He’s sending someone a text and doesn’t glance up. “What about her?”
When his gaze raises to mine, I give him a pressing look. “What if this society shows up and I’m not here but Lily is?”
The corners of his lips sink into a deeper frown, and then his gaze strays to Lily’s door. “Do you know if she’s here?”
“Let’s find out.” I approach the door and lift my hand to knock but pause. “Wait—if she’s asleep and I wake her up, on a scale of one to ten, how pissed off will she be?”
“Let me.” He knocks before I can, answering my question that Lily doesn’t like being woken up.
He waits a moment before knocking again. When she doesn’t answer, he sends her a message. About a second later, his phone buzzes.
“She’s out, apparently,” he informs me. “I’ll give her a heads-up of what’s going on and tell her to stay at Wren’s place.”
“Okay, I’ll get into my pajamas and grab some extra clothes and stuff.” I cross the room, step into my bedroom, and turn the light on. The moment I do, I’m overwhelmed with an unsettling feeling that someone is watching me.
I cautiously endeavor further into my room while meticulously taking note of my surroundings. Nothing appears out of place, but I still check underneath my bed, in the closet, and then search the bathroom. By the time I return to the bedroom area, River is standing in the doorway.
“Everything okay?” he asks with his shoulder propped against the doorframe.
“I think so.” I stand in the center of my room with my hands on my hips. “I just can’t shake this feeling that someone is watching me. But no one’s here, so …” I chew on my bottom lip. “I guess I’m just being paranoid.”
His eyes roam around my room, taking everything in. “How about you grab your stuff and change at my place, just in case?”
I’m not positive what he means by that, but I’m also too uneasy to decline his suggestion. So, I nod, pack up my stuff, and we leave my dorm and head to his. Luckily, we don’t pass by anyone on the way.
River quickly unlocks the door and lets me go in first. Then he reaches past me and turns on the light right as I’m yawning.
“You’re tired,” he states as he closes and locks the door.
I shake my head as I yawn again, covering my mouth. “Nah, I just do this for fun,” I tease as I lower my hand.
He chuckles, tossing the keys into a glass bowl that’s perched on a table near the door. “Even at the brink of exhaustion, you’restill such a smartass.” He passes by me, grabbing my bag from off my shoulder as he does. “Come on. You can change in my room, and then you can crash.”
I follow him into the main section of his dorm. It’s similar to mine but slightly wider, and the vibe is different, the walls navy blue, the leather sofas are black, and the chandelier is woven with metal vines and thorns that glitter with black diamonds. Bookshelves line the wall, and to my right is a kitchen area that has granite countertops and midnight blue cabinets. The silver trim adds a splash of color, along with the stainless steel appliances.
“I thought we were going to wait up for Finn,” I remind him as I yawn again. When he aims me an insinuating look, I add, “I’m not really tired. I’m just worn out from all the training we’ve been doing, but it’s a different kind of exhaustion.” I sound like a stubborn idiot, but I don’t care.
I need to stay up and talk to Finn about what I overheard, or I’ll be too stressed to go to sleep.
“All right.” Skepticism rings in his tone. “How about we get into our pajamas and watch a movie while we wait?”
“Sounds good to me.” I feel the urge to yawn again but fight it.
He takes me to his room and sets my bag on his bed. For the most part, everything is clean, from his made bed to his desk. A few shelves line the wall; one has rows of books and the other has medals he won from cross country and track.
“You have so many medals,” I say as I make my way over to the shelf. I skim through them while shaking my head. “I’ve never been to a race that’s given medals. Not like this, anyway. I got a plastic one once and a T-shirt, but that’s about it.”
He’s standing beside me now. “It’s not fair that things have been that way for you.”
“I can live without trophies and stuff,” I assure him as I face him. “I just want to make the team. Then maybe I’ll give myself a gold star.”
He smiles at that then shakes his head. “You’re the most fascinating person I’ve ever met.”
These compliments are making me uncomfortable. I can’t have this sort of reaction with two different guys—two differentroyalguys and brothers, for that matter.
So, in Maddy fashion, I crack a joke. “You say fascinating. Most people say crazy.”
“Well, they’re crazy, because you’re definitely not crazy.” He grows quiet for a beat, and I swear to fucking God, he stares at my lips again.
