The atmosphere in Luke's office had finally settled, the worst of the tension ebbing away, or at least buried under the surface for now. Jeanne and Elsie stood near the door, their expressions filled with cautious relief as they sensed the immediate threat had passed. They whispered between themselves, happy that the confrontation with Beth was over, and that the ceremony â which they were excited to be part of â loomed ahead.
Jeanne smiled softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I think everything will be all right now, don't you?"
Elsie nodded, her eyes sparkling with cautious optimism. "Yes. It seems things are moving forward. The Becoming Ceremony... it will be such an honor to witness it. To be part of something so grand."
I could feel the warmth of their happiness, a gentle reprieve from the tension that had been choking the room. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to feel that same sense of peace. But it didn't last.
Luis, who had been brooding in a corner even though he'd earlier agreed, abruptly stood, his fists clenched at his sides. His face twisted in frustration, eyes dark with unspoken thoughts. The air in the room seemed to thicken, and the quiet that had settled was shattered by the crackling energy of his barely-contained anger.
Jeanne and Elsie immediately stiffened, their happy chatter falling silent as they both flinched back in surprise. I could see the fear creep into their eyes as they looked at Luis, the sudden shift in his demeanor startling them.
Luis snarled, the tension in his body warping the air around him. It felt like the magic was about to break free, his transformation barely held back. But as quickly as it flared, the magic snapped back into him like a rubber band, leaving him panting on the floor, his body trembling from the strain.
I jerked forward. "Luis?" I asked, but before I could take another step, he was already back on his feet, rubbing at the bracelet on his wrist, his glare fixed on Luke.
The fear on Jeanne and Elsie's faces deepened, their delight at the earlier resolution now completely replaced by unease. I glanced at them, realizing just how much Luis's outburst had shaken them. They'd been so happy, thinking everything was settling down, but Luis had a way of stirring things up when his emotions got away from him.
"You're scaring Elsie and Jeanne, Luis," I said, my voice taut.
"This is so wrong, Matt." He fixed me with an intense stare. "You're mine. I don't like any of this."
I scoffed. "Yours? Luis, you had four years to stake a claim. You never did."
I didn't want to hurt him, but his possessiveness had thrown me. He knew I'd had a crush on him for years, but he'd done nothing. Now he was acting like this?
His glare remained fixed on me, his jaw tight. "I never thought I had to." His voice was harsh, full of frustration. "I've told you for years that you're mine."
"What, the 'You're my prey' thing? That's always just been a joke, Luis. I knew that."
His expression twisted into something bitter. "That's never been the case. But when Joâ"
"Don't," I snapped, cutting him off before he could finish. My hands trembled, and I held them up, trying to keep the memories of my attack at bay. I didn't want to think about Joseph. Not now. Not ever.
Luis sighed deeply, dragging his fingers through his hair before nodding stiffly. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice strained, as if the apology was being dragged out of him.
I rubbed my hands against my hips, trying to calm myself down. "Forget it." I didn't want to dig into that mess, not now.
Adrian, sensing the tension rising again, broke the silence by socking Luis in the arm. "Smooth move," he muttered, though there was no real heat behind the words.
"Look..." My voice broke through the silence, weary but firm. "I need you guys to work together. There's a lot at stake here. I'm sorry all of this came as a violent surprise."
"If I don't do what the Consul and the Temple say, they might kill you guys. I can't let that happen." I swallowed hard, my voice shaking slightly as I spoke. "Plus, this place has been stuck in winter for years, and apparently, it's my fault. Something happened to me..." I glanced at Luis. "When I was a child."
Luis's voice was toneless when he responded. "You don't remember it. I only remembered it a few months ago."
I looked at him, the unease growing in my chest. "Tell me, Luis."
"When you were five years old, your stepfather presented you with a gift. A black colt."
I frowned, trying to recall the memory of both my hazy stepfather, and the gift. "I don't remember any gift."
"When you tried to pet me, I bit you," he said, his voice barely audible.
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. "You did this?" I asked, my fingers tracing the crescent-shaped scar on my right hand.
Luis nodded, his face pale. "I was trying to scare you away. Your stepfather had caught me, and when a Phouka is captured, we have to obey our master. But I didn't want to be used that way. So, I bit you. Tried to get you to run."
He paused, and as he continued to speak, the mist in my mind that had clouded the memory began to lift. I remembered. I remembered the fear of being forced onto the colt's back, the terror as it bolted through the trees, moving too fast for my little body to control. The branches blurred into streaks of green and brown, and then there were arrows, sharp and deadly, piercing the air and finding their mark.
I remembered the pain. Falling. The darkness.
And then... nothing.
"I died..." The words slipped from my lips before I realized I'd spoken them. I stared down at my hands, trying to reconcile the memory with the person I was now. "Papa killed me."
Luis nodded, "And then you... and I... lived again. Those roots of yours brought us back to life.
The room fell into stunned silence as I struggled to hold back the sob that threatened to break free. Dominic pulled me into his lap, his arms wrapping around me as he rocked me gently. I clung to him, grateful for the warmth of his embrace as the weight of the revelation pressed down on me.
Luke's voice sounded strangled as he said, "This changes nothing. We still need to move forward."
I swallowed hard, my throat tight as I pulled myself together with some effort. I felt like everything had changedâlearning that I had died, that Luis had been forced into that terrible momentâbut Luke was right. No matter how much my head swam with the weight of this revelation, we couldn't stop.
"We move forward with the Becoming Ceremony," Luke continued, his voice steadier now. "The past is painful, and it will take time for each of you to reconcile with it. But there is no time to dwell on it now."
Dominic's arms tightened around me protectively. "I agree. I'm here for Matty. If we have to all get therapy after today, then we'll deal with that later."
I chuckled, grateful for him. My mind was still reeling, but Dominic had made things a little better. We didn't have the luxury of time to process all of this, not with the ceremony looming ahead.
Luis stood up, his expression hardened as he glanced around the room. "Fine. We move forward. But make no mistake, Luke"âhe looked directly at him, then at the rest of usâ"I'm not going to just roll over and accept all of this. Not without a fight."
His eyes flicked to me, something darker and more personal simmering beneath his words. But he didn't say anything more.
Adrian shifted in his chair, running a hand through his hair as he let out a frustrated sigh. "Yeah. We should all get ready. But... Dang, I'm hungry." He glanced at the rest of us. "Shouldn't we eat?"
"You're hungry?" I asked, incredulous, as the room still buzzed with unresolved emotions. But the tension broke just a little more at his remark.
Adrian shrugged, a crooked smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, well, all this life-changing ceremony stuff is exhausting. I think better on a full stomach."
Dominic let out a soft laugh, squeezing my shoulders in silent agreement. "He's got a point, you know. We're going to need energy for what's ahead."
Luis, still bristling, muttered, "This isn't something you can just joke about, Adrian."
Adrian rolled his eyes. "I'm not joking, Luis. I'm just trying to keep us from all spiraling into doom and gloom before we even get through this next part." His tone softened as he glanced at me, the sincerity of his reluctance still evident. "Look, I'm all in, even if it's not exactly the way I wanted. But we've got to get through this, and if eating helps, then I say we eat."
Luke rubbed a hand across his face, exhaustion creeping in despite his composed exterior. "Let's go to the dining room."
Adrian grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Now, that's a plan I can get behind."
"We'll talk after," Luke said, his tone returning to its usual serious, commanding presence.
Dominic kissed the top of my head, his warmth offering comfort. "One step at a time, Matty," he whispered.
And I nodded, but I wasn't sure how many steps I had left in me.