“Xelan, I had a dream—not a memory—about Celindria last night,” Rayne confessed.

Concerned, Xelan lowered the throwing knife he was about to launch at her, asking, “Is that unusual?”

Rayne sounded a little defensive as she said, “Not entirely, but this one seemed different.”

Despite how much the stress had altered her mood lately, he maintained his patience with her. “Why is that?”

“I think she’s trying to warn me.”

Every muscle in Xelan’s body stiffened as he asked, “Warn you?” Since Celindria’s death, he could say his grief had manifested more than one dream about his First Progeny. It wasn’t unusual. But with Nox invading Rayne’s subconscious, only Elden knew what else was happening in Rayne’s mind.

Surrounded by the peace of their training ground, Rayne’s eyes darted from obstacle to tree to picnic table. Anywhere, but meeting Xelan’s eyes as she admitted, “Celindria said I couldn’t trust anyone. That someone would betray our group. Someone already had in the past.” When he kept silent, she pressed, “Do you know what she’s talking about?”

Divide and conquer.

Someone was playing a game with Xelan’s Progeny.

He cleared his throat before speaking. Twice. “There are many differences between you and Celindria. Like in this situation, you came to me and you told me about this dream. Celindria wouldn’t. She’d always suspected there was a traitor among us, but she never told me who she’d suspected, and I never asked.”

Rayne finally gave him the full force of her stare and asked, “So you don’t know who it could be, either?”

He shoved the knives and other training materials into his duffel. Now he was the one who couldn’t meet her eyes. “I don’t think you should tell anyone about this. It was only a dream.”

Rayne said, “But she was—”

Slightly on edge, Xelan didn’t mean to move faster than she could see. The alien-ness of it always took her breath away, setting him further apart from her. That was the last thing he wanted.

Xelan gently took both her hands and tried to communicate his sincerity with his eyes. “Your unit only works strongest when it’s whole. If it’s pulled apart by even a single member, every one of you would be vulnerable.” He knew because he’d seen it happen after Merit’s passing.

Rayne started to object, and he gave a gentle tug on her hands. “A single thread, frayed with doubt, could unravel the unit. No matter what you suspect, no matter what she told you, keep the unit together for now. I will work on discovering any potential threats.”

Rayne asked, “So don’t tell them?”

“Absolutely not.” Xelan shook his head.

“What will you do when you find the traitor?”

“End them.”

Then Rayne asked Xelan’s least favorite question. “When?”

She need not specify. By now, he knew what she meant. Xelan appreciated Rayne’s determination and dedication, but tonight it bordered on obsession.

“When will they come?” Rayne asked for the fortieth time. She walked away from Xelan, leaving his hands empty. Although the training session went well, she’d clung to the subject of the invasion like her sanity depended on it.

Maintaining his patience, Xelan said, “I told you it could happen at any moment.”

Tonight, any attempts to placate her only seemed to push Rayne further away as she said, “But you’ve been saying that for three years!” She unwound the boxing wrap from her knuckles in violent, rough jerks. “How much longer do we have to wait?! How long before we say the Icari called the entire thing off, and we can let everything go back to normal?”

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Xelan rushed over to Rayne and took her bleeding fists in his hands again, trying to stem her angry fretting. Like before, he shook them once until she met his eyes.

The eighteen-year-old girl with all those muscles and all that aggressive training met Xelan’s gaze.

He recoiled and almost dropped Rayne’s hands at the callowness on her face. Xelan asked, “Why? Why do you want this so badly? Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, Nox will find you and slaughter everyone around you. Why are you asking for this?”

“Because I want it over with.”

Xelan gently opened Rayne’s hands and took them in his own.

She continued, “I hate this constant preparedness. I hate waking up every morning from terrible dreams only to live the day wondering if they’ll come true this time or tomorrow. Or are we safe now? Did it blow over?”

Xelan squeezed her hands. “Rayne, sometimes I forget how young you are and for that I’m sorry. But as long as you have those dreams, you know it isn’t over.”

Into the dark of the surrounding night, Rayne spoke one breathy word that carried on the wind.

“When?”

Xelan drove to his installation upset on Rayne’s behalf, lost in his own determination to find her peace. He gripped the Jag’s steering wheel tightly, bothered by the direction of his thoughts.

This was a risk. A huge risk. It would jeopardize Xelan’s entire operation, but Rayne was worth it.

No time to stop. No time to plan. Because if he gave this even one iota of consideration beyond, “Just get it over with,” then Xelan would lose his nerve.

Three in the morning meant the Iona-01 skeleton crew was sitting down to lunch.

Perfect.

Xelan whipped the car into the hangar and rushed into his office unimpeded. There, he dialed Lucas’ number.

No greeting. No preamble.

When Lucas answered, all Xelan had to say was, “It’s time,” to get the ball rolling on an irreversible decision.

Rayne’s peace.

That’s all Xelan wanted.

So when Lucas escorted Caedes and Frullop into Iona-01 at 4:00am, Xelan clenched his jaw and faced the music.

For Rayne.

“I have intelligence I want to exchange for a favor.”

Frullop eyed Xelan suspiciously, but Caedes’ eyes sparkled with intelligence as he asked, “What favor do you seek from The Brethren?”

From behind his cohorts, Lucas gave Xelan a reassuring nod.

He cleared his throat before saying, “I request an investigation into the conduit. I believe there’s been a breach.”

Frullop and Caedes exchanged a glance before the sturdy bald Icarus folded his arms and asked with more gravel in his voice, “What makes you suspect a breach?”

Lucas winced, knowing what Xelan would say next. “I’ve been in contact with the Progeny, and Nox torments young Rayne Callahan in her dreams. He’s invading her mind.” Concern clutched at Xelan’s heart as he worried about what else of hers Nox had invaded.

Xelan expected more surprise at his confession, but the only reaction was Frullop’s sneer turned into more of a snarl as the rabid Icarus said, “You’ve violated the terms of your exile. We should report you to Enki’s Tribunal.”

‘Should.’

Interesting.

With his hands up in a placating gesture toward the other members, Lucas stepped between them and Xelan. “I think we understand why Xelan aided the Progeny—They’re helpless without our protection.”

Caedes wasn’t having it. “We walk a fine line with Enki, and your disregard for their authority endangers us all.”

“So, we’ll take over from here,” Frullop announced with entirely too much delight.

Xelan looked between them with an entreating glance at his ally.

Lucas put a hand on Xelan’s shoulder and shook his head.

There was nothing to do about it.

Fine. But…

“What about my request?” Xelan would not give up, for Rayne’s sake.

Frullop gave a cavalier shrug.

Caedes huffed. “You think we don’t know about the breach?”

Xelan felt his eyes triple in size.

Lucas squeezed Xelan’s shoulder with an apologetic look. “I didn’t want to burden you with this, but yes. Nox invaded around the time you first approached the Progeny in 2002. They’ve been squatting in the Cult of Night compounds, but believe me, old friend. I never suspected they were tormenting the Progeny. Spying on them? Yes. But not hurting Rayne.”

Xelan swallowed the sinking feeling in his stomach to say, “Well, Nox is. This explains how, but can you do nothing about it? And what are your plans to stop the invasion? Is there an army to combat their forces? How many are there—”

“Those questions are none of your concern now.” Frullop never said anything productive or assuring. “We’re confining you to this installation and depriving you of further contact with the Progeny.” The bastard turned his back and headed for the exit.

Xelan made to stop him, to confront him—

Lucas held Xelan off, golden eyes filled with grave concern. He shook his head, trying to stop Xelan.

But there was no stopping this. Rayne was in danger.

“What about Rayne?!”

Caedes was on his cellphone, calling in the order to surround Iona-01 with their soldiers. He finished and faced Xelan with regard in his gruff expression. “From what we’ve gathered, the Night King plans to invade within the next few months. Perhaps preparing for the primary assault will occupy him enough to leave the girl alone.”

Still restraining Xelan, Lucas whispered into his ear, “I’ll see to it.”

Helicopters arrived, and trucks barreled down the drive.

The Brethren ceased operations in Iona-01 and brought an end to Xelan’s preparations. And he’d told no one.

Rayne.

Tameka.

Xelan prayed to Elden they didn’t believe he had abandoned them, because there was nothing he could do about it now.