22. A Revengeful Promise
A Revengeful Promise
Knox
Iwipe the sweat off my brow and give Lynx an astonished look.
“Dude, you can’t be that dumb,” Ryker comments, knowing the faux pas our new brother has made.
“Give him a break,” Moni demands, flying into Ryker’s face with her bark glowing a bright red. “He might be a magical being, but he didn’t grow up like us. He practically grew up a human. How was he supposed to know?” Moni reminds us.
“What? I was wondering why, if we have magic, do we not use it when burying our dead instead of this back-breaking work.” Lynx shrugs before patting down the last of Jillian's grave. “I thought it was a legit question,” he says, addressing the rest of us and landing on Delvin.
Delvin sighs, running his hand through his hair.
“Yes, of course it’s a legit question, and since you grew up with Rez, you wouldn’t understand why the breach of etiquette.
” He gives Lynx a small smile before continuing.
“There are two main reasons. One, the body has already been prepped and washed of any magical presence. Using magic around a corpse, even to bury it, is forbidden, and that is out of fear of necromancy.” He sends Zeke a look of pity, but the only reaction Zeke dares to show is the quick flash of yellow across his eyes, indicating he heard the pointed comment.
“And second, it’s our last way of paying our respect to our loved ones by using our back-breaking labor, as you so eloquently put it.
” He holds out his hands. “Now give me the shovels and get out of here. You guys should be resting up or getting your last-minute preparations done.”
He’s not wrong.
I hand in my shovel and step away from Jillian’s grave when I feel a cool ripple that flows over my body and find myself clean. It’s similar to what Levi does to clean us off, but this one feels crisper, sharper like a blade running over my skin. Delvin.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He nods and turns to someone behind me.
“What do you plan on doing?” I ask Zeke as we walk out of Jillian's resting place.
“I don’t know,” he admits, looking over at the waterfall. “I guess spending time with Rez tonight is out, huh?”
Tapping into our link, I feel how content and happy she is and know Knots is treating her right. “Yeah, I would think so.” I let a smile slip. “Plus, we all know they need this time together more than we all do. Come on, I’ll probably regret it, but let’s hit Nova and see the festival.”
“Knox? Volunteering to see the Gauntlet Festivities the night prior? Holy shit! Who are you and where did you stash my brother?” Ryker pulls on my shirt and gets in my face. I growl a warning, and he laughs, letting go. “Nope, he’s still there.”
“That sounds wonderful. I’ll come as well,” Levi says, already summoning a portal in front of us.
“Ahh.” Ryker cries out and crashes to the ground.
“Ryker!” Moni screams, rushing to his side, looking pale white. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s happened,” he whispered. “There are body snatchers. They’ve taken Levi.”
“You’re an ass,” Chester growls, kicking Ryker in the thigh before pulling Moni into his side.
“Very funny, Ryker. Now get up, unless you want me to leave you here and have you walk to Nova,” Levi tells him straight-faced.
Ryker scrambles to get up and follows us through the portal to Nova, and possibly our last night alive. Damn, if that’s not a sobering thought.
We pretty much stick together as we walk around, getting a sense of what this festival has in store for us. It’s a smorgasbord of food, potions, weapons, raw items, and game stalls. As a group, we grab some food and listen to the live band before deciding to tackle the rest of the festivities.
‘How about some steak bones? I love those,’ Fluffers asks for the fifth time as I pass a food stall.
‘We already have everything we need, Fluffers, but if I see something that catches my eye, I’ll grab it,’ I promise my animals as I continue following my family down another street packed with different species of Supes.
‘I didn’t see you grab any grooming supplies for me,’ Barron pouts.
Multiple voices speak up at once, causing a slight pinch to hit in my head.
‘Whoa. Shut up, guys! You’re gonna take me out of the Gauntlet before it even starts.
Look, we’re camping, and we’re going to be in survival mode for the next week.
So we’re just going to have to grin and bear it.
Are you with me on this?’ I ask, knowing that asking is better than demanding of my animals.
‘Always,’ Dusky answers.
‘If I must,’ Barron agrees.
‘Call me when I get to kill something.’ I take Slayer’s answer for a yes.
‘Yuppers.’ Fluffer's tongue rolls out as he agrees, and thankfully, my headache subsides.
I spot a carousel down the way, and Moni shrieks.
“Chester, look! Will you go with me? I want a ride?” Before Chester can even answer her, she grabs his hand and flies off.
“Levi, there you are,” the Queen harpy from Hell beckons. “I see you got rid of the trash.” Emer sashays next to Levi, and my headache immediately returns.
“Oh, look, the poisonous vulture has shown up. Our night is complete,” Zeke hisses at Emer as JP wraps his arm around his waist.
“What do you want, Emer?” Levi asks, looking bored.
I quickly scan the area to see if any of the other harpies are nearby, but surprisingly, I don’t see them.
But I do see someone else I wasn’t expecting: Beck.
It’s bad enough I saw that he was with the Bailiwick Academy, but he’s running the Gauntlet, too.
Hopefully, we continue to avoid each other tonight and throughout the Gauntlet.
“I was hoping to spend some time with you.” She smiles, trying to look innocent. She’s completely failing. Levi blinks and stares at her for a few moments until she shifts in the uncomfortable silence, yet she doesn’t yield her comment.
“You can join us, but don’t expect a warm welcome,” Levi finally answers, and I whip my head around so fast, my neck cracks audibly.
“What?” My voice echoes along with the others in shock.
“There’s no harm in her joining us,” he explains as he nods for her to join, and Emer greedily steps in next to him, grabbing his arm, making him flinch at her touch.
I literally grind my teeth to keep my jaw from hitting the ground as she looks over her shoulder and gives us a smug smile before leaning her head briefly on Levi’s shoulder.
“You really might have a case on the Levi body snatching theory,” Lynx says as he watches the two of them walk away.
“I have to agree, and we might as well put Emer on that list since she’s wide open to allow me to read her and she’s not hiding any ill intentions right now,” JP adds as we start to follow Levi and Emer.
I squint and cock my head as I think about what Lynx and JP said.
Maybe he did get body snatched. It’s the only explanation as to what’s happening before me.
Is this the spell she put on him working?
Are we seeing it play out right before our eyes?
If so, I don’t like it, and we need a way to cure him ASAP.
‘I agree. Do you think he’s masking his true feelings for our mate?’ Barron asks.
I immediately scoff at the idea.
‘No, there’s no way, but he did take something that we still don’t know how will affect him,’ I try to reason, but all it does is frustrate me and leave me anxious.
We stop at a stall of raw items, and something catches Emer’s eyes.
“Oh, Levi! Will you buy that?” She points to a jewel, and Levi scoffs.
“I said you could join us. Don’t mistake my kindness for anything else but being a proper host. My heart still belongs to Ner—” Levi flinches in pain and clears his throat. “Ner—”
“You might as well give up, Levi,” Emer taunts. “It’s only going to get worse. You’ll find your instincts driving you to me, where you belong. And soon, you won’t even be able to say her name without the excruciating pain.”
“What the fuck did you do to—”
Emer holds up her hand to Ryker, her next words stopping him in his tracks.
“Remember, he took the potion of his own accord,” she reminds us.
“He was coerced into it, you bitch, and you forced it down his throat in the end,” Zeke spits out. JP quietly grabs Zeke’s hand, trying to calm him down.
Emer shrugs but faces Levi.
“The question still stands. How do you really feel about everything right now? Despite what everyone is saying or telling you, what are you feeling right now?” she purrs with a self-satisfying smile.
Levi’s jaw clenches as he doesn’t answer, and it causes my animals to whine and thrash within me, which is the only reason I don’t feel another pack flanking me.
“Well, if it isn’t the powerful Knox Cloak and his ragtag brothers,” a snarly voice calls out.
My hackles raise as I slowly turn to address the figure I saw earlier. I had hoped it was a mistake, or he would have left the festivities, but apparently I was wrong.
“Beck. For what do we owe this displeasure?” I growl, taking in my old rival. The lion shifter, dressed in an open black velvet shirt tucked into his pants, puffing on his cigarette, just smirks as his friends look over my family behind me.
“Oh, I just wanted to see an old friend.” Beckingham runs his fingers through his quiffed blond hair.
“I don’t have time for any of your nonsense, Beck,” I tell him, turning my back on him and focusing back on Levi’s drama.
“Did you ever wonder what happened to your friend Atticus?” Beck taunts, and my muscles stiffen.
I haven’t heard that name in years. Atticus was one of my best friends growing up, besides Zeke.
Atti was the Fossa shifter I hung out with all the time.
He was part of the Ozark pack but wanted to transfer to mine the summer before school.
Dad had already made the plans and everything, but on the day of his transfer, he ghosted me, and his family told Dad that his mind had changed.
Needless to say, I was upset and hurt by the decision, but I understood.
“I already know,” I say simply as I turn to face him and his two stooges.
“Oh! So you know, the night before he was supposed to transfer, we called a blood match?” My blood turns cold as I take in his arrogant stance.
“His fossa was no match for my lion.” He smirks.
“But I’m sure you would have already known that since you wanted that weak shifter in your pack. I honestly think I did you a favor.”
Fury hits me like a rock, and I feel my muscles flex and expand.
“Oh, look, more assholes trying to spoil the night,” JP says, placing his hand on my shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
JP’s presence helps pull back my unwarranted shifting. I’m not even sure which animal would have taken over, but I know if I had attacked and maimed or killed Beck, I wouldn’t be eligible for the Gauntlet tomorrow.
“Who the fuck are you?” Beck sneers.
“Only the guy who knows the real reason for you attacking Atticus.” JP gives the group a wide smile, and Beck’s confidence wavers slightly.
“What?”
“Only a true coward attacks a man because he gets spurned by the very type he keeps hidden in the closet,” JP shares, and Beck turns white.
“Wh—” his friends turn to look at each other, confused.
“Here, let me break it down for ya,” JP starts before Beck can stop him.
“Beck hit on Atticus and was denied. Since Atticus was about to leave the pack and Beck’s control, Beck killed him.
” JP raised his eyebrows. “It’s all up here,” he states, pointing to his own head.
“Maybe instead of learning how to kill people, you should learn to shield your thoughts better,” he advises with a stone face.
Heat flashes over me as I encourage any one of my animals to come forward. I do not care about the fucking Gauntlet. Fates help me, I will make sure Beck doesn’t take another breath.
“Knox. He’s not worth it,” Levi tells me as he lays his hand on my arm, siphoning the rage from me. He looks at Beck and his goons. “You need to leave and find something better to do with your time.” His voice takes on a low resonance, and I swear I hear another voice along with his as he speaks.
But I shake it off as Beck and his lap dogs leave, shaking their heads as if pulling out of a trance as they walk away.
“You okay, man?” Zeke asks, knowing how much Atticus meant to me.
“I will be once I sink my teeth into Beck’s throat,” I tell him.
“Well, it’s a good thing there are no rules against killing students during the Gauntlet,” Ryker says, bumping into my arm with a smile.
“True,” I chuckle, but soon my stomach churns as I catch Emer smiling off to the side at Ryker’s comment. Now that might be a problem.