“It feels like she’s angry with everyone all the time,” I said, shaking my head at the state of things. “Violently angry.”
“I know, and that’s not her default, but it’s not out of her normal either. Mischa’s emotions are like a storm. It can be endured, but it can’t be reasoned with. You can’t tell a hurricane not to land. You can’t tell the rains that they are flooding the fields and killing the crops. You can only endure it, and eventually, it will pass.”
“Sounds like everyone forgot Mischa is a grown-ass woman and not a force of nature,” I mumbled.
“You say that, and I would like to agree. However, there are only four people on the planet who could hold Mischa accountable like that, and all of them have a lot on their plates.”
“Good point,” I conceded. I knew if Mischa and I got into a real fight, she would win. Niko clearly was thinking he couldn’t take her on, either. Davor didn’t stand a chance. I didn’t see him being much of a fighter, truthfully. “What about Hi?—”
“He wouldnever,” Niko said softly but urgently, cutting me off.
“Okay.” It was simple to just choose to believe him. “Which means the twins and the… heads of our family.” Calling them our parents felt odd, even if stepping around it was wordy. Niko was nice enough not to call me out.
“Exactly. Some of the busiest people on the planet.”
“Yeah…” I wasn’t sure I agreed with that part, not for theirentirelives, but I could admit they were right now. Even though Hasan was living on his island in disgrace in terms of our family, he was still the Tribunal’s only werecat. He wasn’t on vacation. While I never knew details of his day to day, I knew he had his hands in everything going on with the supernatural world at any given point in time. He certainly wasn't sitting on them.
“Why don’t we change the topic? How’s Carey? How are you and Heath?”
“Carey is thriving. She’s made a really good friend in Makalo even though they are a literal ocean apart. Heath and I are wonderful. He’s being very patient with me, supportive but not overdoing it.”
“The pack?” His genuine curiosity surprised me.
“It’s a little complicated, but nothing time won’t fix. Why do you ask?”
“We’re doingthis.” He waved between us with his empty hand. “Being good siblings, talking about our feelings and problems. Figured I should ask because you’re a werecat with werewolves. I hope our family checks up on you every time they talk to you. I trust the ones I’ve met, the Everson family, but I haven’t spent any time with the rest of the pack since I moved here.”
“We should correct that soon. It would be good for them to get to know the other werecat they smell around the area, too. Maybe Heath and I can throw some barbecue and finally get you and them talking properly… with supervision.” I would never leave Niko alone with a bunch of werewolves that didn't know him well. Someone would die, and odds were, it would be all the werewolves.
“Let's not try to force it. They’ll have their chance eventually. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
“Exactly. Now, I’m going to eat before the food gets cold,” I said, pointing down at my plate with my fork. Niko nodded and dove into his own meal.
We polished off the food quickly, neither of us caring what others in the building might think about how we could eat it all. Being werecats, we didn’t really have that luxury. If we skipped too many meals, we could easily drop mass that we sorely needed. I left a tip, though Niko doubled it without saying anything. Once we were in his car, I asked one more question that had been bugging me since the Mischa conversation.
“What’s kept Subira so busy?” I asked boldly the moment the doors were closed.
“Something in her territory,” he said as he turned on the car. Something shifted in his tone of voice. It was flat, and I had the firm suspicion he didn’t want to have this particular conversation.
“She called it their greatest secret,” I murmured. It was something I thought about infrequently, but it certainly stayed with me. “She’s been attending their greatest secret.”
“Yes, I heard that as well.”
“Do you know what it is?” There was no reason for me to beat around the bush.
“If I did, I couldn’t tell you.”
“I’m still not there with the family, huh?” With a sigh, I let that disappointment sink in.
“No. It’s because it wouldn’t be my secret to give. If Subira is guarding it, the only person you should hear it from is Subira. As a matter of fact, that was news to me, too. I’ve always been told that she’s busy and just accepted it. She’s also a powerful and practiced witch. She’s probably doing all sorts of things we can’t even comprehend.”
“That’s a very fair point. She’s not exactly someone whose trust I would want to betray.”
“You wouldn’t live long enough to regret it… if you weren’t her daughter,” he finished. “Which is why I think I’m going to draw a line here. I trust her. If there’s a time we need to know, she’ll tell us. She might be a bit slower in her actions than the rest of us, but her intentions are always good. She’s also impeccably on time when she wants to be… when sheneedsto be.”
The turn in our conversation only reminded me of the blow-up event of our family in Germany. It didn’t help that he directly referenced it. She was very much not on time to the family meeting until she absolutely needed to intervene. She was getting a reputation among the family for showing up at the last moment, right when we needed her. The same thing happened in Mozambique when tragedy struck Jabari, Aisha, and Makalo. She had been heading there for weeks prior to what happened and had gotten there right on time while the rest of us were stuckwitnessing the events unfold through a video call, unable to help at all.
“I’m sorry for pushing. I was being curious, but I can understand your position. I guess I’m tired of the secrets, you know? Now, every time I hear a mention of one, I wonder if I’m once again the last to know like always.”