Page 26 of Demon’s Snack
I move closer.
“Corin.”
“Give me a second.”
“I am.”
“I mean a quiet second, not an analytical one.”
“I can attempt both.”
His laugh comes out strained. “Can you?”
“No.”
“Didn’t think so.”
I stand beside him rather than in front of him, choosing the angle deliberately. Less confrontation. Less demand. His aura still flares in uneven pulses, but the worst of it has passed. The hunger recedes from the courtyard like a tide drawn back by force, leaving heat and shame behind.
“You did not hurt him,” I say.
“Don’t give me too much credit. I thought about it.”
“Thoughts are not actions.”
“They can become actions pretty damn fast.”
“Yours did not.”
He finally looks at me, and the vulnerability in his expression gets to me. “Because you stepped between us.”
“Yes.”
“That was stupid.”
“That was calculated.”
“It was stupidly calculated.”
“He insulted me to provoke you.”
“I noticed.”
“Your hunger responded to the insult only after it carried threat.”
His brows draw together. “You were analyzing that while he was being an ass?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a little terrifying.”
“Thank you.”
“Not sure I meant it as praise.”
“I chose to receive it that way.”
His breathing begins to steady. The steam beneath his hands thins and disappears. Around us, the courtyard resumes its ordinary rhythm, though a few people still glance our way before deciding not to invite trouble.
