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Frustration sparked that no tendril came up, but she was quick to mask it as Pearl strolled up beside her. She even managed a smile.
“Hey. Did you need to get out, too?”
“Yes. It was kind of intense back there, and I needed a moment. Are you headed to the shop?”
“What’s left of it,” Ruby muttered, then smiled for real when Pearl barked out in laughter.
“Oh, stop with the guilty look. Em’s just uptight, and Saph worries too much. Those council goons can’t touch you just because you mess up here and there. Anyway, we can rebuild the shop. Maybe doing it by hand will distract us from playing too much with our magic, though we need to brush up on spells and such.”
“Hmm.”
“Oh, look. He is still there. Cleaning up.”
The announcement had her looking up and zoning in on the figure still standing on the hill.
“He is investigating, Pearl,” Ruby corrected, peering at the pile of rubble neatly stacked in a corner and a pile of metal in another.
“And he did me a favor,” Pearl said, tilting her head. “Maddox is kind of hot.”
“Kind of?”
“Okay, fine. Totally hot. Are you sure he is not into witches? I wouldn’t mind tapping that and seeing if that intensity translates well in the sheets.”
An image of her sister and her…well, friend, getting it on had Ruby’s stomach dropping. She shook her head.
“Lay off that thought, Pearl. He is off-limits.”
“Why?” White-gray eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you tapped that?”
“No, of course not,” Ruby said quickly—perhaps a little too quickly. “We spent months together in a ship, helping each other out with our needs…notthatkind of needs. I meant getting each other out of trouble. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“I can’t help it. He brings out the feral in me.”
Pearl laughed, indicating she wasn’t that serious about it. Oddly, it annoyed Ruby further.
“Yeah, well, push it back down. He just found his new home, and associating himself with the Suttons won’t do him any good. I want him to do good here.”
That sobered Pearl up.
“We are not that bad. But I see what you mean. He is already different. He doesn’t need any more reason to be feared here.”
“Exactly.”
They watched him for a few more seconds before Pearl patted her shoulder.
“Well, I have to go get a drink and unwind. Sex is a powerful distraction weapon, you know.”
“There’s no correlation between a drink and sex,” Ruby called out, but couldn’t help grinning when her sister gave her the finger. The amusement fled when she decided it was time to face the music, her steps heavy as she made her way back to the cliff.
Maddox didn’t turn around until she was near, which gave her time to put on her tough, determined expression. She added a touch of apology into it, prepared to say it out loud a few times.
“About the incident report…”
“There’s nothing to report. Just an accident and a welding machine that exploded into shards. I would suggest closing this place down for a few days until every trace is gone. Start anew.”
The reply was so smooth that she could only gape, thunderstruck, before understanding that he was giving her an out. Her toughness dissipated as gratefulness bubbled into a smile. He eyed it, humor flickering in black eyes rimmed with blue.
“Thanks, Mad. For having my back.”
