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“All of them valid,” Justine backs the smarty-pants up. “You better start talking.”
At this point Mel isn’t even blinking anymore, she’s riveted.
I clear my throat and fix my skirt, buying myself time to come up with something to say because the truth is too fuzzy even for me. But then Carlton Wilde and Damon Saevage appear, trays in hand.
Annie’s back snaps straight when Carlton stops by our table. Whenever the mountain man graces us with his presence, he sucks all of her attention to him, to the point where she stares with an open mouth. She doesn’t even try to hide her fascination, which I think makes him a little uncomfortable. As big as he is, sporting all of those tattoos and that indestructible face, he averts his eyes.
I clear my throat again, this time to hold back a chuckle. What a pair they would make.
Nobody wants to start talking first, probably because nobody knows what to say, least of all me. Conversation flows smoothly at this table only when Sade and Justine are present. They are the elements holding our unusual group together.
Now we have only her to ease things up.
But luckily Sade makes his appearance a few minutes later. A happy smile lights up Justine’s face, peeling her attention away from everyone else.
“Back from paradise and yet not back from paradise,” Carlton grumbles under his breath. “You need to get your feet back on the ground, dude. Hell is a cold place without you.”
He makes room for Sade to slide in next to Justine on the other side. He wraps one big arm around Justine and presses his lips to hers. The gesture is charged with lust even though I’m pretty sure they made love this morning, and she melts into him as if she wants to absorb him through all her pores. Judging by his soft groan he’s never going to get enough of her, and I know her well enough to confidently say she’s going to remain besotted with him forever.
I force myself to stop staring, but they’re compelling to look at and, after last night, it’s hard to ignore my own cravings. For a moment there I wish this were Micah and I, but I shove that thought out of my mind in a split second because it’s fucking preposterous.
“You don’t need me back in hell,” Sade mutters when he finally peels his lips off Justine’s, but not his eyes. “You and Mr. Grumpy here have the killer vibes and brooding darkness all covered.”
“Still, mayhem isn’t as much fun without you,” Damon Saevage offers calmly, not a hint of inflection in his voice.
I take the moment to assess him from the corner of my eye, since I haven’t gotten the chance to size him up properly before. There’s something about his lean but obviously strong frame that speaks of an assassin. Also, his voice is much deeper than you’d expect from his pretty face. I’ve noticed that people gasp on the rare occasions when they hear it, his voice being so at odds with his hell-prince looks.
“Let’s just say we’re always happy to know we can rely on you,” Carlton says, his tone serious, his eyes fixed on Sade. “And namely with your faculties in place. I don’t mean to burst your love bubble, but we’ve got some ugly shit going on here.” He arches a scarred eyebrow. “Shit we need to talk about in private.”
“I hope this isn’t about your cousin Gertrude again.” The voice saying those words has me stiffening in place. How didn’t I see him coming? The rumors about the man’s stealthing abilities are obviously true, because one moment he’s nowhere in sight, and the next, he’s dropping right next to me on the semi-circular couch.
Heat shoots up my neck, and I can’t help but rub at it. It’s getting crowded here.
“That deceiving wench should be glad she got away with a bruised ego instead of her entire immaculate reputation torn to pieces.” Micah’s leather-clad arm lands on the back of my seat, way too close to me. “I know guys who would have done much worse than me. Like, for example, let me think—you. We all know how you love those hardcore group chats. Can you tell me that video of her with cum in her mouth wouldn’t have landed in one of those?” He wiggles his eyebrows at Carlton, who stares back with deadly calm. His muscles bulge even more, causing his hoodie to mold to them. I’m sure he’d punch Micah in the face if he had his way, but Kings aren’t allowed to fight each other without serious grounds, and whatever beef they have, they need to take it to the Elders first.
“This isn’t about Gertrude,” the mountain man finally says through his teeth, his dark blue eyes seething. Annie trails her finger in the air along his triceps, not touching him but hissing as if the hardness of his muscles were searing her fingertip. It’s incredible how she can be so oblivious to the tension at the table. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he put some kind of spell on her.
“It’s about the Morningstars.”
Silence spreads at the table like the wave after a bomb goes off, and the ringing in my ears grows louder. Micah notices the stiffening in my shoulders, because his arm drops from the back of my seat, wrapping around them.
I stop breathing. What the hell is happening here?
“You’re right,” Micah says, all the mockery gone from his voice. “We better talk about this in private.”
Carlton cocks his scarred eyebrow. He isn’t looking at the openly drooling Annie, but something tells me he’s very much aware of her.
“Now,” he states.
Sade and Micah exchange a glance before the older brother nods and says, “Let’s go.” He plants a kiss on Justine’s lips, but Micah’s hold on me tightens.
“Wait. I have an announcement to make first. It’s important.” He rests back against the seat, his jacket opening to reveal a dark shirt underneath, clinging to the iron contours of his sinews. I lick my lips as he crams me between his body and Justine’s. “Good old daddy is hosting an event at the mansion in a few weeks, and I won’t be going with the lady the Elders have arranged for me to marry. So make sure your official girlfriends aren’t coming either. Better yet, bring your side-chicks—everyone but big bro, of course. Him and Justine are already set in stone. But the rest of us, if we want to bring Romano down, disrespecting him seems like a fabulous first step, wouldn’t you think?”
I glance at Sade for a hint of what this means. I find him inspecting his brother with a frown, as if he’s not sure what to make of it. Micah grins as he lets his eyes sweep over the cafeteria, making me aware of the outside world again.
The usual clamor and commotion has faded, and I could swear that every person here is aware of us, even those who pretend to be busy with their gadgets, books, or talking to other people.
“What the hell are you doing?” I say under my breath.
