Page 46 of Of Flame and Fury

Coup shifted to trail his fingers along Kel’s arm, down her wrist, before gently lacing their fingers together. He moved slowly, giving Kel plenty of time to shift away. After a moment, he gave her hand a soft squeeze. Her stomach flipped, though she didn’t pull away.

A necessity for the cameras, she told herself.

The reporter’s gaze flickered down. The camerawoman shifted back a step, likely to include a shot of their entwined hands.

“Your last race in Fieror was an incredible watch, but Vohre’s tracks are known to be a little more daunting,” he goaded. “How are you feeling leading up to your first race in our city, Coup?”

Coup’s chin lifted. “I’m hoping Vohre’s tracks live up to their reputation.”

Kel clenched her teeth around a sigh. The reporter turned to Kel. “You must be feeling some unease about watching Coup race, especially considering how inseparable you two have become.”

Kel’s pulse jumped into her throat. She opened her mouth, unsure what words would come out—when Coup squeezed her hand again. Warmth shot up her arm and thawed her muscles. Kel forced a wobbly chuckle. “I’d probably feel less uneasy if he felt a little more.”

The reporter laughed again as Coup added, “I don’t know what I’d do without Kelyn to keep my feet on the ground.”

The reporter continued. “On that note, we have to touch on the rumors that have surrounded your teams’ recent merger. You two certainly seem to be spending a lot of time together.”

Coup flashed Kel a lopsided smile. She knew it wasn’t real, but—Alchemists help her—when he turned that roguish grin on her, butterflies crawled up her stomach.

Coup answered smoothly, “I suppose our team-up is too exciting for viewers to think it’s just professional.”

Kel chimed in, “The team definitely has some explosive chemistry.”Mostly used to scream at each other.“We’ll leave it at that.”

“Could you imagine if wehatedeach other?” Coup made a sound of mock disbelief. “It’d make every day unbearable.”

Kel matched his expression. “Can’t imagine it.”

The reporter continued to spur his own rumors, and Kel kept her eyes on Coup instead of the camera. Eventually, they waved the pair away.

Hands still twined, Kel tugged them toward the aviary ahead, past swarms of silver sprites. Growing squawks filled the air. They paused to spot a yellow-and-bronze harrow phoenix with a bandaged leg and a smaller chick tucked beneath its wing.

Excitement raced through Kel. She’d only seen one or two harrow phoenixes before and never one with such young, pale features. Until the chick reached maturity in a few years, it would remain a glowing cloud of daffodil fluff.

The chick sneezed and stumbled back into a shrub, which it quickly turned to grumble at. Kel giggled. She imagined a young Savita acting similarly.

She felt Coup’s gaze and turned toward him. “What?”

Coup shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without a hint of a frown.”

“Don’t get used to it,” she said lightly.

She soon spotted signage that claimed this aviary as Cristo’s. Kel wondered whether he’d placed an aviary here to garner attention, or whether he truly cared about conservation.

She turned toward Coup. “What do you think of Cristo so far?”

“IstheKelyn Varra—self-proclaimed expert in everything—asking for my opinion?” Coup batted his lashes. “Well, he seems benign, but anyone rich can hire a good mitigator to tell them what to say. Seeming trustworthy isn’t the same as earning trust.”

His words made her think of their own mitigator, and she risked asking, “Speaking of good mitigators… why is ours worried that you think Cristo’s gear makes you unkillable?”

Coup stiffened. “He said that to you?”

Kel tilted her head. “Not in so many words. Why? Is it true?”

“Just when I thought we’d been getting along.” Coup sighed. “It’s none of your business.”

Kel pressed on. “If there’s something that’ll impact your riding ability, or the safety of my phoenix, it is.”

A muscle in Coup’s jaw twitched. “It won’t.”

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