Page 54 of Inextricably Tied

Boots scuff along the corridor. A banshee enters the lounge draped in black jeans and a t-shirt, feathered white hair swept back from his face. He breaks into a grin.

“How’s our favorite capitalist pig?”

EIGHTEEN

Flint

How’s our favorite capitalist pig?

Even Agony blanches, but Harbinger rolls her eyes, letting the other banshee scoop her into a hug that she doesn’t take part in. Still, there’s warmth in her voice. “You’re so annoying.”

The man sets her back on the ground, chucking under her chin. “Don’t sweet-talk me.”

“Thought you were making house calls.”

His smile sharpens. “Had to reschedule. I could use a hundred bucks, though.”

Harbinger gapes. “For what?”

He inclines his ear toward her, covered in a smattering of piercings. She flicks one, unimpressed. “A hundred bucks for that?”

“It’s contraband!” Then he turns back to the room. “Hey — oh. You’re Flint.” The banshee winks at Harbinger. She blushes as he extends his hand to shake Flint’s. “Heard so much about you. All good. Great, really.” Then he turns toward Agony. “Don’t think I’ve heard about you.”

Agony musters a charming expression. “I’m new. Agony.”

The man acts as if a name like that isn’t shocking. For them, maybe it isn’t. “Omen.”

“Oh.” Agony catches Flint’s gaze. Oh.

Omen lifts his brows until Agony provides an answer. “Poe mentioned you’d be jealous of us showing up here with Harbinger.”

“Ah.” Omen clicks his tongue. “Well, I was Harbinger’s first…” A smile drips across his face. “Kiss. Poe was her second. She’s the one you really need to look out for.”

Before Flint can consider what that means, a dozen banshees bustle down the corridor in a flurry of shouts and squeals. Most keep their distance from Harbinger, but a few grip her arms and circle closer.

“Oh my god, what the fuck?” One holds Harbinger out to give her a once over, curlers spilling out of her hair. “Literally, what the fuck?”

Another toys with Harbinger’s braid until she recognizes the pained grit of Harbinger’s teeth, the strain at the sudden swell of others’ emotions. Wincing apologetically, the closest banshees release her. “Sorry, sorry…”

“We’re still missing a few.” Poe shouts over the din, standing on an ottoman. “They should be back tomorrow.”

Agony drifts closer to Flint at the far edge of the crowd. The outer ring of banshees murmur, but once the inner circle turns away from Harbinger, the whispers hush. They take in Flint towering near the entryway, Agony a flaming shadow next to him.

The banshees make no attempt to lower their volume.

“Oh fuck, he’s hot.”

“What is that? Is that a shade?”

“They’re with Harbinger?”

Heat spreads into Flint’s cheeks. Harbinger shrugs through the sea of hands toward him, voice tightening. “Okay, calm down. We’re here for work. This is my partner, Flint. And this is Agony.”

Flint bows his head in greeting. Agony lifts chained wrists and waves. Voices crescendo again.

“Is he handcuffed?!”

“Wait, your partner-partner, or, like —”