Amantha was by herself. I nudged her and asked, “Where’s Finlay?”
She frowned. “He didn’t want to come. Too busy.”
“He can take a day off of revolutionary work to hang with his friends,” I whispered harshly. Damn Fin. It was like this was consuming him. “Were you there, that night?”
“I helped him, but I wish I didn’t,” Amantha confessed. “I know we went too far. I’m so worried, Em. I don’t know what the nobles are going to do, but it’s not going to be good. I already rejected one mate. I can’t stand it if Finlay gets hurt.”
“He won’t. He knows what he’s doing,” I said, but I wasn’t being completely truthful. Finlay was reckless. If he kept pushing his luck, one day, it would come back to haunt him.
The crowd cheered, and the rink’s sirens blared as the hockey players took the ice. My heart skipped a beat as I watched Ethan skate beside Stefan, taking a few warm-up laps. Ethan lookedsoundeniably sexy in his hockey uniform. I wanted to bang him right here and now.
Delmare was twisting a Team A flag in her lap. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
She frowned. “Stefan said he was feeling weird this morning. He’s upset it’s his last game.”
“He wants to enter the draft for Malovia’s national team after he graduates, doesn’t he?” I asked.
“He wants to try, but he’s not sure if he’ll make the cut— or if he’ll have time.”
Delmare’s words were meaningful, and they cut me. Stefan’s first priority was helping me find the rest of the stones, not following his dream of playing professional hockey. I was glad I had such a good friend… but the guilt that he’d give his dream up for me ate away at my spirit.
“I don’t like that big alicorn player that Team C drafted,” Alexei commented as the player skated by. “He put someone in the hospital the last game he played, and they only gave him a short penalty. I can feel his intentions from here. He wants to hurt somebody.”
Well, it better not be my man. I was just glad Elijah was no longer on the team. Asshole had made the whole experience uncomfortable for everyone.
Ethan skated to the boards to huddle around their new coach, before the Malovian anthem was played and the game began. Ethan took the first face-off, going up against a Team C wolven. Ethan snagged the puck before he did, and a cheer bubbled out of my throat. Ethan passed to Stefan, who passed it back as they crossed the rink, and Ethan took a shot. The goal sank in easily, within the first few seconds of the game. The rink went wild, and I screamed Ethan’s name.
“Maybe he should do naked photo shoots more often!” Arthur shouted over the noise, and I laughed.
The game was fast and wild. I could hardly keep track of the puck as it whizzed across the ice. Both teams were at the top of their game. Ethan almost scored another goal, but it was taken away from him when a Team C player checked him into the boards. My breath caught in my throat as I watched Ethan get smashed into the boards, but he got back up easily. Only then did I allow myself to breathe again.
Team C scored at the end of the first period, tying the game up. During intermission, we headed to concessions to grab nachos and drinks. The second period was even more intense, and Ethan assisted Stefan on a complicated goal, making the score two to zero.
Late in the period, a Team C player had the puck, and I was certain he was about to score on Ethan’s team. He pulled back his stick and got ready to shoot. I was certain he’d sink it in the net, but Ethan went to block.
I gasped as Ethan wobbled forward unexpectedly. He swerved to catch his balance, and my mouth dropped open as Ethan’s prostheticcame flying off.Ethan fell onto his stomach, sliding across the ice as he watched his prosthetic, and the skate with it, twirl toward the goalie.
Every hockey player on the ice immediately froze in place— even the Team A goalie, who’d forgotten to stop the puck. I was sure it was going to sink in, until the puck that had been hurtling toward the net collided with Ethan’s prosthetic, which was still sliding in the other direction. The puck bounced off the prosthetic at the last second, saving it from scoring a point.
The rink was dead-ass silent. Nobody moved, or even breathed. I had my hand over my mouth, carefully watching Ethan’s expression as he stared at his prosthetic, then the puck.
My shoulders slumped as Ethan broke out into hysterical laughter. He pounded the ice with his fist, like he thought that was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. His teammates joined in, and soon, the rest of the rink felt like they could laugh along with him.
“That’s one way to block a shot!” Jasper said, and we all howled. It was so comical there were tears running down my cheeks— or maybe I was just relieved Ethan had taken it well.
“I think that’s cheating,” Ozzie remarked with a snicker.
“Hey, it’s not against the rules to block a shot with your body, so technically it counts,” Alexei offered.
I was so proud of Ethan. He would’ve been embarrassed if something like that had happened before, and now he was turning it into a joke. Ethan’s teammates propped him up and helped him to skate to the boards, while Stefan retrieved his prosthetic. Ethan hobbled back to the locker room to attach his prosthetic again. He was back on the ice within a few minutes with a bright smile on his face.
During the last half of the third period, Delmare was a nervous wreck. I wasn’t sure why— Team C had failed to score any goals, so I was certain our boys were going to win.
“Are you still worried?” I asked Delmare. She’d practically torn the flag in half by now.
“He’s just not playing like he should,” Delmare insisted. “Something’s wrong. He’s blocking me out.”
“Just give him space. Shifters get moody,” I suggested.
