Giving his head a little shake, he leaned over his gearshift and closed the distance between our mouths, forcing my lips to open. The kiss dimmed my gnawinganxiety.
When we pulled apart, the sky was a rosy lavender, and the pines a gildedgreen.
We drove the rest of the way in silence. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking about, too concentrated on all I was thinking about. How I longed to tell my mother about Liam, about the trials, about Frank’s invitation to join the pack. I closed my eyes and saw her eyes glitter with a smile. The memory flickered behind my lids like birthday candles. I thought about my father next. About how he’d taught me about constellations and crafted stories of strong, alien, warrior princesses sprinting through clusters of stars. His princesses were always blonde, always had dimples, and always had wide blue eyes, like me. Each night, thanks to his boundless imagination, I would live a new life, on a new planet, face new challenges, new enemies. I wouldn’t always be victorious, though.A loss will teach you more than a win,Dad would tell me on the nights my alter-ego alien-self returned home to her parents,defeated.
I no longer had parents to run home to when Ilost.
But I did haveEvelyn.
And now I also hadLiam.
He stroked the top of my hand. “We’rehere.”
We rolled through the open rusty fence and parked next to a long row of cars. I smoothed my hair into a knot at the nape of my neck, then tucked my mother’s ring into my sky-blue camisole so the gold band rested against myheart.
Liam walked around the front bumper of his car and then collected my hand in his. We strode slowly toward the stone building that glowed with yellow light. Bodies milled inside. Excitement rippled through the glass windows that had been propped open to let the warm July eveningin.
When we entered the spacious room, gazes fell on our twined fingers. Liam let go of my hand, snaked his hand around my waist, and tucked mecloser.
Matt stepped in front of us, holding out a wicker basket full of razor blades. “Less pain than claws.” Liam took one, but I didn’t—even though Matt waited a long time for me to change mymind.
“The Alpha will slash the skin over his heart, and the rest of us will slash our wrists then touch them to his chest,” Frank was telling the younger ones. I felt him glance my way, and then I felt him glance beyond me, and something shifted in hisexpression.
A new scent layered itself over the ones rising from the broad bodies around us. One I hadn’t smelled in weeks—sawdust and Old Spice. It suddenly nulled all the other smells. My heartbeat fluttered as I glanced over my shoulder, daring to hope August wasback.
There he stood, in a dusky corner, body steeped in shadows. When our gazes met, a smile broke over my face. He didn’t smile; hefroze.
I swiveled back. “You didn’t tell me August was cominghome.”
Liam’s jaw set a little tightly. Wasn’t he happy to see his friend? Hisbrother?
“Give me a second.” I pried Liam’s rigid fingers from my waist, then walked toward August who seemed to burrow deeper into the wall behind him. “You cameback!”
He palmed his buzzed hair, muscles twisting beneath his dark-copper forearms. “Yeah, but just for the ceremony. I deploy in a few hours.” His green irises eddied. “So you and Liam,huh?”
I looked behind me. Saw Liam staring at us, shoulders squared, expression stern. Was he still mad at August for having assumed he’d been involved in Heath’s death? Or was Liamjealous?
I took a small step back but felt a hard tug forward that destabilized me. I checked August’s hands, assuming he’d held me back, but his hands were shoved deep inside the pockets of his armyfatigues.
Frank clapped, and I jumped. “We are all here, so let’sbegin.”
A circle formed aroundLucas.
August walked off first, and I felt him distancing himself from me like a mooring line stretching tight.What the hell?I returned toward Liam slowly, palm pressed against mynavel.
Liam watched August, who’d situated himself across from us, arms crossed firmly, gaze sunk onLucas.
“Are you okay?” Liam askedme.
I nodded, then added a smile when I noticed my nod hadn’t seemed to reassurehim.
Lucas slashed one of his wrists. Crimson ribbons of blood leaked down the inside of hisforearm.
“Your chest, son,” Frank said. “You have to slice here.” He tapped two fingers against hisheart.
But Lucas disregarded his instruction. He walked over to Liam. “Take off your shirt,Kolane.”
A deep groove appeared between Liam’s eyebrows. “What are youdoing?”
