Oh.
Ohhh.
Eliza liked Levi.
But Calyx looked like he wanted to throw our friendly neighbourhood angel into the nearest lava pit and watch him burn.
My mouth parted in surprise as the puzzle pieces all began to snap into place. The siren, the angel, and the fallen. Each standing just a little too close and were a little too tense.
Did we…have a love triangle blooming here?
I truly hoped not. I’d never witnessed a love triangle in real life, but I’d seen enough romantic movies on Earth to know these sorts of situations never ended well. And worse, ours came with the added horror of a fallen who still technically belonged to my father.
This wasn’t just bad.
This was really, stupidly, hormonally inconvenient.
And here Rathiel and I stood in the middle of this ticking time bomb.
I pushed to my feet and grabbed my belt, complete with my two scabbards, and secured it around my hips. “Alright, time to move,” I announced, my voice cutting through the awkward silence. “Eliza and I are ready. So, if the rest of you could kindly gather your things, that’d be amazing.”
Rathiel gave a soft grunt and pointed at his pack, which sat between Eliza and me. I nudged her aside with a hip bump to give him the space he needed.
“I’m ready,” Calyx said, his voice clipped for once.
“I just need to grab my sword,” Levi added. “Won’t take but a minute.”
“Great,” I said, clapping my hands together. “So, everyone’s ready. Fantastic.”
And dear god, the awkwardness was palpable. Calyx and Levi peeled off in opposite directions.
Next to me, Eliza released a long breath. “Could younot?” she hissed.
“Calyx—”
“I don’t want to talk about him,” she muttered darkly.
Oh, shit. “Did he try something?”
“No,” she said immediately. “He’s just a prick.”
Fair enough. He was exceptionally skilled in that regard.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s just get out of here. We’ve got corpses to raise and a war to win, right? No time for drama.”
Right she was. Unfortunately, drama didn’t care about our schedule. It’d found us all the same. I just hoped it didn’t dropkick us all in the asses.
Rathiel straightened, sword in hand, and kissed the top of my head.
“Have I told you recently how much I love you?”
I snorted. “You just love that we’re not part ofthismess.”
“Oh yes,” he said, chuckling.
“Hey,” Eliza bit out. “You two had your fair share of drama. Don’t make me start listing all the longing glances, unresolved sexual tension, or the countless insults.”
“Don’t forget thebiting,” Vol piped up, snapping his teeth together for effect. “You two were worse than a soap opera.”
