Jayden stared at Daniel for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Whatever. We don’t really need another Dark Mage anyway. Weneedthe Light Mage.” He patted the empty seat next to him. “These griffins are giving us a beating.”
I set up my computer next to Jayden, even though I’d have honestly preferred to sit just about anywhere else. I looked at Devin on the other side of the table. He was sitting next to Hana, of course. She whispered something in his ear, and it made him smile. Huh. Maybe shewasthe one who’d taken that picture in game dev. I didn’t think she was LostAxis, but I wouldn’t put it past Hana to spread gossip about me.
Daniel was already chatting cheerfully with someone over on the couch. Because of course he was. That person was probably already becoming his next best friend.
“Hey, Samaya?” Kavita asked. She was sitting on the other side of Aimee. “What happened to your boyfriend’s arm?”
“Hockey injury. He’s really bummed he can’t join the quest tonight.”
Kavita pretended to fan herself. “I’m sorry, but that’ssohot.Hockey injury.People into sports are so sexy. And he’s into gaming, too?” She shook her head. “You really caught a live one, Samaya.”
Yeah, I really didn’t think Kavita was LostAxis. I glanced to see everyone else’s reaction to what she’d said. Most were too focused on their screens to pay attention, but Hana scowled, and Devin stared straight at me.
A chair pulled up beside me. It was Daniel, squeezing in between me and Jayden. “I can’t even see what’s going on from over there,” he said. “I’d rather be rink side.”
I laughed, then whispered into his ear, “I’d rather you be closer, too.”
Once I was logged in to the game, I joined the quest, and Jayden immediately started spewing orders.
“Okay, physical melee to the front, that’s Warriors and Weavers. Dark Mages and Paladins led by me and Devin will be right behind you pounding with offensive magic, then Archers behind us. Light Mages and Bards can circle us. Focus healing on Dark Mages and Paladins, but don’t forget to keep an eye on the melees. And for the love of god, keep the protective spells going!”
He gave a glare to a younger girl I didn’t really know sitting across from him. I gathered she was a Bard or a Light Mage and was not playing to Jayden’s standard. “We’ve already passed the silver griffins, which were no joke. Bronze comes next, then ruby. Both will make the silver ones seem like house cats. But the real enemy here are the diamond griffins—the dragon’s nest will be surrounded by, like, thirty of them.” He looked at Daniel. “With the extra high-level Light Mage, we might just survive this.”
We started the fight. I could barely think with everyone yelling out commands. I did my best to keep the offensive players healed, and it was easier with the Obsidian Staff, but it was still tense. My jaw was clenched. I was getting a headache.
I knew I needed to be watching the others, and maybe even figuring out if Nabil and Alex were on their way here, but it had been a while since I’d played in such a big group, and I really needed to focus on the game so I didn’t mess something up. But honestly? I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I used to. Probably because these people in the guild weren’t really my friends anymore. I wished I were back in the kitchen making pies with Daniel.
A hand was suddenly on my shoulder, rubbing gently. Daniel. “You got this. You’re doing great, Samaya.”
I took the strength he was giving me and channeled it back into the game, queuing up a complicated healing combo that burst from the tip of my staff in a shower of rainbows.
“Yes!” Jayden squealed. “That’s what I’m talking about! Love that thing!”
I turned to thank Daniel for helping me, when I saw he was completely focused on the game projected on the wall. His lips were pursed a bit, and his eyes ... his eyes were ... intense. Of course, I’d noticed Daniel’s amazing bone structure before. Those lips that could somehow portray anything from good humor to full-on joy with the slightest movement. But I’d never studied his eyes like this. They were round, and not as dark as they usually seemed. I could make out pale golden striations in the brown irises.
He must have realized I was watching him at that moment, because one side of his lips, the side closest to me, turned up the slightest amount. I’d spent so much time with Daniel in the last month that I knew his face. This was the same look he’d had when I tasted his apple pie last week.
“Samaya!” Aimee shouted. “Stop ogling your boyfriend and throw me a heal!”
I snapped back to the game, and healed Aimee, then Cass and Hana. My friends were almost dead because I’d gotten lost in Daniel’s eyes.
After we finished off the final bronze griffin, we had a few minutes before the ruby ones appeared. A collective sigh erupted around the table. Some players took long gulps of their energy drinks, while others cracked their knuckles. This could be my chance to figure out the mystery of LostAxis’s identity.
Carson was sitting across and to the right of Daniel and me.
“Hey, Carson,” I said. “Nice job on that fight sequence.”
He kind of recoiled when I said it, probably because that was the first time I’d ever complimented him. Carson was usually nice enough, but if I had to speculate, I’d say there was a closet incel hiding under the niceness. He barely talked to and never cooperated in game with the girls in the guild, and I’d heard him complain many times about not having a girlfriend in a way that made it clear that he fully blamed girls for that. I had difficulty believing he was LostAxis because I’d never got a sexist vibe from LostAxis, but I really didn’t know him well enough to be sure. He definitely played well enough to be him.
“Okay?” Carson said.
“Have you met my boyfriend? Daniel, this is Carson. He’s on my game-dev team.”
Carson raised a brow. “Uh, yeah. We met at Hana’s? I’m surprised you brought the guy here.” He snorted, then looked at Devin and Hana, who were watching the conversation intently. “But clearly you likeplayingwith Devin and this guy at the same time. Typical.”
What the hell? That was the dumbest accusation I’d ever heard. Daniel wasn’t even playing tonight. So Carsonalsothought I’d cheated on Devin with LostAxis, or with Daniel, or whatever. Carson couldn’t be LostAxis.
But I glared at Devin. Why the hell was he letting his friends all think the worst of me? He could correct them at any point.
