Movement No. 22
Tempest
Nico and I spent the entire day mostly talking. We walked around the carnival, playing different games and riding all the rides. It was fun to actually participate and not just perform, but it was also strange and a little haunting.
I taught him about what Alphas are and about what it’s like to have one, but he doesn’t remember his. I can tell that he desperately wants to meet his Alpha though, and it breaks my heart.
I hope that one of the packs here will accept him, even if he continues to live at the carnival with Gemma and Draven and the others. Guilt starts to freeze over me like an icy tundra, rendering me incapable of movement.
I feel trapped and panicky and so cold as I remind myself why I’m here. My purpose at this carnival and in this marriage is to kill this little boy’s adoptive father.
This lupion, who has already experienced so much grief, will have to do it again because my Alpha—my father—wants an eye for an eye. I have to meet with him and convince him that what we really need is to kill The Executioner, the one truly responsible.
I may never get to see these people again, but I can at least save Draven from a shallow grave. Even if it’s just for Nico’s sake.
“Aunt Tempest,” Nico says, interrupting me from my spiral.
“Yes?” I say as we continue down the path to his tent.
“Mom reads Po and me a story at bedtime, can you pick a book and read to us?” There’s something so sweet about him, it gives me a toothache. Po, too. The pure joy and innocence in both their eyes is something I’d trade almost anything to go back in time to experience.
“Of course, Nico.”
Entering their tent, Po gives me a smile, and I kneel down to the bookshelf that rests against the fabric wall, looking at all the children’s books.
Purple eggs and spam. That sounds disgusting. Where the Wild Demons Are. That’s kind of cute, though maybe not for Nico. Goodnight Moons. The Incredibly Full Butterfly.
My eyes keep scanning, looking for anything that sounds remotely educational, because Nico likely doesn’t know much. If he was packless for so long, he may have never even been to school.
What on Hel? Geography and History for Children. Perfect.
Grabbing the book off the shelf, I take a seat on the edge of Nico’s bed.
“Gemma and Draven say that one is propaganda,” Po asks, wiggling further under her sheets from the bed across from us, and I stifle a laugh. “Can we read The Prince Duet instead? It’s one of my favorites.”
I nod, and my eyes scan the shelf again until I find it. Flipping open to the first page, there is an illustration of two stunning castles, and the children ooh and ah as I show them the pictures.
“Once upon a time, in a valley divided by a crystal-blue river, stood two grand kingdoms that had been rivals for as long as anyone could remember,” I read aloud.
Nico looks up at me with excited eyes, and I continue.
“In the west kingdom lived Prince Ryker—a dashing dreamer—who preferred poetry to politics. In the east was Prince Julien, the bold and beguiling swordsman. Though their people quarrelled, the two princes had never met, until one day Prince Julien’s castle put on a masquerade ball. ”
“What’s a masquerade ball?” Nico asks.
“It’s a big party where people dance and wear masks,” I explain.
“My mom and dad whisper about masquerades a lot,” he says, yawning. “Maybe they’re throwing a surprise party!”
The Devil’s Masquerade definitely surprises people.
Turning the page, the half-demon princes appear in fanciful clothing and masks.
“Lanterns shimmered like fireflies, and music drifted through the castle walls. Prince Ryker entered the ballroom full of sparkling gowns and delicious treats, and made his way to the dance floor. Prince Julien couldn’t look away from the handsome stranger. ”
I continue to read to the children about how the princes’ met and danced the night away before realizing who they were, and it takes me back to the first night I met Yasmeena. With everything we’ve been through, and everything that is yet to come, that night holds deeper significance for me now.
It may have felt like a betrayal, sure, but it also feels like an undeniable truth that there is something deeper between us. At least something more than just animosity. From the way she spoke, to the way she felt in my arms, everything about her was perfect to me from the very beginning.
Until it wasn’t.
“For many nights after, the princes met in secret on the bridge that crossed the river between their kingdoms. Roots and vines from both sides grew, tangling together, much like the princes’ hearts,” I say, continuing the story.
It goes on, beautiful pictures and words depicting the princes being caught and barred from seeing one another, before they found a way to change their kingdoms’ minds, and could once again be reunited.
“This is the best part,” Po says, smiling and giddy with excitement.
“When the two royal families met and saw Prince Ryker and Prince Julien hand-in-hand, they decided it was finally time to change things. And the valley, once divided, blossomed even brighter than before. The End.”
A quiet snore comes from where Nico rests, and I mouth goodnight at Po before putting the book down, carefully exiting their room.
My mind seems to be fighting a conflict stronger than the one between the lupion and the felion. There is my dedication to my Alpha and to my pack, and then there is her. Yasmeena’s presence alone threatens to turn my world on its axis, changing the way I see everything.
I can’t even read a children’s book without daydreaming of her.
I shake my head as I continue walking towards my tent. The cool night air feels comforting against my skin, and as I cross into our space, it feels wrong. Empty.
Climbing into Yasmeena’s bed, I breathe in her scent, wishing she were here tonight.
What have I gotten myself into?