by RS McCoy
“I didn’t realize I ever lost it.” If she wasn’t a Vice Syndicate, why was she sent to kill Orten Lillah?
“You were restricted from formal events after the Hammonds. Since you performed the execution, you’ve been reinstated. You’re expected to attend a Syndicate Council meeting in two days.”
“Can’t wait.” Blossom wrung out her hair and started toward her clothes. She couldn’t stay down here forever, as much as she wanted to.
“Blossom?”
“Yeah?” She made no attempt to hide her disinterest. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear anymore news today.
“He’ll be there.”
“Who?” And then the hammer of realization hit her square in the face. She was going to see Kaide in two days. Kaide was going to see her. And he would know she was Aero.
Sitting beside his bride, Hale felt the glow of joy in his chest, a constant warmth that radiated through him like hot cider on a winter morning. In her fine Terra tunic, with her luscious yellow hair and her charming features, she was everything he could have ever hoped for in a wife.
When Lathan and Tasia came around, Raene was quick to her feet, hugging them both with genuine excitement. Even Tasia hugged her tight, forgetting whatever issues they’d had before. Lathan squeezed Hale in a firm handshake and a rare, wide smile as Hale offered his congratulations. “I can’t believe you kept it a secret this long,” Hale said with a laugh.
“We wanted to be sure,” Lathan answered in that cool way of his.
Hale didn’t mind. He knew this was one of the best days of Lathan’s life, even if he wasn’t one to show it well.
And soon enough, it would be Hale’s turn. He could feel the pieces of his life falling to place day by day. Pride swelled within him until he could scarcely keep the happy grin off his face.
As he hadn’t dared in public before, Hale put a hand around Raene’s waist. Maybe it was the wine making him so bold, or maybe the glow of excitement surrounding Tasia’s news. Either way, Raene didn’t pull away. Instead, she sank against his side and turned to offer him a sweet smile.
While Hale still had lingering concerns about her totem, there were so many other things he cherished about her. The Mother’s plan was working perfectly.
Tasia and Lathan moved on, a long night of being congratulated ahead of them, and Raene and Hale reclaimed their seats by the fire. The day’s warmth hung in the air, the last remnant of spring before summer fully bloomed. Hale let his hand move up and down her back, skimming her flesh through her tunic as they talked.
“Do you have any sisters?” Hale asked, realizing he didn’t know. He knew the Vice Syndicate was her uncle, but beyond that, she’d never mentioned anyone else.
Raene shook her head with a sad smile. “No, not unless you count Blossom.”
“She hardly counts,” Hale teased. In the few weeks Raene and Blossom had shared in Pyrona, they’d clearly become close. Raene’s eyes glazed over with memory as she sat wordlessly beside him.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” When Raene only continued to stare, Hale ventured another question, hoping the response was less painful this time. “What about your parents? What do they do?”
Raene’s eyes flashed up to his, their usual vibrant blue shaded. “I don’t want to talk about them.”
“All right.” Hale felt it like a punch. He hadn’t meant to upset her. “How was your day with Gemini?”
At last, Raene brightened. “It was good. We had a lot of fun. Asla came by toward the end…” Her voice trailed away, as if something else had happened, though Hale couldn’t imagine what it would be. Asla was as decent and kind as any of them.
Parson interrupted his thoughts, his hand held out to Raene as he asked, “Up for a dance?”
Hale flew to his feet and squared his shoulders, though it was useless. Parson would always be larger in his human form. Still, Hale wouldn’t back down.
Parson had been in the wrong, and he knew it. Hale had addressed it with him. They hadn’t spoken since that day at the cut, and not by accident.
Just today Hale had detected his scent lingering on Raene, though he didn’t know why. What Parson had been doing out at the Connor gardens, Hale could only guess. There was almost nothing Hale would put past his middle brother, but without anything concrete, Hale kept his suspicions to himself.
There was nothing more to say between them.
“Is that all right?” Parson continued, his hand still outstretched. He looked to Hale for approval but it was clear he was asking her.
Raene sat frozen, looking up between Hale and Parson.
Anger boiled in his chest. If he had his way, Parson would never go near her again. He’d already disrespected her once. Hale had no reason to trust his brother wouldn’t do the same again—or worse. Hale swallowed and prepared to air out the fight that had been brewing for days. “No, it’s not all right. You crossed a line—”
“It’s just a dance,” Parson argued. “You’ll be here the whole time.” He nodded toward the open space between the central pit and the trio of musicians. Everyone in camp had a full view of the area.
Hale opened his mouth to answer, but Raene stood and said, “It’s all right. I don’t mind.” She slipped her hand in Parson’s and joined him. Hale watched her leave with an unfair amount of hurt. Raene was his bride, and he shouldn’t be jealous of her dancing with anyone, but a part of him hoped she would reject him, hoped he would get to see Parson turned away.
But there she stood, beside Parson of all people. Other couples danced around them, but Hale couldn’t keep his eyes off his deceitful brother and beautiful bride.
To Hale’s relief, Raene and Parson didn’t actually do that much dancing—she didn’t know any of the steps. Hale watched like a hawk, just waiting for his brother to cross the line yet again, but instead, Parson took the time to show her the moves, failing to touch her even once.
“You like her, don’t you?” Gemini appeared and jabbed his rib with her elbow. She waggled her brow with mischief. The clan gossip had new meat to sink her teeth into.
“What?” Hale glowered his impatience at her. He didn’t need a distraction. He needed to watch Raene and make sure Parson maintained a respectful distance.
After the last betrayal, there would always be a part of him that wondered.
“You haven’t fussed over anyone like this since Blossom. She was your sister. I get it. But Raene isn’t. So you must like her.” Gemini grinned ear-to-ear like she’d puzzled out some great mystery.
“And what of it?” He didn’t relish being so transparent. He would have liked to have some measure of discretion, to be someone who had enough control of themselves to keep something hidden. But even Hale had to admit that his heart swelled at the sight of her.
Hale’s eyes never left Raene as she repeated the stomps Parson demonstrated. She was actually pretty good, learning quickly for someone who’d never tried them before.
“I think it’s sweet. The ice-cold Hale Frane finally warming up. Who would’ve thought?” Realizing she’d worn out the last of his patience, Gemini offered him one last beaming smile before she trotted back to Asla. Her arms flew around his neck as he leaned in for a passionate kiss, not caring a bit that the whole clan could see.
It was a little disturbing to watch them so entangled. Terras should have more modesty than that. The Alder Mother had no interest in flaunting such things.
He had half a mind to lend them his copy of The Mother’s Eternal Love, but Hale knew he might as well thump them on the head with it for all they’d learn from it. When it came time for him and Raene to be so close, they would do it in the privacy of their tent, as the Mother instructed.
Hale gave up his frustrated musings when Raene split from Parson and took her seat beside him. Her cheeks were flushed with motion and music, and her sapphire eyes shone bright. He loved to see her that way.
“You were great,” he told her, his hand slipping around her waist as if
he’d done it a thousand times.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile as she flushed again. “It was actually really hard. Would you show me one?”
Hale shook his head, despising to let her down even in this small way. “I’m not much of a dancer. Never was very good at it.”
“You can’t be worse than me,” Raene teased, but she soon realized he was serious. Hale hated to see her excitement doused, but even Raene couldn’t combat twenty-three years without musical inclination.
“Did you dance in Pyrona?” Hale listed his head toward her in wait of her answer. He could see that she would have been right at home at fancy parties and formal events. She carried herself with all the elegance of class, her motions as graceful as her feline totem.
Raene nodded, regaining some of her previous vigor. “Kaide would never let me go, but I saw all the transmission feeds and heard about it from some of the other women. I’d always help them pick out their gowns. I picked out Blossom’s gown for the festiv—”
And then, like a blown out candle, Raene fell silent and stared at the ground, her eyes racing as he knew her thoughts were.
Only Hale didn’t know why. “Raene?”
She shot him a weak, half-hearted smile. “Never mind.”
Clearly she’d been spending too much time with Parson. After only a few minutes of learning to dance at his side, Raene had fully stuck her foot in her mouth. What was she thinking? Telling Hale of the Spring Ceremony? Of transmissions? Of Blossom that night?
He would want to know more; he would ask questions, and Raene didn’t have the answers to those questions. It had been a grave mistake to mention any of it.
She sat frozen beside her future husband, in the midst of a celebration, thinking only of how she could satisfy his inquiries without compromising herself.
Her anxiety was mildly appeased when Hale didn’t press her for more. Someday, she knew he would, and she’d have to come up with something. She hated to lie to him, to look in those dark, sage eyes and tell him a falsity. It was horribly unfair to him.
So Raene would avoid the topic of Blossom and Pyrona as long as she could—forever, if it was up to her.
“Decided to join us after all?” Da asked as he sailed past. In a flash, he grabbed Raene’s hand and pulled her toward the other dancing couples.
Raene let out a nervous laugh and tried to remember the steps Parson had taught her. Then she realized this was a different dance, with different steps entirely.
In Pyrona, Kaide had paid for her to take dance lessons from an elderly woman with a bamboo switch. Each time Raene missed a step, she felt the horrific sting at her ankle. Years later, she was one of the best dancers in Pyrona, though Kaide never let her go to any official functions.
Here in the Alderwood, she knew none of the steps. There was no old woman waiting to smack her when she missed. Instead, she did her best and found herself laughing alongside Da. In the whirlwind of dancing, she didn’t have to answer any questions. She didn’t have to hide anything. She didn’t have to make any decisions. She needed only to enjoy the music and holler with laughter each time she horribly missed a step—which was often.
Then, as he seemed to enjoy doing, Parson had to ruin it.
“Mind if I step in?” he asked. Da looked all too happy to hand her over.
“Couldn’t wait for the next song?” Raene asked as she watched her feet and tried to keep her movements in time to the music.
Parson picked it up mid-step, an obvious natural. “You looked like you were struggling a bit.” Only when he grinned at her did she realize he was teasing her.
“Oh hush. I’m doing great,” she joked back. To prove it, she stomped her feet harder for the next few steps, eager to show him she had learned at least a bit of the dance, though, of course, she wasn’t nearly as good as him.
“If only you weren’t wearing that tunic.” Parson’s features shone with hidden laughter, but Raene felt the spear of his words. It took her several seconds to shake them away.
And then, without warning, Parson grabbed her hand and spun her out to his side. In the corners of her vision, Raene saw other couples similarly swirling, but her feet couldn’t find the steps fast enough. As if her head wasn’t lost enough, Parson tugged her back toward him, so hard she landed against his chest. His closeness rattled her twice as much as the impact.
In her ear, she heard, “Meet me at the stream. Tonight.” His emerald eyes blazed with intensity before he spun her out again.
Raene’s heart pounded as hard as her steps, thumping out her muddled thoughts until a second later, Parson let her go and resumed the steps of the dance.
It was all she could do to remember what she’d learned, and, thankfully, the song ended not long after. She retreated back to Hale, but her mind raced with thoughts of Parson’s whispered words.
What would they do at the stream? Hunt? Kiss? Something else entirely?
For the rest of the night, Raene could think of nothing else. The heat from the fire mixed uncomfortably with the day’s warmth and made her brow dot with sweat—at least, that’s what she told herself.
An hour later, when Hale stepped away to get more wine, Raene slipped into the dark forest, keeping to the shadows and moving quickly in case he decided to follow. She hated to be so deceitful, but this needed to be handled once and for all.
Minutes later, Raene found Parson at the stream, sitting atop the grey stone, the chorus of rushing water behind him. The gold embroidery of his tunic glittered in the stolen beams of moonlight, but Raene forced her eyes away.
Parson stood as she neared, but she put her hand up to prevent him coming any closer. She didn’t want him to stop her.
“I came here to tell you I changed my mind.” Raene ground her teeth together, forcing herself to follow through with her decision.
Parson stopped cold, his mouth a stern line. “About what?”
“I don’t want to lie to him. I don’t want to hurt him. It’s not fair.” Raene steeled herself for his meteoric anger.
And Parson didn’t disappoint. His fists clenched tight at his sides as he yelled, “What about this is supposed to be fair? The part where a stranger took my sister? Is it the part where he used you to ruin my relationship with my brother? Or the part where he sent you away? Oh I know, it’s the part where you slowly give up everything you know and pretend to be Terra.” He made it sound like a disease. His scanned her figure, now clad in the moss-green tunic and honey-brown pants, and by the curl of his lip, Raene knew he detested the sight of her.
“I wouldn’t be wearing this if you didn’t keep ruining my clothes!” Raene shouted, lifting an accusatory finger right in his face.
“Quit trying to be something you’re not,” Parson said as he stepped closer, keeping his smoldering eyes even with hers. “Quit trying to fight it. You’re a tiger. So be a damn tiger!”
Raene couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How dare he blame her for this. Each time, Parson had been the one to instigate, to spur her into transitioning. It was him who cost Raene her Pyro clothes and left her with only one set intact. He enjoyed tormenting her.
The idea of it infuriated her. He was trying to push her over the edge again. He wanted her to lose control, and as much as she hated to give him the satisfaction, the tiger’s blood churned too strong in her veins. Before she could get her hand up to smack him across his smug, handsome face, Raene collapsed to all fours. Her hands were gone, replaced by russet paws. Her ears perked to the groaning bear before her, and within a heartbeat, she lunged.
Tiger claws skidded across the thick, fur-covered back of her adversary. He let out a loud growl of pain, but it wasn’t enough. Tiger-Raene had barely scratched the bear, her feline body sailing over him as he dodged her attack.
By the time she landed and turned, the bear was charging. On instinct, she jumped from his path, but she didn’t move in time. The bear’s considerable weight barreled into her outstretched legs and knocked her to the
ground.
Her tiger claws scraping across the bear’s chest made him retreat. He stepped back and growled at her again, a guttural rattle that shook her deep in her tiger bones, but she wouldn’t let him scare her.
She refused to lose this fight.
Tiger-Raene lunged again, her sharpened claws outstretched toward the bears thick hide, but an impossibly strong paw clubbed her from the air. Pain erupted across her ribs—at the swipe of the paw, and again when she struck the ground. She hissed out her agony but hadn’t even managed to get back to her feet when the bear approached yet again.
This time, he grabbed her neck between his massive, conical, predatory teeth and squeezed. She was powerless, pinned, trapped, terrified. Pain flooded her vision until tiger-Raene could only go still and wait for the final crunch.
In the quiet of those last seconds, Raene’s tiger faded. She slipped back into her human form, only to realize her head and shoulders remained inside the mouth of a bear.
Raene screamed, a horrified, haunting shriek.
It was all she could do to scurry away, crawling, clambering across the leaf litter to get as far from the bear as possible.
Only when her back was pressed to an alder root did Parson reemerge. He shook away his bear fur like water and waited for it to cascade to the ground before he moved.
“Are you done?” he asked, his tone weary and tinged with anger.
Raene worked to calm her breath and nodded, knowing it was a lie. Her hands were caked in dirt, and under her fingernails, she found blood—Parson’s blood.
“Get away from me,” she cried, but he was already close, sitting on his haunches beside her. He put a hand beneath her chin and pushed her face away, revealing the side of her neck.
Where he’d held her between his teeth, she remembered.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, his eyes scanning.
Raene pushed his hand away. “No, I’m fine.”
Parson let out a heavy sigh. “Raene—”
“You could have killed me.” She didn’t mention the fact that she thought he would have. She thought he was killing her. Her heart still raced with that fear.