Dangerous Creatures(70)

“I’ve been trying to tell you.” He looked away. “The complicated side of the story.”

“I’m listening.”

“Little Siren,” Nox said, “I’d give anything in the world to have met you some other way.”

“I know.” She held his hand even more tightly.

He looked at her sadly. “And I would give more than that to change the nightmares that I see coming in your future.”

Ridley’s heart beat faster. “What?”

“You have to remember. Just because I saw it doesn’t mean there’s no hope.” He touched her cheek, suddenly tender.

She pulled away from him. “Nox, what did you see?”

“I saw our future. Mine, and yours.”

“And?” She didn’t know if she wanted to hear anything more, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking.

“And I’m saying there’s still got to be hope for both of us. And for this.” He leaned forward, as if he meant to kiss her.

She held her breath, but it never happened.

Because the Ripping sound came first.

Then came the inevitable crash that followed when furniture met size thirteen Doc Martens.

Wesley Lincoln, one-quarter Incubus and three-quarters heart, stepped out of the wall between the bedroom and the living room. He straightened a painting and pulled his foot out of a wastebasket, but aside from that, even Ridley had to admit his Traveling skills had seriously improved.

His fighting skills, even more so.

Link didn’t waste any time. He barreled right into Nox and pinned him against the wall.

“I didn’t see that one coming,” Nox said, trying to shove him away.

Link wouldn’t budge. “Tell me it’s him and not you, Rid,” he shouted, without taking his eyes off Nox.

Ridley grabbed Link’s arm. “Stop it. What are you doing here?”

“Apparently, trying to kick my ass,” Nox said.

Link turned to look at her. “Someone deserves a beatdown, and I’m really hopin’ it’s him, because I’ve been waitin’ to pound him since the day we got here.”

“Don’t hold back.” Nox closed his eyes. “Go ahead. Take your best shot.”

Ridley tried to pull Link away. “Are you out of your mind?” She yanked as hard as she could, but Link still didn’t budge. “I’m sorry about what happened. I don’t know what I was thinking, but you can’t just come barging in here and threaten me—or him—like that.”

“Actually, he can. And if he won’t, I will.” Floyd stepped into the center of the room, and her hands morphed into brass knuckles. “Illusionist-style. No Mortal rules. And none of that complicated conscience crap.”

She held up her fists.

Nox looked confused. “Take it easy, Fight Club. I’m not going to hurt either one of you.”

Link glared. “No, you’re not. The hurt is only goin’ to go one way around here. Admit what you did, and maybe we can figure this out.”

“What exactly am I admitting?” Nox asked.

Link hesitated, looking from Nox to Ridley. “Necro’s bad. She may not ever come back.”

“What?” Ridley felt her stomach begin to twist. “It’s that bad?”

Link’s face darkened. “Sampson said it was a Siren who messed her up.”

“Link,” Ridley began, shaking her head.

“Don’t tell me it was you, Rid. Tell me he put you up to it.” Link’s eyes were wild and red. “Don’t tell me he used that house marker on you and had you hurt someone.”

Nox and Floyd looked at him. Even Ridley looked surprised by the mention of her Suffer debt.

She shook her head. “Nox? He didn’t put me up to anything.” She touched Link’s arm.

“Really, Rid.” Link sounded desperate now. “Because I know you, right? You’d never actually hurt someone. You just wouldn’t.”

Ridley didn’t know exactly what Link was talking about, but she was pretty sure it was about more than Necro being hurt.

“Listen to me, Link. I didn’t do anything. Not to Necro or anyone else.”

Floyd’s expression hardened.

Link looked so relieved that Ridley thought he was going to hug her. “Good.” His voice wavered. “I believed in you. I stuck up for you.”

“You did?”

“I knew, deep down, all you were was a whole lotta big talk. You never mean to hurt anyone. You’re just one a those sea urchin kind a people. You’ve got spikes, all right, but that’s just because you’re scared a sharks. On the inside, you’re all soft.”

“Or at least, a great home for tiny fish,” Floyd added, irritated. “Can we cut the heart-to-heart and get on with the beatdown part already?”


Instead, Link looked from Nox to Ridley again. “If you didn’t do it, and he didn’t make you do it, then who did? Because Necro’s runnin’ outta time and if we don’t do somethin’, we’ll need a Necromancer to talk to her next.”

“It wasn’t us,” Nox said. The word echoed between them.

Us.

Link looked from Nox to Ridley. “Is that right?”