“Just because your likeness is in the Book of Ast—” He paused and took a deep breath. “Look, I’m not saying there isn’tsomethinggoing on here. But fatedmates.It’s simply not possible. We’re not even the same species. It’s not natural.”
“You know what, you’re probably right.” His words made a cruel kind of sense. We definitely were not the same species. That alone would certainly make things difficult. What if I got pregnant? Would I birth a bear cub? Oh God. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? “All of this—this entire experience…” I scrubbed a little harder at his gash, accidentally reopening the laceration. “It’s definitely all coincidental.”
“Damn, woman! Easy,” he hissed. “Clearly I’ve struck a nerve.”
I grabbed a towel, blotting his wound dry and staunching the newly surfacing blood. I paused, remembering the small vial in my pocket. Would sprite ash heal his brow? It was worth a try. It certainly wouldn’t hurt. Even with his shitty dismissive attitude, I still felt compelled to help him. “I have some sprite ash,” I said, presenting the vial. “It should heal you up quickly.”
He jerked his head away from my hand as the blood welled again from the gash. “Sprite ash?” His lip curled like I’d offered him poison. “Of course you’d carry that filth around.”
“It’s not filth. It’s medicine.”
“Only cowards rely on sprite ash.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t need some drugged-up charity case playing nursemaid,” he growled.
My jaw clenched. Without hesitation, I smeared the ash into his wound out of spite, giving no concern for how it would feel.
Jase rolled his eyes back, and for a second I wondered if it had been a mistake to apply it directly on his open flesh. He took a deep breath. His eyes closed and his jaw went slack. I watched the skin over his brow knit itself back together as a slow smile crept across his lips.
“Do you know what’s in that ‘medicine’?”
“The ground-up remains of sprites,” I said it nonchalantly. I’d lost my patience with him and offered him the same respect he'd been giving me. “I think we’re done here. Take as long as you need. I’m going back to the others.”
He leaned back in the tub, taking a drag from the brimshade. “Things get too real for you?”
I paused staring daggers at him. Too real? Was he serious? He was the one denying the obvious magnetism between us.
“Let Nico know I’ll be out in a few.”
I left the washroom feeling conflicted. The others hadn’t mentioned any of Jase’s concerns. In fact, they seemed enthusiastic about our situation. What about the Book of Astrium? Could I really be the woman in the drawing? Were they intentionally keeping more secrets from me? I thought things were starting to align, but I now had more questions than answers.
The war roombuzzed with heavy conversation. Jase’s return had already begun to fade from the spotlight.
I couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself any longer. “Have you all forgotten what it felt like to lose Gunner?” I shouted over the others, demanding their attention. “I can’t believe that’s how you chose to welcome your brother. Jase is home. That’s what matters.”
“Mic, I know it seems harsh, but we need more answers. His return doesn’t make sense. We have to assume the worst until we’re sure.” Nico tried his best to defend their actions.
“What if Johan offered him immunity in exchange for selling us out?” Luca added.
“My Lady, with all due respect, your mates are right,” Sawyer interjected, his tone calm but firm. “The situation seems suspicious.”
“My situation is none of your concern,” Jase interrupted, returning to the room.
“Jase, this is Sawyer,” Nico offered, skipping formality. “He and his people are here to help.”
“I stand by my statement,” Jase muttered.
“Why don’t you give him a chance to explain?” I asked the group. “Why are you all so quick to assume the worst?”
“Why are you suddenly best friends with him?” Lucius chided.
“Right? He was never exactly a fan of?—”
“Let’s not air personal grievances in front of our guests,” Nico interrupted. “Jase, why don’t you tell us how you escaped?”
He laughed. “And yet you want me to share mine in front of them? Nico, you make no sense.”
