Suddenly, my cheeks feel hot under the burning sun, and I have to tamp down the urge to squirm. Forcing my heart to relax, I face the group. “I have a list of what you’re all doing wrong.”
I ask Harvey for his notebook and skim through the notes. It takes me a minute, but I manage to combine our observations into a list of solutions that might fix our coordination. I tear out what won’t help and fold the pages that make sense while everyone watches like I’m about to read their fate.
“I want to tell you to fuck off,” Hazel mutters over my shoulder, “but that’s a long ass list, and now I’m curious.” She drops to the ground, joining the rest.
Here goes nothing…
“Seiji, I love that you strike first and hard.” The idiot blows me a kiss like I’m not about to point out his mistake next. “But you need to stop hesitating and second-guessing yourself at every turn.”
I feel a twinge of guilt when Seiji drops his head, but I know that if we’re in a fight together, I won’t be able to focus. I’ll be constantly worried he’s in trouble just because he refuses to draw blood.
Harvey snickers at Seiji’s expense, and that’s my cue to flatten his ego. “And you… You’re a dumbass who gets way too invested in your targets. You don’t focus on your surroundings at all. That kind of confidence is dangerous.”
“I just make sure they don’t get up again,” Harvey grumbles, but Grace shushes him.
We all know where that mindset leads. In combat, leaving your back exposed is how you sign your death warrant.
“Honeybunch, you’re brilliant at foreseeing attacks, but hand-to-hand combat is not your strength. But don’t worry, I have a plan.” Grace nods without complaint, unlike her brooding mate.
“And Angel—”
My heart has been racing wildly since Angel decided tomake me his backrest. When he takes my hand and places it on his chest, and I feel his heart racing just like mine, something in me shifts. It affects him, too. And suddenly, the realization helps me relax.
“You’re good with both close combat and long-range attacks, but you’re not focused enough. Grace is right. Keeping tabs on everyone puts your own safety at risk.”
Angel pouts, actually pouts, and it’s so adorable my lungs forget how to work. My fingers trail along his cheekbone and jaw, and the world fades… until Hazel ruins the moment.
“Hey, soul eater. Can you blushaftermy turn?”
I tear my eyes away from my green-eyed Angel and turn to the impatient siren glaring at me.
“Yes… Right. I’m impressed, Sharky. Clean, precise, fluent strikes. You’re a textbook warrior.” Her smug smile falters when I add, “But you also have a death wish.”
“Uh… no, I do not.”
Hazel glances around, frowning when everyone agrees with me. She curses under her breath and waves me to continue.
“You charge headfirst without hesitation, no matter how outmatched or outnumbered. You’re good—incredible—but you’re not a cat with nine lives.”
I’m relieved when Hazel seriously considers what I said and takes it to heart.
Angel tugs on my braid. “And what about you? Do you have any flaws, or are they just for us lesser beings?”
I shrug, one hand holding my notes, the other brushing through his hair. “I take on too much. I rarely get to channel my rage, so when I get the chance, I’m cutting through people without a plan. I’m emotionally compromised most of the time, which makes me vulnerable… and a liability.”
Seiji sighs. “We’re a disaster. We need an actual plan.”
Harvey steals the words right out of my mouth. “Hey, Monkey? What about block-on-block?”
Exactly what I wrote as our best bet. I shoot him a knowing look, and he chuckles, probably thinking back to our childhooddays.
Papa taught usblock on blockwhen we were kids. Back then, our attacks were all instinct and chaos. So Papa came up with a way to show us the power of teamwork.
You’re supposed to stack one block upon another to build a strong tower. In our case, Harvey and I were the blocks. Where one lacked, the other compensated, increasing our combined efficiency and strength.
I hand Harvey my notes so he can look at the pairings I made.
“I think Angel and Grace should be our eyes. A higher vantage point suits their weapons. That way, they can have each other’s backsandours.”
