Cherie whistles, impressed.
“What league are you playing in now?”
Then her gaze stops on each of us. As soon as our eyes meet, her face lights up with obvious interest. Though I suppose the way I'm manipulating her mind has a lot to do with that sudden interest she's felt. It hurts to do it, but I can't think of a better way for Nell to forget about me.
“I see you've improved your company,” she adds.
“They're Sylara, Althea and Sabina. Temporary work companions.”
“A pleasure,” this Cherie responds, stopping in front of me longer than necessary. “Especially meeting you,” she whispers with a smile.
Without needing to look at her, I can feel the jealousy in Nell. I know she's annoyed, I perceive it clearly in the change in her energy.
“We have a matter with a safe, remember?” she interrupts, her tone of voice somewhat higher than normal.
Cherie focuses on the images, explaining the mechanisms with impressive technical knowledge. Whileshe talks, she approaches me occasionally, brushing her arm against mine.
“I could go with you,” Nell's friend suggests. “It would be easier if I open the safe.”
“No,” the Fae's response is sharp. “It's too dangerous.”
“Okay, okay, whatever you want. It's not the first time we've done something dangerous. If you change your mind, call me. I'll show you how to open that contraption, but the slightest error, everything goes to shit. I'm warning you now.”
After the explanations, she says goodbye and slips a paper into my hand with her phone number and a pretty brazen wink.
“In case you feel like having a drink without all these... tensions around,” she whispers.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see how Nell's expression changes, and when the door closes, the silence in the apartment is almost suffocating.
The half Fae gets up abruptly and heads to the window, giving me her back as she presses her forehead against the glass. Small air currents have formed around her that subtly stir the curtains.
The pain I feel is physical, as if they're separating my flesh from bone. Sirens aren't made to deny our feelings; we flow toward them like water seeking its level. Resisting thisattraction goes against my deepest nature. Without a doubt, the elf could control herself better. I can't.
But I must.
Even if it destroys me inside.
Chapter 9
Nell
Sabina stares at the paper with Cherie's phone number like it's the most precious thing she's seen. She tucks it in the back pocket of her pants and draws on her lips a smile that makes her look like an idiot.
As far as I'm concerned, she can go to hell. The complete moron acts like she can barely stand being in the same room as me. But with my friend it's all smiles and nervously tucking strands of hair behind her ear like she's a teenager.
“Looks like you hit it off pretty well with that Cherie, huh?” Althea comments, positioning herself next to the siren.
Sabina just shrugs and smiles. She's so stupid she's even forgotten how to talk.
I narrow my eyes and turn toward the window so they can't see my angry face. My blood boils. What the hell is wrong with the siren? A little while ago she seemed worriedabout me, even affectionate in her strange way. Now, she treats me like I'm just an annoyance.
I don't even know why it affects me. It shouldn't matter. I barely know these three. More than my friends, they're my jailers, at least my forced companions, my... whatever. When this job for Kaelisar is over, I won't see them again.
But it matters to me.
It matters too much.
The air vibrates around me. The curtains stir slightly, in an almost imperceptible way, but they do, though I think only Sylara is noticing that this movement is caused by my mood.
