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So I, instead, just settled into my seat to watch the skaters on the ice.
Ciara and Artie were next, so when the lights dropped lower and I saw them skate to the middle of the ice, my heart was in my throat as that same anxious feeling from earlier returned in full force.
Their mix began and Adele’s voice began to fill the air.
Ciara still looked peaked, like someone had soaked her and wrung her out to dry, but to someone who didn’t see her every day I knew she probably looked just as gorgeous as always.
They started back-to-back, their chins tilted up to the air as their hands clasped over their heads.
Then they were off.
I’d never seen their routine all of the way through, but Artie had explained it to me once. Because of his eyes, he couldn’t always spot where Ciara was going to be, so he was the leader that moved into each new step and Ciara’s job was to make sure to get into position wherever he was.
It sounded complex, but the two made it seem effortless as they skated in perfect sync.
What worried me, though, was the shift in their expression from the serene smiles that all figure skaters seemed to don, to something different, more pained.
Leith sucked in a deep breath next to me and I turned to him with a frown.
“She’s opening her end of the bond so that they can skate better,” he explained through gritted teeth.
I didn’t feel anything yet. Delving into our bond, I could feel Leith’s worry, but Artie and Ciara’s emotions were ghosts to me.
Until they weren’t.
They were moving toward the end of their routine, I could tell by the way the song had begun to crescendo dramatically, and finally I could feel them.
Hurt rolled off of Ciara in waves so heavy that I was surprised I couldn’t physically see them in the air.
“What’s going on?” I vaguely heard Aurelia ask as they got into position for their final move.
But neither Leith nor I answered her as we watched in horror as they reached for each other, their fingers just barely brushing when they were supposed to link together.
Both of them careened backward, the audible gasp of the crowd heard even over the loud music.
Pain flared down the bond as Artie’s head connected with the ice and they both crumpled into the ice, lifeless.
“Someone call 911!” I heard someone scream over the roar in my ears.
But I was already vaulting over the half wall and onto the ice, my heart in my throat as two of my packmates remained motionless on the ice.
Chapter thirty-six
Iknew I should have pulled out of the invitational as soon as we stepped onto the ice.
After leaving the dads’ house last night I’d parked my car at the waterfront and had attempted to sleep in it.
All that gave me was a backache and an almost overwhelming sense of nausea that I couldn’t quite shake.
I’d almost called to tell my pack that I couldn’t skate—not after what I found out yesterday—but my phone had been dead and as soon as I saw Artie all dressed up in his costume I knew I couldn’t let him down.
Which was all well and good, except for the fact that I would have to ease open my end of the bond so that we could feel each other while we skated.
It had been to our advantage before, but now I worried it would be our downfall as we got into position.
Artie sucked in a little gasp as I gave him a taste of what I was feeling—all of the anger, betrayal, and fresh waves of grief that were being yanked out of me by that damned phone call yesterday.
“Ciara—” he began, but the music was already going and it was too late for us to stop now.
