Balt

 

Piper’s room was empty when I went got there ten minutes after I woke up. I stood for a moment in the doorway, gazing at the messy bed and trying to resist the urge to put my fist through a wall. Were we in a fight? I couldn’t tell.

Shaking, my head, I thought back to last night on the beach. Her worried eyes and the chill of the fesootai. No, it was more that she seemed afraid. But of what? Afraid for me? Of me? Pinching the bridge of my nose, I turned and nearly walked into Altair, who smirked.

“Morning,” I said stiffly, trying to move past him, but he darted in front of me.

“Pining isn’t a good look for a Kazan,” Altair said. “Come with me – you’ve been summoned by grandmother.”

“Great,” I muttered, not looking forward to another mental fencing match with Kyría. “Could I at least eat breakfast first?”

“She has a meal prepared,” Altair said, walking off and not waiting for a response.

Reluctantly, I followed him. At that moment, I realized I hadn’t seen Desmond since last night and I hoped he hadn’t been fed to a pet lion or anything.

We walked through the giant, echoing house, seeing no one. It seemed fewer people lived here now than when I was a child. Perhaps Kyría was the only one left.

Through the windows were beguiling glimpses of bright blue and green. But all that light and color remained outdoors – seemingly reluctant to enter the house. Too many shadows waited, ready to pounce and swallow such trespassers whole.

Altair brought me to a large balcony where Kyría was waiting, sitting at a table and gazing out at the sea. It nudged at the back of my memory as I sat down. My cousin gave me a smirk, vanishing and my grandmother looked over at me.

“You slept poorly,” she commented with amusement. “I take it Piper is angry with you. Weslarks.” She snorted. “So self-righteous because they have swollen brains.”

Sitting there, I suddenly felt overwhelmingly ill at the thought of Isla being involved with this family. Piper, you were right, I thought. What the hell was I thinking?

The problem, I realized, was that I was not. I’d been so caught up in the past and the future, I’d let Kyría hit every weak spot in my armor. However, she now thought I was in her crosshairs. Sitting back, I decided to keep playing along.

“Don’t speak of Piper like that, grandmother,” I said in a tight voice.

“Hmph.” Her eyes flashed. “Well, I don’t like the way she spoke to me.”

“She wasn’t wrong,” I said quietly. “Shifters of Anubis should have been informed of what the Kazan family did and how we were connected to the TLO.”

Anger burned through me as I said that. Did anyone in my family have clean hands?

Kyría didn’t answer right away, sipping at her coffee and studying me. “So,” she said. “I’ve thought about it. And I believe you are lying to me. What care I for some stranger named Isla? You were trying to trick me.”

Relief swept through me and I tried to look caught out. “Yes,” I muttered.

“Foolish boy.”

“Yiayia, please,” I said. “I’ve worked hard to restore honor to the Kazan name. Sneer at Shifters of Anubis all you want, but I know that was important to the family. I saw it in Kyros’s letters.”

“His letters?” Kyría asked. “To whom? He never contacted us again after he left Greece.”

Some instinct kept my mouth shut and I shook my head, saying, “I mean his papers – journals and such. Some were addressed to me – about our family.”

“If you think we owe you and your uncle anything, we don’t, Baltsaros. The Kazan family stands as one. Especially against those who challenge it – foes on the outside or inside.” My grandmother’s face filled with a savage kind of pride. “We uphold the ancient legacy of the lion born – one that extends across Europe. Guardians of Mycenae. Praetors of Rome. Allies of Sparta.”

While I didn’t think all of that was necessarily true, I tried to appeal to her pride. “That was our legacy – once. It is no more. The Kazan family is considered cursed now.”

“Power has always caused jealousy in lesser lineages,” Kyría sniffed.

“Please,” I begged. “Tell me how to break it – I know there is a way.”

“You have offered me nothing, grandson,” Kyría said. “Why would I tell you? And what – you do not wish to join the halls of your forefathers in their glory?”

My stomach twisted and I stared down at the floor. This was futile as I’d feared.

“Marry that Weslark girl,” Kyría suddenly ordered in a low voice.

I froze and slowly raised my head. “What?” I breathed, my hands starting to shake.

“Oh, you heard me, Baltsaros. I already know you want to. If you marry her by the next full moon, here on the estate in a private ceremony attended by our family only, I will tell you.”

“I am not going to submit my wife to the Capitis Leonis ritual,” I snarled, bringing a fist down on the table. Plates and glasses jumped, some falling to the ground and shattering.

Kyría didn’t even flinch, she continued to look at me. “You wouldn’t have to. But Piper must become a Kazan if you want the truth.” My grandmother stared off into space. “There would be no need for the ritual, anyways. Not with Weslark blood.”

Kai was born an inanis, I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth shut, as my chest heaved up and down. “What is the trick in all of this, grandmother?”

“No tricks,” she said placidly.

“I don’t trust you,” I said.

"That makes two of us," she retorted. "You're practically an American and a member of Shifters of Anubis. How do I know they didn't send you here to spy? To end us?"

“No one wants to end the Kazan line, grandmother,” I said dryly. “Only the curse.” I glared at her. “Tell me why you want this marriage.”

“Piper Weslark is a name known throughout the shifter world,” my grandmother explained airily. “She is regaled as a princess. Admired for her genius. She is everything you could ask for in a shifter. Intelligent, gifted, strong, and beautiful. As fierce a jaguar as there ever was.”

“Wait. You want to use Piper to bolster our standing?” I asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Kyría said without blinking an eye. She dug into the fleshy part of a melon and popped it into her mouth. “She won’t say no, Baltsaros, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

The smell and sight of food were making me sick. I didn't want to be sitting here – I didn't want to be anywhere near her. Standing up, I turned and went to leave when she spoke.

“She wouldn’t say no, Baltsaros,” my grandmother said and I turned to see her smiling at me. “Everyone knows it. She’d do anything for you, wouldn’t she?”

Hearing almost the same words Lilian Frost had thrown at Piper thrown at me, my vision went black. Slamming both fists on the table, I knocked over more glasses and amidst the tinkling of broken glass raining down, stood. For a moment, we stared at each other and my grandmother lifted a glass to me. Whirling around, I stormed away from her, Kyría’s rattling laugh echoed down the halls and following me.

Turning a corner, I ran straight into Desmond, who leaped a mile into the air and grabbed his chest. A little girl with braids ran by, laughing and I thought I saw something glitter in her hands. His eyes darted around wildly, then he all but slumped with relief when he realized it was only me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, commenting dryly, “Geez Dez, don’t act like you’re up to something.” The little girl looked back and laughed, then kept running.

Dez gave me a cheerful grin. “Hey-hey, Balt. I wasn’t - I was looking for you.”

I nodded and asked, “You know where Piper is?”

Shrugging, Desmond shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen her.” We fell into step together and he asked, “So are we leaving soon?”

“Oh yeah,” I said grimly. “As soon as we find Piper soon.”

“Good,” Desmond sighed. “This place isn’t exactly cheery. No offense.”

“None taken.” I sighed. “This is… I didn’t want to come here in the first place. And it’s even colder and emptier than I remembered.”

As we walked down the stairs and across the entryway, I glanced to the right and saw through the window that Piper was walking across the lawn, her expression thoughtful. Several children were trotting alongside, glancing up at her in fascination and one girl was even chattering away at her. Angele and Athena were walking a little ahead of her, deep in conversation.

Quickening my step, I headed outside and met them as the three women stopped to talk. Angele and Athena both nodded at me as I came over. The little girl with braids regarded me seriously then ducked behind Angele. She must be Angele’s daughter.

Piper glanced at me, saying something in an undertone to Angele and Athena, then walked over to me and Desmond. Her face was still and eyes unreadable, the fesootai still cold.

“What was that about?” I asked as she walked over.

"They brought me to have breakfast with them and the kids," Piper responded, glancing over at them with a smile. "That's all, don't worry."

“Alright, well we need to get out of here,” I said, gazing over at my cousins and wondering what their end game was. Had they been trying to trick Piper into agreeing to Kyría’s mad plan? I put nothing past any Kazan at this point.

“I’m not ready to leave,” Piper replied and I swung my head back to stare at her.

“Why?” I demanded. On the right, I could sense Desmond hovering awkwardly, but I couldn’t spare him a glance. “I mean, no. No. That’s not happening.”

“You need to trust me,” Piper said, laying a hand on my forearm. “One more night. I can stay by myself if you want – Angele has agreed to give me a ride tomorrow back to the city.” Her gaze went to Desmond and she smiled, waving him over. “I figured you wouldn’t want to stay.”

“I don’t, but I’m not leaving you here,” I said.

“What’s going on?” Desmond asked, looking nervous. “Are we staying?”

“No,” I ground out.

“I am,” Piper said. “Why don’t you and Balt head back?”

“Piper,” I snapped. “No.”

She turned to look at me and the blue of her eyes flashed. The cold feeling of the fesootai melted away and in that one glance, I knew there was no persuading her. With a groan, I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths.

“Balt,” Piper said and I opened my eyes. “You can go.” Her gaze was one of reassurance and warmth. “Trust me.”

Pulling out the keys from my pocket, I handed them to Desmond. “See you tomorrow.”

Nodding, he took them and we said our goodbyes. Watching Desmond walk away, Piper let out a soft breath of what sounded like relief. Then she turned to me.

“Why don’t we go for a walk?” she suggested. “Down to the beach. And no arguments or fights. We’ll just enjoy this beautiful place.”

I glanced over to see Desmond vanish down the driveway and turned back to Piper. “Alright,” I said, wishing I didn’t feel so jittery or like I had eyes narrowed at the back of my head.

We began to walk and Piper slipped an arm around my waist, a silent gesture telling me we could move on from last night. But my arm seemed big and clumsy around her shoulder, as though some part of me was reluctant to let it go.

You don’t understand, I wanted to tell her.

But deep down, I was afraid Piper understood all too well.