Moon Claimed (Werewolf Dens #2) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,28
but do not pretend that your actions are undertaken with purpose. Yours are the fumbling actions of a beast. Move with intent. Surge forth only with knowledge. Hold strong against the rising tide knowing you forged the path that water can only flow upon.”
I took a breath. “There’s a reason our strength is Iron. There’s a reason the Luthers’ strength is Water. Tonight, we show them the difference. Move with our intention. Surge forth only with knowledge. We forge the path for another day in thousands as those before you have done. The Luthers can merely flow upon it.”
Did they hear the nerves in my voice?
Why were they silent?
A few shouted “Head stewards” from the back renewed my courage. I raised a fist, unsmiling.
In a wave, a sea of fists raised to the sky. The air thrummed with determination that tore me apart as surely as it made me.
Next week, I’d no longer be one of them.
I stared at the one thousand people who would soon hate me.
Boom.
A well-oiled team, the stewards headed for the murky water. The lake looked border-line dangerous to swim in, but I’d been assured it was impossible to drink enough to take in harmful levels of iron.
The fastest swimmers had to make it to the farthest side. The weaker swimmers were already climbing the nearest tiers. We didn’t use many traps in this grid, but that had to change.
Sascha wouldn’t pull punches, and neither would I.
When Pascal joined me, I resisted the urge to demand answers. Maybe she knew how to cure this. Maybe she could help me.
But if she’d guessed what was in the journals—that was one thing. If she’d read the journals, then she was aware of the symptoms displayed by a human changing into a Luther.
She could ruin me if I mis-stepped.
I had to be very, very careful.
“Nice evening out,” I said cheerfully.
She arched a brow. “Indeed.”
Indeed.
9
Unknown number.
Just what I needed. Shouldn’t have unblocked him.
“What?” I snarled into the phone.
“Andie,” Sascha’s voice tipped over me like warm water.
My rage spiralled higher. “To what do I owe this honour?”
“The honour is mine, mate,” he replied. “Congratulations on the win.”
Yeah. Yeah. We both knew Water and Iron were pretty much assured victories for either side. “Thanks.”
He paused, and I hated that part of me just wanted to be with him. Touching him. Kissing him. Talking to him.
Simply because I’d feel better for it. I wanted to feel better.
My body was tired.
I was at my wit’s end. The galloping approach of the full moon was like a noose around my neck.
“Have you thought any more about the meets?” He said low. “I’m not sure I can keep away from you for much longer.”
The words weren’t a threat—just truth. If I didn’t act, Greyson would.
Yet I couldn’t. Not until I figured something out.
Leaving town. Surely, I had to leave town. How could I hide this from the tribe, let alone Luthers?
I closed my eyes. “My situation has changed. I can’t go through the meets with you.”
A leaden silence met my words.
“What changed?” He asked so softly my sensitive ears nearly missed the question.
Some people, like Rhona, got louder when angry. The thing about Sascha… he didn’t have a tell. With him, I could throw the dice with very little idea which emotional square they’d land on. He could be murderous, contemplative, or worried right now and he’d still speak in that quiet, controlled voice.
Without this mating call, I never would have peeked beyond his mild exterior. Even with this crap, I rarely saw him lose his cool. Freaky didn’t begin to describe it. “Nothing that concerns you.”
“It very much concerns me, Andie.”
My ears twinged. Was that an undercurrent of desperation or anger? “This isn’t what you wanted to hear, but it’s how things have to be. I’d appreciate if you could contain Greyson on your end.”
Impossibly, his voice lowered further. “You know Greyson doesn’t play by the rules, little bird. You know he’ll kill to get to you. If I put my people between you and me, I put them in harm’s way. The same for any of your people. What could possibly be more important than preventing further bloodshed between both sides? Tell me what has happened since we last spoke.”
He was lecturing me on the lives of others. Fucking rich. “That’s my decision. You don’t have to like it. Let me say right now that if you attempt to harm any of my stewards, I will kill you myself—whether it breaks me or not.”