Page 210 of Eight of Swords, Part One

‘Oh no, what else is new? You still like tequila?’

Kade wants to say no just to spite him but then realises he doesn’t… know. Does he? He’s never been to a bar, a club. He’d only drunk alcohol once before, and that was a bottle of whiskey he found in Riley’s room one night well over five years ago. He’d barely taken a mouthful before he wanted to hurl.

‘Whatever,’ he goes with, a little self-conscious.

There’s so many people around him and this bar has a small dancefloor. Modern and dark, pulsing neon and thudding bass. Lachlan orders two club sodas with lime, plus a shot of tequila.

‘Just one?’

‘I don’t drink.’

‘I meant for me.’

Lachlan smiles and shakes his head. ‘Brat.’

The word makes a spiral of tight warmth in Kade’s otherwise cold interior.

Kade decides to push. ‘Come on, if you’re gonna spend hours trying to convince me I’m a fucking Paranatural or whatever, you might as well—’

‘I’m not trying to convince you of anything,’ Lachlan cuts over, still looking around. ‘You asked me to get you out of the Tower and I did, you can leave. You’re not trapped. You don’t need to bargain with me.’

Somehow that irritates Kade even more. He downs the shot, barely stops himself from gagging because holy shit that is revolting, and then drains half his club soda in one.

‘Fuck you, Bodyguard. My world’s imploding here.’

‘I know.’

‘I need to know things, I want to know everything but it’s like I don’t know where to start and whenever I ask, the shit you tell me just fucks with my head.’ He frowns to himself, gripping the glass. ‘I’m not a Paranatural, though.’

‘Brightling.’

‘You sound just like him.’

‘And you sound like your father’s friends.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Paranatural is a loaded term. It costs you fuck all to say Brightling.’

Kade briefly sulks but then relents. ‘Fine. ‘I’m not a Brightling.’

‘Believe me or don’t. It’s your life, kid.’

‘Fucking call me kid again, I swear to God.’ Lachlan doesn’t react. Kade downs the second shot when it arrives, finds it more tolerable that time though he still has to chase it with his club soda. ‘Not like I don’t know why you’re doing it anyway.’

‘Doing what?’

‘Calling me these things because you’re trying to jog my memory.’

‘Sorry.’

‘Just stop it, OK?’

‘Heard.’

‘So, tell me about you and me.’

Lachlan takes a deep breath, staring ahead at the bar. ‘I was your bodyguard and you were my charge. You hated me. Then you hated me slightly less. Then you kinda got a crush on me and hated me more. The crush evolved. You still hated me, but it was difficult for us both. The night you got your scar, things changed again, and after that I.’ Lachlan frowns. ‘I made a lot of mistakes. But the night before we left for Sable Key, everything changed.’