Done with my laces, I stood upright. “I’m ready.” I crossed to the doorway—or tried to. Talon’s broad body blocked my path, much as it had last night. And he didn’t move an inch, much as he hadn’t last night.
Staring at his throat, I inwardly spat all manner of curses at him.
Jelani frowned uncertainly. “Is everything okay?”
“Talon just finds it hard to have me out of his sight,” I quipped. “He misses me when I’m not around. It’s taking everything he has not to hold me right now.”
Jelani’s lips kicked up. “Hmm.” Turning, he made his way to the exit, clearly expecting me to follow. Which I would have done, except Talonstilldidn’t step aside.
A strong hand curved around my jaw and lifted my chin … and then Talon’s eyes were boring into mine, as intent and dark and enthralling as always. He pinned me with aCan we be done with this shit now?look.
Well of course he’d want such a thing.Hedidn’t need distance.Hefought our attraction just fine—at least until we were in a confined space when emotions were running high. In not sharing my struggle, he failed to understand my motivations for pulling back; he couldn’t see that it was better for me this way.
Wanting this little scene over with, I offered him a ‘Sure thing’ look, but I supposed that my impersonal smile told a different story.
Giving his head an impatient shake, Talon dropped his hand. His lips tight, he pivoted on his heel and stalked away.
Subtly blowing out a breath, I left the room and strode down the aisle, carefully skirting around where he stood near Xanthos’s stall.
Outside the stables, Jelani stood waiting for me. He glanced at the building. “Seriously, is everything okay between you and Talon?”
Not willing to share the truth of the situation with anyone other than Khalida, I gave him a different truth as we made our way to the food hall. “As you can imagine, it wears on me a little to know that I’m being constantly watched and that my every activity is reported to the Sovereigns. Likewise, it seems to be wearing on Talon that he’s been ordered to oblige them this way when he hasfarbetter and bigger things to do.”
“Ah,” said Jelani with a nod of understanding. “Yeah, I can see how some resentment might build.”
If only it were that simple.
In the food hall, I followed behind Jelani as he headed to where our group sat. The sound of deep laughter coming from a particular officiate made my lips curve, because I knew why he was so happy. His power had surfaced last night.
It had happened at the tavern. His body had shook. His chest had heaved with labored breaths. His eyes had glimmered with pain. Then his skin had rippled … and he’d shifted into a wolf right there. He couldn’t yet properlycontrolthe shifting process, but officiates were giving him guidance just as they were to other candidates in his position.
I peered over at another group. They were quieter than usual. Subdued. One of their friends had also come into his power. But the guy hadn’t made it. His skin had rippled as though he might shift shape, but then his entire body had arched as he choked on a scream. Mere moments later, he’d crumpled to the ground, dead.
And so forty-two candidates now remained.
Honestly, I worried for Lear’s friend. The female Lykaon often muttered to herself, her eyelids flickering, her headtwitching. She seemed wildly paranoid and didn’t appear to tolerate the company of anyone other than her boyfriend.
As I finally reached our group, Khalida urged me to sit beside her. Before I even got the chance to load food onto my pewter, she leaned into me and whispered, “So, how did your morning interactions with Talon go?”
I slid her a sideways glance. “Don’t think I don’t know that you sent Jelani to the stables hoping it would bug Talon in some way.”
She gave an unapologetic shrug. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
I frowned. “Nothing about the situation is desperate. Have you always been so dramatic?”
She pursed her lips. “Yes. It’s a flaw, but I like it.”
“Well, so long as you like it.”
Her amused snort was a little weak.
I felt my brows dip. “Is something wrong?”
She hesitated, chewing on the inside of her mouth. “I don’t know yet. We’ve all been trying to work out what’s happening, but we aren’t sure. It doesn’t make sense.”
Unease gripped my gut. “What doesn’t?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard of the glorious garden located beside the fortress.”
