“Like that’s ever stopped you before,” Cree said, voice as stoic as always.
Levi sniffed, indignant. “I don’t know what you’re implying.”
It made his chest tight looking at them all. He’d been looking forward to playing with his friends for days. But, now, he was distracted, his mind only on Shiloh. Sweet Shiloh and his sweet face. Shiloh. Shiloh. Shiloh. If Levi closed his eyes, he could picture those big, sad eyes and pretty soft curls with perfect clarity.
“He’s implying you’re a whore,” Seven clarified.
“Seven!” Nico snapped, like a scandalized mother.
Nico was as foul-mouthed as the rest of them but he was always so careful when it came to his words. Having a mother who was a sex worker made him sensitive to how people addressed those in the industry. And he wasn’t okay with people implying there was anything wrong with sex.
Seven looked sheepish. “What?”
Arsen gasped in mock surprise. “You’re slut-shaming one of your best friends.”
“I said he was a whore. I didn’t say he needed to be ashamed of it,” Seven clarified, grinning directly into his camera, his eyes the color of sea glass beneath prominent brows, a wide nose, and full lips. Levi could hear the chiming of Seven’s computer, letting him know his viewers were giving him money. It must be nice to be so pretty that all you had to do was smile into the camera to rake in the cash. Levi swore every viewer paid him a dollar for each stupid perfect tooth in his stupid perfect mouth.
Not that Levi was bitter about it.
“Can we focus here?” Lake shouted.
It was Silas’s turn again. Levi caught him leaning forward like he was getting serious.
“Maybe you should try singing to it,” Cree suggested, tone so neutral it was hard to tell if he was being sincere.
“Nah, man, your charisma is off the charts. Seduce the dragon,” Seven chimed in.
Silas snorted. “You want me to rizz a dragon?”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Lake warned. “It’s bad enough we had to sit through Levi seducing that sentient spider.”
“Hey, it worked,” Levi reminded, expression smug.
“Just shoot it or something,” Lake said, disgruntled.
“Okay, okay,” Silas said. “You really know how to suck the fun out of things.”
Silas missed the dragon entirely, the rock instead hitting a large boulder and smashing to dust uselessly.
Lake groaned. “What the fuck, Silas? I swear to God, you’ve got the aim of a stormtrooper.”
“That’s ‘cause his Tav is a himbo,” Felix added, hurling a magic spell at the dragon now stumbling around on their screen, attempting to lock in on Levi as he ran around him.
“You’re all just hurtful,” Silas said. “Hurtful and discriminating against my sweet golden retriever fae boy.”
Felix snorted. “Oh, please. Me? Discriminate? I married the ultimate golden retriever himbo.”
“Where the fuck is Noah when I need him?” Lake shouted into the mic, dragging Levi from his fourth or fifth downward spiral of the day. Noah was a knight within the game, and his avatar had the ability to charm dragons. He definitely would have been an asset, but he was busy running a hundred billion dollar corporation. “Levi, you’re up again.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he muttered.
Levi also had an advantage with dragons, even more so than Noah, but he’d donated too many bonus points and depleted his resources. Something Lake had already bitched him out over.
Levi loved Lake. It was impossible not to most days. But he hated when Lake was leading their guild. He was a tyrant. A dictator. A monster. Whenever that headset was on, the real Lake disappeared, possessed by a competitive, bossy demon who shouted at them like they were on a battlefield at Gettysburg, not trying to win battles by fucking a giant or seducing white wraiths.
Levi pulled out his longsword and headed for the dragon at a dead run. It opened its mouth and shot fire at him but his dragon scale armor protected him. He made contact and the dragon stumbled backwards. “Hah! Critical hit.”
“It’s about time. Dude, how can someone with dragon ancestry be so fucking bad with dragons?” Lake said, disgusted. “It’s embarrassing.”
