“There’s a return address inside the letters he sent,” Aneski continued. “It’s somewhere in Mid Vest.”
That was practically on the other side of the globe.
“We can go beat him up. Together.”
Flix had to be hearing things. This was the plan? This was what Ani had come here and banked his life on? “What about after? Say I do help you get to Russ, what then? How does that change you knowing something about me that you shouldn’t?”
“I’m angry at the both of you but more so at my brother. He put you in a bad spot, and even though you’re the idiot who should have known better than to listen, one of the ways I think I can finally start moving on from this is by confronting him.”
“So I take you to Russ, we both yell at him, maybe share a good cry, and that’s it? You’ll just take what you know to the grave after that?” He clicked his tongue. “Not only is there no way for me to trust you’ll actually keep your word, but there’s another hole in your proposal. I have no interest in ever seeing Russ again.”
Beat him up? Flix would most likely fry him for real if the two of them ever encountered on another. Despite how flippantly Aneski was saying all of this, there was no way he would be okay with Flix taking things that far and killing his brother. No, it was best to stay away. To leave Russ in the past where he belonged.
“Then keep me instead,” it was the easy way he said it that clued Flix into the deception.
“…That…Can’t be what you were leading up to this whole time?” Could it?
When Aneski remained quiet, Flix blinked. He’d said one of the ways. As in there were others.
“You didn’t want me to agree to help you find Russ at all,” he accused.
“He left me,” Ani said. “He left us both. Why should we be the ones chasing after him?”
Flix was at a loss for words.
“I’m only insisting on you doing what you should have done three years ago. I’ll stay with you,” Ani elaborated. “Where you can keep an eye on me.”
“Right around the very people I’m worried you’ll tattle to. How does that seem like a smart move on my part to you?”
“We can tell them what really happened. That you weren’t on vacation but that I’d kidnapped—”
“No.”
Ani’s brow furrowed. “If they know what I did, they won’t trust me. Even if I did try and tell them you’re an active Shout, they’d never take my word over yours. They’d assume I was trying to get back at you. You being of Shout decent is no secret. Everyone on the planet knows where your family comes from, Flix. This will work. It’ll be the assurance you need, and in return, you make up for those years you left me broken.”
“No.”
“Are you really that embarrassed?” Aneski grew frustrated. “Is your pride that important to you? You’d rather kill me then—”
“I’d rather you not end up with your skin carved off or your insides turned to goo!” he snapped, tossing the ball of electricity behind him into a thick tree trunk. It hit it and burned but didn’t destroy the tree entirely. Not that he bothered to check, too focused on Ani and the reignited fury in his gut. “Forsomeone who says they want to keep breathing, you’ve got a funny way of showing it. My friends won’t let you live knowing what you’ve done.”
“Sure they will,” he disagreed. “That’s where you claiming me comes in. Obviously.”
Technically, he was probably right. No one would mess with Ani, no matter what he’d done, if Flix told them all to back off and let him handle it. But that didn’t solve anything in the long run.
“You heard Baikal back there,” he said. “Me dating the leader of the Shepards is crazy.”
“So don’t date me.”
Flix blew out a breath. “You’re seriously—”
“Make me your Onus.”
The world seemed to come to a standstill, and for a moment, he actually wondered if he’d misheard.
Until Ani took a bold step closer and repeated it.
“Make me your Onus, be’tessi.”
