Vonetta then asked about how I’d learned to fight, and minutes ticked away, the sandwiches disappeared, and throughout the afternoon, there was never more than a few minutes where some part of Casteel’s body wasn’t in contact with mine. Whether it was his arm resting against mine or his knee, or him messing with my hair, tucking it behind my ear, or fixing the sleeves on my borrowed tunic. The constant contact, the small touches here and there, made it all too easy to forget that we were pretending.
And it was hard not to notice, at least for me, how different Vonetta was toward me compared to the others. It could be because she was Kieran’s sister and Casteel’s friend, but the wolven in general had entirely different reactions toward me. They weren’t distrustful, and while I did briefly open my senses to Vonetta when I caught her staring at me strangely, all I felt from her was curiosity.
“So, the whole static charge thing,” Vonetta brought back up after Kieran had cleared the table. “I want to see if it happens again.”
My brows lifted, but I was also curious. I extended my hand, and a moment later, Vonetta placed her palm flat to mine. She frowned slightly. “Do you feel anything?”
“No.” She sounded disappointed.
“I only felt it once,” Kieran remarked, letting an arm dangle over a bent knee. “Actually, come to think of it. What does she smell like to you?”
I drew my hand back, twisting toward Kieran. “That’s right. You said I smelled like a dead person.”
“I didn’t say you smelled like a dead person,” he countered. “I said you smelled of death.”
“How is that different?” I demanded.
“That’s a good question.” Casteel turned his head, brows lifting. “You’re really smelling her, aren’t you, Netta?”
I looked to find Vonetta’s head close to mine. “Please don’t say I smell of death.”
“You don’t.” She drew back. “But there is a unique scent to you.” Her dark brows knitted together. “You smell…old.”
“Um.” I shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not sure if that’s any better.”
Casteel dipped his head, and I felt the bridge of his nose along the side of my neck. “You don’t smell like that to me,” he murmured, and a shiver curled its way down my spine. “You smell like honeydew.”
Oh, my gods…
“I’m not saying she smells like mothballs and stale peppermint candy,” Vonetta said, and Kieran laughed. “It’s just… I don’t know how to explain what I mean.”
“I think I understand.” Casteel sat back.
“You do?” I questioned.
He nodded. “Your blood tastes old to me—old in a way that it’s rich. Powerful for someone who is not full-blooded Atlantian. It’s probably the bloodline.”
Vonetta tilted her head. “And what kind of—？”
A sudden, loud crash from outside interrupted us. Shouts of alarm rang out, and all three of them were on their feet in a matter of seconds.
“Sounds like that came from up the street where the houses are being worked on,” Vonetta said as I rose to my feet. Casteel was already out the terrace doors, Kieran following quickly behind him.
I trailed them out into the late-afternoon sun. We didn’t have to go far. Alastir rushed down the dirt-packed road, carrying the limp form of a small wolven.
Beckett.
I already knew he was in pain. I could feel it pinging against my skin, hot and sharp. I swallowed hard.
“What happened?” Casteel demanded.
“Beckett was being—well, he was being Beckett.” Alastir’s face was pale as he gently laid his nephew down in a patch of grass. The wolven’s growl ended in a whimper. “A piece of the roof collapsed, and he couldn’t move out of the way quick enough.”
“Shit,” Casteel grunted, kneeling beside Beckett.
Emil appeared behind Alastir. “Where is the Healer?”
“Talia is in the training fields,” a mortal woman said. “Someone was injured during practice.”
“Go and summon her. Tell her to come as soon as she can,” Casteel ordered one of the wolven. The man took off, shifting into his wolven form in a blur of speed. “It’s okay, Beckett. We’re getting help.”
Beckett’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and his mouth hung open. The whites of his eyes were stark against his dark fur. My senses stretched and pushed at my skin, and I tensed, trying to prepare myself as I opened up. Burning, acute pain rolled through the connection, stealing my breath. It was throbbing and endless, painting the soft grass in shades of red and soaking the sky in embers. This was definitely no minor hurt.