She freezes mid-threat, staring at my eyes. I stare back. I can see the wind leaving her sails as confusion floods her chill-pinkened face.
“Y—you’re not…who the hell are you, then?” she manages. “Because I know you’re not my best friend. She died.”
“Often,” I nod. “Probably will again once this hypothermia sets in.”
Kenzie’s breath catches, and she stops clenching my arms so tightly. To my extreme horror, her eyes fill with moisture.
“M…May?”
Yikes. “If you’re going to cry, do hypothermia a favor and just kill me now.”
Kenzie’s watery eyes get wide. “Oh, my gods.Ohmygods, ohmygods, ohmygods,it's actually you!”
I’m abruptly wrapped in a tight hug. Kenzie squeals and cries at once, a feat I've never witnessed before, but quickly decide is completely horrifying.
I'm elated to see my bubbly lion shifter alive and well, but when she sobs into my neck, cold panic sweeps throughout my body as I realize her touch isall overme. My nerves pinch as bile rises up my throat, all the old repulsion flooding my system until I can’t breathe.
Unable to muster words, I gently push Kenzie off me and scoot away.
Kenzie wipes tears from her eyes with a half-laugh, half-sob. “Right. Not touchy-feely. Fuck, you reallyaremy moody monk, aren't you? Oh, my gods! How the hell—what—where in the world have you?—”
She's struggling to get out a single question, so I speak instead, ignoring the way my veins are still pumping with lingering panic.
“You have claws now. Congratulations.”
“Y—yeah, my quintet was bound at a temple in Hastings after you…” Kenzie sniffles and shakes her head, waving off that noticeable topic change to arrest me with a serious look. “May, how in the world is this possible? You were absolutelygonethis time. Your guys’ curses came back, and everyone’s been mourning you, so how in the world did?—”
Somewhere in the distance, an inhuman shriek rises before it falls too quiet. The tension clinging to my muscles starts to creep into my spine, a subtle warning that danger could strike at any moment.
I stand with my weight on my left foot, brush snow off myself, remove my outermost coat, and hand it to Kenzie. “Let’s talk somewhere we won’t be sitting snacks for shadow fiends.”
She sniffles and nods, getting to her feet and blowing a blond corkscrew away from her face. “Right. Yes. Sorry, it’s just—gods, I can’t believe you’re actually standing here like this. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve wished I could talk to you again, just to chat or tease you or tell you about all the wild shit that’s happened and…” Her voice breaks and she clears it before fanning her eyes. “Oof, I seriously can’t stop crying. Sorry, I’m just really fucking overwhelmed.”
As elated as I am to see Kenzie again, it’s strange that I don’t remember the time I spent missing her. I know I did, but there’s just a big blank when I try to remember thinking about her in Paradise.
I’m shit at fake empathizing, so I offer a smile. “Your lioness is a badass.”
“Right? Iloveshifting,” she half-gushes, half-sobs before wiping her face and taking a deep breath. “Okay. I’m good. Back to being just plain hot instead of a hot mess.”
A thought crosses my mind as I survey our surroundings again. “Who’s Randy?”
“Oh, right! I almost forgot what we came out here for. Randy is Jackie’s husband. He went out with a scouting group earlier, but he’s the only one who didn’t return. He either got lost or…well, eaten by something,” she grimaces.
“Jackie from the Witch’s Brew?” I frown, thinking of the heavily pregnant woman I met in Halfton what feels like forever ago.
Kenzie nods, picking through the snow for her winter boots, which are somewhat salvageable compared to her other clothes. “Halfton is kind of close to some high danger zones, but Randy is one of our best scouts. It just kills Jackie every time he goesoutside the walls, but this time it’s way worse than usual because—did you know it’s common practice for humans to bring their six-month-old babies in for a divination at Koa’s temple, just in case they’re picked as saints or the gods want to bless them or whatever? I had no idea, but anyway, Jackie is taking their triplets to Koa’s makeshift temple soon and she’s freaking out that Randy hasn’t returned yet.”
“Makeshift,” I repeat, distracted when a couple of ravens flutter to settle in trees nearby, watching me.
“Well, yeah, all temples are makeshift because—oh, shit.” She straightens to look me in the eye, a boot in each of her hands. “Yeesh, you don’t know about that, do you? Okay, how do I phrase this in the least bitchy way possible? Um…May, your matches went off the deep end. I mean, don't get me wrong, I feelawfulfor all of them because losing you royally fucked them up and I can’t imagine losing my quintet or us having our curses come back, but like…your guys havenothad a good six months. Everything I hear about them is all murdery and terrifying. They’re actually the reason that there aren’t many temples left, on account of...”
“Crypt,” I guess, recalling the ripped-apart husks in Syntyche’s temple.
No wonder I thought it looked like my Nightmare Prince’s handiwork.
“Honestly, I’m not sure who’s worse: him or Everett.” Kenzie visibly shudders. I can’t tell if she’s being serious because I can’t imagine my upright, sweet elemental doing anything shudder-worthy. “Also, Baelfire, since he’s pretty much burning down Canada. Those three turned into totally unhinged, brutal, violent psychopaths. We’re talking monster-level crazy.”
And I thought I couldn’t wait to see them before.
