Page 40 of Inextricably Tied

Flint scoffs. “Harbinger is perfectly capable —”

“Then act like it.”

“Like you did at Reid’s house?”

It’s an abrupt shift. For once, Agony’s stunned into silence. An alarm pounds through him, even as he swears he doesn’t know what Flint means. “What are you talking about?”

“You told me to set you free so you could save her. You pointed out her helmet in the yard. You made sure we made it out of the fire. Seems like you care…” Flint’s infuriating, perfect tongue lingers on the word. “About her, too. Somewhere in that abyss of a heart.”

Does Agony have a heart? Who knows. Who cares? With a shrug, he lets his eyes drift out the window. “Night terror, remember? I like seeing fear, and offering to save her was an easy chance for escape. Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

Flint clicks his tongue. “Come on: that doesn’t hold up.” Now he’s the picture of breezy while Agony starts sweating.

“As flattered as I am that you want me to take care of your partner, that’s a fantasy.” Agony forces a smirk across his face. “One I’m happy to partake in the next time you drive her away.”

“You trying to start shit?” Flint twists the keys in the ignition, reaching for the radio knob before Agony blurts.

“When you touch her, I can feel it.”

Flint’s hand hovers over the dial. “What do you mean?”

“The other night, when you two were…” Heat notches at the memory. “I could feel things. Not just from hearing it. Which…” Agony sucks in a breath. “You two could make a career out of that. But even without seeing, I could tell exactly what you were doing.”

“Like what?”

There’s a challenge in Flint’s voice. Like he expects Agony to back down. Like it’s a dare. Like Flint wants to hear the words, forbidden and wanton, from Agony’s mouth.

Their eyes stay locked in the mirror. “When you curled her hair around your finger. When you unhooked her buttons and brushed against her skin. When you made her come on the end of your tongue…” Agony’s eyes slip shut. “It felt like it was happening to me.”

The molten red of Flint’s eyes shift, hot magma beneath the surface. “If this is your attempt to get me to stop touching her —”

“It isn’t.” Agony doesn’t trust his mouth. Doesn’t trust his mind, either, so he says it as simply as he can. “I don’t want you to stop touching her.”

He can’t make out Flint’s expression, stoic and unreadable. Maybe the thought disturbs him…

Or maybe he thinks it should.

A car alarm goes off. Flint and Agony jump, but it’s just a toady creature fighting with her key fob. When it finally shuts off, she pulls away, staring at the SUV as she passes. Flint doesn’t speak again until the other car disappears, as if someone could overhear.

“I won’t stop touching her. And if you get off on it too…” Flint doesn’t look at Agony again. For some reason, it stings. “So be it.”

A spike of heat rushes through Agony. Provocation is his only recourse. “You like knowing I feel every ripple of pleasure your partner does?”

Flint’s eyes stay trained on the house. Always working. Always composed. “I don’t even think about you.”

Agony trails a finger against Flint’s neck through the grate until he flinches. “Lately? I’m all you think about.”

THIRTEEN

Harbinger

It’s easier when Flint’s with her, the reassuring timbre of his voice like white noise under a weighted blanket. It sets the families more at ease. Or at least, it calms Harbinger, because when she’s on her own, her words feel like sand slipping through her fingers.

Evolet’s father leads Harbinger through the entryway of their cottage, holding up a hand for her to wait. She tucks her helmet under her arm as she tries not to look at anything too long, as if she’s intruding.

You are.

The house feels odd. Bright colors out of place, vibrancy muted by grief. There’s a lack of something. Someone. Coats squeeze together on the hooks, and a bright teal jacket clings to the last one. The right size for a sixteen-year-old girl. When Mr. Albrun returns, Harbinger follows him into the living room, giving the jacket a wide berth.