But I can’t look away from Sai, even when his makeshift collar dissipates in a flutter of blue crackles, all I see is his bloody mouth.
My darkness latches onto him, embracing his cheeks and skimming his lips as I fixate on the injury I caused.
The thin split in his lip oozes blood, but it’s now being stitched together by my threads of darkness.
Sai stares up at me, and when my shadows fade away, his tongue darts out, clearing away the remaining blood. All the while, he watches me.
Then he grins.“Someone punch me in the face. Make sure I bleed.”
“Gladly.”Zeek rounds the table, and Sai hops to his feet.
Julien holds out a hand, halting Ezekial’s advances.“No. Now is not the time. We’re all too close to the dark—”
“Listen, big guy,”Sai cuts in,“if Zeek hits me, then you hit him and—Kane, you want in on this?”Kane lifts a single brow, and Sai resumes as though it never happened.“Okay, Zeek and I can both deck Julien, then—”
“No more lies.”Kane’s dry droll for some reason tickles me, but I stifle any expression. I can’t react to something I shouldn’t be hearing.
And why do I find this whole thing… sweet? Sai’s trying to orchestrate a brawl just so my darkness touches him again? And Kane chips in with a new mantra that makes my stomach flutter.
Although the bickering and scheming and secret mind conversations are entertaining. I haven’t finished.
I sit up straight, and clear my throat. Immediately, their conversation stops, and all their eyes sweep to me.
“We haven’t finished.” I nod to their chairs. “Sit.”
I can do this. I won’t get distracted. I’ll end this meeting on my terms—
Was that… Did Sai just…bark?
My eyes snap to him, but he just smiles, teeth bared together, nose scrunched like he’s about to—
“Do that again, I’ll get you a real collar and chain you up,” Zeek murmurs sharply whilst, to his credit, following my order and dropping back into his seat.
Julien leans against the table right beside Ezekial. “Ezekial, don’t rile him…”
“You wanna add me to your freaky mutt collection?” Sai grins, while grabbing the chair next to Kane just to fling it away and sit on the table instead.
“Shall we intervene?”Julien suggests and, to my surprise, he directs it at both Kaneandme.
Kane glances at me, waiting for my response, but I’m too busy watching Sai and Ezekial sling insults at each other, leaning over the table, getting closer and closer.
When Sai bares his teeth, a rumble forming in his chest, the light in Ezekial’s gaze starts to fracture—
A shadow snaps around Sai’s mouth. He flinches, pulls back, eyes landing on me.
“No. No more barking, Sai.” A sentence I never thought I’d say.
His eyes blaze, head tilting.“Call me a ‘good boy’ again, and I’ll behave.”
My mouth drops open. I shut it. But not before he sees, and I know he’s grinning beneath that shadowy gag.
The others don’t react, he’s keeping this between us. Like some private, dirty joke.
“I didn’t—you… that was a joke. It was to belittle you, make you feel small—”
“It made me feel the opposite, baby,”he murmurs, heated gaze trailing over my body, my chest, resting on his chain.
“Stop talking.”I turn away, determined to address the men who aren’t making animal noises. “I’ve thought about how we can—”
