Frank moved to Lucas next, who took a deep whiff. “That’sfoul.”
He held the box out to Liam. I didn’t look at him but imagined he wrinkled his nose,too.
James, the thick-waisted elder, rose from the couch and hooked his thumbs underneath the suspenders holding up his khakis. While the elders still turned into wolves on full moons, the rest of the time, they were humans with normal, slowermetabolisms.
“The wedding’s taking place on Julian’s estate,” he said. “We believe our artifact’s stored on the premises, thus our reasoning for sending you all to the wedding. You boys will need tuxes and you, Ness, will need a gown. You all gotsome?”
“Yeah. Sure.” Lucas snorted. “Got a whole closet full oftuxes.”
“Rent one, Lucas,” Eric said. “Liam?”
“I have one, but I don’t know if it still fits. I’ll try it ontonight.”
“Ness?”
“No ball gowns in my closet. Is there a place I can rentone?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Ericsaid.
“Why don’t you ask one of your customers to buy you one?” Lucas shotout.
I snatched my hand out of my pocket and flipped him off, which just made himsmile.
“I can ask the wife if she’s got one,” Eric offered. “She’s about yoursize.”
I blanched at his suggestion. If his wife was as old as he was, then I couldn’t imagine her owning anything I’d want to wear. But beggars couldn’t bechoosers.
“Maybe Taryn has one she could lend Ness. They’re about the same height.” Liam’s suggestion made me as rigid as thebookcase.
I’d rather wear a vintage dress than anything owned by TerribleTaryn.
Lucas didn’t answer. I bet he was glaring atLiam.
I pinched my lips and muttered, “I’ll findsomething.”
A thought crawled into my mind. Perhaps I could ask Julian, as part of the package of helping meout.
“Okay, then.” Eric clapped his hands once to signal that the meeting wasadjourned.
“I have one last question,” Liamstarted.
I scrutinized my grass-streakedsneakers.
He continued, “There’s only one thing to find and three ofus.”
“Good question, son,” Frank said. “The person who finds it gets to choose his orheradversary for the lasttrial.”
I snapped my neck up, and my gaze collided with Liam’s. His dark eyes glinted with brutal hope…hope to disqualify me. I bet Lucas and Liam would even work together to retrieve it. Little did Liam know that Julian would give it tome.
I could finally eliminateLiam.
My heart pounded, and the adrenaline bled into my eyes. I felt them shifting. I blinked the transformationaway.
When I cracked my lids, everyone hadrisen.
I peeled myself away from the bookcase and voiced the concern that had been gnawing at me for the last twenty-four hours. “Why wasn’t my father’s deathavenged?”
Everyone froze. Great waves of shame rolled over the elders’ weathered faces, excavating their wrinkles. Or maybe I wanted to believe it was shame. Maybe it was simply discomfort. There was an elephant in the room—me—and I was forcing them to acknowledgeit.
