Page 130 of Heimlock

It’s clear the moment he says the words, he regrets them. He rolls his eyes and sighs in resignation when I flash a wicked grin.

“Sometimes I do!”

“They’re very well matched,” Fynn mutters, but I catch him smiling as he takes a sip of his beer.

“Trinte,” Orliana says quietly. “Do you want me to take any of it?”

His gaze flicks to the pendant around her neck, where she stores siphoned emotions. “No. This is my burden to bear. My battle to fight. For better or worse, this has been my life, and it’s my journey to walk.”

“You're more wise than you look,” Fynn says dryly, then looks at me. “I’ll join you in the killing if you want.”

Trinte grunts. “You already tore out his eye. I'll get the rest.”

I laugh. “You did what?!”

Fynn visibly preens. “I plucked it out and stuffed it in a napkin as a gift.”

I’m about to compliment Fynn when Trinte says, “I still have it.”

All three of us whip our heads toward him.

“Excuse you?” I say sharply.

He stares at his beer, like he isn’t admitting to an ornamental eyeball tucked somewhere around her. “Yeah. In the far left kitchen cabinet. Top shelf. I put it in a jar.”

I bolt upright, as does Fynn. We both rush over to the cabinet. I fling it open and Fynn curses. There it is, in a large, clear jar: one big ol’ floating hazel eye staring into nothingness.

Orliana, still at the table, asks, “What did you do with the napkin?”

He sounds so nonchalant when he says, “Threw it away. Smelled weird.”

I spin, grinning from ear to ear. “I think there’s something wrong with me because that is so hot.”

“There’s definitely something wrong with you,” Orliana quips, clearly less enthralled with the revelation. She’s actually turning a pale shade of green.

“I should have taken both,” Fynn mutters.

“Don’t worry, I have it handled on that front,” Trinte assures him with a wry smile. The longer I look at him, all I can think is how much I need him naked right now.

I look at Fynn. “Do you feel better?”

He gives me a startled look. “What?”

Pointing at his brother, I announce, “That one is going to be naked in two minutes. You’re either here or you’re not. But either way, I’m—”

“Okay!” Fynn practically yells, holding his hands up. “Got it. No more details, please.”

Trinte grins wildly at his brother. “You heard the woman. Scram.”

Orliana chuckles and stands. “We’ll leave you to your eyeball foreplay and whatever weird stuff you’re into.”

Trinte and I glance at one another; there’s no telling what kind of weird stuff we’ll be into. Either way, they need to get the fuck out.

I motion for Fynn to move faster. “Okay, thank you for coming over. Great conversation. See you at family dinner where we won’t mention the eyeball around Talia or Joulian.”

Orliana and Trinte hug, holding it a beat longer than normal. I know they built a bond in Slous, and it makes me happy to see him have another person to trust.

Fynn turns to me with a shrewd expression. “You would hurt me for him?”