I do everything I can to appear calm.

“There’s something you don’t want me to know,” she says, and tilts her head, like she’s trying to see me from different angles. “Felix knows who you really are, doesn’t he? And it must be something terrible, otherwise you wouldn’t be here trying to make ridiculous deals with me.”

For an awful second, I blank on what to say. I haven’t even had time to process this myself.

“Nailed it!” she says. “I have to admit I’m a little miffed he kept his discovery from me. But I’m sure that can be corrected.” She stands and turns.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Wait,” I say, and I grab her arm, even though I know it’s a bad idea. She whips around and shoves me back into the tree trunk, grabbing my wrist and twisting it, sending shooting pain up my arm. I know that if I try to get free of her grip or fight her, Ash will be here in a second and my opportunity to talk to Aarya will disappear.

“If you walk away after what I told you about Felix,” I say through clenched teeth, “it’s the same thing as helping the Lions, and it’ll be on you if they decide to go after Ines next.”

She applies more pressure, and I have to force myself not to yell out in pain.

“I would never help the Lions. Do you hear me?” she seethes, and releases my wrist just at the point I’m convinced it will snap.

I pull my wrist into my body. “You’re angry about the Lions, yet you won’t tell me what you know and help me stop them? And don’t bother saying you don’t know anything that will make a difference, because you’re way too good for that.”

“I’m not taking your ignorance on as a pet project. Don’t confuse me with Layla,” she says.

My heart pounds. I can’t believe I’m about to do this. “You want to know who I am? That matters to you so much? Well, I’ll tell you. Maybe it will compel you to stop being so selfish!”

She looks at me like I’m a species she’s never heard of before. “You’re going to tell me who you are even though you don’t have an agreement from me that I’ll help you?” She sounds genuinely confused, but I can tell by her tone that she’s at least listening.

I know the gamble I’m taking and I also know that it’s my last card to play. “Yes. Exactly. Because even if you won’t do the right thing, I will. Everyone at this school who is talented and won’t fall in step with the Lions is in danger. Ines is. Layla is. You are. You know this better than I do. And if I can’t save my own ass, maybe at least I can save theirs. And yours.”

Aarya frowns.

Even though the night air is cold, I wipe sweat from my forehead and take a deep breath in an attempt to calm my heart. “My parents are the ones on that scroll in the library who took all those titles—the firstborn Bear and Lion who fell in love and then disappeared.”