“No. I wish to rip his arm off. It is weak and would be quite easy.”
“Rath,” Everest says, pleading now. “It’s fine. He won’t do anything stupid. He’s learned his lesson. You’re going to let him go, and we’re going to sit quietly and watch the movie. Right?” He looks at me. “Right?”
“Right,” I say quickly, biting back a grin. I nudge Cielo, who nods, and it’s then that I can feel a slight thread of anxiety coming off of him. He hates conflict, and I think there’s a part of him that’s still a little afraid of Rathyn.
But then again, didn’t Everest tell me Cielo protected him from a guy just like this? Maybe it’s bringing back memories.
Rathyn takes a long moment, then eventually he uncurls his fingers, one by one, leaving visible red marks on the man’s fist. When he pulls away completely, the man turns and sags into his seat, and it’s easy to see he doesn’t know if he should get up and run or hold on to what’s left of his pride and stay.
Because shit. We have an audience.
Most heads are still turned our way.
This…is not going well.
Suddenly, a woman across the aisle from me leans forward and winks at me. “Good for him. I’m so sick of bullies. You got good guys there.”
Cielo’s ears flutter, and my chest swells.
“We do.”
She grins and then claps when the man in front of us slinks out of the theater. God, I hope he and his friends just go home. I hope they don’t make a scene.
Cielo sinks down into his seat, but I can see him slowly relax. I continue to eat the popcorn, handing him things to try, when Everest rips open new bags.
He doesn’t like the chocolate, but he does quite like the fruit snacks.
He leans over, and his hands move quickly. ‘These taste like berries from Erethar.’
He is using the sign Luca gave his world, an E extending from a fist in an arch like a rainbow.
‘You like?’
He nods and pops a handful more into his mouth. I watch as he chews, a happy look on his face. As he does, I see someone enter the theater with a flashlight, and I feel a sigh well up within me.
I think they’re coming for us.
‘Want to try this?’ I hand him a sour candy from Everest, who is leaning against Rathyn. He hasn’t ripped the arms off the theater seats yet, but he doesn’t look comfortable either.
I watch as the worker ascends the stairs slowly, his head down.
Fucking hell.
Cielo puts the candy into his mouth, and his eyes widen, a loud trill exiting his throat. It pierces the air and makes people crane their necks, hands over their ears. The worker’s gaze shoots up to us, and I slink down in my chair as they quickly make their way up.
As they approach, I purse my lips in irritation.
“Hello, sir,” the young guy says. I feel slightly bad for him. He has to be just a teenager. “I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you four to leave.”
Rathyn leans forward, his gaze serious. “Why must we leave this loud cave? What crime have we committed?”
“You’re causing a disturbance?” He doesn’t sound so sure about that.
“Did that guy complain? Because he took a swing at my friend here,” I say.
“He did not succeed,” Rathyn adds. “He is lucky he retains his arm.” As he says this, he shifts and the chair creaks, and then suddenly the bit that was digging into his side cracks and splinters.
The worker stares at it, and so does Rathyn. Then Rathyn reaches down, rips it off and tosses it to the floor.
