Page 64 of A Reckless Indulgence

Tidus grips her elbows. “Don’t get distracted. Ok? Don’t lose sight of it.”

The sinking feeling doesn’t release her. Neither does Tidus. He watches her closely, but she hardens her jaw to keep his prying eyes out. Eventually, he drops her arms and pulls out another cigarette.

“You know, I’ve been thinking…” Tidus cups a hand around his mouth. When he pulls it away, the end of his cigarette glows bright red. “I bet that cabin boy could get us what we need. What was his name again? Cav?”

Lyx’s mouth goes dry. Tidus’s eyes cling to her, watching the little flickers on her face while he waits to pounce. She forces a laugh. “Trust me, he doesn’t know anything.”

Tidus’s smile glints like a blade. “He knows his way around your cunt.”

A ringing starts in her ears. The alley is suddenly cramped, her skin clammy when the wind whistles past.

Tidus takes a long drag, voice singing with mockery. “Bet he’d fall over himself to give you anything you want — given the right motivation.”

Her fingernails dig into her palm. She wants to tell him to stay away. She wants to wrap her hands around his throat and slam his head into the wall — but she can’t do anything. A reaction will stoke Tidus’s interest. It’ll prove him right.

She swallows and prays it leeches the tension from her body. “Don’t bother with him,” she murmurs. Her throat is like a balled fist desperately trying to unfurl. “He’s of no interest to you.”

Beneath Tidus’s shirt, the shell burns with light. It’s so bright that they both squint before Tidus scowls. “It’s been doing that since you joined that ship. Like it wants something.”

He looks at her expectantly, but she doesn’t have an answer. She has no idea what that radiance means. All she knows is she has to get away from here. “It wants the same thing I do — to finish this and get off that ship.”

Smoke coils from his lips like a snake. “Good. You do that.”

In the Grotto

Cav

Cav has started to sense Lyx. His body has adjusted to a new rhythm, forgoing the cycle of the sun in exchange for the comings and goings of the siren. He has a feeling she’s coming back, and when he pushes up onto his elbows, he glimpses something in the water.

“Close your eyes!” Lyx shouts.

He’s tempted to disobey. Now that his strength is returning, he could sit up completely and crawl toward the water. He could see Lyx in all her glory.

But her voice comes sharply again. “I said, close your fucking eyes!”

There’s an edge of panic in her voice. He does as he’s told, but he can’t deny the easy grin when he hears her emerge. Water taps against the rocks, dripping from her body into her footsteps. He waits for her to drop supplies, or chastise him, or grumble about his presence, but she doesn’t do any of that.

Instead, her fingers brush his jaw. Only then does he open his eyes, as surprised by the touch as he is by the softness. He drinks in the sight of her, watching her gaze dart over him like she’s expecting new injuries. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say she looked worried. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

Her body stiffens. She doesn’t answer, but her aura changes as she rifles through the bag on her shoulder. “It’s time to be rid of you.”

By now, her threats have become a comfort, but there’s something different today. A renewed purpose. A furious intention. A resolute rod through her spine.

“If you will it,” Cav murmurs absently, but his eyes are drawn to the fading mark on her hip. “How’s the burn?”

She stops moving. When she turns to face him, her teeth are grit, gaze murky with something Cav can’t quite reach. “Do you not think I’ll do it?” Lyx hisses. “You don’t think I can kill you?”

His mouth hangs open. “I believe you can.”

“But you don’t believe I will.” Her glare stays on him when she stands. She closes the space, wrapping her fingers around his throat to push him back against the wall. His airway tightens, hips bracketed by her knees digging into the dirt on either side. Lyx is panting, but Cav’s breathing keeps a steady pace, even when she clenches her fist around his throat. “Why don’t you fight back?” she snarls.

He wets his lips. “I don’t want to.”

She watches his mouth, her grip wavering before she tightens it again. Her fingers press against his pulse. His head swims, and he shakes — but it’s not him at all. It’s her arms trembling before she jerks them away.

The two of them stay like that, chests rising and falling against each other. Cav has a strange urge to comfort her, to guide her hands back to his neck, but then, she roots inside her bag and shoves a bottle against his chest. “Drink.”

A dark purple liquid sloshes inside. Cav reaches for it, but he doesn’t take it, brushing the inside of her wrist with his fingertips instead. “Pour it for me.”