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Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I kept my back straight.
Darian’s lips curved upward into a sensual smile. “Lyr always has had good taste.”
“Would you have preferred I leave her in Kade’s shirt?” Locke questioned.
Asher shrugged his broad shoulders and grinned mischievously. “I’m just sayin’ if you thought this was going to be less distractin’, you were mistaken.”
“I think he just wanted her to put some pants on,” Darian commented with wry amusement.
I slid my gaze to Kade, half expecting him to comment about being glad to have his shirt back, but the wolf monster just stared at me, his serious gaze burning down the length of my body.
“Thanks,” I said earnestly, forcing my gaze away from Kade’s golden eyes and to Locke. I had a feeling he was the one responsible for the outfit, and I was grateful. I’d been starting to think the shirt was the best I was going to get.
“For what?” Locke said, his dark gaze unreadable as he watched me.
For being decent and offering me panties?“For the clothes,” I said.
His gaze remained fixed on me. “Couldn’t have you walking around in Kade’s shirts for the next few nights.”
“She could’ve borrowed some of mine,” Asher piped up, but Locke ignored him.
I shifted under Locke’s gaze. “Right.” I cleared my throat. “Well, I’m dressed. Now it’s your turn. What the hell did Lyr mean when she said I will still have to compete?”
Locke studied me, and for a moment, I didn’t think he would respond, but then he said, “By the end of the week, all the newly changed are to compete in the Week of Orash.”
“The week of what?”
“The Week of Orash is when it’s determined what house you will belong to. All monsters belong to a house. There are the main powerful high houses and then dozens of lower houses. For example, there is the House of Nesarin, the high house of vampires, but there are also vampires who have grouped to create lower houses.”
“The newbloods fight each other and prance around at parties, hoping to catch the eye of their respective high house,” Darian added, his tone sounding bored. “The higher houses have more influence, more money.”
“So you four all belong to different houses?”
From their answering frowns and stares, I guessed I’d touched on a sore spot.
“That’s not your concern,” Locke answered me.
My brow creased as I tried to understand what they were talking about.They let the newbloods join houses? Will Cara be watching during the Week of Orash?
My thoughts then went to the other villagers who had been chosen alongside me. I hadn’t seen any of them since we were first separated after coming to this place, and the idea of seeing them again was a relief.But they’re not human anymore, I reminded myself. “But what if I haven’t turned into a monster by then?” I asked.
Locke’s dark brows slammed down. “From now on, you’re to pretend you’re a shifter like Kade and Lyr. When you do finally change, if you turn into something else, we can pretend you mustn’t have fully turned before, and so we just suspected shifter blood. It’s not an ideal situation, but it should keep the Taratun at bay for now.”
“But what if a house offers to let me join them?” I had no intentions of letting it get that far. I’d escape before then. Parties and fighting? It sounded like there would be a lot of distractions going on, and if ever there was a time to escape and find Cara, it would be then. But I wasn’t an idiot. I needed to think through all possible situations.
“Let’s hope we can find a way to sever the bond before then.”
A sharp pang went through me. I knew they only cared about two things: the fact the bond with me endangered their lives and the fact me not turning into a monster threatened the peace of their hellish kingdom. But hearing those words still stung.
“And if we can’t?” I asked.
“We’ll worry about that later. Tomorrow night, we’ll continue testing you and trying to bring on the change. I suggest you get some rest.”
I wanted to protest. To demand he answer my questions until this damn world started making more sense. It was clearly way more complex than just monsters turning humans into them. The monsters were organized.
The basics of what I understood so far were that the fact I hadn’t changed into a monster was unusual, and by the end of the week I’d be forced to participate in the Week of Orash and fight those from my village.
“Kade, she’ll sleep with you. I don’t trust Dar and Ash with her, and I have an errand to run before I can call it a day.”
