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For the first time since we’d arrived, a new kind of fear trickled down my spine. Some part of me had sort of assumed that if we did end up having to stay here for a long time, Xero would be able to show us the ropes. But if we had been deposited somewhere that was unfamiliar to even him, what chance did we have?
“They should have a cartography class,” Kingston said. “If we’re going to be living here, we should at least know where here is.”
I craned my neck, looking over the wall at the dark, jagged landscape and uneven terrain, at the blackened stone teeth and bubbling rivers of lava. I inhaled deeply, tasting the atmosphere, which had permeated Xero so deeply that I could hardly pinpoint him except by his mark.
“I don’t think we’re in as much danger of turning evil as they say we are,” I murmured, taking another deep breath through my nose.
“Why?” Hannah glanced up at me.
I nodded at Xero. “Because he isn’t heartless. He’s saturated with underworld vibes, but he’s the sweetest person I know.”
“Hey!” Jayce gave me a hurt puppy look.
“One of the sweetest people I know,” I amended with a smile. “No, I think they’re getting ahead of themselves here. We’re going to be okay. And you never know. After a while, this place might actually start to feel normal.”
I didn’t really believe my own words—but as it turned out, I was right.
As we settled into our daily routine over the next month and a half, the novelty and terror of being in the underworld wore off completely. The sun rose and set whenever the hell it wanted to, so we lived by the clock. Certain foods and beverages were hard to come by, so we adjusted to what we had. I, of all people, developed a taste for spiced black tea. It did the job almost as well as coffee, even if the taste took some getting used to.
But getting used to the routine didn’t help my restlessness one bit. I’d taken to wandering the forgotten secret hallways after class just to occupy my mind, but after a month and a half of prowling around the school, I’d found them all. All of them that I could get to anyway. Every sub-basement had been magically sealed with heavy protective wards, which was a move I couldn’t really argue with.
I had also started deliberately practicing my guy-dar. With Xero melting into the atmosphere and Kai closing his feelings off behind a giant wall, I spent entirely too much time feeling lost, unable to reach them with my sense like I was accustomed to. Determined to overcome that untethered sensation, I would go to a private, distant corner of the school and search for them with my feelings alone. Eventually, I got to be really good at it, but once I conquered that challenge, boredom set in again.
“Ugh. What I wouldn’t do for a pint at the pub right now,” I groaned one Friday afternoon.
“Yeah, I could definitely go for some of that crazy music right now.” Jayce looked up with a grin.
He, Kingston, Xero, and I were all hanging out in our secret alcove above the library. I’d pinged Kai—he was nearish, probably in the library downstairs—but he was still avoiding us like we all carried a deadly disease.
“And the dancing.” Xero glanced over at me, his voice wistful as heat flickered in his eyes.
There had been no shortage of sex between us since we’d come to the underworld. Either he or Jayce, or sometimes both, found their way into my bed—or an empty classroom, storage closet, or abandoned stairwell—on a regular basis. But I agreed with him that dancing had been a particularly fun form of foreplay.
“I’d love to get away from the school and nosey teachers for a while,” Kingston said with a heavy sigh.
“I just wish something would happen. I’m so bored I want to crawl out of my own skin.” I scratched absently at my arm until Jayce stopped my hand, resting his larger one over mine.
Maybe it was because I’d just been thinking about sex and had somehow implanted the thought in his brain too, but his pupils were dilated, making the sky-blue of his irises look darker and impossibly beautiful.
“You know… there are ways we could entertain ourselves right here,” he said.
“Oh?” A grin tilted my lips. I might be bored of being stuck in the underworld, but there were some things I’d never get tired of. “Like what?”
He smiled sinfully. “Oh, I have a few thoughts.”
Chapter Seven
“Will this be a private party, or can anyone join?”
Kingston leaned back in his seat, his gaze bouncing back and forth between Jayce and me as we eye-fucked each other so hard it was a good goddamn thing I couldn’t get pregnant.
The warmth that’d been building in my core flared even hotter as I wrenched my attention away from the sexy blond hellhound to the dragon shifter. Kingston and I’d had a hot as fuck moment in the locker room, and once, he’d almost gotten into a four-way with me, Jayce, and Xero before he’d bailed for mysterious reasons. I could tell he was still wary of the bond between us, still hesitant to seal it completely and give in to the pull that drew us together.
But the interest flashing in his eyes was undeniable.
Oh, holy fuck, yes.
“The more the merrier, I say,” I murmured, trying to keep my voice low and seductive instead of squeaking with glee. My clit was aching, and my entire lower body felt flushed and swollen. It took all my willpower not to slip my hand between my legs and get the party started a little early.
