Page 152 of Boys Who Hunt

Mrrrp.

Silas’s eyes dart down between his legs, where Bagel curls his tail around his calf.

Silas’s eyes grow big, and he takes two steps away to get Bagel to leave, but he keeps sticking to him. “No. No. Get away. Someone, do something.”

Max laughs at him.

“What the fuck are you laughing at?” Silas growls.

“You,” he retorts.

Silas’s eyes narrow. “I’ll kill you.”

“C’mon, you two have been laughing at me for ages because I’m a simp. You can take one for the team.” Max winks.

“Silas …” I mutter, staring at him as he keeps the cat at bay by making weird movements I’ve never seen him make before. “Are you afraid of cats?”

“What?” He stops and stares at me with vicious eyes. “Me? Afraid?” He snorts and pokes at Bagel before picking him up. “Do I fucking look afraid?”

He’s holding Bagel really far away from him even though he’s making air biscuits.

“Meow.”Silas glares at Bagel like his meow summoned a malicious god intent on wreaking havoc on earth.

“Have you ever even touched a cat before?” Heath asks Silas, laughing at him too.

“What am I supposed to do with it?” Silas asks.

I cross my arms. “It? Really?”

“You pet it,” Heath answers.

“Fuck no.” He holds Bagel even farther away like the cat’s cuteness might be contagious.

“You’d better not hurt him,” I warn him.

Silas seems even less amused.

“Let’s just fucking go. More of those fuckers are out there, and I don’t intend to sit around and wait until they come swarming in.” Silas drops Bagel on the floor only to grab me instead.

“Wait—no. Where do you even want to go?”

Where did this sudden need to protect me come from?

“The Skull and Serpent Society,” he grits.

“What?” I jerk free a second time. “No way.”

“You are coming with me,” he says. “I can’t protect you out here.”

“I’m not leaving Cora,” I reply.

His eyes narrow, and his nostrils flare, but I’m not changing my stance. I know they’re coming for us. They made that very clear when they decided to attack me out on the street.

But I would rather die than leave Cora.

“Fine,” he says, licking his lips. “Bring her with you.”

My jaw drops. “What?”