Page 36 of Dream in Darkness
Raph let me use his phone to call Zuri. It was nice talking to her, especially because she’s not a member of leadership. We talked about how she misses Tyrus, and how the second of Pack Forres asked her on a date, though we both thought he was married. I couldn’t tell her much. She doesn’t know why I’m really here, only that it’s a political marriage, so I mostly shared about our practices and watching everyone perform.
She says she’s going to try and see our debut show, and it would be nice to see her. I hope father comes too and that they’re all proud of me. I desperately want this to be the thing that proves my worth. Not just to my Alpha, but to my entire pack. I need them to see how hard I’m willing to work, and how far I’m willing to go for the betterment of my people.
Wandering sort of aimlessly around camp, I realize just how much of a maze this place truly is. I should probably make a map of camp so that Pack Escalus knows exactly where to find everyone.
Putting that thought away for later, I catch sight of Draven as he’s exiting Yasmeena’s and my tent.
“You should talk to her,” he suggests.
Yasmeena hasn’t slept in our tent these last few nights. I don’t know where she was, or why I seem to care at all. This isn’t real, and she’s not my responsibility. There are no expectations except that we’re to act in love while we’re in public, and even then, we usually fail.
We’re engaged in name and name alone, so why does my heart rate increase at the thought of seeing her again?
“Yeah, okay,” I say as I stop at the doorway and take in a deep breath.
When I enter, Yasmeena is sitting on the floor by the foot of her bed, looking sad and contemplative.
Quietly, I walk over and sit on the floor beside her, leaning against my own bed.
“Should I go?”
“You just got here,” she says, still staring at the wall.
“No.” I almost laugh. “Should I go to the funeral? Do you want me to?”
She turns her head to look at me. “You would do that?”
“Of course. Just say the word,” I say, and she gives me a small smile.
Yasmeena looks so tender in the soft, yellow light of her bedroom lamp. She’s wearing a big sweater and it hides all her muscles, just showing off the soft lines of her face and the wisps of short onyx hair.
“I don’t think it’s the best idea. I mean, it could really go either way,” she says, and it’s like a switch was flipped. Gone is the sweet, mourning friend, replaced with the diplomat. The Spy. I can see the gears in her head turning, it’s written all over her face. “If the majority of the felion at the funeral saw your attendance as genuine, it could really move our campaign forward, which would help everyone in the long run.”
“But?” I ask, enjoying the way she analyzes situations like this.
“But if they’re scared of you, or if their emotions get the better of them and they blame you, it could send us seven steps backwards. The entire thing could turn into a brawl, not only hurting our cause, but also dishonoring Roxanne’s memory.”
“Well, I don’t want that. Are you going to ask Gemma and Draven what they think?”
She shakes her head. “No. I am The Spy just as much as she is, and this is my friend. My people. I’m making this call on my own.”
“Okay,” I say, feeling an odd sense of pride.
“I don’t think you should go.”
I let out a deep breath of relief. “That’s okay. I do have something for you to bring, if you think that’s okay.”
She cocks her head to the side. “What?”
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a necklace. The green stone sparkles, the color semi-transparent.
“I had someone in my pack bring me some atra before it was mineralized, and Absinthe helped me turn it into a pendant with a chain. I figured you could place this on her. I don’t know your burial customs, but lupion usually bury their dead in silver. Something symbolizing the person who died. I didn’t know Roxanne, but she was a nurse, so I figured she had her own sense of magic about her, spending her life helping others,” I say, afraid I’m rambling on for too long.
“That’s really beautiful, actually,” Yasmeena replies, taking the necklace. “Thank you.”
Movement No. 15
Yasmeena
