Page 76 of Ravenous
Am I falling for him?
Probably.
He’d written today that he’dmissed herlast night, when he’d had to stay in Craigdúr for work. Sigh. She’d reread those words until the parchment softened under her thumbs. And now, even here—surrounded by salve fumes and suspicion—her mind drifted to him.
Rose’s voice cracked the spell: “You’re lying about Ditch. You would have seen some indication of her powers by now.” Her good hand went aglow.
“Ditch won’t say or reveal them. Smart, really. Her enemies are everywhere, including in her own coven.” Meera rubbed her temple. Hecate’s wand, she was ready for this workday to be over.
“You’re starting toadmireher!” More glowing. “Already forgot that she murdered Lazara, your mentor for decades?”
“Of course I haven’t,” Meera said. Loyalties and duties pushed and pulled at her until she thought they would tear her apart.The House of Witches. The office of the high priestess. Lowell.“But Akelarre did choose Ditch for a reason.”
Meera wondered if Rose knew how much she had in common with their new leader. Both orphans, both raised by a coven.
As was I.“Maybe instead of fighting Ditch, we should try to understand what the House of Witches ultimately wants.”
Rose scoffed. “If Akelarre sent Ditch to assassinate Lazara, we shouldn’tfollow her. If they didn’t, westillshouldn’t follow her. She’s likely a rogue witch. And what’s one duty of the Riders?” She cupped her ear. “That’s right—to execute rogues.”
“How would you kill Ditch? You tried to sic the Valkyries on her because you couldn’t take her yourself.”
“Nobody hexshoots harder than me.” Rose buffed her remaining nails, smug.
“Want to bet your life on that?”
“I’m not afraid of dying.”
“No,” Meera said softly, “you’re afraid of Lykae. To a nightmare degree, it seems.”
Rose’s eyes narrowed. “You talking to the Valkyries now?”
“Everyone in the Skein’s talking.” Nymphs routinely passed through the Witchwood with tales…
Color stained Rose’s high cheekbones. “I’d rather be afraid of Lykae thanfuckingthem.”
Oh, gods, she knows.Ditch must too.Equal footing with divulgences, indeed!
Rose smirked at her silence. “That’s right. Your fearless leader spent last night with King Thane. She’s hismate.” Rose spat the word, couldn’t show her disgust enough.
“What?” Thane the Hungry—subject of Meera’s study—had mated with Ditch? “That’s impossible.”
“It happened, Meera. This very morning, nymphs told me his roar echoed across half the realm, her screams too.”
Matehood.Meera’s rational mind reeled. No wonder Thane’s behavior during his first meeting with Ditch had been so peculiar. He must have been thunderstruck! And then Ditch had spoken blandly of cannibalism and made crude observations about lupine behavior. Yet somehow they’d ended up together last night?
“How sick,” Rose hissed. “Being with a Lykae beast would be like bedding an animal.”
“Not really.” The words slipped out before Meera could stop them. “You can still see flashes of the man, and the beast is sentient to a point.” She would give anything to behold Lowell’s beast, especially on the night of a full moon. Its appearance would mean they were mated.
Rose recoiled. “Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas. Ditch betrayed thiscoven.”
“She’s playing with him,” Meera said firmly. “There is no way she’d ever surrender to him.”
Wait… Lowell’s face flickered in her mind.He had to know about Thane and Ditch.He’d known all along! He’d courted Meera for information—made her believe he desired her.
With her sensible shoes and muffin-top waist.
Heat spread under her skin, betrayal made palpable. Her palms burned; light bled through her clenched fists, casting wild patterns on the walls.
