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Senator Reece Whipers’s kidnapping.
Ryker’s “death.”
The Divine One.
The Paragons of Prosperity.
That damn app on Harvey Rollins’s phone, hinting at something more malevolent than we ever could’ve suspected…
“Ellie.” A hand lands on my shoulder, jostling me out of my daze. I don’t jump, however, at the unexpected touch. I would know this man anywhere—from his sweet scent to his smoky, baritone voice that caresses my skin like the whiskers of a paintbrush.
Landon.
I shift the heavy textbooks in my arms and glance at the tall man over my shoulder, offering him a tentative smile. Around us, the halls have emptied out, the rest of the students eager to escape classes for the day. I must’ve been lost in my thoughts longer than I thought.
“Hey,” I murmur as I study him from head to toe.
He wears the standard Grove Academy uniform, but he currently has his tie undone and his blazer sleeves pushed up to his elbows, despite the cold. His brown hair is mussed, and the scruff lining his jawline is even more pronounced, accentuating the harsh lines and angles of his face. What makes Landon even more striking are his eyes—two pools of mercury that gleam silver when the sun hits them just right. Currently, though, they're underscored by dark shadows that mar his skin like purple crescent moons.
I push up on my tiptoes to trace one of those bags, my brows furrowing in concern. “Landon, when did you last sleep?”
Gently—but firmly—Landon grabs my wrist and tugs my hand away from his eye. He presses a gentle kiss to the inside of my palm before releasing me and heaving out a breath. The noise is rife with all the pain and stress that's been percolating inside of him over the last few weeks.
“Pot, meet Kettle.” Landon gives me a wan look as he reaches for my textbooks. A blush rises to the roots of my hair as I allow him to take them from me. I learned long ago to pick my battles when it comes to these men. And carrying my books for me? That’s not a war I’m willing to wage.
The two of us begin to walk once more, exiting the main academic building and stepping outside.
The icy, bitter wind blows my brown curls around my face and stabs at the tip of my nose like a dagger. A thick layer of snow covers the ground and walkways, but at least the sky is clear, a canvas of bright blue broken up here and there by fluffy clouds.
I tug my gray coat tighter around myself as I keep pace with Landon, heading in the direction of his dorm room.
And…sort of…my dorm room too.
Not officially, of course—that isn’t allowed—but with everything that’s going on, I find that I like being near my guys at all times. And they like having me around.
Well, not my guys, necessarily…
Heat momentarily steals the chill from my body as images flash through my head. These are different from the macabre ones from before.
Those gave me nightmares.
These reinvigorate me with life.
Ryker’s heated kiss as he splays me out on top of the grand piano…
Zane’s molten eyes as he steals kiss after kiss behind a bowling alley…
Beckett’s hand in my hair as I take his hard cock into my mouth…
And Dominic’s body moving on top of me, bringing us both to the precipice of pleasure…
I pray Landon doesn’t notice the sudden blush that infuses my cheeks. Or, if he does notice, he’ll attribute it to the cold and not my confusing emotions for five different men.
“I think today’s the day,” Landon says casually, purposely keeping his wording vague, in case anyone overhears or is listening to us intentionally. He nervously clears his throat and quickens his pace, my books not impeding his strides in the slightest.
My heart pounds like a snare drum in my chest, loud enough to drown out every other sound and thought, even the sluicing of blood between my ears. His words almost instantly cause my lust to dampen, extinguishing it like water being thrown over flames.
“Oh?” I don’t allow my surprise to show on my face.
