“You’ve been working out since ten, and it’s now past three in the goddamned morning. That’s more than a workout, Maité,” Roan said.

“I had to do something. Once you left, the glow…” I took a breath. “Lorne. Can you help me? If not, I’m just going to crash here and see if sleep will help.”

“I can help.” He was quiet for a second, and I wondered what was running through his mind. “If you’ve been working out for hours on end, you might have thrown your energies too far in the wrong direction. We’re very sensitive to frequencies and energy shifts—especially emotional ones. Lie down and relax. I’m going to try and align them. This way is a little slower, but it’s all I can do from here.”

I lay back and closed my eyes, waiting for something to happen. After a minute, he started playing some instruments that sounded like soft bells. Sometimes the notes from the bells seemed to draw out endlessly. One note melded into the next, and then a bell would toll. I’d never heard anything like it before, but the vibrations of the instruments—whatever they were—made my hands and feet tingle.

And then he started singing with them. I didn’t understand the words, but the tingling worked its way toward my heart until I felt something in me loosen. Align. Unlock. It left me with a feeling that everything was going to be okay. I wasn’t so on edge anymore, and that was a huge relief.

I didn’t want it to end, but when the last note finally faded into nothing, I stayed quiet on the floor. I knew Declan and Roan were still there, but with my eyes closed, I could pretend that it was just me and Lorne and his impossibly seductive voice and the instruments he was playing. It was beautiful.

“What was that?” My mouth was dry, and I knew I had a water tube somewhere in the warehouse, but I didn’t want to get up. “How did you make me feel so…relaxed?”

“It’s an ancient Aunare healing tune, and I used crystal bowls to enhance the effect. It’s the first one we learn as children. Balance in all things.”

He took a long, slow breath, and when he spoke again, he sounded sad. “I can appreciate what your mother did, and I understand that she’s managed to keep you safe this long, but I’m glad Declan finally found you. You are out of balance. Out of practice. And without any training, you’re in a very dangerous position.”

“Dangerous position?” I wasn’t sure what he meant by that.

“If what Declan says is true, you don’t know what it means to be Aunare, let alone what it means to be from the di Aetes lineage.”