“We need to talk about what happened,” I said, trying to keep my voice soft but firm. “This has dragged on long enough.”
“There’s nothing to talk about because nothing happened.”
It took a lot of effort to hold in the irritated sigh. “That’s a bullshit lie, and you know it. Something clearly happened. We kissed, and it scared the hell out of you. Did I do something wrong? I need to know, Avery.”
“It was fine. Now, I’m watching a fucking movie because I want to watch a fucking movie. Either shut up and watch with me, or leave the room. I don’t care. Just stop fucking bothering me,” he growled in retort.
‘It was fine.’ Really? When things were fine, people didn’t just bolt and shut themselves in a room. They didn’t stop talking to one another. Obviously, it wasn’t just fine.
I reached over and plucked the remote from him, hit the power button to shut the TV off, before grabbing his shoulder to force him to turn toward me. “Enough. We have too much shit on our plates for this silent treatment crap. We’re talking about...”
My words froze in my throat when I got a look at his expression. Emotions that ranged from anger and rage to that same terror I saw that night played across his face.
“Ryker, please,” he pleaded.
No. It was definitely not fine. I hissed in a breath, the air whistling through my teeth. “Goddammit, Avery.” Regret smashed into me so hard it felt like a knife plunging into my stomach. “Why’d you go along with it? Why didn’t you tell me no?”
He shook his head back and forth, his lower lip trembling. “Because I...” he cut his own words off, sealing his mouth shut.
I couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and run my fingers over his cheek. A gentle touch that made him and me shiver. Those feelings that had risen during that kiss sparked alive again. A string hung between us, one that connected my soul to his, and while part of it was the tether magic, another part was something else entirely. Something neither of us seemed prepared to deal with and figure out.
I just want to taste him again. I want to know if what I felt was real or if I’m just delusional.
Against my better judgment, my desperation won out, and I leaned toward him to capture his lips once more to find out. Avery did the same, but before our lips met, he yanked his face away from me.
“Don’t.”
I jerked away, scooting back to the other end of the bed. In an instant, I’d gone from twisting in regret to nearly doing the same damn thing again. What the fuck was wrong with me? “I’m sorry.”
Avery rolled his shoulders back and looked toward the window where the closed curtains blocked the outside from view. “I don’t like it. Kissing. That’s my conclusion to your experiment. So, now you know.”
I stared at him blankly for several minutes. It was a lie. Avery had liked it. But if he wanted to say he didn’t, that was his decision. I’d just have to live with it. Breathing out a painful breath, I stood up and crossed the room to put some distance between us. “Okay.”
What was the point of going through all of it again? Maybe it really had been the tether itself that made me think I felt something happen, something special. I knew nothing about tether magic obviously, or the effect it would have on the two of us.
There was so much to learn. I thought—for the millionth time—if I could get my damn hands on Lucian, I’d be able to shake the information out of him. The vampire was old; he knew shit. With that knowledge I could work out a way to settle Avery and I into a comfortable relationship that existed only on the fact that we had a common enemy. After we dealt with that, we could return to our own lives. No matter what anyone tried to tell me, nothing was unbreakable. A way had to exist.
The idea of Avery not in my life made my heart hurt. I shook the uncomfortable sensation away. We’d come to that bridge when we found and destroyed Emerret, putting an end to this nightmare. I turned for the door, deciding I needed room to breathe for a minute before I lost my shit. We could discuss the food situation another time. I paused in the doorway when Avery called out my name. Hope tickling the edge of my mind.
“Ryker?”
“Yes?” I asked cautiously, not looking over my shoulder at him for fear that expression on his face would draw me back to him.
“Can we just forget the kiss ever happened?”
Another sharp pain wrenched my heart again, so hard I thought the organ debated on whether it wanted to continue to function or not.
Could I forget? Fuck no. Did I want to? Hell yes. If forgetting meant the tightness in my chest would disappear. We were at war with a witch, a war that had already almost stole the life of someone I loved. My entire focus had to remain on that and that alone.
So, I said the only thing that might return some sort of peace between us. “Yeah. We can forget.”
4
Ryker
The sound of my phone ringing grabbed my attention when I walked out of the kitchen, coffee mug in hand. Avery and I’s truce had been going for twenty-four hours. I still hadn’t breeched the subject of food supplies yet. Instead, we’d spent the time washing laundry.
Another day. Another moment where nothing’s happening. We continued to remain at a stalemate with the Emerret situation. Neither of us knowing what step to take next. I’d have to start contacting sources soon, though I was loathe to get anyone else involved. I shouldn’t have talked to Adara either. She could take care of herself though. She was a vampire who’d lived on her own for centuries. My other good sources were human.
I hurried over to where I left it on the coffee table. Setting my mug down, I picked it up, hoping it was Zane calling with good news. The unknown number flashing on the screen made me freeze. The cell I’d been using was a burner, and I’d not given anyone except Frank and Zane the number.
To answer or not to answer… Maybe Zane isn’t there and something happened, and Frank’s just calling me from a hospital phone.
Even though the area code didn’t match the location of the hospital, I let my worry for Midge override my alerted suspicions. After the fourth ring, I swiped the accept call button and answered.
“Hello?”
“Jesus, Ryker, you’re a fucking hard man to track down. How the hell am I supposed to take care of all your shit for you when I can’t fucking talk to you?” Norin, the man who was vital to my life remaining in the shadows, barked into the phone.
I heaved a sigh of relief. “How’d you get this number?”
“I don’t name my sources,” he grumped, though his voice had a teasing lilt to it.
“Yes, you do. You’re a damn whore with a big mouth.” To me anyway. I trusted Norin completely.
His laughter was so loud, I yanked the phone from my ear and winced.
“Well, I ain’t sleeping with Zane, so I didn’t have to put out for the info. He coughed up it up just fine when I offered him one of those pecan pie things he likes. You want to talk about a whore, Ryker. Your buddy is damn easy to persuade.”
“You’re just lucky he likes you,” I snorted. “Otherwise, your ass would be in a jail cell for trying to bribe him, past history together or not.”