Page 107 of Silk and Sirens

The universe, it seemed, had a particularly cruel sense of humour.

“You’re supposed to be resting.”

I glanced sideways as Sebastian stepped into the street, the club’s music overwhelming until the door shut closed behind him. “I was resting,” I said, flicking ash onto the pavement. “Then I got bored.”

“That tends to happen when people survive near-fatal overdoses.” He looked entirely unaffected by the cold.

“I’m touched by your concern, but it wasn’t anywhere near fatal.”

His mouth twitched faintly, though it vanished almost immediately. “What are you doing, Cade?”

“Looking for Andromeda.”

“Not the best season for it, and you know that’s not what I meant.”

I side-eyed him as he squinted at the sky.

“What you doing with Aeris?” he asked.

“Mind your own fucking business.”

“Stop being a cunt and answer the question.”

Dragging a hand down my face, I let out a long breath. “I already told you. She’s mine.”

“Yours as in you get to twist the knife when you’re done with her”—Sebastian’s gaze sharpened—“or more?”

“More,” I said without hesitation.

A dark, knowing laugh rumbled from his chest. “Does she know that?”

“Does it matter?”

“She’s not going to let you take care of her, you know that, right?”

I shot him a flat look. “Are you being an arse because I gave you shit about Ara, or were you just born this way?”

Sebastian stepped closer, his voice dropping. “Cade … she’s blackmailing us.”

“Your point?”

“She’s been Selene’s weapon for years,” he pressed. “She’s survived by being smarter, faster, and more ruthless than everyone around her. What makes you think she won’t turn on you the second she gets the chance?”

The truth was that I didn’t have a clean answer. Aeris was dangerous—I’d known that from the first moment she tried to blackmail us—but so was I, and the thought of anyone else touching her, hurting her, controlling her … It made me fucking violent.

She was mine.

Whether she liked it or not.

“You’ve always been the most level-headed out of the three of us,” Sebastian said, dragging a hand through his hair. “But this is impulsive.”

“Maybe I’m taking a page from your book.”

He gripped my shoulder, squeezing hard. “I hope she gives you absolute hell,” he said, a ghost of a smile curving his lips. “That’s if she doesn’t kill you first.”

I flipped him off as he headed back towards the club. The music swallowed him instantly, leaving me alone again with the cold night air and the sinking realisation that I had no idea what the fuck I was doing.

Jesus Christ.