Nightshade (41 page)

“Drop it.” The mere mention of Shay made me want to bolt. The union meant I was losing him, and that felt like losing everything. I was in no mood for teasing.

“I’d better go see if we’re on schedule,” Ansel said, turning away from the blurred colors of the ball. “Oh hey, there’s Ren now.”

“Oh!” Bryn hurried after Ansel. “I’ll go with you, then.”

I ignored the sudden wrench of my gut, walking to meet Ren at the edge of the terrace. His tuxedo skimmed close to his lean body; the dark jacket and pants contrasted with the gray vest and tie. I smiled at the sight. Those were Ren’s colors when he was a wolf.

“That dress is a ceremony in itself, Lily. How long did it take you to get it on?”

“Too long.” I reached for my braid out of habit. When it wasn’t there, nervous energy pricked my skin. “Are you okay? I’ve been worried.”

“Yes.” He laughed, low and sharp. “As much as I will never like that kid, Dax told me what Shay did to keep Logan at bay. Classy move. I owe him; he’s more perceptive than I gave him credit for.”

I made a quiet, affirmative sound, rubbing my arms so I wouldn’t shiver.

The harvest child, the Scion.
Shay’s face flashed before my eyes.
It’s all about me.

Ren’s light touch on my arm pulled me out of my own thoughts. “I know it’s not your style, but you do look amazing,” he said. “As long as you can walk under all those layers.”

“Thanks.” I ran my fingers over his tie. “You do too.”

“So.” He reached into his pocket. “I have something for you.”

“What?” I was completely caught off guard. Why would he have brought me a gift? Was I supposed to have a gift for him?

The hint of a blush flitted over Ren’s cheeks. His nervousness made my heart pick up speed.

“It’s just . . .” he began, and then paused. He paced a few feet away and then returned to my side. Finally his eyes met mine, tender and vulnerable. My breath faltered at the unfamiliar mix of emotions on the alpha’s face. Ansel’s words echoed in my mind.
He’s not as confident as he puts on—especially when it comes to you.

Ren drew his hand from his pocket, his fist clenched tightly around something. He took my wrist, turning it so my palm offered a flat, level surface. Something cool dropped into my hand. He snatched his fingers back, moving away as if he’d placed a ticking bomb in my grasp. I glanced down and sucked in a startled breath.

In the middle of my palm lay a delicate ring. A smooth, polished oval sapphire gleamed up at me; the stone had been set in a silver band that was exquisitely wrought in a braided pattern. I stared in silence at the ring. My hand began to shake.

Ren kept his distance.

“The band is white gold,” he murmured. “It reminds me of your hair.”

I pulled my gaze from the ring and looked at him. His eyes returned to mine, questioning. I parted my lips, but a lump in my throat obstructed any words I willed to surface. The quivering in my hand spread through the rest of my body.

His charcoal irises flickered with disappointment. “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it. I just thought you should have something before the union. My father said rings aren’t usually a part of this, but I want you to know that I . . .”

He shook his head; a low growl rumbled in his chest. “Never mind,” he said, reaching for the ring as if to snatch it from my still-open palm. I snapped my fingers shut and pulled my hand against my chest. He blinked at me, startled by the sudden, protective movement. I finally managed to clear my throat, though I didn’t recognize the voice that escaped me, quaking, husky.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
He does care about me. About us.
I wondered if I could get through this night after all.

Unwelcome stinging assailed my eyes and I dropped my gaze. I slowly unfurled my tightly clenched fist and slipped the ring onto my finger.

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything for you.”

He moved close to me and took my hand, running his fingertip over the ring. “You do.”

Bryn reappeared on the terrace, this time with Dax at her side.

“It’s time,” Dax said. Ren nodded; he brushed his lips over my forehead before following Dax down the stairs.

“You ready for this?” Bryn asked. She offered me a bright smile, but I could hear an edge of fear in her voice.

“I’m not sure that’s the right question,” I said. I glanced at the ring again.
This is where I belong. I’ve always known my path. Now I have to walk it.

“Just know that I’ll be right behind you.” Bryn took my arm. “None of the pack will let anything bad happen.”

“You’re not allowed to participate,” I said, letting her lead me out, down the steps and into the forest.

“You think they’ll be able to stop us if you’re in trouble?” She elbowed me, making a smile pull at my lips.

“Thanks.”

“And you look beautiful,” she added.

“I look like a cake.”

“But a beautiful cake.”

Our giggles transformed into miniature clouds in the cold night air. We walked into the darkness, Bryn taking me along a path I didn’t know, deeper and deeper into the forest, a thin layer of fresh snow glittering like a carpet of diamonds. The sounds of the ball faded and disappeared. I took in the serenity of the unblemished snowfall, knowing I’d soon mar it with some creature’s blood. I glanced up at the moon, wondering again about the kill, what our prey would be.

Blood moon. The hunter’s moon.
Tonight is a night for killing.
I let the moonlight pour into me, hoping it would summon my hunger for prey, but those instincts lay buried deep beneath my fear.

“How much farther?” I asked, but saw the torchlight before she could answer. Flames pulsed in the gaps between the tall pines, which circled the opening in the woods like the bars of a cage.

“I have to go in first.” She hugged me, leaving me outside the ring. “Naomi said you’ll know when to come. It’s going to be fine. You’re badass, remember?”

“Of course.” My twisting gut didn’t feel badass at all; it felt like pudding.

“And I hear brides get to go all diva at these sorts of things,” she said, grinning. “So if you want, you can make Ren wait a little longer; it’ll be good for him.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you, Cal.” She kissed my cheek and headed for the ring of torches.

I watched her go, fighting to steady my heartbeat, desperate to slow my breath. I didn’t trust my limbs; my body felt strange and unbalanced, like a foal trying to learn how to walk.

Then why did I want to run? Shouldn’t I feel drawn to my own destiny?

I put my hands over my face, struggling for calm. A steady drumbeat rose from the circle ahead, summoning spirits to the ritual. Gathering my heavy skirts in my fists, I started toward the clearing, wanting to catch a peek of what I’d be walking into.

The scent stopped me in my tracks. I glanced around, alarmed. It couldn’t be. But it was unmistakable—that smell of rainfall and plants straining for the sun.
Shay.

For a minute my mind flashed to the ceremony. Efron speaking, “Whosoever objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace,” Shay leaping from the shadows and tearing me out of Ren’s arms.

I’m totally losing it.
I tried to shake away the scent, the treacherous vision. It couldn’t be real. Not only was I sure there was no place in the ritual at which anyone would ask if there were objections to the union, but Shay wouldn’t be here to rescue me. There was no way.

But when I took another breath, the scent was still there, pulling me away from the grove toward the forest shadows. I hesitated, torn by the compulsion to go to the ceremony and the need to know where the scent was coming from, if it was even real. I didn’t know how much longer I could put off my entrance.

A new sound wove between the trees. Sabine’s voice, sweet and sorrowful, pierced the air. Another voice joined hers, Neville. Their harmonies entwined, singing of battle and sacrifice, one more reminder that the union wasn’t about romance, but duty.

The warrior’s song. I had a little more time. Turning from the torchlight, I stole into the darkness, following the scent. It grew stronger as I moved through the trees farther into shadow and away from the flames.

I came upon a massive oak, its presence striking amid the galley of pines, and I was no longer alone. Someone was at its base.

Shay was blindfolded, his head bowed, hands tied behind his back, and he’d been left in a kneeling position beneath the gigantic tree. My throat closed up.

He lifted his chin, breathing deeply. “Calla? Calla, is that you?”

Air rushed back into my lungs.
He knows my scent too.

I hurried forward, almost tripping over my skirts, and dropped to the ground beside him.

“Shay, what are you doing here?” I tore the blindfold from his eyes, cupping his face in my hands. “What happened?”

“She brought me here. I think I know why.” The color leached from his face. “I just can’t believe it.”

“Can’t believe what? Who did this to you?”

“That word in the prophecy.” His voice shook. “The one I was having trouble with.”

“You mean ‘gift’? What does that have to do with anything?”
Why on earth is he talking about the book when he’s tied up in a forest?

When I said “gift,” he shuddered.

“Yeah, that one.” His face turned greenish, and I worried he would vomit. “It doesn’t mean ‘gift,’ Calla.”

“What does it mean?” I tugged the knots binding his wrists loose, wincing when I saw the rawness of his skin beneath the rope.

“It means ‘sacrifice.’”

THE WORLD BLURRED AND I THOUGHT I
might pass out.

“Calla.” Shay was holding my arms, keeping me upright. “Did you hear me?”

“Sacrifice?” I repeated, feeling nothing but the cold, black chasm of night that wanted to swallow me whole. “Who did this to you?”

“Flynn,” he said. “She came to the house after you left. Knocked me out. Ether, I think it was ether.”

“Yes.” A smoky voice came from behind the tree trunk a moment before Lana Flynn stepped partly into view, still half cloaked by darkness. A wicked smile split her face, her teeth gleaming fluorescent in the pale wash of moonlight. “And now you’ve ruined the surprise, Calla. Don’t you know it’s bad luck for the bride to see her prey before the kill? Oh, wait, that’s Ren seeing your dress, isn’t it? Silly me.”

“No.” I shuddered, pushing Shay behind me, shielding him. “It can’t be him. They wouldn’t.”

Her smile curved like a hooked dagger. “Well, well. It seems there is much more going on here than I first imagined. What a treat.”

Flynn’s eyes gleamed with pleasure as she absorbed my stricken expression.

“I warned you about straying from your path, Calla. Perhaps now you’ll see how things really are. Renier clearly wants you. If you’re willing to make the sacrifice with him, he might forgive the error of your ways.”

“You’re making the sacrifice?” Shay scrambled away, staring at Flynn and me, horror creeping over his face. “You and Ren?”

“Of course,” Flynn said. “What do you think the fuss over this union is all about? You’re the featured entertainment.”

When I took a step toward Shay, he bared his fangs at me. “Stay where you are.”

“I swear I didn’t know,” I whispered, the forest murmuring dark secrets that filled my ears, making me dizzy. My parents’ conversation, my mother’s insistence about the need for secrecy about what our prey would be, the way she’d paled when I said I knew Shay.

“I didn’t know,” I repeated, dropping to my hands and knees, head spinning.
It’s Shay. The sacrifice isn’t going to happen away from the union. It’s part of the union. He’s our prey.

“Courage, little one,” Flynn purred. “You won’t have to bear this much longer. Be a good girl and go to the grove. They’re waiting for you. I’ll bring Shay along shortly. Right after Ren kisses his bride.”

As if bidden by her words, the air swelled with a chorus of wolves’ howls, calling for their alpha. My mother had been right—I couldn’t mistake the meaning of the pack’s cries. I was being summoned. But the sound didn’t beckon me; it was only frightening, deadly.
I am no longer one of you
.
I will not let this happen.

“No!” I drew a hissing breath and struggled to my feet. “We’re leaving. Now.”

Shay shrank from me, flattening himself against a pine tree. I caught the scent of his wolf form and knew he was struggling not to change, trapped between fear and fury.

“I would never hurt you,” I said. “You have to trust me.”