Page 20 of In Her Own Rite

“Party?”

“Yeah, it’s evening already. You came back from your rite yesterday morning. That means we celebrate.”

Ah, right. I’m a pack elder now—there’s usually a big get-together. We didn’t do one for Seb until months later, when he was fully healed and back from the mainland.

“It’s soon?” I ask, still a little bleary from sleep.

“Yeah. But we can get there late, if you want. Gabe made some food, too, if you need to have that first.”

I shake my head and move my feet over the side of the bed, trying to get my legs under me. Seb comes up alongside, wrapping an arm around my middle to help me as I rise onto my feet. My muscles are sore, but to my surprise, that’s most of the pain. I look over at him, groggy, still waking up.

“It wasn’t real?” I ask.

“It wasn’t real,” he says. “But it can still do some real damage.”

I nod, and suddenly my mind flashes to Em and our meeting on the path up to the cliffs. I groan, closing my eyes.

“Em? Yeah, that kind of damage, too,” he says.

“She told you?”

“She told Maren, and Maren told me.” Seb loosens his arm, and once he sees I can stand on my own, he steps back. “But yeah. Nice going.”

“A skeia,” I groan.By fate. “I’m such a dick.”

“Yeah, but it happens. She’ll forgive you. Maren’s cheering her up right now, helping her get ready for the party.”

“She’ll be there?” I ask. To be honest, I assumed she’d have left by now—if not because of what I said, then because of her heat around the corner. I know she was waiting it out to do mykattakaceremony, but I figured she’d leave right after.

“Yeah.” He gives me a look, like he’s thinking what I’m thinking. “That’s between you two. But you can apologize when you see her. Thekattakamesses with your head almost as much as the rite. She’ll understand.”

“I hope so,” I say. My stomach rumbles. “Man, I’m starving.”

“I figured. I’ll grab the food Gabe made, and then we can get you dressed.”

9

KIERAN

We get to thefikarigafter nightfall, and I can hear the raucous noise coming from inside as soon as we’re on the property. The second I walk through the door, the hall erupts into cheers.

“Congratulations,jenge!” says Heimig, coming over to me to slam me into a hug. “Looking much better than yesterday morning, thankfully.”

“Thanks,” I wince, looking over his head through the crowd of faces. I can catch Em’s scent somewhere in the air, but it’s distant, and the room is so crowded that I can’t find her face.

Viggo comes up to congratulate me, and I’m pulled into a conversation with him and Dagmar, then with Caspar, who I’m surprised to see Saga remembered to invite. The evening drags on and there’s no sign of Em. I’m getting tired, and the beer someone pushed into my hand—who was it, Quinn?—doesn’t help. But from the top of the stairs, I see Maren coming down. She’s wearing some ridiculous dress, something that looks like it should be a man’s button-up shirt. Mainland fashion will never stop confusing me. I walk over to her.

“Heij. Where’s Em?”

She crosses her arms in front of her chest. “Oh, I’m pretty sure she’s staying the hell away from you, like you askedso nicelyyesterday morning.”

“No offense, Mare, but this is none of your business. If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked.”

She raises a defiant eyebrow. “It became my business when Emerson came to me crying yesterday.”

My gut twists. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Nice job.”

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