Jasper’s fingers hesitate over the keyboard for a second. I can practically see the gears in his head turning as he formulates a response. But before he can answer, Dredyn, who had been leaning against the counter, chimes in.
“Apparently Jasper has roped someone into tutoring him. I’m trying to figure out who the poor soul is,” Dredyn says.
Jasper shoots me a withering glare, clearly blaming me for opening my big mouth.
“Drop it,”he signs curtly.
I arch my hands in surrender, grinning. “All right, all right. Just making conversation.”
But Dredyn, of course, doesn’t let it go. He leans forward, elbow on the table, expression somewhere between curious and calculating. “We could probably all use it. Is it one of the grad students?” He quirks a brow. “Is she hot?”
Jasper’s gaze drops straight to his laptop. He types something, backspaces, then starts again, avoiding us.
Before I can push the subject, Jasper glances up, eyes flicking to Dredyn with warning. “Are you going to tell him about the goat?”
“A goat?”
“Madand Rook stole a goat and painted ‘OCK RULES’ on it, then let it loose in the main hall.”
Jasper chuckles silently into his cup. Even he thinks it was genius.
Dredyn exhales through his nose. “PTO reported it to the Greek Council—I got the email earlier. Those smug fucks want a formal apology and reimbursement for ‘emotional distress.’”
I bark out a laugh. “Emotional distress? Over a goat? Where the hell did Mad and Rook even get a goat?”
Dredyn doesn’t miss a beat. “I bought it.”
That makes me choke on my beer. “You bought it? Of course you fucking did. Tell me it wasn’t Craigslist.”
“No,” he says flatly, eyes gleaming. “It’s an Alpine—prize breed. Cost me a shit ton. I want it back.”
Across the table, Jasper lowers his cup and signs with one hand,“Why the fuck would you want a goat?”
Dredyn just grins. “Why not?”
I shake my head, laughing so hard my ribs hurt. “You’re telling me, the heir to Omega Chi Kappa—the muscle of the Syndicate—spent thousands of dollars on a goat, just so our brothers could paint it and traumatize PTO?”
“Exactly,” Dredyn says, unapologetic. “And I still want my goat back.”
“Future leaders of the Syndicate, and they cry over livestock. Fucking pathetic.”
Right on cue, the doorbell rings.
Dredyn stands, muttering, “Food’s here,” like he didn’t just confess to running a goat-based psy-op for fun.
SIX
MARA
The library is all but deserted this late at night as I settle into our usual corner with Jasper Thorne, spreading my organic chem notes across the wooden table between us. When I finally have our setup settled, I fall into the chair opposite of him. A small smile tugs at the corner of his lip when he sees my shoulders finally relaxed. I swear he’s the human equivalent of a deep breath. Most men who are part of Omega Chi Kappa are loud, abrasive, rude, and just downright abysmal to talk to.
But Jasper is… different.
His blond hair sticks out from under his backward black baseball cap, curling just above his eyebrow. His cut-off gray shirt allows me full view of his sleeve of tattoos on both arms—inked with roses and geometric shapes that, if I stare at too long, I find myself getting lost in.
Jasper catches my eye and signs,“You ready?”Raising his eyebrows in question.
He doesn’t speak. Maybe that’s another reason why I can tolerate him more than most. I’ve never asked him why he’snonverbal, but it works out for me, seeing as silence is something I prefer.
