Part 2
Entangled
Chapter 19
Reid
Icross my arms, avoiding both Emmrich’s gaze and touching anything in this dank alley next to The Duck he’s dragged me into. “I’m listening. Five minutes, hurry it up.”
He’s the last person I want to be talking to right now. A fire burns in my chest, full of rage. Nothing but rage.
That’s not true. I’m not angry. Except I am. I spent weeks flirting with him, and it finally seemed like we’d take the next step, but he couldn’t bother waiting for me. HeknewI needed to help Caeo, but left anyway. Just dropped me and went off with Alexis instead.
It’s not like I don’t want him to have a good excuse. To apologize. To shove me against the wall and show me what I missed. But this is the worst possible time.
Which maybe makes it the best time. Ellie doesn’t even remember the last twenty minutes, so I could forget about them, too. After all, the entire reason my relationship with Emmrich plummeted into nothingness was because of her and Caeo’s stupid memory problems.
Heat flares within me as my eyes meet Emmrich’s—such a peculiar shade, like honey. Strands of his sandy-blond hair frame his face, the rest of it tied in a knot behind his head. I shove aside the urge to rake my fingers through it and discover how long his hair really is.
He folds his arms, matching me. “I waited. Didn’t seem like you were coming back.”
“But I did.”
I distinctly remember it. Running through town, catching my breath outside so I didn’t appear overeager, approaching the bar… and he was gone.
“Really? When?” His lips curl slightly as he leans against the wall, waiting for my response.
“Seventh bell. I heard it on the way.”
Emmrich throws his hand to the side. “You expected me to wait three fucking bells?”
“It wasn’t three bells!”It wasn’t. No way.
“Yes, it was. You left right before the fourth nighttime bell. I waited. Alexis showed up around fifth bell. We waited. At midnight, we decided you weren’t coming, so we went on without you.”
“Without me? So youwereplanning on fucking us both.”
“Yes,” he sighs. “Was that not obvious?”
A blaze of indignation scorches my ribs. “What if I didn’t want to share?”
“Then you got your wish.”
“That’s not what I—Look, I meant to come back. I did. But Caeo… Something was wrong, and I had to help.” My anger diminishes as I peel away from the wall, and I hope I don’t look as pathetic as I sound. “I came back as soon as I could.”
“So you could fuck me.”
I blink, my brain confirming what he just said.
“Um… yes? I mean, yes.”
My face burns, filling me with a sudden, desperate urge to crawl into a hole. Emmrich’s eyes mercifully flick away, looking past my shoulder. I follow his gaze to his friend and Ellie waiting across the street.
Emmrich slams me against the wall further into the alley.
On instinct, I throw flames up between us. They extinguish almost instantly, but he still jumps back. A sly smile curls on his face.
“I’m gonna pretend that didn’t just happen.”
