The numbers played through his mind like a prayer he didn’t want to recite. He’d been keeping count, because counting felt productive, like progress toward a goal even when the goal kept retreating. But three hundred and twelve attempts without a single success—what did that mean about him? About his spiritual worth?
I’m the problem.
Another wave of feverish heat rolled through him, making his skin buzz. His legs ached. And his stomach felt…loopy?—not hungry exactly, but unsettled. He wanted to go back to the hotel and lie down. He wanted to curl up somewhere small and sleep until his body stopped being so confusing.
He wanted strawberries and cream.
Stop that. He told you to stay away.
Every time Cass’s mind drifted—which was happening more and more as the day wore on—it drifted there. To green eyes with flecks of gold. To that impossible height and those freckles. To the way Riot’s scent had cut through all the marketplace noise like a clear note in a symphony of chaos.
Elysian training said that earthly attractions were spiritual dead-ends—paths that led away from transcendence rather than toward it. Especially after the compatibility matrices had been so clear and unambiguous about who he was meant to be with.
“Well, well. What have we here?”
The voice came from directly behind him, close enough that he could feel breath stir the fine hairs on the back of his neck. Cass spun around to find the woman in the leather jacket standing there, her expression somewhere between amused and predatory.
Up close, she was striking—sharp cheekbones, dark eyes, hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Her scent hit Cass like a slap:something cold and expensive and aggressive that made him want to take a step back even though she was technically an appropriate distance away.
“Can I help you?” He tried to keep his voice even, the way Brother Matthias had taught him. Calm in the face of challenge.
“Actually.” The woman smiled, showing too many teeth. “I think we might be able to help each other. I’m Mei.”
Her eyes tracked over him slowly, lingering in places that made Cass’s skin crawl for reasons he couldn’t articulate. It wasn’t the way people usually looked at his robes.
“I’m having quite a day,” Cass admitted, taking a step back only to bump into something solid behind him. A large man with the same sharp smile as the woman, standing close enough that his breath was hot against the top of Cass’s head.
“Running a bit hot, aren’t you?” the man said, leaning down to inhale near Cass’s hair. “Getting achy? Sensitive?”
The accuracy of the description made Cass’s stomach drop. “How did you know that? Is the flu going around? Do I look that sick?”
Mei and the man exchanged a glance.
“The flu,” Mei repeated slowly, something strange in her voice. “Is that what you think this is?”
“I’ve been feeling strange for days,” Cass said, confusion overriding his discomfort. Maybe they knew something about the illness? Maybe it was a common Neutral Zone ailment with a simple cure? “I believe I have a fever.” He touched his own cheek, feeling the heat there. “It’s getting worse.”
The man laughed—not a kind sound. “That’s precious.”
“We could help you with your symptoms,” Mei offered, stepping closer. Her hand closed around Cass’s wrist, her grip firm enough to hurt. “We can take you somewhere more comfortable.”
Something about her tone made his stomach drop further even as her words sounded helpful. The way she said symptoms. The way her eyes kept tracking over his body like she was assessing merchandise.
“That’s very kind,” Cass managed, trying to pull his wrist free without success, “but I should probably just rest—”
“First, though.” Mei’s grip tightened. “Tell us about your Berserker friend.”
“I don’t have a Berserker friend,” Cass said, and the words came out heavier than he intended, weighted by disappointment. “He told me to stay away from him.”
Mei’s eyebrow rose. “And yet he follows you everywhere.”
“Riot has been following me? Why would he do that?”
“That’s what we’d like to know.” The man’s hand landed on Cass’s shoulder, heavy and confining. “What does he want with you? What’s he planning?”
“I don’t—I don’t know what you’re talking about. He helped me once when I was hurt, and then he told me to stay away.” Cass tugged against Mei’s grip, his heart hammering. “Please let go.”
“Come with us.” All pretense of friendliness dropped from Mei’s voice. “We’ll explain everything about your condition and help you through what’s coming.”
