Page 209 of Season Warriors & Wolves

Visha followed shortly behind like a creepy red headed shadow.

Snow and I were alone. For the first time in weeks. Or months.

My friend stepped before me. Her war face on. “You want to ditch Mor?”

I laughed. “No?”

“Oh. What’s wrong then?”

“You know I can feel you still sometimes.”

“Well, that’s awful. I’m sorry.”

I pulled the big idiot and hugged her. “You don’t have to pretend to be alright with all of this. With the heavy weight you’ve been bestowed.”

She sighed and rested her cheek on my shoulder. “No one bestowed me anything, Nia. It is to protect you, all of our family, and Olympia.”

“You waited for so long to get what you wanted.”

“I have all I want, Nia. More, even.”

“Then why does something feel so wrong? I cannot explain it, Snow, but every time I sense you, it feels like my heart is about to rip in half.”

She tensed against me and promptly pulled back.

I held my breath, feeling that same spark of foreign anguish in my chest.

There was something wrong.

I knew it.

Two hands landed on our shoulders, spinning us round. Alaric looked mad, the type of mad looking face he had when he was about to scold us. “Missed dinner, both of you.”

Snow rolled her eyes. “Silas is about to roast us in white fire, I’m sure all the domesticity can be pushed to a later date.”

I hooked my thumb in Snow’s direction. “What she said.”

The gruff man grunted. “I’d like to see my kids more often. Whether we’re about to be roasted or not.”

Snow turned to me. “Does he need glasses? Or is it a memory thing? When was he last seen by a physician?”

The fact that she was not joking made me shake with laughter.

She gave me a shove. “You were responsible for looking after his health. Cai after his wealth and my duty was to keep him sane.”

“You three separated duties?” Alaric asked, stunned. “You’re my children, not the opposite.”

“You’re old,” Snow said.

“I know I’m old, kid.”

She pointed at him. “See, he is sane. Definitely an eye thing.”

He sighed, given up, and pointed at the two of us. “The world could be falling out of the skies and you still need to attend the next dinner.”

Snow frowned. “Maybe it is not an eye thing. How could the world be falling out of the skies?”

Alaric retreated away, shaking his head and mumbling to himself all sorts of prayers.