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Something swelled in my chest, warmth blooming through me. Merrick had changed a hell of a lot since the day I’d first seen him in the hallway at Magic Blessed—the day we’d fucked hard and dirty in a supply closet, working out the metric shit-ton of baggage that had existed between us back then.
Come to think of it, I’d changed a lot since that day too.
I smiled at the blond-haired man. “You’ve got a good heart.” Then I grimaced. “Besides, it’s not like we can hide from them. If we don’t go back, we’ll be in a shitload of trouble. They’ll send Oberon or someone much worse after us, or just suck us right back through a portal.”
Merrick rolled his eyes. “I really hate letting other people control my life. I hated that shit even before we found out that Magic Blessed is a den of fucking lies. So, we’re in, Ari. As deep as this takes you, whatever happens—we’re in.”
Lifting his hands, he cupped
the side of my face. When he kissed me again, the feel of his lips on mine said more than his words ever could.
I wasn’t alone in this.
In anything.
And as long as these three men were still alive, I never would be.
Chapter Three
Just as we’d figured, the school admins somehow knew exactly where we had gone for the summer vacation. We received official notices letting us know where and when to expect our portals, and on the day we were due back on campus, the glowing portals appeared at exactly the designated time.
Right before we stepped through, the men and I all shared a glance, not speaking any words but saying plenty.
We were about to embark on something big.
Something dangerous as fuck.
And as soon as we were back on school grounds, we had to act like everything was fine.
The whirling vortex of the ether sucked me in, and I stumbled a little as I landed in the portal room at Magic Blessed Academy. I regained my balance and glanced around as the men all emerged from their portals too. Maybe it was because I’d been traveling back and forth between realms on my own so much this summer, but traveling through a portal someone else had created felt strange to me now.
I didn’t voice that thought to the guys as we all walked out of the portal room, glancing around. The hustle and bustle of returning students filled the hallway, and I didn’t want to risk anyone overhearing me. No one was supposed to know I could go to the godly realm on my own now.
Lach’s gaze slid sideways, his green eyes sharp and assessing. I knew I was looking around the same way. This place had never exactly seemed cozy and welcoming, but now it felt downright ominous.
Poisonous. Full of secrets.
With everything that had happened, I couldn’t help but wonder who here might be on my side, and who might be against me. There were the obvious choices—yeah, I’m lookin’ at you, Wesley—but I wasn’t worried about the obvious ones. I was more concerned about the ones that we didn’t see coming.
Mustering up my courage, I nodded to the guys and headed for my dorm room. The more inconspicuous I made myself, the better. I had plans to go after the gods themselves this semester, but until that moment came, my best bet was to stay off the radar.
I wanted to be the threat the gods didn’t see coming.
Back in my dorm room, I did a small sweep just to make sure there were no obvious signs of someone spying on me, then unpacked and organized my things in the dresser and closet. The medal I had been given for winning the Gods’ Challenge my first semester was still tucked in the back of a dresser drawer, underneath some clothes I’d left in my dorm over summer break.
I didn’t look at it as I shoved the rest of my clothes in the drawer, but I swore I could feel it there anyway, as if it were giving off a heat signature or something.
Sleep didn’t come easy that night, and the next morning I was up before my alarm went off. I trekked down to the cafeteria early and sat by myself, eating a bowl of cereal, watching the students trickle in and hoping I didn’t have to deal with anything.
As I poked my spoon around in my bowl, a familiar voice rang out across the cafeteria.
“Aria!”
Eden raced across the room toward me, her eyes lighting up. Without even waiting for me to stand up, she threw her arms around me. I twisted in my seat and patted her back awkwardly. The sweet, bubbly girl with the button nose and gray eyes was much more comfortable with overt displays of affection than I was, but she truly had become one of my best friends.
When she finally released me from her surprisingly bone-crushing hug, she pulled back and made a face at me. “I can’t believe you beat me down here! I went up to your room, but you weren’t there. Come on! It’s been all summer, and you can’t even let me be your wake-up call for breakfast?”
Her voice was teasing, but there was a little hint of actual hurt in her eyes. Fuck. It had been kind of an asshole move not to find her and say hi after the guys and I had gotten to school yesterday. But I’d been so in my head, so absorbed in the thoughts and plans and dozens of “what ifs” floating around in my mind—I hadn’t wanted to see anyone.
