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Finally, she turned to me, her amber eyes shining. “Do you think Toland knows how we got here?”
I shook my head. “I’m not even sure how we got here. And I never got a chance to tell Toland anything before we were sent to our rooms yesterday.”
The school had been placed on lockdown as soon as the admins and staff had realized where we were. We had all been sent to our rooms and told to remain there until morning, when we’d have an assembly to address this new development.
A knock sounded on the door. Confused, I glanced up at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see that it read 8:50. Dawn had just broken, but I guessed time worked differently here.
“Come in,” I called.
Jayce and Kingston entered the room, which didn’t surprise me one bit. I’d known who it was even before I saw them; I could sense each man like I was a radar attuned to their energy, just as I could sense my other two bonded mates. Kai was lurking down the hall somewhere, close by but also a bit removed as usual. Xero was more difficult to feel. His particular vibe had been obscured for me since the moment we’d come to this place.
I narrowed my eyes as I looked the two men over. Jayce’s blond hair was a mess, and his cobalt eyes were bloodshot and dull. His posture, usually so relaxed, was tense.
“You look like hell,” I said.
“Thanks, you too.” He paused for a moment, then his eyes widened. “I didn’t mean that…”
“I know.” I waved his half-formed apology away with a smile. “Don’t worry about it. We’re all a little fucked up this morning. Well, except for you.” I turned my attention to Kingston, who looked like he had just spent a day at the spa instead of killing a rock monster downstairs.
His dark hair was perfectly combed and his emerald eyes were clear. Where Jayce had clearly been awake all night, Kingston must have slept like a baby.
“What’s up with you?” I frowned, squinting at him. “You look almost cheerful. It’s obscene.”
Kingston shrugged. “Is being trapped in the underworld really that much different from being trapped at the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere?”
Hannah squeaked in dismay and gestured at the window. “Look at that! Do you see where we are?”
Kingston looked out the window and nodded, lifting his eyebrows slightly. “Nice view. Lucky. My window faces a rock wall. Seriously though, tell me one thing about this that’s different from what we were doing before.”
Hannah’s honey eyes bulged. She leapt off the bed, golden hair flying behind her. “Well, for one thing, we’re in the goddamned underworld!”
I rose from the bed and put an arm around Hannah’s shoulders. “It’s all right, babes. Remember, he’s a reptile.” I stuck my tongue out at Kingston.
He winked at me, his eyes glinting with a hint of something sinful. “Careful where you point that thing.”
“Oh, shut up. Get out, both of you, so we can get dressed. We’ll meet you outside.”
I squeezed Jayce’s shoulder as he turned to leave. Poor guy seemed stunned. I hoped Kingston’s blasé attitude would rub off on him, at least a little bit. I didn’t want to admit it, but I sort of agreed with the dragon shifter. Sure, the landscape was scary as fuck, and we could be beset by demons at any minute. But Mönkh Saridag was also scary, and the fallen had been getting increasingly bold back on earth. Our sudden transplant did nothing but put us behind enemy lines, and so far, they hadn’t seemed to notice. Maybe we could use that to our advantage.
Once Hannah and I were dressed, we joined the guys. I was still having trouble feeling Xero—it was like he was all around me and nowhere all at once. My stomach twisted a little as it occurred to me that his time in the underworld may have changed him more than he thought it had.
“Has anybody seen Xero or Kai?” I asked the guys as we headed down the hallway.
“Kai’s doing his usual lurking thing by the stairs,” Jayce said. “He’s getting all weird again.”
“Haven’t seen Xero,” Kingston added. “I don’t think he left his room though. He’s right down the hall from me, so I think I would’ve noticed if he had.”
“I’m going to go get him. I’ll meet you guys downstairs.”
“Remember to go straight to the auditorium,” Kingston reminded me. “No breakfast until after, they said.”
Hannah shivered. “Ugh. I couldn’t even eat at a time like this.”
I could have. I was starving. We’d skipped dinner the night before, and I’d burned off breakfast and lunch kicking Owen’s ass. I put the thought of food out of my mind as I split off from the others and headed to the wing of the large building where Xero’s dorm room was located. It took me several minutes to get there, and as I walked down the hallway toward Xero’s room, I reached out with my mind, hoping to feel him at any second.
Slowly, like a ribbon of oil snaking along the surface of a murky pond, his signature met my senses. He was in his room, but I couldn’t get so much as a hint at what he was feeling.
Guess I’ll have to do it the old fashioned way.
