Page 21 of Of Flame and Fury

Kel and Coup had quickly been ambushed by camera crews. Before either one could utter a word, Bekn had swept them into the house.

Bekn waggled three fingers. “Three rules, and then you both need to charm the pants off those reporters.”

The mitigator spoke to both of them, but his feverish eyes never left Kel. “Don’t insult anyone. Don’t boast about what happened at The Ferret. It was a tragedy and nothing more. And for the love of the Alchemists, don’t let them paint you as children. If they try, end the interview.”

Kel folded her arms. “Why would we talk to them in the first place?”

Bekn raised an incredulous brow. “Because while yesterdaywasa tragedy, something good can come out of this media coverage.Sponsorship.”

“Got it,” Kel grumbled. The words tasted bitter, but if Bekn could find her money for the farm, she’d endure potential sponsors’ scrutiny.

Bekn nodded. “One more thing. You saw how well the media responded to you two working together. Lean into that angle. Pose for photos, compliment each other, do whatever you can to sell the cozy teammates story. They’ll eat it up.”

“Cozy teammates?” Coup laughed before Kel could voice her rage. “You want us to tell them we’re hopelessly in love while we’re at it?”

Kel’s cheeks heated. Publicity was one thing, but she didn’t have a bone in her body capable of feigning affection for Warren Coupers. She was glad to hear he felt the same.

Bekn paused—as ifactuallyconsidering the idea—before shaking his head. “Of course not. Just flatter each other and let the reporters fill in the gaps.”

Kel rubbed her face with her bandaged hands, the pain of last night’s burns helping to clear her mind. They’d hardly merged teams twelve hours ago, and she was already tired of Bekn’s demands. Dira, at least, seemed amused by them.

In a softer tone, Bekn added, “If they see us all getting along, it’ll add a bit of credibility to the Howlers. Especially after all of us have seen some… fluctuation in our teams’ members lately.”

Ice pricked Kel’s arms. Oska’s face flashed through her mind, followed by Rube’s. “I can manage a couple of photos together, but that’s it.”

“Five photos,” Bekn countered. “And three compliments with at least six adjectives.”

Kel narrowed her eyes. “Three photos. One compliment. And only if a reporter prompts it. No adjectives.”

Bekn beamed. “Deal.”

Coup straightened his jacket and turned to Kel. “Ready to act head over heels?”

“You could try loving this a little less,” she muttered.

Coup merely winked.

Bekn hurriedly led Coup and Kel back outside, where they surrendered to the cameras, pushed and pulled like waves in a rip. As the sun idled behind hazy clouds and Kel began craving more painkillers for her hands, she found herself standing opposite a slick-haired woman—Dana from Channel Two, she’d introduced herself as—with a conspiratorial grin.

“Not many people would be brave enough—or possess the knowledge—to do what you and Warren Coupers did. But it seems like you two knew how to work together.” Dana lowered her voice. “Sources tell me the two of you might be teaming up for future CAPR races. Is this true?”

Kel balled her fists. How had Bekn already managed to leak their new team status? Before she could reply, a warm, lean arm draped around Kel’s shoulders. From Kel’s right, two rows of pearly teeth flashed in the reporter’s direction, amber eyes sparkling into the camera.

Coup leaned into Kel’s side. It was the first time she’d been close enough to learn he smelled like riding leathers and mint aftershave.

“Absolutely,” Coup crooned. “I can’t wait to get out on a track and see what kinds of madness we can brew up.”

Kel’s nails dug into her palms, focusing on anything but Coup’s nearness, his camera-ready dimples, as she said, “We’ve got to test the waters first with my phoenix, make sure everyone is comfortable.But unless Savita slices him in half, it seems like we’ll be working together.”

Kel had meant it as a joke—mostly—but alarm flashed across the reporter’s face. “I see. And how’re you feeling about working so closely withCoup?” Her voice softened around Coup’s nickname, as if it was a secret they shared. “He certainly has a unique racing style.”

Kel bit the inside of her cheek. “It’ll be… great. There’s a lotWarrenand I can teach each other.”

That counts as a compliment, right?

“Expect plenty of excitement in the Crimson Howlers’ future,” Coup added. “You have no idea what we have in store.”

Dana let out a chime-like laugh. “I love it. Can we take a couple of pictures of the two of you?”

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