“It’s almost better than reading.”
Sawyer took a note out of Kade’s book, groaning in annoyance as he made his way to the front of the pack.
“Guess he heard me, too,” Sebastian conceded with a touch of amusement.
Following Sawyer, we stepped through a set of clear-glass doors. “You aren’t as quiet as you think,” I purposefully lowered my voice when we stepped into the archives that put Caelestis’ to utter shame.
The walls were lined with glass shelves, not an inch to spare as every spot was home to a piece of literature. The bookkeeper's desk was a cylindrical piece of crystal that centered the room and was undeniably the focal point of the space. The dim white lighting shimmered throughout, held in small orbs that floated midair.
“Incredible, right?” Sebastian noticed my admiration.
“That it is,Sebby,”I taunted, receiving a furrowed eyebrow look from him. “What? You really let her call you that and expect me tonothold it against you?”
He chewed the inside of his cheek to fight his laughter. “I always hated that fucking nickname.”
We settled into a set of chairs on the second floor, where we’d wait until our rooms were ready. Although it was a library, the silence that overwhelmed our group wasunusual, which made the lingering rigidity between half of us painfully obvious.
“This place is nice,” Kohen admired, his eyes ogling around the space. “These archives are damn luxurious compared to Caelestis.”
“Lumosia’s are nice too. Smaller, but arguably even more exquisite,” Pia countered.
“I dunno, Pia. Do Lumosia’s archives have a fish tank?” Kohen pointed to what must have been a thousand gallon aquarium to our right.
“This place makes Draemor look even trashier than it is,” Kade added his two cents, tossing his neck back in his chair.
Sebastian, Sawyer, and I stayed silent, allowing the awkwardness of our situation to build up further.
“When was the last time you were here, Seb?” Kohen asked.
“Don’t remember,” Sebastian replied, his eyes staying focused on the text he held in his palms.
“With your father?” Pia questioned.
“No,” he growled under his breath, a clear attempt at a plea for them to shut the hell up.
He was here withher.Sleeping with her no doubt. Makingherscream his name. Strokingherhair after he finished inside ofher.
I swallowed down the acidic nausea in my mouth.
“Hey, Sinclair, what does thisStellagirl look like? Trying to scope her out so I can warn her that you’re here,” Kade quipped, the obviousness of his joke shining through his tone.
He received nothing more than an eye roll from Sawyer, who normally would have had a snide response lined up and ready to go.
If only he knew that when Sawyer said he had no interest in Stella, he meant it.
I fiddled with my thumbs, trying to focus on the poetry book Sebastian was reading. Trying to focus onanythingother than the overwhelm of dissenting energy between myself, my boyfriend, and my best friend.
Kohen’s eyes shifted repeatedly to where I sat in Sebastian’s lap and Sawyer’s miserable expression. “What the hell is going on?”
Sebastian looked up from his love poem. “What do you mean?”
“The three of you are being…weird.” Kohen pointed between us.
Sebastian shrugged, squinting his glasses-less eyes back to the text.
When none of us elaborated, Kohen got to his feet. “Hello?” He snapped his fingers in front of me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said simply.
