“Fucking harder,” Kai added.
“Sounds like you had a bloody good time.”
“Put a sock in it, you two.” Thaddeus set his glass down on the table. “Lilith has more to worry about than what happened last night.”
I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my iced coffee. “They’re just jealous it wasn’t them.”
“Bloody right, you are. I thought I would be the first one to fuck you, but I’m thankful I was the first one to taste your sweetness.” Blaise licked his lips.
I clenched my thighs at the thought of him between my legs. “Well, you avoided me after.”
He scoffed. “I didn’t ignore you. We were busy trying to keep you safe, remember?”
“I was hoping to be the first one.” Kai pouted before looking thoughtful. “But I was the first to have a proper snog with you.”
Thaddeus groaned, eyes meeting mine. I gave a small smile that he returned before clearing his throat.
“All right,” Thaddeus said, bringing me back to the conversation. “The Order of the Void is going to test you. They have three trials you must pass before you’re able to become part of our clan. Then they will bestow the gift of obliteration on you and teach you how to call on it.” He grimaced. “If you fail, they won’t hesitate to obliterate you.”
Gee, thanks for saving the details for the day of, asshole.
Blaise chuckled behind his hand.
I rolled my eyes. “What’re the trials?”
They shared nervous glances that made a chill zip down my spine.
“We’re not sure,” Kai said.
“But we do know it’ll test you on what we’ve been training you in,” Blaise said.
Thaddeus nodded. “Your control of blood-lust, ability to fight, and your special powers.”
My nerves slammed into me. “Will it be the entire Order of the Void present? Or just a few?”
“It’ll be the entire Order.”
Well, fuck me.
“I wish...err yes, no, entire Order. Yeah.” Blaise coughed.
The guys shot him inquisitive looks, and I smirked at him.
“We’ll be right beside you the entire time,” Thaddeus said.
I sucked down the last bit of my coffee-blood mixture and stood up. “Better not keep them waiting. Where are we meeting them?”
Thaddeus’s glass hitting the table echoed between us. “The gate of Hell.”
Blaise smirked. “Right here in Emeraldsville, Alaska.”
“Welcome to the gate of Hell,” Thaddeus said, voice booming around the ginormous old trees and bouncing off the jagged and smooth rocks surrounding the deep, blue water in the swimming hole.
Remembrance coiled through my tendons, stopping me in my tracks. The smell of fresh Jasmine and the earthy aroma of mud lingered in the air as the cold Alaskan night air nipped at my face.
“What’s wrong?” Kai’s hand rested on my lower back.
“This is where I drowned.”
