Page 38 of GlitchBorn Heart

He shrugs. “Maybe...but I can feel things stronger than usual right now. Something’s happening to trigger me.” He’s clearly rattled after last night.

A charming human waitress approaches our table, a rarity; normally soulless synthetics or holos half-ass their service jobs providing very little in the way of comfort. She carefully sets my glass of water down on the table. “Anything else to drink or order?” She smiles but can’t help noticing I’m preoccupied with checking the windows. She looks up as well and motions toward the city with a nod. “Careful. They’re running heavier drone patrols today. I have no idea why.” She cracks her chewing gum in the silence.

As if on cue, the neon sign outside flickers hard, buzzing like a swarm of insects. Our water glasses rattle against the tabletop.

“Eli.” My voice sharpens to an angry whisper. “You’re doing it again.” I look at the waitress who’s still waiting impatiently for my order. “I’m good with water for now, thanks.” I dismiss her.

“I’m not trying to!” he says quickly, through clenched teeth. His eyes widen and begin to vibrate with violet feedback. “It just happens when I get...”

“Anxious?” I guess, forcing a weak smile. Believe me, I know it all too well. The conflict between my body and my mind is raging as we speak. It lives deep inside me, a large part of me now. Right now though, it’s a constant pressure, a war being waged between brain and body, attraction and survival.

I’m surprised I haven’t blown the entire place wide open. I glance around the diner—no lights flickering, no screens glitching, no telltale signs of tech being warped by my emotion. I should be bleeding power into every piece of tech in the room. I should be a walking disaster but I’m not.

Somehow, I’m holding it together. Holding myself together. I can’t lose control over him.

Eli looks down at his hands clenched tight, and nods. “When I get emotional, it’s harder to control.”

No shit. I try to act casual, my nerves still buzzing. Every time I touch my water glass, the sign outside glitches faintly. I test it a couple of times to know for sure.

Yep! Now it’s my turn for my powers to betray me. I’m not holding myself together after all.

I cannot afford to want him. He might be hunting me as an anomaly, and if he is...I’m not sure I’d run fast enough. I’m not even sure I’d run at all.

Eli lays his napkin on the table and leans back, his violet eyes on low pulse. He’s trying to brush last night off, but I can feel the instability in him. His magic is raw and humming like an exposed wire. The neon light steadies for a moment, as we both smile to relieve the tension.

He rubs his eyes underneath his glasses and lets a sigh escape. “Sometimes I think the only way to shut this place up is to tear it all down.” He’s cryptic, but his tone is threatening.

I try to laugh it off as a nervous joke, but the words haunt me. My pulse quickens. He’s always been different, even before StarFell. But today, his voice carries a strange timbre, like a deep hum vibrating from inside him. I reach across the table, covering his hand with mine. “You’re scaring me.”

He sits up to meet my gaze, and there’s a depth there that doesn’t belong to my little brother. Something deeply dark and dangerous, just like Kael. “Don’t be scared, Lyra. Just...” He pauses to think of the right words. “If anything happens tonight? Don’t give up, okay? We stick together. Remember that.”

My throat tightens. I can’t afford to be reckless, to run to Kael Ryudon. I have to take care of my family. “Nothing’s going to happen. We’ll get through TheKast like always.”

I know this...

“Together Forever.” I give his hand a squeeze, like he’s a twelve-year-old boy again. He smiles faintly at my reassurance, the same thing I’ve said to him since we were kids. But the way he looks at me, it’s like he already knows I’m full of it.

That familiar smell fills my nose, warm leather, mixed with the vanilla being pumped into the diner. I squint as I look up. Ash slides into the booth next to me, his large tattooed hand slipping around my shoulder. He rests it on the back of the booth, casually but protective. Mostly uninvited.

He looks at Eli like he’s known him all his life. “Hi, hope you don’t mind me crashing your little lunch date.” He flashes his usual chaotic smile.

Eli’s eyes widen “Dude...you’re Asher Quinn, the singer for NeonGods!”

I’m so mortally embarrassed by my brother. “He’s a friend, Eli. I think...” I look at Ash questioning what exactly we are to each other.

“Friend? Maybe more. We’ll see.” He blows off my insult.

Flirt.

“Look...” He carefully glances around to make sure no one can hear him. “I’ve been tailing you both since STATIK because I know both of you are radiating some fucking epic anomaly-level energy, and I’m worried Corp might catch it.”

My eyes widen in shock as Eli looks at me like he can’t believe this guy either. “What?” He draws out the word slowly. Trust does not come easily in this city. It’s always better to act dumb.

Ash sees right through us. “I’ve been tasked by someone at VikkCorp to help chase down a lead...the anomalies from last night.” He drops a subtle warning but doesn’t outright expose who it is. He’s suspicious of us, I can tell, but doesn’t say it out loud.

“Kael?” I cut him off anxiously.

Eli interjects, “What?! Kael? Like the Dr. Kael Ryudon, the head of the lab at VikkCorp?”