Reuben immediately bursts into laughter, “Is that Syndicate’s opening song?”
If my gaze could incinerate him, he’d be dead already.
His laughter only gets louder and I can feel myself… pouting? for the first time as I slide off the chair. He’s still chuckling like a bastard when he presses his hand against my chest to stop me and he takes his coffee with him before walking off in the direction of the bedroom.
The ringing stops, but it’s only a few more seconds of silence before it starts up again and Reuben resurfaces in the hallway, “It’s Xavier.”
“You answer it then. Where’syourphone?”
“Dead somewhere I think.”
Ridiculous.
“Reuben.” He answers the call for me, but I can hear Xavier’s words even from this distance.
“Evie’s agreed to the plan.”
My face falls. For a moment I think I’ve heard wrong, but Reuben’s earlier amusement is gone, and he’s watching me with pursed lips.
The Harvester’s kill a few days ago—the first of the three on his list—haddark skin and bright golden eyes.
Just like Evie.
“We’ll proceed like we talked about and prepare the background for her.” Xavier sounds tired, but I’m already on my feet. “It should take a few days, but she should be able to make contact next Monday—”
“What the fuck is he talking about?” My voice cuts him off and there’s a thick tension in the room between us now. The only thing I can see in my mind is Evie’s face. Her long braids, the dark freckles splashed across her skin, her shy smile—
“You didn’t tell him?” Xavier’s ire is familiar.
Reuben sighs hopelessly, “I didn’t get many chances.”
“Youdid!” I can’t control the rising of my voice, “Iaskedyou—!”
“Xavier, I’m going to call you back.”
“No, tell him to explain!” I step forward, but pain stings up from my spine and I wince.
“You need to convince him, Reuben.” Xavier ignores me with a soft growl in Reuben’s ears. “This is the only option we have.”
The call disconnects, Reuben is still, and for once, I’mgladhe can see emotions, because he can see with his own eyes howlividI am.
“Convinceme?” I ask softly. “Isthatwhat this was about? This whole thing? To get me to be okay with this—?”
He’s in my space so quickly I’m unprepared for it, and his arm reaches past me to rest on the counter, boxing me in. I don’t step back, but the anger on his face is already snapping my mouth shut.
“Don’t.” His low voice is a familiar warning in my ears. “Ever.”
When we’re this close I can’t seem to think properly. I can feel the heat emanating off his skin and the scent of him is sinking into my bones.
“Then how else do you plan to convince me?” My gaze is cold. “Evelyn’s akid. You can’t—”
“She’s the only one who can do this for us.”
“You’ll get herkilled. You’ve seen what the Harvester does to people, Reuben. She has no training—”
“Then we’ll train her.” He places both hands on my arms in an attempt to reassure me. “As best as we can. And she won’t even need to use it, because we’ll be there with her. In her ears. Around every corner. Watching her every move.”
My brows furrow. We’d just need to protect her… but it still doesn’t sit well with me.
