I knew she felt it, too.
I felt loads better. A good chat after curry usually did that to me.
“I hate you and think you’re a violent moron, but I think I just have to suck it up because I can feel it, too,” Lucian said.
“Are you into me, Prince of Darkness?” I said, fluttering my eyelashes.
“Your only redeeming quality is your blood.”
“Which you have to press yourself against my body and suck on my neck to get. Not helping your case.”
“You really are a shit. I was trying to make you feel better because you said you didn’t feel like part of the team.”
“Maybe don’t be nice to me by saying you hate me and that I’m a violent moron.”
“Maybe you just need to learn to speak Lucian and Lucian needs to learn to speak Liam?” Khalid suggested.
Lucian and I just grumbled because yeah, if we were connected to Sage, we were going to have to do something. He was just such a ponce who gave off airs he was smarter than everyone else.
Every time I looked at him, I just really wanted to punch him in the face. Maybe I needed to get it out of my system? Like, everything would be copacetic in my brain if I broke his nose? I just didn’t know and Sage might get mad.
“Hey, we’re going to get these crystals and attend Ouroboros. When we get back, we’re going to party at that siren tavern. If I give a really impressive performance singing karaoke, would you kiss me?” I asked Sage.
Yeah, I had to shoot my shot now that I knew she felt the pull. I wasn’t going to grab her and do it. I was going toearnit. I was good at slitting throats and music. My Da thought slitting throats was a proper vocation and music was useless, so that didn’t get nurtured like it should have, but I could sing and play guitar.
I saw Sage smile.
“Yes, but I get to request the song.”
Might be difficult to pull off if I didn’t know it and I wouldn’t have the chance out here, but with a kiss as the price, I’d play by her rules.
“I accept.”
“Okay, so if you want to win a kiss from me, you have to performThe Devil Went Down to Georgiaand be better than the devil.”
I grinned. Knowing she was a pastor’s daughter, I even approved.
“The devil wouldn’t even know what to do with me if he met me.”
We managed to get to another quadrant before we pitched the tent and slept for the night. My familiar stole food again and the only reason I felt safe sleeping was that Liam’s bears agreed to stay outside our tent because they didn’t like what was outside.
I’d been peacefully sleeping and then I heard a yelp and someone was jostling me. When I rolled over, Lucian was crouched in the corner with red eyes and his fangs bared. Liam was looming over me with his arms crossed. Khalid looked like he was staying out of whatever was happening.
“Stop kicking me in the kidneys!” Lucian hissed.
“Stop snuggling Sage without asking. If she’s not awake to say yes, then it’s no.”
What? I didn’t realize Lucian had done that, but Ihadslept really well considering everything that was going on. I didn’t even feel all that creeped out that he’d done it again when he wasn’t in a trance.
“I don’t snuggle withanyone.I just don’t. I wouldn’t even cuddle someone if they asked me to. I wouldn’t snuggle Sage without her consent.”
I didn’t know how I felt about that. He looked upset at the idea.
“You did,” Khalid said. “I saw it, too. At some point last night, you got out of your sleeping bag and got next to Sage. When Liam and I woke up, you were spooning her.”
“No, that’s impossible. I don’t do that.”
He might as well have slapped me. Lucian was prickly, and I thought most of the time, he wasn’t trying to be insulting unless he was talking to Liam. He was being insulting now. It was pissing me off because I was the one who should have been upset right now, but Lucian was acting like it was the worst thing that ever happened to him.
