Page 8 of Heimlock

Drying my hands with a towel, I lean against the counter. “Did you know your shelves are full of expired food?”

“Yes.”

He chuckles, grabbing a glass from a cabinet. My body freezes as he steps close enough for our body heat to mingle. His chin tilts down, the one brilliantly blue eye crinkled with amusement. Breath stalls in my lungs as he leans forward.

Is he about to kiss me?

Memories from months ago assault me. The way he kisses; touches; licks.

The heat from his Fyre is a furnace emanating from his chest. Instincts ablaze, my body shifts toward this inexplicable magnetic charge.

“Excuse me.”

I blink, confused. His arm reaches around me. The faucet turns on. Trinte raises a dark eyebrow.

“Oh, sorry.” I step out of the way so he can fill the glass. Heart thudding, I pray he can’t hear the way my breath quickens. It’s completely deranged to even think he might have wanted to be close.

He’s asked me why I’m here, and honestly, I don’t know. Intuition, maybe. Or perhaps I recognize a little of his darkness; there’s plenty of it residing inside me. It’s not just because we hooked up, or that he clearly cares about his brother and my best friend.

It’s because I truly believe no one should be alone in this world.

Helping people during the worst moments is my obsession. Over the years, I’ve trained hundreds of women at the battle gym and escorted them to safety. Their stories almost blur together, with one familiar thread: loneliness. It’s a pandemic of heartbreak that leaves people vulnerable. If we can come together more as a community, maybe some of the worst parts of life can be erased.

I’ve been scorned as a dreamer, but I refuse to be ‌part of the problem.

Trinte smirks, taking a sip of water. Like he knows exactly what crossed my mind. Desperate to busy my hands, I check the location of the food delivery. The digital map on my phone shows it’s almost here.

I look at the small table in one corner of the kitchen. Putting space between me and the blue Dragon, I focus on clearing the various items on the surface.

“Are you opposed to organizing things?” I ask conversationally, trying to keep my voice even. Maybe if I bait him, we’ll both end up so mad at one another that this lingering tension will disappear. Then we’ll laugh and laugh…

Delusional.

“Again, you are not locked inside this apartment. You’re welcome to leave at any time.”

The frustration in his voice makes me crack a smile.

“Go through this right now.” In my hands, I fan out unopened mail like a stack of cards. “There might be something important in here.”

His lips purse, all amusement evaporated. “Is this a latent service provided to all the men you fuck in a bathroom?”

The moment between us turns frigid as his words sink in.

How dare he.

Embarrassment scalds my cheeks; it was a mistake, randomly showing up because of misplaced worry. I know he’s pushing me away, but after that comment, I won’t spend anymore energy on trying to help. Whatever he’s going through, he’s determined to do it alone.

Slapping the pile of mail into his broad chest, I snap, “You know what? Be a miserable sow for all I care. I’ll just be the woman you fucked at a speed dating event. Not Orliana’s best friend that you’ll probably be seeing all the time. Not the fighter who could absolutely kick your ass in the arena. Just another notch on your bedpost.”

Trinte’s expression flickers with something that might be regret, but I ignore it. Hurling him a look of disgust, I stalk out of the kitchen.

There’s not a man on this fucking continent worth that kind of disrespect. He doesn’t have my consent to reduce my identity to a spontaneous moment of spreading my legs. I won’t let him tarnish the fun memory with a sour attitude.

He doesn’t call for me as I throw the door open, startling a pixie carrying a bag of steaming food. Over my shoulder, I snarl, “Your food’s here. Fucking eat something and stop being so goddess damned pathetic.”

Brushing past the pixie, I bolt for the edge of the cliff he lives on, flinging myself into the clouds.

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