The Boltier sisters are like the human versions of my own family. It made me homesick and it helped me not feel so alone. Aida and Blaire were a lot like Coty. Hurting and afraid for their younger sisters so much. Drew was extremely snarky, once she opened up. She liked to crack jokes at Theo’s expense.

Jokes that I understood very well. She reminded me of Riv. 

Einsley, Faith and Grayce were just quiet young females stuck in a world they most certainly did not understand. Faith was enjoying her new position with the Jareth Equa though.

But it’s Grayce who is the most confused. She’s only twenty-one. Her twenty-second birthday is still a few weeks away. That’s when, if she was Dardaptoan, she would become a legal adult in our society. 

She was terrified of that day. I could feel that, too. 

Mostly because of Kierce. 

Kellis’s former lover has made it known to everyone that Grayce is his female. Once she becomes of age, he’s probably going to turn a bit…relentless.

It explains why I saw Kierce floating around the hallways every time I left my room. He wasn’t there to look for Kellis; he was watching over his female. 

Kellis had made it clear she wanted him to leave the girl alone, too. Not because she was jealous or anything—but I think Kellis feels protective over her, too.

It’s hard not to.

No one was really giving her much choice. It was just assumed that because he was her male, as soon as she turned of age, she’d leave her sisters behind and just…go with him. 

She’d have to be converted into Dardaptoan, too. And from what the rumors have been, that is an extremely painful process. And not even guaranteed to work.

She and Kierce could both die. 

I wouldn’t want to do it. Not at her age. Even if I was feeling the strange ties between me and my male that I have no doubt she will start to have soon. 

Kellis has very definite opinions on the subject. She wants Kierce to give Grayce far more time than he was probably planning to. But he says that because demons are after her, he wants her Dardaptoan as fast as possible.

It’s safer for her that way.

Which I also agree with. But…what about her sisters? I wouldn’t want to leave mine behind, to face horrific threats like demons by themselves. I couldn’t.

I’d die to protect any of my sisters. I have no doubt that Grayce feels the same.