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Alek hesitated before pressing a soft kiss to smooth out the lines on my forehead. “We’re always okay,” he assured me. “Always.”
It wasn’t true, but the words sounded nice, so I let them be the final words that were said before Alek cracked that door open, waiting until nobody was looking to pull me outside.
The roar of Wrath’s party came crashing back, catapulting us into reality and washing us of whatever private moment had just happened in the hidden tunnel. More people filled the room now, twirling over the dancefloor and congregating along the outer walls of the massive room. I quickly scanned the room for Nat, finding her glued to Wrath’s side near the punch bowl as they talked to Zac and a few other demons I recognized.
Alek’s hand rested on my lower back as we walked. I admired that about him. He walked around as if he owed the world nothing; as if by just being present, he was doing enough.
But his jaw tightened as we walked, the hand on my back trembling slightly with each step we took.
It could have been from the crash of adrenaline, from the comedown of what had just happened. Still, it wasn’t normal for him.
“There you two are!” Nat cheered as soon as she saw us. “Come here! Wrath is about to give a speech, and I don’t want to be left alone with these creeps.”
Alek rolled his eyes beside me, but didn’t object as Natalie took his other arm. A few seconds later, Wrath was taking the few steps to the top of the small stage, where he addressed the crowd. The music stopped playing. The demons stopped dancing.
It was just Wrath. His shoulders rolled back and his chin lifted in a way that reminded me so much of Alek.
“Thank you for coming, everyone. It hasn’t been long since everyone was here celebrating my father, Marcus, as king of Night Raven.”
The demons in the crowd murmured softly amongst themselves before resetting their attention to Wrath.
I was half-tempted to turn around, to look for Marcus in the crowd. Would he show his face here again after stepping down? After successfully bringing his son back from the dead?
Would he show up to celebrate? To bask in his own success of lowering the veil?
“Many of you already know who I am. You’ve seen me at Night Raven. You’ve seen me learning and practicing beneath my father for over two decades now. Some of you may have lost your faith in me when I died, when I passed over the veil.” A low roar of whispers began before Wrath raised his hand, ceasing it. “I’m here to tell you that I’ve never been stronger. I’ve never been more fit to lead.”
Alek stiffened beside me.
“With your help, I’d like to celebrate this new chapter for Night Raven. I’d like to celebrate each and every one of you, including my brother Alek, for helping me get to this point.”
The crowd erupted in applause.
“I have to go,” Alek whispered in my ear.
My head snapped to him. “What?”
“Wrath will get you home,” he murmured, already pulling away from me.
“Where are you going? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t explain. I’ll find you later.”
I didn’t have time to ask any more questions. Alek didn’t even look at me again before pulling away and disappearing into the crowd, leaving Natalie and I alone in the sea of demons.
“What the hell is his problem?” Nat asked with a scowl.
I balked after him, watching him slam into someone’s shoulder and nearly stumble over on his way out the door.
“I have no idea.”
I waited all night for Alek to return home. I waited and waited, pacing back and forth in his bedroom. It wasn’t unusual for him to be dealing with Night Raven business late into the night. The unusual part was the slight uptick in my heart, the sinking feeling in my gut that wouldn’t go away.
Stop it, Lyra. You’re not this person. You’re not the worried girlfriend who stays up all night thinking about her boyfriend. You’re not going to pace around the bedroom, wondering what he's up to at nearly two in the morning.
I checked my cell phone again.
Nothing.
