Chapter 16Arik
“Do you need to sit down?”
Blaze’s voice was remarkably calm, and Arik caught his gaze and held it. Arik opened his mouth, tried to force his tongue into motion, and succeeded, mostly, with a choked, “No.”
Whether Blaze winced at the pitch of Arik’s voice or at the expression on Arik’s face, Arik didn’t care to take a guess.
Just a game, right? Just a trick of his mind, wasn’t it? Psychosomatic, if I recall—
“Maybe you should sit down.”
Blaze stepped forward, reached out, and Arik couldn’t stop his body from flinching away from the touch. The look that darkened Blaze’s face twisted through Arik’s guts as if it was a tangible thing—a snake. With hooked fangs. On fire.
“I’m fine.” Arik tried not to speak through his teeth. He attempted a smile in order to loosen the cla
