Page 148 of Commanding Blood And Bonds

Woah-kay. Focus. TMI. What’s next?

A movie?

Too much anxiety in crowds. Santa Bloom has no low-key options. Date ends.

Hard pass.

Something fun. Memorable. They had that teacher-student dynamic—maybe he could teach her something. Skydiving?

She recoils like he proposed to throw her off a cliff. Nope.

Bookstore?

She’s on a book-buying ban. He offers to pay. She bites her lip, fiddles with her rings, and shakes her head.

No dice.

Dammit, this girl was impossible.

Snapping my fingers, I dug deep for something…romantic. Had I ever really thought about romance outside the occasional novel I stole from Fae or Lana?

Dancing was out—they’d already done that. But…

Ice skating?

She clings to his arms, eyes wide with fear and wonder as he glides backward. Old-school romantic music hums in the background. She blinks up at him, dazed, lips parting as he presses her into the partition⁠—

Sweet baby Jesus in the manger, yes.

When I opened my eyes, all three of them were staring at me with identical raised brows.

“Were you just…” August trailed off, confusion etched in his features.

Alec stepped in without missing a beat. “Manipulating Aren’s romantic life?”

“Maybe?” I said, pushing off the banister and heading for the stairs.

“Who the hell is she? Why are we setting Aren up with some witch? Why is she scared of literally everything fun?”

“Come on, Alec.”

“No, but for real. Answer my questions.”

“Maybe after I kick your ass in front of all the Western shifters.”

After our cooldown and healing session in the Middle, I fully intended to call Aren the second my boots hit the earth. At least I did—right up until I had my phone in hand and every single outcome...

Vanished.

Gone. Like smoke. Like someone had pulled the thread right out from under me.

I stopped so abruptly that August walked straight into my back, both of us scrambling to stay upright.

“What the fuck,” I breathed, my chest hollowing. My hands flew to my ribs as if I could hold them together.

“Ally?” August asked, his voice dipped in concern, like he knew something was off.

“It all changed.” The words came out thin. Barely audible. “It’s gone.”