I followed her gaze and found Brennan and the Captain easing to their feet, each with an arm of the drunken young Kingsman – who I now recognised as Nicholas – slung around their shoulders.
“Off to get Nick to bed,” said Brennan.
Sorcha stifled another yawn. “Lucky Nick. Wish someone would carry me to bed.”
Brennan’s breath hitched, throat bobbing as he watched Sorcha give a full-bodied, yawning stretch. The Captain caught my eye and I knew from his slow grin that we were thinking the same thing; Brennan would saddle up and carry Sorcha to Kingsborough on his back if she asked. Laughter swelled quickly in my chest at the Captain’s quirked brow, but my Flame rose just as fast and I froze against it. Against the laughter, the wild warmth in my chest, the reminder that my control was failing me day by day. I had to exercise more caution around this one man than I had in my entire life.
I turned away, shoving my magic down, down, down.
“Go on then, Sorcha, you need to rest.I’llbloody carry you to bed if I have to ask you again.”
Sorcha rolled her eyes. “And a blessed Yule to you too, dear cousin.”
She planted a swift kiss on my cheek and ducked under the bar, hurrying over to get the door for the Captain and Brennan, young Nicholas groaning quietly between them. I didn’t turn at the chorus ofgoodnightsandblessed Yules, just waved vaguely over my shoulder. My heart was still thundering when the door finally shut. I stood with my hands braced on the shelves behind the bar, dragging in slow breaths to a count of four.
Breathe, two, three, four.
Calm, two, three, four.
The roaring between my ears dulled bit by bit. When I opened my eyes, and stared down at my hands on the shelves, something about the mundane mess at my fingertips made melaugh. I was beingridiculous. My wrists remained unmanacled. The greatest danger I faced right now was the danger that I’d be up well into the small hours polishing these glasses. I rolled my shoulders back and grabbed the nearest glass.
“Are you afraid of me?”
I was shrieking even before the spectacular crash of glittering shards hit my feet. I staggered back and whirled in one jagged movement, wincing when my back hit the blunt edge of the shelf. Standing on the other side of the plank, the Captain just tilted his head at me and nodded.
“S’pose that answers that.”
“What are youdoinghere?”
He ducked swiftly under the bar, and I gripped at the shelf behind me, shoes crunching in the glass when I shuffled back even further with each of his long strides toward me.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it, Rosie. About why you’ve been so determined to dislike me from the moment we met. You jump out of your own skin at my approach–”
“It’s after midnight in a deserted tavern and you snuck up on me like a bloody wolf in the snow.”
He stopped just short of the glittering mess between us.
“And the rest of the time? You can barely look at me most days.”
I scowled. “Maybe I don’t look at you because I don’t care to.”
He laughed, as if this was a preposterous idea. “Right.”
“Dadga spare me.”
I made myself unfurl my stiff fingers and pushed away from the shelf, skirting the shattered glass and trying to make myself as small as possible to squeeze past, even as my arm brushed the Captain’s. My Flame awoke all at once, leaping to consciousness at some silent call. I faltered a step, and my breath hissed through my teeth but I kept walking.
“Where are you going?”
“I need a broom.”
He scoffed. “You need an excuse.”
I lifted the plank, and when it didn’t slam behind me I realisedthe Captain had caught it and followed me out.Fuck.He was close on my heels as I crossed the tavern for the cleaning cupboard.
“An excuse for what?” I didn’t turn. My voice may have been steady, but I knew my face was flaming as though my magic had pooled there. “I needan excuse to finish my work so I can go to bed?”
“Maybe you need an excuse not to meet my eye.”
