And I was seriously fired up.
Because of them, wanting to go to this place with them. And also because it was the most awesome send-off for me with later tonight being my first meeting with Charles Petrone, where I was gonna be training and learning at Requital.
I smiled when Evira let out that rare giggle of hers when Vax said something that set her off. And damn, she looked hot as fuck tonight. She was wearing that same slinky top she had been the night of the big party here—a metallic shiny thing that had a plunging neckline and also a low-hanging back, and it put her awesome snowy-white dragon markings on display. Her hair flowed down over her bare shoulders, and as if all that wasn’tenough, she also had a pair of shimmering baby-blue leather pants on. I mean…wow.
Vax had gone the full leather route and his usual all-black with those tasty pants of his, and that leather vest that showed off all that solid muscle, bulging biceps, the whole damn thing.
Win was in his jeans, the navy ones that his thick muscular legs filled out so well, and he didn’t have his hoodie on, just a white T-shirt that basically clung to that sexy broad chest of his. He’d been doing a Ruminat yet again, and for hours on end, and he always came out of it with his hair all mussed and bedhead like.Mmm.
Well, I was doing some outfit-seduction of my own that’d had their eyes all over me since we’d met outside at The Caverns entrance a little while ago. I was sporting a fuchsia dress shirt just done up at the middle, sleeves rolled up and putting my tats on display. And a pair of zebra-print tight jeans that fit me like a glove—fiteverypart of me like a glove.
“Thank you, Zayn,” Evira said, eyes shining at me, as I handed over her next drink.
She’d just had an iced coffee before, but she’d fancied something more spicy afterward and with some alcohol to give it an edge. I’d told her about the Spicy Margarita here and she’d been all excited to give it a go.
“Fire meeting ice, baby,” I said. “Kind of like us.”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “Mmm. I love that.”
A hot thrill rolled through me, and I had to blink it away and take a step back.
The way I was feeling, I was ready to jump them all. But I didn’t want to be the one initiating and firing things up. I kind of tended to do that too early. And things were also so cozy and comfortable right now just sitting around together with no external bullshit, just the four of us being with each other.
There was also the way Winter was tonight since he’d come right from the long-ass Ruminat. He’d been using the huts at the far end of campus, not just sitting out among the trees or the fields like he used to. Maybe he was going too deep with it. Like, pushing too hard. And he was already doing that with his training, schooling, a whole lot.
Right now he was nuzzling against Vax, the two of them on the same side of the booth, while I slid back into my seat opposite, and next to Evira. Vax was stroking his hair comfortingly, while he talked and joked with Evira. Win was participating, but it was kind of… muted.
A few days ago he’d been through something massive when he’d performed Risen Reckoning for the first time. It had knocked him out and Sylas had actually come to campus and settled Win in his dorm, then called the three of us to be with him. It seemed to have impacted Sylas too—emotionally—because while he’d teleported straight to Win’s room with him asleep against him, when he’d taken off, he’d walked out. Like, through campus, the dorms, the main building. It had caused a major ruckus once he’d been noticed. He’d basically been mobbed, everyone wanting a piece of him. The administration had needed to get involved to make a path through for him, because he wouldn’t force it with his magic in public, let alone around a bunch of impressionable and vulnerable students.
Anyhow, when Win had woken up later on, me, Vax, and Evira had a bunch of food waiting for him, as per one of Sylas’ suggestions—although I already knew that shit about Win. I’d prepared some of those blackcurrant truffles he’d taken to after our cooking night a few weeks back. I mean, they’d been intended for Evira, but Win had gotten even more into them. And basically, after he’d eaten and rested, he’d seemed fine. He’d told us about the massive surge of power he’d invoked andthat he’d struggled, but managed to get control. And he’d been proud of himself, so excited that he’d been able to do that.
But every day that had gone by following that, he’d slip into this muted state and become physically clingy, touchy-feely to the max, that sort of thing. It was like he was grabbing onto us for dear life, afraid that we’d slip away or something.
We wouldn’t.
Of course we wouldn’t.
We were together so solidly now. It was a done deal.
He’d even completely calmed down with his feeding. So much so that he’d only fed off me once during our foursome sex. He’d even told Vax not to continue looking into solutions in that area.
“What about me?” Win spoke, pouting at me. “My Wraith frost to your fire?”
“Aww, you’re not left out, babe. I just think of you more like my Necro-Wraith pup now you’ve got the Necromancy down.”
“I thought we already established that you’re the puppy in this?”
“Well, you’ve been more of the pup lately.” I turned my cheek to him and leaned across the table a little. “Come on, give us a lick, sweet little puppy.”
His eyes narrowed, but there was a whole lot of amusement dancing in them.
Vax pressed his hand to my chest, slyly sliding beneath the fabric of my shirt and touching skin in the process as he eased me back and sent a shot of desire through me at the same time.
“And me?” he asked, clearly redirecting on purpose to take the spotlight off Win.
Well, I’d had to draw attention to it somehow, seeing as though Winter wasn’t addressing it at all, and it had me worried. Vax and Evira too—we’d talked about it and decided to let him come to us, but he hadn’t yet.
But Vax obviously was trying to tell me that he was reading that Win wasn’t ready.
