Page 111 of The Puppet Master
Suspicious as hell.
But I made it.
Sweat clings to my hood as I throw it off my forehead, my hand swiping back damp hair.Suspicious. Suspicious. Suspicious.
Calm down.
A woman in front of me turns. Her friendly smile quickly dips into a frown.
Relax.
“How you doin’?” I ask, forcing my lips into a smile. I slip my hands into my pockets and pull my shoulders down. Flatten the wrinkles on my forehead.
When she faces forward, I drop my eyes to my clothes.
No dirt. No debris.
I look fine, I think. Sweaty but fine.
A piano key cuts off abruptly. My head snaps up to the stage, but by the time my fear can register, the crowd erupts in applause.
My eyes narrow as another song plays, little girls in pink tutus spinning in tight circles to the upbeat tune of… I blink… Elton John’sTiny Dancer.
What the fuck is this?
The crowd, on closer inspection, is all smiles. A Cultivator’s head rests on her partner’s shoulder. A Nurturer’s hands clasp tightly at her chest while she sways, itching to clap.
Isthisa ceremony?
The longer I scan, the calmer I feel until my eyes pass a curtain of white hair toward the back of the crowd, just thirty steps away. Half of Luna’s face shows a blankness that doesn’t suggest pain. Doesn’t suggest anything.
My chest seizes. She’s here… Which means Aurelius’s minions have already claimed her.
An arm curves around Luna’s back, and I follow the bulky limb all the way up to a face I wish I hated to see. Thorne leans uncomfortably close, but if Luna arches away, I don’t see it beneath the jacket swallowing her. Thorne’s jacket.
Fear.
Jealousy.
Relief.
I don’t know which to feel. I don’t know which is strongest.
From the stories Zephyr has told me… He’s going to get Luna hurt. His girlfriend is one of the most dangerous leaders of the cult, and she has a violent side.
But theprotectivenessreeking in his posture, in that jacket, in that arm…
Maybe Luna is different. Maybe he’ll protect her.
Or maybe she needs to leave. Now. Right fucking now.
I go to take off toward her with absolutely no plan coming to mind. It’s stupid. I know it’s stupid in the time it takes me to walk one step, so maybe it’s a good thing when delicate fingers trail across my arm.
“Hi.”
I force a smile onto my face before turning to Zephyr. She sidles up beside me, her stare pointed at the stage.
“Hi,” I whisper.
