Ciprian rolls his eyes. “So I should have done what? Plopped down on the ground, crisscross applesauce, and done nothing?”
“I’m unfamiliar with that expression,” Malach whispers to me.
“Like this.” I draw my feet in and tuck my heels under my aching calves.
Malach repeats the phrase quietly, committing it to memory.
“I never said that.” Alistair bares his fangs “I said to sit the fuck down!”
“Make me,” Ciprian hisses.
I hold my breath. Their chests are almost touching, so close that the flickering firelight barely has room to pass through.
“You’re recklessly belligerent, like that night at the auction. Ignoring logic to storm off?—”
“To protect my best friend and save my brother’s life? Yeah, that was crazy behavior. You’re never satisfied with me, are you, Alistair? Either I’m not loyal enough or I’m too loyal. You can’t have it both ways. I’m sick of this shit! You want me to be?—”
“Safe,” Alistair snaps, grabbing Ciprian’s shoulders. “I want you to be bloody safe.”
Malach drops his mouth to my ear. “I think they should kiss.”
I snort a startled laugh and turn my head to look at him.
Strong, chiseled features, stoically perfect unless you’re searching for the little imperfections that make his face interesting. The dimple in his chin, the speck of blue surrounded by a sea of green in his right eye. An eye that twinkles with mischief before dipping to my lips.
My mouth goes dry. Ciprian and Alistair’s argument fades to background noise.
How can Malach be the most familiar and unsettling part of my life at the same time? I can’t stand the inconsistency, but I’m not sure if it’s coming from him or me.
I promised him so many things.
Vows I meant.
Vows I broke.
Yet he’s still here.
My heart pulses erratically. Malach thinks they should kiss, but all I can think about is what it would be like to press my lips to his. I shouldn’t be thinking about this. Not now. Not with Luca unconscious beside me while Ciprian and Alistair tear verbal chunks out of each other.
But now that I’ve thought about it, I can’t stop.
I lean in. The distance between us closes. My eyes flutter closed.
Then the door opens.
NINETEEN
Monster Realm Survival Tip #23:
Everyone has a monster inside them.
ALISTAIR
A teenager walks into our cell.
She’s favoring her left side; the weight of the basket she carries too much for her. There’s an armful of stinky, dried plants tucked under her other arm.
“Hyacinth!” Celine scrambles to her feet as the door shuts with a heavy thud.
