“Do you actually have a plan? As you mentioned, will you seek help from your witch friend, or do you have other tricks up your sleeve?” Maya asked, feeling utterly bothered by the fact that the key issue remained unresolved. It had been a few days, and she was already on edge.
They didn’t have much time. She knew Lucas was already suspicious, even if he wasn’t actively working on it. She sensed, after meeting him only once, that he might be waiting for an opportunity.
She could see the greed in his eyes, even though she hadn’t met him again, after that day.
“I told you before, this might take time, and didn’t I say I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle this whole thing? It’s beyond me too,” Lima said, taking a few more sips of her drink.
Priyank’s eyes looked in Priya’s direction, who was now laughing and dancing comfortably. He had never seen her so happy. He felt a twinge of jealousy that she was dancing in front of so many people.
But he could tolerate this jealousy for now, knowing things had been so difficult and she had been so angry and sad before. This was better.
He didn’t want others to see her beauty, but he couldn’t bear to see her sadness either, so this was a small sacrifice he could make.
Perhaps he was trying to lessen his guilt, but whatever the reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Among all these people, she looked more beautiful than anything else could ever be. She shone like a star, and his eyes could only see her among the crowd.
“Priyank, are you listening?” Jackson patted his shoulder.
Snapping back from his trance, Priyank looked in Jackson’s direction. “Huh?”
“Either go and dance with her, or focus here. Priya is safe, don’t worry,” Jackson sighed, seeing how lost he looked.
He could see in Priyank’s eyes how much he valued Priya, ever since he had returned from his two-day trip.
Jackson didn’t know why, but he felt that something was very wrong, even without knowing everything. It all felt off.
That day in the car, too, Priyank’s clothes had been dirty and dishevelled, and his actions were just weird.
Letting Priya dance like this was a big deal, even though Jackson didn’t know him too well. But he knew people when he saw them, and he could see how possessive Priyank was over Priya.
Werewolves were always possessive over their mates, but once in his life, he saw a human like Priyank being so possessive that it went beyond how even wolves felt about their mates.
In his life, he had seen many people and many bonds, but there was something else when he saw Priyank, the way he looked at Priya even Jackson could feel the intensity, though he didn’t know how Priya could avoid it like the plague.
“Priyank, are you even listening to me?” Jackson asked again, a hint of irritation in his voice.
Priyank blinked rapidly, trying to focus on Jackson’s words. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
Jackson sighed heavily. “Look, I get that you’re smitten with Priya, but you need to stay present here with the rest of us too. We’re discussing important matters.”
Priyank felt a flush of embarrassment. He knew he’d been caught staring at Priya like a lovesick fool. But he couldn’t help himself she was a radiant vision on the dance floor, all smiles and graceful movements. A stark contrast to the worry and sadness that had plagued her in recent days.
“You’re right, Jackson. I’m listening now,” Priyank said, tearing his gaze away from Priya with monumental effort.
Maya looked between Jackson and Priyank with raised eyebrows. “Are you two done?” she asked dryly. “Because we really need to focus on this situation with Lima.”
Priyank nodded, his expression growing serious once more. As much as he wanted to bask in Priya’s happiness, Maya was correct they had bigger concerns at the moment.
“Lima doesn’t seem confident that she can handle this alone,” Priyank said, recalling their earlier conversation. “I think we need to pursue other options, like asking other people, who potentially can help.”
Maya drummed her fingers on the table, deep in thought. “I don’t love the idea of bringing in another unknown element, but you may be right. Lima’s powers only stretch so far.”
“We’re rapidly running out of time too,” Jackson pointed out grimly. “Lucas could make his move at any moment.”
An uneasy silence fell over the table, as they contemplated their limited choices. Finally, Maya spoke up again.
“How about we take help from the witch queen?”
Her voice trailed off as she noticed Priyank’s gaze had once again drifted back to the dance floor, utterly entranced by Priya’s dancing. Maya rolled her eyes skyward.
‘This is going to be a long night,’ she muttered under her breath.
“What the hell, Maya? You want to get us killed? Even taking help from my witch friend is risky, and now you want to involve the witch queen? She’ll gouge your eyes out and play with them. She’s not someone to be trifled with,” Lima said, her grip tightening on her glass as she heard Maya’s words.
“Then what can we do? You don’t know when your witch friend can help, and besides witches, no one else can assist. Your powers are limited,” Maya pointed out.
Lima let out a frustrated sigh. “I know my abilities have their boundaries, but the witch queen is untamable. We’d be signing our own death warrants by seeking her aid.”
Priyank watched the exchange with furrowed brows, his earlier distraction by Priya’s dancing now replaced with concern over their words.
“Then what can we do?” Maya questioned, looking fed up.
“Maya, I thought you invited me here for the party and enjoyment. If I had known you would pester me again about the key, I wouldn’t have come,” Elk said, his tone exasperated.
Maya and Jackson exchanged glances, their eyes flickering to Elk, and Rish who had been sitting silently, and then to Lima.
Of course, they had other plans in mind when they came. They wanted to treat this as a date night, but the situation had taken an unexpected turn. Clearly, this was not the original intention.
Maya had hoped to reconcile with Elk, and she wanted Jackson to spend time with Lima, but everything had become messy now.