“See?” Liam yelled. “I said shagging works better than torture. Fuck my Da right up the arse.”
Adrian just shrugged.
“Some guys are into that.”
“Tell him,” Khalid said. “My senses are stronger now that I’ve shifted. Whoever or whatever Adrian is, it isn’t a predator.”
“Are you a cute li’l were corgi with a bubble butt?” Liam asked.
“Only on the inside,” Adrian said with a wink.
Just then Ivar, Ari, and Alexios joined us. Ari took one look at Adrian and his nostrils flared. He shot over and started sniffing Adrian. Adrian, to his credit, just stood there and let him. Ari stepped back and started furiously signing to Ivar and Alexios. I’d been trying to learn sign language, but with everything going on, I hadn’t really had much time.
“No shit?” Ivar said, getting into Adrian’s personal space.
He took Adrian’s chin in his hand and started turning his face side to side like he was examining Adrian.
“I mean, he’s pretty, but neither of us are shifters. Shouldn’t we have all figured this out by now?”
“Not to question two men who could definitely kick my arse and one Imightbe able to hold my own with, but figured out what?”
“Please, I could definitely kick your arse,” Alexios said.
I had no idea what was going on, either. I really needed to learn sign language because I had a feeling this was something major. A shifter’s nose was kind of like my gut. If they told me that they smelled that the sky was brown, I’d probably believe them.
“Ari scented you. If we hadn’t been distracted by Lola that first day and everything that happened after and you weren’t constantly surrounded by an army of adoring fans, we would have figured out you belong with us.”
“Wait, wouldn’t Adrianfeelhe was with the wrong team and that he’d been roomed with the wrong people?” Lucian asked.
Something told me Adrian got along with everyone and made the most out of every situation. He wasn’t like us. I was almost starting to wonder if he was the original incubus. Adrian just shrugged.
“If you aren’t an arsehole, then we don’t have a problem. If you are an arsehole, I usually just walk away. I didn’t team up with arseholes, so I’m not rooming with them. You’re going tohave to fight Raina. She was on my team and she thinks we’re soulmates. She also thinks she’s the reincarnation of Hera, so good luck with that. She’s not because the reincarnation of Hera is already here and is bloody cool, but she has that kind of jealousy from the lore.”
“Well, clearly, Adrian joined us for more than one reason,” Khalid said. “We need to tell him everything.”
I hoped Adrian was ready for everything fate was about to dump on him because I certainly wasn’t.
Icould see about a million ways Adrian would be useful, but I was thankful as all fuck Ari swooped in to claim him. I was sure he was very nice, but I didn’t think I could stand being cosmically connected to two extroverts through Sage. I was getting used to Liam and his ways andmaybeI even liked him a little now, but two was definitely too many.
Adrian was just nodding and taking this all in like any of this was remotely normal. I could basically never be that nonplussed about anything. I got plussed over schedule changes and if someone forgot the cardamom in my coffee. How the actual fuck did he do that? He looked like someone was describing theirvacation and not that the reincarnations of two void creatures no one knew how to kill were living in our dorm building.
“Okay, so that wasa lot,but they are mostly attacking women on the other side of the school, right? There was only one guy from the other side of the school and one of us in the trials.”
“Erica,” Mazen growled. “I’m pretty sure Lola killed Erica because Erica didn’t like her and because Erica was trying to get close to me. I know we are supposed to have someone out there for us, but whoever she is, she’s not here yet because I haven’t felt anything.”
Ivar just smirked.
“Shecould be ahe.”
“I think you should love who you want to love, but I’m not attracted to men at all.”
“Pity,” Adrian purred. “I’ll bet you bite.”
Mazen just laughed and flipped him off. He seemed alotmore relaxed now that he wasn’t attached to Lola all the time. I was pretty sure that was the whole point. Twist Mazen into doing something he couldn’t come back from since he’s the only one immune to Apep’s stare and baby trap him so they’d always be connected.
“There has to be a pattern,” Khalid said. “Serial killers usually pick their victims for a reason. We need to figure out what they all have in common.”
“Lola is pretty nasty. How do we know she’s not just having her boyfriend take out people she doesn’t like?” Alexios said.
