A Touch Menacing by Leah Clifford

tight. She swallowed her gasp of pain. Gabe had told her tales of Luke’s wrath, what he was capable of when denied. She couldn’t set Kristen up to be a victim. Even if it meant facing his anger herself. “Luke, I can’t—”
    “Shhh,” he whispered in her ear. She heard amusement in his tone. “You’re overreacting. Kristen will not be harmed at the ball. You have my word. I just need you to ease our entry.”
    Knowing he never bothered with outright lies did nothing to quell her unease. She shook her head. “Crash it if you have to. I can’t stop you. I want no part in whatever you’re plotting.”
    “That is disappointing.” He released her. She winced away, but he only opened the door to the jewelry store. Holding it ajar, he gave her an expectant look. When she didn’t move, he rested his hand on the small of her back. “Give me a chance to change your mind.”
    The slight pressure of his fingers pushed her through the door, across the store, and to the counter.
    “Can I trouble you?”
    The salesgirl glanced up at Luke’s voice, then did a double take. She rushed toward them, practically tripping over herself. “Is there something I can get for you and your . . .” Her gaze flitted over Madeline, then slipped to Luke’s arm around her. “Sister?”
    Madeline snorted. The girl blushed fiercely. When Luke wasn’t busy with devilish plots, he channeled his charisma and swoon worthy vocal skills into fronting his band. A band this girl clearly knew.
    “There’s a beautiful display of emeralds in your window there,” Luke said, pointing with his free hand. “If you’d be so kind as to bring the earrings?”
    As soon as the girl scurried off to retrieve them, Luke leaned in close to Madeline. “The Bound see the Siders as pathless, uncontrollable. Not only out of Upstairs influence, but through Touch, able to loosen any hold the Bound have on mortal souls. You’re their worst fear come to pass. To the Fallen, though, that chaos is very attractive. And every day, there are more Siders.” He leaned an elbow against the glass counter. “Can you imagine a world comprised only of the Pathless? Immortal and gone wild with no fear of punishment? To me, it sounds delightful.”
    When the salesclerk returned, he held out his hand for the earrings before waving the disappointed girl away. “You’re smart, Madeline. More clever than you let the others see. You must know the Siders can’t face the Bound on their own. At this ball, not only will the Siders be together, they’ll be willing to listen. I’ll have a chance to explain that the Fallen are not to be feared by your kind. Our goal is the same. The Siders’ survival. A new world.” His grin widened. “A devil’s playground.”
    “And all your protection will cost us is Kristen?” she snapped sarcastically.
    Instead of arguing, he went for her hand, gently working open her fingers. “Kristen will come to no harm,” he repeated. “I just need her in a position of surprise. If she’s given time to, she’ll argue.” He dropped the emerald studs into Madeline’s palm. After a moment, he raised an eyebrow and gestured to her ear. “Let’s see how they look.”
    Madeline fingered the emeralds. Finally, she put them on. “Well?”
    Luke took her chin in his fingers, tipping her head first one way, then the other. “They were meant for you,” he said as he handed over a card to pay.
    “If it goes bad, I can’t have this traced back to me,” she said quietly as she stared into the mirror on the counter. “Despite your bribery.”
    “Merely a gift,” Luke said as she regarded him in the reflection. “To remind you how kind I can be to my friends.”
    She tapped a finger against the counter, not missing his threat. If she turned him down, chances were he’d approach the other leaders. She’d be left alone against both the Bound and the Fallen. Or worse.
    “I get Kristen to have a masked ball,” she said. “That’s it?”
    He