My stomach dropped a little. The kiss in the prep room before the match had been impulsive and probably stupid. The way Noel had kissed back, all that fire she kept buried under layers of pride and planning, had been the opposite of stupid. It had been dangerous.
And I wanted more.
"What am I supposed to tell her?" I asked.
"The truth." Cheon sat down with her own plate, arranging her food into sections that didn't touch. "She already knows about the drain. She felt it herself."
"She thinks it manipulated her."
"Then prove it didn't." Mera stole another piece of my bacon. "Kiss her again. See if she stops you."
"That's a terrible plan."
"That's the only plan." Mera grinned, sharp and knowing. "Short Stack wants you. She just hates wanting you. So you make her want it more until she stops fighting."
Cheon made a disapproving noise. "That's coercion."
"That's seduction." Mera's tail flicked dismissively. "There's a difference."
"Ethically questionable at best."
