Page 30 of Cryptic Dreams

Fate, You Silly Bitch

WRAITH

Itap my fingers anxiously against the table, my knee bouncing like mad underneath it. I’ve been at Plasma for about twenty minutes now and I’m beginning to believe my friends stood me up.

Hell, I’m beginning to believe they devised a mutiny and are in discussions with Hans about everything they know of my involvement in the orgy as well as my role as leader of the Purists and orchestrator of the Uprising.

If that is the case, then Orion no longer holds the title ofbest friend. No, he will no longer be considered such and will be downgraded to a merefriendif he has indeed turned mutinous.

That should teach him.

Although, perhaps someone shouldteachmebecause I don’t think I’m doing this wholefriend thingquite right.

Oh well.

I gnaw my lip nervously—something I haven’t done since I was a lad and need to stop immediately—as the ache in my chest grows and expands, as it becomes all consuming and incredibly painful. So much so I find myself rubbing over my heart to try to alleviate the pain.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Orion sighs as he scares the piss out of me. “We just got back.”

I blink as I look between him and Aries, both males appear to be rather haggard and worn. Their handsome faces are tired, unshaven, eyes dull and a tad sunken. They look like shite to be perfectly honest, and for some reason that sends my heart careening toward cardiac arrest territory.

“What’s this then?” I frown and continue rubbing my chest. “Why the dreary faces?”

Aries slumps into the booth next to me and scrubs his hands over his hair. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

“It’s not like you would care anyway,” Orion grunts through clenched teeth. “Even though this is probably your fault.”

“My fault?” My brows fly to my hairline. “How is anything my fault? I haven’t hardly seen the two of you in the last week or so.”

“Exactly.”

“Babe...” Aries warns. “Don’t do it—”

“You haven’t seen us but you’ve still been following Z, right? Still checking up on her?”

I swallow hard and avoid making eye contact. It seems I’ve been caught out. But I’m not given the chance to explain or even respond.

“Or maybe you’re just doing a drive-by? Stopping in front of her house once a night? Just—”

“Babe.” Aries places a hand on his arm but he jerks it away in favor of pointing a finger in my face.

“Just checking to make sure she’s home and not out somewhere, but not actually seeing if she’s ok? Is that what you’ve been doing?”

“Orion,” Aries says firmly. “Just stop. It’s not our business—”

“It’smyfucking business because Zephyr ismyfucking cousin, blood ofmyfucking blood, and she is fuckingmissing!”

My heart launches itself up into my throat before it shoots down to my stomach then proceeds to pound so bloody hard it may explode out of my body completely.

And yet I still manage to keep my calm facade.

“Missing? She’s not bloody missing, she’s been home all week.”

“Bastard!” Orion shouts. “You fucking bastard. You were a complete dick to her for no reason, it crushed her and she cut us off, disappeared like always, but it’s different this time. I can’tfeelher anymore. I can’t feel our shared blood and I can’t fucking find her!”

“What do you mean you can’t feel her?” I clear the table in two seconds flat and begin running out of the club.

“Exactly what I said, asshole!” Orion yells as he and Aries chase after me. “She called into work all week, hasn’t been doing any assignments for school and now I can’t feel our link. I figured you were still creeping around her house and if something was off you would have said so, but I guess what I thought wasn’t true, otherwise you would have known Zephyr was gone!”