Page 101 of Heimlock

“Put your hands on my shoulders.” Holding out the first pant leg, she dips a foot into it, and I shimmy it up halfway. Then she does the other. It’s a sad moment when her dark blue underwear disappears. Not that I was looking at it or anything.

She buttons the pants. “Thanks.”

“Of course.” My voice sounds winded from the strain of not hyperventilating with need.

Standing, I ask, “So where would you like to go?”

“I texted Luca, and he offered to meet us for drinks with his wife. We need to talk to him about Fynn’s proposal, and he probably wants to apologize another hundred times.”

I laugh, glancing at the time on my phone. “Drinks in the morning?”

She shrugs, grabbing her phone and keys. “Apparently, they’re big fans of brunch.”

***

The brunch location is called Itty Bitty Tiddy, which is apparently owned by a Tiddy Mun. It’s intended to mimic a bog, with high glass ceilings and wooden tables on raised plots of ground. Steam rises from the dark water, snaking through the tall grass. If it weren’t for the lively atmosphere, it’d be creepy.

Luca and Reverie already sit at a table, standing when we’re close enough for hugs. Inwardly cringing at the niceties of touching others, I pull the chair out for Kyrielle. She needs help to situate her wing so it won’t be hit by a passerby.

“How are you?” Luca says anxiously, examining her mostly healed wing.

Kyrielle grins. “Give me a few days, and we’ll have that rematch.”

Luca looks decidedly unexcited at the prospect. “Maybe in a few weeks.”

Reverie laughs. “In other words, he’ll probably refuse.”

The Gargoyle’s face darkens with a deep blush. “I could’ve killed you.”

Kyrielle looks nonplussed. “But you didn’t.”

Interjecting, I say, “You know you won’t convince her, so don’t bother, Luca. Just be prepared for her to whoop your tail later.”

Kyrielle gives me a pleased expression. I return it, grateful to be sitting next to her.

Eyebrows raised, Reverie leans on an elbow. “So how long have the two of you been together?”

I sit up straighter, wiping away any emotion from my face. “Uh, we aren’t together. We’re …” I’m about to say just friends, but I’m not about to sound like my brother.

“Trinte is my manservant,” Kyrielle says, sounding incredibly serious. I crack a smile at the joke because she has no idea how true that could be. A manservant with benefits? Sign me up.

Reverie exchanges a look with Luca. “Oh, we know how that is.”

“Luca was your manservant?” I ask, half joking, half confused.

Luca chuckles, picking up the menu. “I’m always her manservant, but no, I’m fairly certain that is not what my wife means.”

“Such a handsome manservant,” Reverie purrs, then laughs. “When we met, I fought it tooth and nail. This one ghosted me for a year—”

“For good reason,” Luca shoots back, giving her a dirty look.

“For a reason,” Reverie corrects. “Then he reappears, begging on his knees for another chance.”

“The begging is real,” Luca smirks. “I would’ve begged every day of my life if she forced me.” He snatches her left hand. “Look what she let me do, eventually.”

As if Reverie’s hand isn’t attached to her arm, he shifts it so her wedding ring catches the light. She snatches it back and slaps his arm with the back of a hand.

“Knock it off.” Giving us a serious look, she says, “I don’t know what’s going on, but just …”