Page 4 of Stray
Axel’s gaze swept over the room and lingered on Ella just long enough for her to notice his confusion.
Of course he wasn’t happy to see her, just surprised she was there at all.
She never expected anything more, and he never gave her reason to, but somehow, it never stopped stinging.
“Axel, welcome home, dear,” Emily said in a pleasant tone that faded when Tessa walked in behind him. “And your Grace.”
Emily stood and the others immediately followed suit. Ella bumped her water glass in her haste and held her breath until she was sure it wasn’t going to topple over.
“Please, there’s no need to be so formal,” Tessa said with a dry laugh that sounded as much like a cough.
Ella knew the priestess was close in age to Emily and Blake, but she seemed ageless. It was something in her eyes, dark and endless. As a young kit with no knowledge of shifter culture, Ella had assumed Tessa was the moon itself, personified. Even now that she’d traded her flowing robes for a simple gray cloak, she looked like a ghost passing through a hallowed space rather than a dinner guest.
“Emily, thank you for inviting me to your home. Everything is lovely, as always,” Tessa said, nodding toward the hostess. Unlike Emily’s syrupy compliments, there was no hint of sarcasm behind her words.
“It’s an honor to have you with us,” Emily said, taking a moment to reintroduce her to the Watersons. “And of course, you remember my son, Axel.”
“I’m familiar, yes. He’s made quite a name for himself at the Academy,” said Tessa. Something in the unblinking gaze with which she beheld the young tom seemed to ruffle nerves Ella had always thought unflappable.
“Of course,” Emily said, clearly taking it as a compliment. “He’s just like his father.”
“Indeed,” Tessa said, turning toward Ella. The stray froze, unable to fight the suspicion that the priestess was looking through her flesh and bone and into her very soul. As mesmerising as the few rituals Ella had attended were, they’d always left her chilled and a bit frightened. Like so many beautiful things, she thought it better--safer--to observe them from a distance.
“And this must be little Ella,” Tessa remarked, her expression softening as a few new lines appeared around her smile, proving she was human, after all. Sometimes Ella doubted it. “My, how you’ve grown. You were just a kit when I saw you last.”
For a few torturous seconds, the room went so silent Ella could hear her own breath like it was coming through a loudspeaker inside of her head. She was only rarely asked to accompany the family to colony events, and as far as she remembered, she had never interacted with the priestess one on one.
“You remember me?” Ella asked doubtfully, when she decided that continued silence posed a greater risk of offending their esteemed guest.
“Of course,” the priestess said with a chuckle, taking her seat. The others followed, but even though they were no longer standing, Ella felt just as tense with all eyes on her. Only Tessa’s were looking fondly. “Tell me, how are you liking the Academy?”
Ella froze once more, finally glancing Emily’s way for guidance. The Matriarch was just as much at a loss as she was, so she scrambled for the only diplomatic response she could think of. “I’m not attending the Academy right now.”
Tessa frowned. “Whyever not?” The question was clearly directed at Emily, and Ella didn’t dare to dig herself a deeper hole by answering it.
“She’s a stray,” Emily said with a nervous laugh, as if she was having to explain that the sky was blue or the grass was green. “And a common housecat at that.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” the priestess scoffed. “She’s still a young queen who’s recently come of age. She should be properly educated.”
Even though Emily was looking at Tessa, Ella could feel the Matriarch’s ire redirecting itself onto her. “You have a point,” she said, her voice so tense Ella wondered how she could even breathe. “Be that as it may, the Academy has certain requirements and I’m afraid Ella doesn’t meet them.”
Ella flinched, staring intently at her untouched food. The discomfort of the other guests at the table was palpable, and she didn’t dare look Axel’s way.
Why did the opinion of the person who held her in the lowest regard have to matter more than any other?
In truth, Emily was probably right. Her grades had been among the top in her class, and if it hadn’t been for her frequent absences related to her duties at home, she might easily have been valedictorian. The Academy’s standards, however, were far more rigorous in matters that had nothing to do with a grade point average.
No one got in without prestigious parentage unless their shifted form happened to be rare and impressive. It wasn’t unheard of for a leucistic lion or an Amur leopard to be born to a pair of cougars or other lesser species. In that case, exceptions were made, but an unremarkable little housecat with no pedigree to speak of certainly wasn’t going to make the cut.
“Be that as it may, there are other options,” Tessa pressed.
Ella wondered if she thought she was helping by advocating for the poor little stray. If so, she had no idea just how far off the mark she really was. Emily would smile and nod, but when the guests were gone, Ella would be left paying the price for the priestess’ censure.
It could have been worse. Emily had never beaten her, and she rarely even raised her voice. She found other ways of punishing those who disappointed her. Ways far more civilized yet infinitely more cutting.
“Yes, you’re right,” Emily said, clearly willing to say anything to appease her. “We’ll discuss her attending the local university in the spring.”
Ella knew it was an empty promise, but hopefully that would be the end of it. When she finally ventured a glance to her right under the guise of taking a sip of water, she nearly choked to find Axel staring straight at her, his lower face obscured by his folded hands. It was a gesture he’d picked up from his father, but the anger burning in his frigid eyes left no room to doubt what he was feeling.
