Page 37 of Veiled Fate
“Odd timing indeed,” he concurred, his tone indicating he thought it was anything but.
“That sounds a lot more plausible than her just trying to get us to make out.”
“Don’t discount the opportunity to achieve both with one blow,” he countered. “But yes, I think she wanted us here.”
I nodded, watching the last of the stab wound on my arm finish healing. “Now, we just have to find outwhy.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Ihave it!”
I spun at the victorious cry as Kiel hopped down from the roof behind me.
“Damnit, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” I yelped, leaning against the wall, clutching my chest as I tried to recover my calm.
“Sorry about that,” he chuckled, approaching me and rubbing my shoulder in apology.
I smiled tightly, stepping away, trying to maintain my distance.
“Sorry,” he said awkwardly, dropping his hand to his side. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s fine,” I told him, waving it off while at the same time reminding my body that he waspersona non grataas far as we were concerned and that the pleasant tingle that had run down my spine from his touch was not appropriate. “Now, what is it you found out?”
“Right.” He drew himself up straight, glancing around before speaking.
The alleyway was our predetermined meeting point; a place we had set up that morning before heading out into the city to try to determine why Fate wanted us in Lycaon for the Fate Festival. Kiel hadn’t been overly enthused about letting me join him in the search, but after spending the rest of the day before recovering and a pair of big meals, I was feeling right as could be.
“Nobody’s around,” I said. “I just cleared it a minute ago when I got here. But I didn’t find anything. What did you hear?”
“I almost missed it,” he said. “Word had just started circulating as I was on my way back here, but it’s big, so there was no way I wouldn’t find out. Another ten minutes and it’ll be all over the city. Everyone is talking about it. We should have thought about it before.”
I crossed my arms. “Kiel.”
“Yes?”
“Are you purposefully rambling on instead of just telling me what you found out?”
“A little bit,” he said, breaking into a grin. It faded swiftly into something much more serious. “There’ll be a ‘special guest’ at tomorrow’s Fate Night. The entire festival, in fact.”
“Since when does a Fate Night have a special guest?” I asked, shaking my head. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does,” Kiel said, the grin reappearing on one side of his face, “if you remember that we sort of disrupted some things to do with it back in Arcadia. As you’ll recall, they don’thavea Fate Stone anymore.”
I followed that line of thinking, combining it with what he’d already told me.
“They can’t possibly think people willgofor that, can they?” I exclaimed.
“Everyone is abuzz with the news,” he confirmed. “It’s too early to see how they feel about it, but I guaranteeeveryonewill hear about this.”
“Of course they will. When was the last time an Alpha traveled to another city for a Fate Festival? Oh, right, never, because it’s never happened!”
“Not just an Alpha,” Kiel said. “Arcadus is packing up every single newly aged and unmated shifter and bringing them to Lycaon. For tomorrow night.”
“That’s madness. People will ask so many questions. The truth will come out. He can’t possibly keep it hidden from them.”
“Don’t be so quick to assume. After all, what reason do most have to doubt it? Sure, we started people questioning. There will be a lot of unrest after the deaths from the riot. But that’s not the same as an active uprising. It will take time for people to begin questioning everything they know, not just one part.”
I fixed him with narrowed eyes, watching his face, the way he talked, the tone of his voice.
