by Evie Wilde
“Last year when he and Challis attacked the campus, Edius came face to face with Ruby. He was close enough to touch her. But he flew away. I don’t understand why and, in fact, I had forgotten all about it. Why would he have let her go when he was targeting everyone else? None of what is happening makes any sense. What’s his end game?”
Nicolette ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. “He’s using her as leverage for something. We have to figure out what that something is.”
“I think he’s toying with us. Waiting to see if we’ll come after her.” I rubbed my face and followed Nicolette’s yawn with my own. “We have to be calculating in our future moves and try to stay a step ahead of him.”
“He knows we will go after her,” Nicolette said and patted my knee. “And I do mean we. I know I’ll never be part of your inner circle, and I’m okay with that, but Ruby was my friend as well. I love her like a sister. She helped me when I got here. She taught me how to get along with people and accept not everyone was like me. I want to help find her and stop all this.”
“I’m glad to have your help.” I thought about the guys for a moment, wondering what I would do without them. So many people had pitched in to help out. But I also worried about Nicolette being alone. “So, you seeing anyone on campus?”
Nicolette looked at me with surprise on her face. “Nosey much?”
“I could see the glimmer in your eyes when I asked.” I faced her and smiled. “Out with it.”
Nicolette laughed. “Okay, okay.” She gazed toward the faculty building, and I knew immediately. “He’s one of the faculty members. A younger guy. Teaches a class called The Ancients. He’s interesting as hell.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, that’s why nobody knows yet.”
“Sleeping with him?” I asked.
“Hell yeah.” A huge smile crossed her face. “He’s fucking amazing in bed. His intellect is nothing compared to his sexual prowess. You name it, and we’ve probably done it.”
“When you going to let the cat out of the bag?”
Nicolette shrugged and then nodded at the students coming out of the infirmary. “They’re happy the spell on Aurelius worked. You guys figure out why?”
“Nobody knows, but shortly after we left Aurelius’ office students began exiting the dorms and infirmary. Not all of them, unfortunately. The academy is going to have trouble recruiting and keeping students if this isn't fixed soon.”
“There’s still one person who has yet to show his face,” Nicolette said. “And that’s a major problem.”
“The headmaster.” I said it with so much disgust that Nicolette made a quiet oh sound. “I blame him for a lot of this.” I watched from across the courtyard as several students left the dorms with suitcases and bags in hand. “But I don’t blame them for leaving.”
“You guys tried for weeks to reverse the spell. What changed all of a sudden?” A younger student passed us, pulling a suitcase. She said goodbye to Nicolette but ignored me. Once again everything was my fault. Months ago, I would have agreed with the girl. But I now knew there was some underlying cause for all that was going on. I was only a single piece to a thousand-piece puzzle.
“For some reason, Kyler decided to try to help. We couldn’t have done it without him.” I watched another student walk toward the front gates, a bag in each of his hands.
“Why did he change his mind and decide to help?” Nicolette asked.
I’d been wondering the same damn thing. What changed his mind? “You know where he is by any chance?”
“I think he went back to his room with the other guys.” Nicolette stood. “The cafeteria is finally open at about half the staff. I’ve got the munchies. You’re free to join me.”
“I think I’m going to the room to chat with Kyler. See if I can figure out what changed and if things have changed how we can keep them that way.” I stood and gave Nicolette a hug. “Watch your ass.”
“I’m a big girl,” she said. “People tend not to mess with me.”
When I got to Kyler’s dorm room, I could smell food cooking. He’d obviously found a new hobby. But when I entered the room the roles had been switched up a little. Kyler sat comfortably in a recliner, reading a book, while the other guys slaved away in the kitchen. As I watched them work, I wasn’t sure I wanted to eat whatever it was they were cooking. Braeden had some decent cooking skills, but the other two needed work.
Kyler looked at me as if he’d been waiting for me to show up. “You doing okay?” he asked. “You look a little tired. Have a busy day?” The others ignored us, which I was grateful for.
“Yeah, a bit drained, but other than that, I’m good. I think the whole thing was more mentally draining than physical.” My eyes dropped to his chest and his shirt that was unbuttoned almost to his stomach, his hard abs clearly visible. He noticed me looking and smiled before his eyes traveled over my body. It had been a while since the two of us made love, a fact we both needed to change. He loved blue jeans and wore them every chance he got. He also wore them tight, so when he was hard, I knew it.
Kyler put aside the book he was reading and patted his lap, offering me a seat. I looked back at the other guys who were still keeping busy. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I'm definitely not afraid.” I stared at his lap and noticed what was happening, my breath catching in my throat. Despite all that I didn’t understand about him, I was still drawn to him. The understanding no longer mattered. I missed him, missed his touch. Missed lying in bed next to him and looking into his dreamy, often distant eyes. I sat on his lap with my legs hanging over the side, kicking off my shoes. His hardness pressed against my ass, my thin yoga pants the only thing stopping him from entering me. We both knew the other wanted that to happen. Hell, we both probably wanted it to happen in front of the other guys.
I told myself to focus, to forget the throbbing beneath me, to forget the wetness building between my legs. Damn, I wanted him. Damn, I wanted him in me, and to feel his hands on my naked body. “We need to talk, Kyler.” I glanced toward the kitchen and noticed Oliver taking a peek back at us. They were struggling not to be nosey.
“We saved Aurelius,” Kyler said. “That’s what matters.” He rested his hand between my thighs, his breathing a bit more labored, me trying to keep my composure long enough to get through the questions I needed to ask. Damn him for being so fucking hot and making me fumble for the right words.
“But then you left without a word,” I said. “I thought everything was better and had returned to normal. It scared me when you left without saying bye or talking about what we did for Aurelius.”
“It’s not that easy for me, Cass.” He moved his hand away. “I honestly don’t know what to think about you or the guys. I get close to people and then somehow find myself alone. It just happens. I’m just trying to figure out what in the hell is going on inside me.” He touched his hand over his heart and looked away. I wanted him to put his hand back between my thighs. “The other guys seem to have all that shit figured out.”
“I assure you they do not,” I told him. “Everyone is struggling with something.”
Kyler nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”
“I wanna help, Kyler.” I placed my hand against his cheek and moved my thumb along his skin. His cock responded appropriately. “That’s what I’m here for. You just have to trust me.”
“Okay.” He placed his hand between my knees. “You remember the story about the princess I fell in love with?” I nodded. “There’s a little more to the story that even Sonny didn’t know about. Stuff I never shared with anyone.” He looked at the guys in the kitchen. “Not even them.”
“You can tell me anything. I told you, I’ll never judge you or them. I just want to help.”
“When her bodyguards became sick, I offered to take care of her, to cast a spell of protection over her. This was even before her father requested help. She declined my offer. But I did it anyway.” He shook his head as if the mem
ories were too much to handle. “There were whispers about an imminent attack. That’s why her father wanted her out of there and back home. About two hours before she boarded the train there was an attempt on her life. My spell prevented the attack from being successful. She asked me if I knew why the attack had been foiled.”
“You owned up to having placed the protective spell?”
Kyler nodded. “Then she had me remove it. Said it broke the trust we had between each other. Even though I was right for doing it and I saved her life, she was pissed about it. I couldn’t fucking believe it made her mad. Especially after all the things we’d talked about doing together.” He shrugged and shook his head, still not understanding her reasoning.
“She was wrong for being mad, Kyler. You can’t let her wrong make you feel bad about what you did.”
“It’s not just that,” he said. “It’s a combination of things. A combination of rejections despite my best efforts. My mother.” He let out a fake laugh. “Why does a mother reject her child? And then my father, the townspeople, and even Sonny. I supposedly let all these people down in some way. And the four of you walk into my life, and I feel like once again I need to protect those around me. But then I worry that along with that protection comes rejection. Why go through the pain of anymore rejection?”
“I get it, I really do. But I would never do that to you.” I smiled and patted his hand. “Remember when you turned into a mouse to save Braeden and Dash?”
“And rolled around in piss?”
We both laughed and suddenly our lips were together, Kyler’s cock pulsing like war drums. He opened his mouth, slipping his tongue between my lips, the warm flesh delicious and wonderfully surprising.
Kyler sucked on my tongue, and his hand moved from between my knees to between my thighs. I opened my legs and reached down for him, a moan reverberating through his lips. His fingers pressed against me and…
“Shit!” Oliver yelled, and then we heard a pan hit the floor in the kitchen.
I jumped from Kyler’s lap to find the guy’s staring at us, all of them smiling, standing in the kitchen with erections pushing against their pants. “Scared the crap out of me,” I said.
Kyler laughed and adjusted his crotch. “There’s no time like the present, Cass.”
I smiled at the four guys and took a seat on the couch. “Sounds good to me.” And just like that we were headed toward finally being all together.
The guys approached, and I took a deep breath. When Kyler leaned in to kiss me, the dorm room door swung open. An out of breath Nicolette entered.
Nicolette studied us suspiciously. “Were you about to?”
The guys backed away, and I nodded.
“Sorry,” Nicolette said. “Last thing I want to be known as is a cockblocker.”
“You needed something?” Kyler asked. He glanced at me, wanting to finally do the one thing we’d talked about on occasion but never had the opportunity to do.
“A couple of students came up to me in the courtyard. They said Sonny was heading toward the front gates, bags in his hands. He's leaving the campus.”
“Damn,” Braeden said. “He’s really our only lead to find Ruby.”
I put my hand on Kyler’s. “We can’t let him leave,” I said. “He’s a link to Ruby, Ren, and Edius.”
“Agreed.” Kyler put on his shoes, and Oliver turned off the stove, a succulent dinner being left behind. “If he gets away, we’ll never see him again. Let’s go!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Cassandra
We exited the dorm and beneath the watchful eyes of a dozen students who pointed us toward the front gates, sprinting to catch Sonny before he escaped.
“We can’t hurt him,” Dash said. “We need to know where Ruby is first.”
“Then we beat the hell out of him.” Oliver ran in the middle of the pack, the most determined look on his face. We were all tired of the mental beat down, and he wanted more than anyone to end it.
“You okay?” I needed to know Kyler’s head was in the right place. I didn’t want him getting hurt.
“Of course. I know what needs to be done, Cass. No need to worry.”
“Remember, guys, we are a team.” I raced ahead and placed my hand on my wand.
When we got to the front entrance, Sonny turned to see what all the fuss was about. A smirk crossed his face, defiant as always.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I said and removed my wand. “We want answers.”
“I was expecting you, but not them,” Sonny said to Kyler. “You really are a little harem, aren’t you?” He glared at me, the woman who came between him and his childhood friend. But I wasn’t the one backstabbing him or taking lives.
“Where’s Ruby?” Kyler stepped in front of me, and I stepped back. “You know I can’t let you harm anyone else. Especially not her. Stop with the games, and tell us what we need to know.”
“I know, Kyler.” Sonny dropped his bags and faced us. “She’s your number one. I get that.
“I protected you from them.” Kyler took a step toward Sonny, and I knew it was going to end badly. “I took up for you. Told them they were wrong for second guessing your loyalty.” Kyler shook his head and looked away, the emotional pain wearing on him. “You let me down, Sonny. I didn’t let you down like you keep insisting. I’m not the one who teamed up with murderers.”
“Everyone’s loyalty can be bought,” Sonny said. “Doesn’t have to be with money. It can be with hopes and dreams and promises. I was just compensating for something I lost.”
“That why you went after Cassandra?” Kyler took another step forward, and then the other guys surrounded Sonny. “None of this had to happen. You could’ve come clean before the fall festival, and we would have all forgiven you.”
Sonny turned and eyed the others before turning his attention back to Kyler. I thought maybe he was developing a plan of attack in his mind. “You keep acting butt hurt because you were exiled from our hometown. But you weren’t the only one thrown out, Kyler.” A faint glow began to grow on Sonny’s palms. His fists clinched as he tried to hide the oncoming spell. “You know what it’s like to be homeless?” He looked at the rest of us. “Any of you?”
“Enough,” Kyler said softly. “You had a choice, and you made the wrong one.”
“No.” Sonny shook his head. “It’s not enough. Nobody would speak to me. I was shunned everywhere I went. So I had to become this rogue that you say has no loyalty. I had to be loyal to myself because I couldn't return home.”
“You should have reached out to me.” Kyler’s eyes filled with disappointment. “We could’ve talked without any of this happening. I should have been your first choice, not Ren and Edius.”
“I’ll be sure to let them know that.” He wiped his lips and eyed each of us. “They won’t be happy if I don’t come back.”
“I can’t let you leave, Sonny. We need to know where Ruby is, and we need to stop Ren and Edius. Now’s your time to do what’s right and show some loyalty.”
“She’s blinded you to what’s right,” Sonny said and pointed at me. “You never used to be like this.”
“They’ll forgive you.” Kyler glanced at us, and we nodded.
“They won’t, Kyler.” Sonny’s hands clenched tighter. “Your loyalty will always be to them and never to me like it should be.” His face fell slack. “I can’t let that happen.”
Sonny was fast but Kyler was faster, covering me with a protective shield as Sonny’s hex spell bounced off the protective dome and disappeared. He didn’t seem to be surprised Kyler moved so quickly. But he’d also spent enough time with Ren and Edius to know how to toy with his prey.
The guys quickly pulled their wands from their back pockets and prepared to end Sonny’s life. The look on their faces was nothing short of murderous.
“Wait!” Braeden said and pulled me back, standing in front of me in case Sonny got stupid again. “We still need him in order to find Ren. Ren’s the only one
who knows where Ruby is.” He motioned toward Kyler. “You need to take care of this asshole without killing him.”
‘I’m not telling you shit,” Sonny said. He pointed at me. “This is your fault. All of it.
I stepped between Kyler and Braeden. “He’s hurt too many people and killed many others. He doesn’t deserve to live, especially if he isn’t even going to talk.” I turned to Kyler. “You know what you have to do. I think I know where we can find Ren, so we don’t even need him.” The guys closed in on Sonny, and I stopped them. “This needs to be Kyler. It’s the only way he gets closure for all he’s suffered.” The guys moved away.
Dash joined Kyler. “Dude, we can help you with this. He doesn’t have to be your problem alone.” Dash glared at Sonny. “I can do it if you want.”
Kyler placed his hand on Dash’s chest and moved him away. “I got it.” He shook his head at Oliver when Oliver started toward him. Braeden moved me back. “This ends now, Sonny,” Kyler said. “I’m sorry it has to be like this, bro. But I think you knew when you hooked up with Ren and Edius this was going to happen. ”
“Do what you have to do, Kyler.” Sonny’s face grew stern. “They going to watch?”
They moved away from each other but never left eye contact. Sonny was the first to cast a spell, sending a green cloud of toxic gas toward Kyler who jumped out of the way. He rolled across the ground and took the shape of a wolf, darting at Sonny and knocking him over.
“So that’s the way it’s going to be,” Sonny said and pushed to his feet. As he did, he removed something from inside his jacket, a voodoo doll of me.” He punched the doll’s knee, and my knee buckled, sending me to the ground. That was all Kyler needed to see. The other guys started to cast spells, but I made them stop. It was Kyler’s shit to deal with.
Kyler shifted from wolf to large dragon. His massive wings blocked out the moon and stars, his talons like large swords. He roared and then spewed a stream of fire at Sonny, catching his legs.
Sonny dropped the voodoo doll and shrieked in pain. I rushed forward and grabbed the doll. Sonny raised his hands to cast a spell in my direction, but he was knocked backward by Kyler’s talons. Sonny screamed as he hit a tree and dropped to the ground, blood dripping from his mouth. His eyes looked distant.