever be just a normal woman getting to do as I pleased.

I looked up at a sky. “I took down a weather demon today. I’d never even heard of one. It would destroy some eternal plan if I had a drink tonight?”

They were apparently not answering. I shook my head. “Sorry, guys. I’ll go back to my room. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

“You don’t have to go.” Neil took my hand. “I mean, I think we all got a little stunned for a second. But it’s fine.”

The mood had changed. The easy time where they all included me as though I was one of them had left for the night. I hoped not permanently. “Goodnight.”

For once, I didn’t have to walk home in the rain. The night felt chilly, and despite having been surrounded by people all day, I’d never felt more alone.

I fell asleep easily, which should have been my first sign it wouldn’t be a good night. With my mental barriers down, Katrina’s cursed road invaded my mind. I sighed because I wanted to scream and I knew from experience how little it would matter. Would I see the babies tonight, or would I be free from them?

Anne hadn’t come to see me, which meant she wasn’t ready to tell me what to do about my Oracle problem. Of course, I might be forever stuck on this dark road and never free to find any children anyway.

I walked slowly. In this state, I was unable to stand still for very long.

I was jolted awake. The room was quiet, but I wasn’t alone. Wayne lay next to me, snuggling into the bed. He wrapped an arm around me and went quiet. Did he not know he’d woken me up?

I turned slightly in his arms to find his eyes half open. “Hi.”

“Did I wake you? I couldn’t sleep. I just felt like maybe you should have company.” He reached out and tipped my chin toward him. His mouth pressed lightly on my own. “You okay?”

“I am now. I was having a bad dream.” I didn’t want to go into the details of the whole thing. Better to let it fade away. Maybe I wouldn’t have it again tonight.

He nodded. “So then my gut wasn’t wrong. Glad to be here with you. Go to sleep.”

I loved these quiet moments with each of them. I hadn’t slept with Gordon, and the no kissing rule told me I wouldn’t be doing that anytime soon. I only had a week left with them anyway. It would stop soon.

“What is your favorite food?”

He knew mine. We’d all eaten it together. “Steak. A really good steak. Or just caught fresh fish. Green vegetables. Lennon’s mother’s pie.”

“Not your own mother’s?”

“Ack, no.” He laughed lightly. “She tried, and I loved her completely, but no, not anything she cooked. My father cooked. And he didn’t bake.” He was quiet for a moment. “I know you didn’t have a family to grow up with, but did you have any fun childhood memories.”

Fun ones? Well, that was a good question. “I used to love to see the butterflies outside my window. They’d hover there. I’d touch the glass and watch.”

“That was your favorite childhood memory? Watching the butterflies?”

I elbowed him lightly. “Not all of us grew up on a demon-free island with fields to run through.”

“Fields?” He snorted. “I never ran through fields.”

Okay, that had been one of my fantasies. Too bad. I’d cross that one off. No running through fields. Wayne kissed me, square on the lips. The slight growth of whiskers on his chin rubbed against me, and I loved the feeling. I ran my fingertips through the scruff.

He kissed me and kissed me. I could hardly keep up with him, but who needed air when Wayne’s mouth on mine could shut out the rest of the world? We adjusted positions until I was fully under him, and he held himself off me on his elbows.

Wayne pulled off slightly, pushing my hair off my forehead while he stared down at me. “I can’t tell you how much I love kissing you. I… I thought there was something wrong with me for years. I’ve always had total disinterest in anyone. Women. Men. And I know there are people who are just not into the physical side of relationships. That’s fine. But I wanted it. I just didn’t want it with anyone I met. Until you. It was like… wham. I know what you told the others and that is fine. I just wanted you to know how special you are to me.” He rolled his eyes. “Maybe that sounds to you as dumb as it did to me just did coming out of my mouth, but…”

I kissed him to stop him. “You’re very special to me, too. I wish… well, no I don’t wish. I struggle with my duties, but I wouldn’t do anything other than what I do. I help people. That’s a gift. But I wish this was possible. That somehow I could also be the woman who could stay with you. I’ve never laughed like I do with all of you. I’ve never daydreamed. I’ve never… any of this.”

Maybe the less said on this the better. I’d thought telling them nothing past kissing would protect me somehow, but I hadn’t realized there were lots of ways into my heart. Right here and right now, I was dangerously close to sliding straight into loving them. I couldn’t let it happen. How would I manage without them?

Wayne must have felt the moment the same way. He was quiet, too, eventually rolling over to the side of me and readjusting me back into his arms. I closed my eyes. This would all be over soon, and I could obsess over that or just be glad this very sweet, kind man wanted to hold me in that night’s darkness and wait for morning with me.

I woke with the light coming through the window and the sounds of Wayne snoring in my ear. I grinned. It hadn’t bothered me when I’d been asleep, and it was sort of rhythmic in a way that the sound only alerted me he was there. Or I was smitten and everything about him was going to be adorable. It took me a second to feel his hardness against my back.

My heart rate kicked up, and I moved just a little. Wayne hadn’t hidden the fact that he wanted me, and the evidence of it was right there. He moaned slightly with my squirm but otherwise didn’t wake. I held his arm around mine, running my fingers through the dark hair there. This time it was his turn to shift slightly, which only pushed his hardness further against me.

His head came down to my shoulder, where he pressed the slightest kiss. “Tell the light to go away. Tell it that we still have hours. Because as soon as it’s really here, I have to get up and…” His voice trailed off and he adjusted himself, the hardness I’d actually liked feeling coming off my back.

I turned in his arms. “Good morning.” I kissed his chin. I really liked touching Wayne there. “I don’t want it to be morning either. I like it right here, with you. I like how this feels to just be here with you with nothing else in the world except this small space. With you.”

His hair fell slightly in his face, and I reached over to smooth it back. The soft strands made me smile. Someday there would be a woman who got to lie like this with him in the morning and have nowhere to go. She would say, let’s stay in bed today, and maybe they could for a while. The rest of the world had ended, but not on Peter’s Isle, and there, someday, Wayne would know love that didn’t have an expiration date.

“I have the benefit of sometimes hearing the divine. Sometimes, they speak to me. Others of my order have seen the other side, Teagan returned from it. You haven’t met her yet. And the reason I tell you this is that because knowing there is another realm, another place lets me say certain things with certainty. Knowing that in that place souls are placed together to be forever in love, it lets me tell you that there is such a thing as true love, Wayne. You may not have met her or him yet. She or he may be north of here. Or you didn’t realize it because you wanted to explore but they wait at home for you on Peter’s. Or someday you just see that person somewhere. And they are your one. You will have the real thing. There isn’t a demon around who could mess that up for you. I know it.”

He ran his hand down the side of my face. I shuddered from the contact. I wouldn’t cry at the thought of it being someone else. Somehow, I would be joyful for him and grateful I had these moments.

Somehow.