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Lee drawled, “I can order you around.”

Noah saluted him with a middle finger. “You can try. Let’s see if you get another friendship bracelet from me.”

“Did I ever get a friendship bracelet from you?”

“It was a metaphor.”

“What’s happening?” Cassian asked.

“Lee and Noah are bickering.”

Noah turned his scowl my way. “It’s our love language.” He skewered Ethan with the same look before heaving a dramatic sigh. “Fine. You guys want me to do what again?” He went over to him and waved a hand in front of his face.

I was not not noting that Lee just did the same thing moments ago. Nope. They weren’t still best friends at all.

“What’s the story with this guy?”

Lee gave him a rundown, and Noah’s reaction was to laugh. Loudly. “Honestly? I’m kinda rooting for Red right about now.”

Now I scowled. “Sabine got her idea for snatching my body by watching Red.”

Noah stopped laughing. “Good point.” He regarded Ethan again, frowning. “I don’t know how to do this. He’s a Living. He can’t hear me. He’s not a freak like the two of you.”

Lee picked up a pen and flicked it at Noah’s head. It went through him, hitting Ethan in the forehead instead.

Ethan made a sound, a soft one, and his hand lifted to rub at his forehead.

Noah taunted, “Missed me.”

“Just fucking try something with him. Melbor got him to come here and ring the bell.”

“Who the fuck is Melbor?”

“Landfill ghost.”

I added, “That took him hours, though, assuming he brought him straight to the house when he saw him on the street.”

Lee grunted. “True.” He flashed Noah a mean smile. “Start trying, buddy.”

“I don’t appreciate your use of the word buddy. It doesn’t feel genuine.”

“I’m going to throw another pen and this time I’m going to want it to hit you,” Lee threatened.

“Wait. You can do that?” Cassian asked quickly.

“I can, yeah. I can touch them. Part of my thing.” Which was another reminder of the conversation we needed to be having. He gestured to Ethan, impatiently.

Noah was frowning so fiercely. “I don’t know—” Suddenly he shot his hand out and into Ethan, and a second later we watched as Ethan’s arms lifted up, with Noah’s inside of him like he was a puppet. “This is disturbing. I’m not doing this to get him to shower.”

Lee jerked his chin up. “Talk to him. See if he will respond to a suggestion or order, like his body can sense you, but his mind can’t. That sort of thing.”

Noah growled, but barked out, “Turn!”

Ethan turned an inch.

“Oh whoa.” Cassian’s mouth fell open. “That was abrupt. Was that Noah?”

“Turn!” Noah shouted again.