“Hot, irresistible,infuriating chaos machine,you mean?”
“Maybe.”
“Absolutely,” I told Zayn, grinning between them.
Heat sparked in his eyes.
“No,” Winter said, grasping his hand.
“What?” Zayn asked with false innocence.
“You’re not gonna lunge across the table and thrust your tongue down her throat.”
With my senses still toned down, I hadn’t even felt that from him.
I pushed them back to the surface, wincing as I struggled to manage to cut out the sound aspect in the process.
And then I jolted at the rush of scents that assaulted me.
Everyone’s in the bar.
Then Winter’s sandalwood scent.
Zayn’s spiced clove-like smell.
And then… something else from him.
For one, there was no magical signature right now coming off him, not even his own. That could mean only one thing—it had been wiped. Temporarily, as those things went.
But therewasanother scent clinging to him, one that wasn’t his own.
It was similar to Winter’s… not the sandalwood from the soap he used, but a blood-connection scent.
Zayn caught my eye as he noticed me sniffing the air between us.
Hmm…not Velra.
Sylas. He’d been with Sylas.
That was why he was late. He’d been dealing with those responsible for the attack on Vaxan.
And he clearly didn’t want Winter to know, judging by the fear in his eyes as he saw me register it.
I looked away and took a sip of my drink and asked Winter, “He wouldn’t really lunge across the table and do that, right?” I eyed Zayn. “Right?”
“Of course not,” Zayn said, before Winter gave him a look. “Fine. Maybe not. Who knows? Red-hot desire sometimes gets the best of me.”
“Red-hot, huh?” I teased. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Mmm, you should.”
“So, how are you liking being outside the Dracoryn Realm, Evira?” Winter asked. I heard him whisper to Zayn. “Relax, you’re doing really well, Z. You don’t need to fall back on the sex talk.”
Zayn nodded gratefully, then cleared his throat and asked me, “Yeah, and how are you liking Loxley itself? I mean, weshare some classes and then there’s our texting and stuff, so I know some of it, but… like… big overview and debrief-wise, what’s your verdict on it all?”
I grinned at the two of them being so considerate and attentive. “It’s been really great. Freeing and fun. The classes are all in service of us being our best selves, nothing about restriction or overwrought control.”
“Massive improvement from a couple of decades back,” Winter commented.
