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A movement on the mattress woke me. I peeled an eye open to see my bestie sitting cross-legged on the bed beside me, an inquiring smile on her face. Despite the curtains being drawn in the guestroom I’d nabbed last night, sunlight flooded the room, letting me know that morning had arrived.

Prisha’s brown eyes were full of mischief, her dark hair shining like obsidian. “Got your text about needing a place to crash for a few days. Does this have anything to do with a lover’s spat? I heard the Fire Wolf offered his shack.”

I groaned and pushed my face into the pillow. “Not you too.”

Even though I wasn’t looking at her, I could hear the grin in her reply. “Tessa filled me in. Mate, huh? Is that really what he called you?”

“Can we not talk about that?” I muffled into the pillow. I hadn’t brought that up with the hunter last night, even though I’d been curious to know if he truly understood the bond now. But if he was aware, it didn’t change anything. We were done.

I cracked an eye open again, grimacing at the light in the room. I figured it was still way too early to be waking up. Our store didn’t open until eleven today, which meant I should still be sleeping right now.

But Prisha continued. “Tessa also said that two asshats tried to abduct you last night.” All joking and smiles left her face. “And your text said you need to get wards around your apartment. I’m guessing the two are related?”

I rolled onto my side, blowing hair out of my eyes as I faced her. “Sounds like you got the full story.”

“Yeah, I’ve already called my dad. He’ll start crafting the wards tonight and have them done in a few days, but I need to know what’s going on, so spill it. All of it.”

I sighed. “Okay, fine, but can I at least have a cup of coffee first?”

She scrambled off the bed. “Coming right up.”

An hour later, I finally finished telling Prisha everything that had happened. We still sat on my bed in one of her guestrooms. Yep, my bestie had multiple guestrooms in her ginormous penthouse.

The coffee was long gone, but she now knew about Portland and Declan, although I’d kept the hunter’s man cave location a secret. She also knew about the insane asylum and the warlocks we’d encountered, and everything about Tessa’s rescue and the scorching encounters the Fire Wolf and I had shared and how he now thought I was his mate because of my true scent. And, of course, I told her how two sorcerers had crept into my bedroom last night and had been killed with my new power, which was essentially why we were here in her apartment now.

But all of that was par for the course. The big thing I told her though—the real thing, the only thing that truly mattered—was the truth about my forbidden power. It was something I’d hid from everyone, even her, until now.

When I finished, Prisha blinked. Then blinked again. She shook her head, her black hair shining in the light as her expression remained clouded. “Wait, so you can enhance another supernatural’s powers, which is something you’ve been able to do your entire life, and now you can also suck their magic from them?”

I dipped my head, shame washing through me. “I’m sorry I hid my forbidden power from you for so many years.”

A moment of silence passed between us, and I could feel her hurt and her questioning. It pulled at me like the tides. We’d never hidden anything from each other.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered again. “I should have told you, but my mom made me promise—”

“It’s okay. I get it, I do.” She sighed. “Your mom told you to keep it a secret, so you did, but just so you know, I never would have told anyone.”

I looked up, meeting her gaze, and I wondered why I hadn’t just told her years ago. If Tessa knew—and, admittedly, she was someone who wasn’t the greatest at keeping secrets—then how come I hadn’t told Prish?

“I know you wouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have kept it from you.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad you’ve told me now.” She plucked at a thread on the bedspread, then took a deep breath. I could tell she was still processing everything I’d told her.

“It’s a lot. I know.”

She laughed softly. “No shit.” Her gaze grew curious, and she cocked her head. “And you really know how to use your forbidden power?”

“I do. I’ve been practicing in secret since I was a kid.”

“And your mom didn’t want you to tell anyone because of the Bone Eaters?”

“Yes.”

Her nose scrunched up. “Who the hell are they?”

“No idea. I’ve never been able to discover anything about them despite trying to over the years, but she was seriously concerned about them, so I’ve kept my promise because of that.”

“Do you think we should try to find out who or what they are? If the Bone Eaters are the entire reason your mother didn’t want you telling anyone about your extra powers, maybe that’s worth pursuing.”

“You’re right. It is worth figuring out, even more so now, since my powers are no longer a secret. I’ll add that to the list of shit I need to do.”

She gave a wry smile. “Especially if you now have some new power erupting inside you, and you don’t know if those douchebags in New York know about that one too. Maybe they have ties to the Bone Eaters.”

I stilled. I hadn’t even considered that, but then I shook my head. I hadn’t had nearly enough caffeine for this kind of talk. “This is a really uplifting conversation for eight in the morning, just sayin’.”

She gave me a playful shove. “Just keepin’ it real. And it’s nine o’clock already, not eight.”

I made a show of lifting my empty coffee cup. “Despite being severely de-caffeinated, you’re right. I should be more concerned about whoever the Bone Eaters are, but honestly, that’s the least of my immediate concerns since in twenty-five years, they’ve never shown up. And I never heard any mention of them from those douchebags in New York, and Tessa hasn’t said anything about them. So right now, what I’m most worried about is Jakub-Dipshit, because if those cameras in the club did stream the live feed somewhere and were able to gauge magical footprints, it’s possible Jakub-Dipshit and his minions know all about my forbidden power and awakening one.”

“Jakub-Dipshit?”

“It’s the name I’ve given him.”

“It’s quite fitting.”

“I think so too.”

She chewed on her lip, her skin glowing a light-brown in the morning sunlight spilling into the room. “And the Fire Wolf thinks you need to train this new power?”

“He does. It only ever comes out when I’m stressed or frightened, but it does just as much damage to me as it does to the people I hurt. I almost passed out several times last night when those two tried to abduct me.”

“But you’re still alive, and they’re not.”

I cocked my head. “True, it hasn’t killed me, but each time it’s erupted, it feels like I’m going to die.”

A contemplative look came over her face. “And you have no idea where this magic comes from?”

“No, none, and like my forbidden power, Tessa doesn’t have it either, only me.”

“I wonder if my father would know anything about this.”

I grimaced. “Then even more people would know the truth about me.”

“My father’s trustworthy. You know that.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s just . . .” I thought about what my mother had warned me of when I was a child, to never tell anyone. “The last clear memory I have of my mom, is her telling me not to speak to anyone about this.”

Prisha squeezed my arm. “You don’t have to share it with him if you don’t want to. I’m honored that you shared it with me.”

I hugged her, loving her so much it hurt. “You’re family to me. I should have told you sooner.”

Her arms tightened around me. “And you’re family to me, the sister I never had.”

I pulled back and thought about everything that Azad had taught me throughout my childhood—fighting, magical manipulation, discipline. Maybe telling him about these powers wasn’t the wrong move. Maybe my parents would have wanted that since they were no longer here to help train me themselves.