“How is there even time to practice?” Clio says, waggling her eyebrows at us.
Tempest chuckles, and the rest of us follow. “I’m a lupion of many talents.”
Thisis why Tempest did what she did earlier. Not because she wanted to, but because she knew we’d run into members of her pack. Touching me in these intimate ways is the only way she can ensure we’re believed. They can literally smell me on her. It’s smart—incredibly so—but that doesn’t take the sting away.
I want to roll myself into a ball and hide, feeling the shame creep into my chest for ever thinking this might be real, or that she might actually want me.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to use the restroom,” I say, feeling ridiculous as tears threaten to swell in my eyes.
“Do you want me to go with?” Tempest looks at me with concern, but I shake my head.
“No, no. Please stay, catch up with your pack. I’ll be back soon,” I assure her, and head towards the back of the room in hopes I can find a bathroom on my own.
There’s a dark, dimly-lit hallway, and I enter, hoping to find one there. I do, but before I can enter, a masculine lupion stops me dead in my tracks.
“Yasmeena Hamza Al-Khalifa?”
The lupion is tall, possibly even taller than Rowan. He’s older too, with crows feet lining his amber-colored eyes. There’s an intimidating quality to him, like he’s irritated we’re breathing the same air.
“Yes?” I say, already confused on where this is going.
Prior to my arranged engagement, I rarely got recognized. I’m well known in the felion community, and some of the demons and half-demons realize I’m part of Hel’s Carnival, but no one has ever called out my full name before. Hamza is my father’s name, but I’m not even sure Tempest knows that.
“You’ve ruined everything.” His hair is a bright blonde, his eyes like twin infernos as he stares down at me.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?”
He continues moving towards me, backing me into a corner. “You can call me Alpha Ferdinand Meyer.”
The leader of Pack Caliban. Fuck.
I don’t know much about this Alpha, but what I do know, is he’s notoriously awful towards my species. Most of the felion and lupion fight because we want the same territory, but I think there’s genuine hatred in this wolf, and I’m not going to bend or cower in fear.
“I’m here with Tempest, she invited me to The Cathedral,” I say, hoping this is all some misunderstanding, even though my gut knows it isn’t. “We’re engaged.”
“See, that’s exactly the problem. I was going to propose a marriage between Tempest Lupine and myself, or even my second Alonso, but you had to fuck everything up.” Ferdinand is practically foaming at the mouth.
Okay, well that’s not my fucking fault. “I didn’t ask for this marriage, but it was what was best for my people.”
He clicks his tongue. “What is best for your people is for you to find somewhere else to hunt.” Ferdinand places a clawed hand across my throat, trapping me to the wall.
“Pack Escalus has been here the longest. If they can find peace with the felion, so can you,” I gasp, desperate for more oxygen.
“You think your little girlfriend is doing this out of the goodness of her heart? She’s using you. The minute whatever ploy she’s scheming is over, I’d bet she sends you back to Ira to go diving for their precious atra.” His squeeze tightens, and I fight to take a breath.
Would Tempest really do that? I know she’s aware that her pack controls atra, but does she know that they do so nefariously?
I always assumed that Pack Escalus got their atra themselves, and that Governor Cavan used his supply of mined atra for something else. Are they working together? Could her pack be responsible for my parents’ deaths, and the lives of so many others on Ira?
The room is spinning, dark spots clouding my vision. Every muscle in my body freezes as blood splatters onto the stone beside me.
Movement No. 25
Tempest
As Yasmeena crosses the bar floor, her scent is somber, and I instantly want to follow.
“Should I go after her?” I ask, but Zuri shakes her head.
