Page 42 of Moth to a Flame

The bond flooded with anxiety, and I couldn’t stop myself from placing my dirty hands on her shoulders. The anxiety lessened, and it pleased me that just my touch could affect her like that now.

But I could do more than that.

“I could tell them to leave. Or I could fly up onto the roof and lurk. I got really good at that in my teens.”

There it was. The corner of her mouth ticked up, and a pulse like laughter passed through the bond. Then it faded again.

“They won’t leave until they get what they came for.”

“What’s that?”

She didn’t answer but the dread pooling in her chest said she had guesses, and none of them were good.

“Hawk.” Her voice was small. “Don’t let me talk.”

“Lucia…”

“I mean it. Nothing good will come of it.”

Her brother turned in a circle until his eyes found Lucia and me halfway to the greenhouse. His frown deepened, but he stalked toward us.

“Sister, it’s been so long.” His voice dripped with poisoned honey—all false sweetness with a deadly edge hidden inside.

Lucia did not return his greeting, just jutted her chin out and flipped him off.

He scoffed. “As pleasant as always.” His gaze drifted over to me. It was just as assessing as hers had been when we’d first met, but his wasn’t laced with curiosity. Instead, I felt myself being dissected to see if my parts held any worth.

I was found wanting.

“And you found yourself a pretty little toy, didn’t you?”

Red-hot anger flared through the bond, and Lucia tried to step forward, but I held on to her shoulders.

“I’ve got this,” I whispered in her ear. “You can trust me.”

I stepped around her and held out my soil-and-grease caked hand to the stranger.

“The name’s Hawk. Can’t say it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He looked down at my hand, and his sneer grew even deeper, if that was possible.

“If you aren’t careful, your face will stay that way.”

He blinked, then schooled his features. “Cute. I assume if you’ve stuck around you can understand her, then? Interesting.” He glanced back at his sister. “Although I’m still surprised he stuck around. You were unpleasant even before⁠—”

He cut himself off as their mother stepped up beside him, now accompanied by a short, suited man I hadn’t noticed get out of the car. He held a leather folio against his chest, his gaze flicking nervously between Lucia and her brother.

A fancy corporate lawyer, by the look of him.

“I’m Derek W. Biltmore of Biltmore & Padmore Associates, representing Deimos Atropa, CEO of Atropa Pharmaceuticals, who has come to make you an offer.”

The lawyer held the folio out to Lucia. She eyed it like it might bite, and Deimos let out a long-suffering sigh.

“There is nothing here a suit like you could possibly be interested in,” I interjected, keeping myself between him and Lucia.

“Oh, but that’s not true, is it? You have something very interesting, even if it happened by accident.”

I felt shock pass through Lucia, colder than the evening air around us.