Normally, I'd take forty uninterrupted minutes without Rex driving me fucking insane as a blessing. But this is so much worse than even when he's quiet.
Aggressive Rex, I can handle.
Deflect, match energy, keep my knife handy.
This Rex scares me.
Definitely not taking the cuffs off anytime soon, that's for sure. I'm not letting him out of my sight. Hope he's ready for me to be a grade-A clinger the entire time we're at Jamie and Orion's tower. He tried to come alone, but I said no. He didn't push it.
Which is… not great, honestly.
The familiar tower appears through the trees. Rex pulls into the muddy clearing and kills the engine.
He just… sits there.
"We going in, or are you planning to haunt the car?" I ask with a grin, hoping forsomekind of reaction.
His jaw flexes. That's it.
"Rex."
Nothing.
I unbuckle my seatbelt and push the door open.Fuck, it's freezing out. I yank my rabbit ear hood up and make a break forthe tower entrance. Or try to. The chain yanks taut and I stumble back a step.
Rex hasn't unbuckled yet.
I throw my head back with a loud growl and stare up at the uncaring gray sky. "Sometime today," I say through the rain.
Rex finally gets out of the car, which means he has to climb over the center console again, just like when we got in. Normally, I'd think the whole thing was funny—Rex with his long legs, unfolding himself like origami while attached to me with fuzzy handcuffs—but right now I'm too fucking soaked and stressed to think anything is funny at all.
Rex moves like a man walking to his own execution. I match his pace because I literally have no choice, the chain swinging between us as my boots find every puddle between the car and the door.
Jamie's already at the door, bouncing on his toes in a moss green cardigan with tiny embroidered bees on the pockets. Actually, scratch that. Tiny embroidered beesall overthe cardigan. His face lights up the second he spots me.
"Bells!" He hauls me inside. "You're drenched! I told Rex to bring an umbrella. Did he bring an umbrella? He never does."
"Jamie. Has Rex ever struck you as an umbrella person?"
"Fair point." He peers past me. "Oooh! He lookscheerfultoday."
"He's been like this all morning."
The sunshine dims for half a second. Jamie glances at me.
"Got it," he says. "I'll, um. I'll make tea."
He disappears up the staircase. I drip on the stone floor, listening to Rex's boots behind me. He steps through the door trailing water like a sea ghost.
"Jamie's making tea," I offer.
He moves past me toward the stairs.
Great.
I follow him up, the worn stone steps slippery under my wet boots. Rex takes them two at a time and the chain drags me along. I have to half-jog to keep up because the height difference between us isstupid.
Then my boot hits a wet patch.