The tension was suffocating; you could cut it with a knife. For a minute, I thought someone had put a vice around my heart and lungs. Ravyn sat across from me at the table, occasionally aiming a glare in my direction. I wanted to yell, scream, crawl under the damn table. Instead, I steeled myself, observing and waiting for a chance to explain to Ceres what had happened between Yomi and me.

“Who was that woman, my Lord?” Ceres asked as she took her seat beside Ravyn.

“Yomi is a [Dark Priest]. We met her on San Island.” I felt Keke’s hand rest on mine under the table when that was all I said. I took a deep breath and continued. “She was in Cailu’s party. She uh, will be conceiving my child.”

Ceres blinked. “My apologies, my Lord. I fail to see the problem.”

“She forced him to sleep with her,” said Ravyn.

This wasn’t the way I wanted to tell her. To begin with, it didn’t feel like there was much of a reason to involve Ceres when it came to Yomi. I never thought I’d see her again. I was airing my dirty laundry, and I couldn’t help but feel ashamed for even admitting it had happened in the first place. The less she knew, the better.

Is this the part where someone revokes my ‘man card’?

Ceres’ brow furrowed as we detailed the remainder of the tale from San Island. Yomi’s hypnosis, the fight with the Enchantress, and the group’s disappearance the next day. The look in Ceres’ eyes was fierce, terrifying even. It wasn’t the motherly look of concern or worry that I so commonly associated with her. This would be the second time I’d seen that expression, the first being when we fought the Defiled twins.

I’ll admit, it put me on edge.

“Yomi should be glad she is no longer present,” Ceres said. Her tone was firm, carrying the same air of authority I’d expect to hear from a courtroom judge. Her statement drew looks of concern. Although Ceres’ tone and mannerisms didn’t change, she did correct herself. “Please, do not be alarmed. No harm would have come to her. I would have apprehended her and thrown her in a gaol myself.”

As flattering as that was to hear, I can’t say that it made me feel much better. I was beginning to wonder what other intricacies of catgirl law the girls had omitted in their explanations.

Yeah, say that out loud without laughing.

I recalled asking Ravyn about what sorts of powers men held over the catgirls in this world after Yomi had left. At the time, I was relieved to hear that she would’ve fought back no matter who it was. Now, the implications of the consequences that would await her were… troubling.

“This should help us calm down.” Cannoli delivered a tray of tea to our table, setting each cup in front of us. The glass trembled as she set them down. She flashed one of the most forced smiles I’d seen from her. I made no effort to return the gesture.

“I share your ire, Ceres,” said Keke. She accepted a saucer from Cannoli, cradled the teacup in both hands, then sipped at the edge. Her gaze locked with mine.

The memory of crying on Keke’s shoulder the morning following Yomi’s departure returned. My temples flared with a mix of pain and anger. Goddamn, everything about this still feels embarrassing as hell.

Keke carefully replaced the cup in its saucer, then bowed her head. “If I had known that was going to happen—”

“It is thanks to hindsight that you can make such claims,” reasoned Ceres. “Pray, do not fault yourself for matters you can no longer change.”

When Cannoli was done passing out the cups of tea, she took the empty seat to my right. She held her share between her hands on the table, her thumbs tracing the rim of the ornate cup. “What do we want to do about it?”

“What is there to do about it?” asked Ravyn.

Ceres turned to look at Ravyn. “A man was forced to conceive a child without their consent. This is not permissible.”

“Ceres,” Keke said, summoning the [Magic Knight]’s attention. “We can’t follow Yomi. We can’t hunt her down. We have to let it go.”

Ceres opened her mouth to retort. After an uncomfortable pause, she sighed and leaned back in her chair. Then she turned to look at me. “My Lord. What is your wish? If you would have me pursue this [Dark Priest], then I shall spare no effort. I would depart immediately.” When she saw Keke was about to speak, she raised a hand. “However—if it is your desire that I leave this matter alone, then I will trouble you no more.”

My heart sped. ‘Conflicted’ was not an apt word to describe how I was feeling. The understatement of the century, really. A wave of emotions had overwhelmed me when I saw Yomi’s full belly. I wanted to lash out and shake her senseless. I wanted to see her suffer for her actions. And as stupid as it sounded, I wanted to make sure she and my unborn child were safe and out of Cailu’s line of fire. Ceres’ question was not easy to answer.

And yet, I already knew what to say. “We do nothing. We let it go.”

“And what of Cailu?” asked Cannoli. “Won’t he figure it out? I-I mean, he just seems like a super-smart person. Time in a gaol would be a kind sentence for what she did.”

The clock ticked as the seconds rolled by. Ravyn clicked her tongue. Keke rubbed her hands together uncomfortably. Ceres’ brow continued to dip further down.

“What Yomi did was fucked. But, if I have my choice, I won’t let Cailu kill her,” I hissed. “I refuse.”

I expected to get some sort of reaction out of Ravyn, but she was strangely quiet, as was Ball. For being such an irritant, the bird at least seemed to know when to shut its beak.

“I understand,” said Ceres.

“Can you say that to Cailu?” asked Ravyn.

Is this the game we’re going to play now? “I can, and I will if I have to. That’s the kind of person I am, Ravyn. You should know that by now.”

The two of us stared at each other. Ravyn’s eye began to twitch, and her chest visibly rose and fell. I could hear the frustrated air exhaling from her nostrils. I was convinced the house could explode at any second. At that point, I welcomed it.

Say something. Come on; I dare you.

“Matt, please.” Keke reached for my hand and entwined her fingers between mine. I wrestled them away and rested my arms on the table.

“What’s done is done,” I said flatly. “Instead of making a spectacle out of this shit, why don’t we all move on?” You can’t take it back now, Kelmer.

Keke stared at me wide-eyed. “Matt, I just—I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not,” said Ravyn. “You’re right in that there’s nothing we can do now. But Cannoli is right. Cailu could decide to make a statement out of this when he figures it out. Shithead’s full of himself enough to do so.”

I drew a deep breath, and my lip trembled. Blood pumped furiously through my veins. In the calmest tone I could manage, I responded. “What does he have to gain by trying to put her to death?”

“String her up as a message to Nyarlea. Take her out quietly and whisper her deeds to the queen. It depends on what Yomi does and what you ask for. If she has half a brain, and—judging from the fact that she showed up here, she clearly fucking doesn’t—then she’ll lay low and won’t say a word. However,” Ravyn’s voice lowered, “if Cailu were to report it to the queen, then there’s a strong chance she’d be gutted on the spot.”

I clenched my fingers and dropped my gaze. “I’ll… I’ll say I agreed.”

“Yeah? Just as convincingly as you said it now? Then you’ve signed her death sentence.”

“How in the hell is that?” I snarled.

Ravyn threw her arms into the air. “Kuso! Are you not paying attention? You aren’t stupid enough to bed another man’s Party member, Matt. You think he hasn’t fucking figured that out? If it’s Cailu’s word versus hers, whose do you think they’re going to believe?”

Ceres raised her hand. “My Lord. As much as I loathe to say it, Ravyn has the right of it. Letting her go free could potentially open the gates for other catgirls to believe that they are allowed to do the same to their island’s man. If Cailu were to report Yomi’s disobedience to the Queen, I can say with a high degree of certainty that she would be put to the guillotine. ”

The guillotine?! My mouth hung agape. There had to be another way. There’s no way Cailu would go that far, would he? This had nothing to do with him, or Naeemah—really, it was none of his damn business. If he was going to do something, he would’ve done it by now. “Cailu wouldn’t—”

“Matt. You don’t understand. Cailu is ruthless. He may be biding his time,” said Ravyn. She gripped the edge of her dress. “He may wait until the baby is born. He might wait until he can speak with you.” She paused. “We need to be ready for that when he approaches you. Because he will.”

“Ravyn, what do you mean?” asked Keke.

“I see. If it is ignored, the faith in men’s power would falter,” Cannoli said in a whisper.

All eyes were on Cannoli. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who found her statement strange.

“I heard it from my mother,” Cannoli continued. “Th-the men are a beacon of hope for all catgirls. They receive power from a magic we don’t understand. The iPaw, Matt.” Cannoli played with a tuft of her hair as she poured over her reflection in the tea. “Their morale, their strength, their courage, their wisdom, all of it is revered. We give thanks to Saoirse every day for their continued presence in Nyarlea.”

“Cannoli,” Keke murmured.

Cannoli smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Without them, we wouldn’t have our way of life. Catgirls would falter and abuse their sign of hope. This is what Saoirse teaches us.” And then Cannoli’s tone turned dire. “If Cailu, a [Paladin], were to report this to the leading [Bishop] in Nyarlothep, or to the Queen, then Yomi could absolutely be put to death.”

“What would he have to gain from that?” I asked.

“It would maintain the chain of command in Nyarlea, Matt,” Ceres added. “We pledge our loyalty and assistance to men. Some catgirls perform more admirably than others in your absence, but you have an important job in uniting them once more and ensuring our continued existence.”

“Mattaku. These are all pretty words, but Cailu’s pride trumps it all,” Ravyn said with a scoff. “Depending on how he and the Queen are feeling that day, the fucking cunt could lead an army of [Crusader]s to track Yomi down. Drag her to the town and do it that way. They’ve made public examples of catgirls before, I’m sure they’d love to do it again.”

“Then he destroys his reputation with Tristan and me,” I snapped. “Let him.”

Cannoli shook her head. “It’s not that simple, Matt. I’m sorry.”

I was tired of the half-baked explanations. Hidden motives and secret laws. My patience was shot. “Why are you apologizing? Tell me why it’s not that simple.”

Cannoli squeaked. “R-right.”

Keke frowned. “Matt. Stop it.”

“Don’t, Keke. It’s fine. Really.” Cannoli continued. “Cailu has been in Nyarlea for a long time. He has immense status. Only a handful on San Island know about you, Matt, but they know nothing of Tristan, or Ichi Island’s man.” Cannoli’s breath trembled. “The church could favor Cailu, doing whatever he wanted. It would create strife and conflict between the men. Divide catgirls across all islands. It could create rogue factions and lead to war.” Tears started to stream from her eyes, and I began to feel like a villain. “I-I don’t want to see that h-happen. I’m sorry. Please excuse me.”

Before any of us could get a word out, Cannoli darted out the front door. An uncomfortable silence fell over us.

Ravyn pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. “I’m going to go check on her.”

When Ravyn was gone, I stood up next. “I need some fresh air.”

“Matt.” Keke looked at me. I’d seen that expression before—she was beyond worried. I could see it in her eyes. She reached for my hand. “Please talk to me. I’m always here for you.” She bowed her head. “Always will be.”

Anything I wanted to say would’ve been taken as cruel, thoughtless, or inconsiderate. I was not about to reassure her or comfort her in a moment that I couldn’t. I was one inch from exploding. And so I said nothing.

I left Cannoli’s home, unsure of where I was going or what I was doing. I needed to get away before I said something I’d regret.