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Back Seasons of Chaos
Chapters (70)
  1. Dedication
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. Epilogue
  66. Acknowledgments
  67. About the Author
  68. Books by Elle Cosimano
  69. Back Ad
  70. About the Publisher

I feel a shove against my mind, as if he’s trying to push me out. His gaze snags on a piece of the shattered orb. An emotion flusters my thoughts, and it takes me a moment to realize it isn’t mine. It flickers through his mind, almost too quickly for me to identify it. Resentment? Jealousy? With a sudden shock, I realize I can feel him. Not just his physical pain, but his mood.

“Gaia’s magic,” he says bitterly. “It . . . responded differently that day you came to the Control Room. It seemed . . . drawn to you.”

“So?”

“So maybe I’m not the one holding on to you.”

I think back to the way Gaia’s light had surrounded me in Doug’s mind. How it had seemed to cling to me when I tried to back myself out of it. Doug had been the one who breathed Gaia’s magic in, but we’d both been fighting for it right up until he took that breath. Could Gaia’s magic have followed that connection to mine? Could it have bonded to me and trapped me with it inside him? Is my presence inside Doug keeping the fragile peace, making it possible for him to contain so much magic? And if so, which one of us controls it?

Reaching out with my thoughts, I prod the magic that connects us, attempting to manipulate it, but it doesn’t respond. Doug’s head snaps up, as if he knows what I’m up to. His thoughts slide into his new power like a cold hand into a glove. Doug’s mind is clearly the vessel, and it seems to have control over both me and Gaia’s magic.

His head tips toward the door as I hear a soft knock. Distracted, he loosens his grip on my mind.

“Leave us,” Doug barks.

“But sir,” Lixue says, her voice muffled through the ironwood, “you asked me to report in as soon as we found something.”

An emotion washes over me—hope. Not my own. Doug’s. His mind prickles with it as he yanks open the door. “You found the eye? Where is it?” My gaze flicks to the staff on the floor, surprised to see the sash is gone. And so is the eye. There’s a hole in its place.

Lixue’s brows pull down as she looks past him to the shattered orb on the floor. “No, Chronos. I haven’t found it yet. We found the sister.”

He snatches her tablet from her hands. As his eye skims it, I feel a flash of surprise.

“What’s going on?” I ask as he angles the tablet away from me. “Whose sister?”