She played it off as what they’d just shared—which wasn’t hard, with the ache between her thighs and the lingering haze in her mind.
Cyrus leaned into her and grabbed the side of her face, kissing her until she was out of breath. "I love you," he whispered against her lips, before he pulled away. It was as much of an assurance as she’d ever get from him. Somehow, it was enough.
"How long were you watching by the way?" she asked, still dazed.
Cyrus just laughed. "Ask your doctor, he saw me come in."
Rin swung her head around to Lucien, whose jaw tightened as Cyrus nearly skipped out of the pool room—to go shower, she guessed.
"That damned incubus—" Lucien held up a finger to Rin, and she couldn’t help it—never could when it came to him—she bitthe tip. His finger in her mouth, and his come dripping down her wet thighs beneath the towel, her traitorous, greedy body was already wanting again. "I wanted to see how he has been treating you. If it’s how you deserve."
His finger slid free as she spoke.
"And?" she prodded softly. "Was it up to your standards?"
Lucien sighed. "He’s not… bad for you. He was much softer than I ever assumed an incubus could be. You deserve to be treated sweetly."
Warmth pooled within her at the words, at his approval. She wanted them to get along, she realized—her five Soulbonds. For just tonight, she could be selfish, even knowing that by morning, her desires wouldn’t be sated. It was like her inherent state around the five men tied to her Soul was that of greed. Nothing was ever enough.
"That makes me happy. I’m going to go shower now." Rin’s hands tightened around the edge of the towel tucked beneath her arms.
Lucien settled a hand atop her head, fingers massaging her wet locks. "You can come with me, let me wash your hair and body."
Rin melted beneath his touch. It was tempting but… "We both know if we get in the shower together, there’ll be no washing anything. You’ve been working hard at the hospital. We both need rest. I’ll stay here tonight. I’ll message Xara and tell her I had an overnight mission…" she said absently. "After our showers, I’ll come to you. We can stay in one of the guest rooms together. It’s been a while since I fell asleep in your arms." She pushed up on her tiptoes, and he had to lean down far once he saw what she wanted: a kiss.
She pressed her lips to his, mumbling against them, "Besides, I have to keep true to my word, don’t I? I’m your nightmare relief."
"I’ll be waiting for you."
With that shared promise, she pushed him away and walked to the door, feeling a twinge between her thighs and a warning flutter in her chest.
The other showerswere occupied by Cyrus and Lucien, so Rin hesitated outside the door to Rhyden’s room.
It was as if she expected him to appear any moment. The halls were wide and grand, with marble floors and marble statues, serving as a base for potted plants. It wasn’t what she’d expected from the vampire, after seeing his ascetic base. Maybe she’d gotten him wrong. She just couldn’t see him with such light-colored paint or greenery. It was like he’d simply stepped into a place someone else had decorated. Perhaps he’d hired an interior decorator. That thought made her huff a laugh.
Rin was being ridiculous, just standing here. She pushed open the door.
The first thing she saw was the wide windows. The curtains were shoved back, and moonlight settled heavily over the cityscape, falling onto the marble floors beneath her bare feet.
The second thing she saw?—
It took her a moment to realize… because that couldn’t possibly be there, right? She was mistaken.
Rin tiptoed closer, and her eyes only grew wider.
Surveillance equipment was set up at the window. It was black, sleek—a model she was familiar with. She’d studied it in her preliminary Hunter training. It was used to safely watch Rogues from a far distance.
A long-range holo-sight.
She ignored the bed behind her and its soft, cloud-like appearance; she ignored the lack of anything personal decorating the gilded dresser; and she ignored the bathroomdoor near the settee, which was the whole reason she’d come into Rhyden’s room in the first place: to use his shower.
Rin pressed her palms to the window, her breath fogging it, as she kept her elbows pinned to her chest to keep the towel in place.
The Academy gates were below. The scenery was familiar to her, yet odd from this angle. She was used to standing on the other side.
Breathing heavily, Rin leaned down and pressed her right eye to the sight—and saw her dorm room. The lights were off, but the color corrector on the holo-sight was made to see in even the darkest of places. Her bed was slightly unmade, the sheets rumpled as she’d not had time to smooth them out this morning.
She moved the sight to the side, and it lined up perfectly with the window in the small living space she and Xara shared. She could even see the kitchen from here.
