She whipped her gaze to me. “Disgusted? No! Absolutely not. Ness, we love you. We’ve always loved you and we will always love you. Whatever you decide. The only reason I brought this up is because we care so much about you, and we don’t want you to feel pressured into something you’re not ready for.”
I twirled my mug, wishing it could leak warmth into more than just my fingers. “I understand my options, and I’m not going to rush into anything that’s indelible.”
“Good.””What’s good?”
I glanced up at August. “The tea,” I lied, raising it to my lips.
He eyed me suspiciously. Yeah . . . he hadn’t bought that.
“I brought you girls some covers.” He handed one to his mother, who draped it over her lap, then gave me the other folded rectangle that felt like spun clouds. I set my mug on the rim of the firepit to tuck the soft blanket around my shoulders.
August sank into the chair beside mine, and then Nelson arrived with a glass brimming with wine and sat next to him.
“Look at that sky,” he mused.
We all raised our gazes to the glittering darkness overhead. Magical. Simply magical.
August leaned a little toward me. “Did you find Cassiopeia?”
I stared at the dark freckles beneath his left eye where a thin pale scar lingered-a remnant of when my wolf claw had scraped across his face. How I longed to drag my finger over the freckles shaped like the constellation. Instead, I burrowed my fingers into the cashmere wrap. “I always find Cassiopeia.”
His gaze blazed as bright as the fire.
But then the heat in his eyes turned cold as a voice entered our minds.
There will be no full moon run this month. I apologize to the elders, but I urge you all to stay in skin.
Liam’s voice dragged me away from the starlit evening that had been a welcomed parenthesis in my tumultuous life.
I will be leaving to meet with the Rivers tomorrow morning, and I’ll return the following day. Please clear Monday evening for a debriefing.
I waited for him to mention I would be accompanying him. When a full minute passed and nothing more was uttered, I let out a quiet breath.
“The Rivers, huh?” Nelson said.
“What about the Rivers?” Isobel asked.
August studied my face as he said, “Liam’s going to meet with them.”
“The pack that commissioned you to build their meeting hall?” Isobel said. “I thought Heath had given you grief for working with them.”
Nelson swirled his wine. “He did. Liam must be desperate for a new ally now that we lost the Pines.”
“Did you know he was traveling East?” August asked me.
I nodded. Informing him that I was accompanying Liam hung on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t propel the words out of my mouth. I was afraid my confession would stoke August’s jealousy.
Besides, if Liam hadn’t mentioned me, then maybe he wasn’t taking me with him in the end. I held on to that possibility as the night wore on. But of course, right as I was about to call a cab, Liam’s voice resonated inside my head: I’ll be at your place at 7:00 a. m.
August nodded to my phone. “You weren’t actually going to call a cab, were you?”
I forced my features to smooth out. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
Sitting together in a confined space was against Liam’s rules.
“You don’t want to get me in trouble, or him?” he asked slowly.
I swallowed. “Both of you. Either of you. I don’t want to get either of you in trouble.”
Nelson and Isobel were still outside on the patio, speaking quietly. Was it about us? Even though she’d given me her blessing, her anguish was palpable.
“It’s a short ride.”
I sighed and put my phone away. “Okay.”
I prayed Liam wouldn’t find out and challenge Cassandra to punish me for disobeying.
As we made our way to the pickup, August kept casting concerned glances my way.
Only when I was settled in the car did he ask, “What did my mother say? Did she try to talk you out of being with me?”
I fingered the hem of my dress, not quite daring to look at him. “She reminded me that I had options.”
“Options?” His voice was low and rough.
“She told me I could let the Winter Solstice go by before deciding.” I raised my gaze back to his. “That you’d understand.”
Would he, though?
His lips parted a little, then pressed tight. I sensed he didn’t want me to choose that option. I sensed he feared that the disappearance of the bond would lead to the disappearance of my feelings for him.
I guessed neither of us could be sure it wouldn’t.
Perhaps tomorrow’s trip wouldn’t be so unwelcomed after all. At least it would shed light on how I really felt about him since the bond would vanish.
When we arrived in front of my apartment, I didn’t linger in the car, afraid someone would spot us and report to Liam.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” August asked after I’d hopped out.
My heart, which had been beating double-time since we’d left his parents’ place, stilled.
Should I tell him?
“I wanted to show you something,” he said.
I opened my mouth.
To lie.