“Yes?”
But Danny couldn’t speak, and in the silence his mouth was covered by Harland’s. He inhaled through his nose, remembering the way Barnaby had kissed him, soft and uncertain. Harland was a boy who knew what he was about.
He pressed Danny against the wall. Danny made a muffled noise, surprising himself. It felt nice, the chill replaced with welcome warmth. Danny closed his eyes, forgetting where he was.
The thunderous clang of tower bells struck the air.
Breaking open the night.
Danny’s eyes flew open. He tried to squirm out of his hold, but Harland was determined. Danny grunted in annoyance as Harland parted his lips with an insistent tongue.
He did the only thing he could think of: he bit down.
Harland yelped and backed away, stumbling from the shadows into the moonlight. He touched his tongue to see if he was bleeding, then glared at Danny.
“What was that for?”
Danny fought for air. “You’ve got the wrong idea.”
“You were just kissing me.”
“That was a mistake.”
“What, don’t like blokes?”
“No, I—I have someone else.”
“Then why did you lead me on just now?”
“I didn’t. You assumed.”
They stared at each other. Then Harland stood straighter, pulled on his shirt, and ran a hand through his hair. “So it is the clock,” he muttered. “You’re in love with that old thing.”
“Don’t talk about it that way,” Danny snapped, then bit his lips.
Harland’s eyes widened. “I was joking. Are you in love with the clock?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard about Maldon.” Danny flinched. “Can’t blame me for wondering.”
“I work a lot. I need to distract myself from other things, so I work a lot. That’s all it is.”
Danny held his breath in the new silence. Finally, Harland looked down.
“Fine. Forget this happened.”
Danny watched him walk away. He didn’t know what to feel: embarrassment, anger, or regret.
You’ve heard about Maldon.
Danny walked back to his auto. He stared at Colton Tower and thought he could see someone in one of the small windows. Danny wanted to go to him, and at the same time, he wanted to drive away as fast as he could.
His lips still warm from Harland’s kiss, he got in his auto and drove back to London.
Danny didn’t know what to expect when he drove to Enfield two days later. He hadn’t been able to think of anything besides Colton, Lucas, and the destroyed Maldon tower—unless that thing happened to be Harland.
He didn’t want Harland. That wasn’t the issue. But with that small interaction, Danny had once again been reminded of his stupidity. A relationship with a clock spirit was dangerous. What did he think would happen? That he could live his life with a spirit for a lover and never tell anyone? What sort of life would that be?
Matthias’s life, he answered grimly. And look how that turned out.
Danny sighed and parked the auto. The town was quiet today. Hardly anyone was outside.
When Colton laughed, the tower was bright and hummed with power. Now it felt cold and barren. Danny shivered as he climbed the stairs, dread deepening with each foot’s landing. By the time he reached the clock room, he had prepared himself for the worst.
“Colton?”
He took off his coat and turned. Colton sat on a box, staring at him, bereft of his normal smile. For the first time that Danny could remember, Colton’s face was perfectly blank. It scared him.
“What are you doing here?” Colton asked. His voice was flat.
Danny fiddled with the chain of his timepiece. “What do you mean? Of course I came.”
Colton glanced at the clock face. “The tower doesn’t need repairing.”
The chill in the room intensified. Danny was sure he wasn’t imagining it. “Don’t you want me here?”
“Is that the only reason you came?”
Danny took a few steps forward. He didn’t like the distance between their bodies. “No. I wanted to see you. Did you …” Heat crawled across his face, almost painful against the cold room. “Did you, um, see what happened with Harland?”
Colton’s eyes hardened. The tick of the clock grew louder.
“That didn’t mean anything. He had the wrong idea. I don’t come to Enfield to be with Harland, I come here to be with you.”
“But you said—” Colton clenched his jaw and his fists. “You still kissed him. I saw you. You liked it, too.”
Guilt hooked Danny’s navel and pulled. “All right, maybe I did, but I’d had a few drinks and—”
“You kissed him and said you don’t care about the clock tower.”
“What?” Danny almost wanted to laugh. “That wasn’t what I—”
Colton winked out of view. He winked back so close that Danny could see the hurt in his eyes. Danny made an effort not to take a step back.
“Tell me the truth,” Colton demanded. “Would you rather be with him? Another human?”
“No! It’s not like that at all.”