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LUC

I stood in the middle of the living room floor, staring at the space where Tate had just been. He’d vanished so fast that I questioned if he were actually human; or if he’d been there at all. I stayed in that spot until Carter rushed down the stairs and out of the front door after his roommate.

Fuck, I shouldn’t have had so much to drink.

I shouldn’t have given Tate so much to drink. What had gotten into me? Any other day I would have been able to see the signs of someone who’d never drank before. I shook my head to clear it and went back to the kitchen, this time to find some water to sober my drunk ass up. It was only after the drink was gone that it occurred to me to follow Tate.

I could understand why he was so freaked that he’d come in his pants. After all, I had as well. Only… my panic and confusion were far more internal than Tate’s. I couldn’t blame him though. Something big was about to happen, and he was trapped right in the middle of it.

Grateful for dark jeans, I muscled through the sticky mess in my underwear throughout the walk to my dorm. If this was going to become a regular thing, I was going to have to start traveling with extra clothes.

I changed faster than I ever had, then took to the trees to make my journey to Tate’s dorm easier. I couldn’t take entirely to the skies like some creatures at CU, but my wings had enough power to get me to the highest branches—and startle a raven snoozing somewhere in the mix. He gave me an offended squawk and fluttered to another tree. For a moment I wondered if that squawk sounded like a curse, but the moment was gone before I could give it a second thought. Besides, I had bigger things to worry about.

The doors to Karloff Hall were still open, with only Poe hall needing keycard access after curfew. I strolled right through, and beelined to Tate’s room. I wouldn’t admit aloud that I’d studied the path after finding the gargoyle perch outside his bedroom window.

The sounds of retching were evident before I was even close enough to knock on the door. Hands in my pockets, I shuffled in place while I waited for someone to open it. Unfortunately for me, Carter stood on the other side, and he’d already decided that I was the enemy.

“Now’s not a good time,” he said sternly.

He made to slam the door in my face, but I caught it before he could. He narrowed his eyes at me, and a chill went down my spine. “Don’t make me shift on you.”

Asshole. “Did he tell you what happened?”

“No, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. You shouldn’t have⁠—”

“I know. I shouldn’t have given him so much to drink and I have a lot of apologizing to do for that, but I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

Coughing and choking sounded from somewhere inside the dorm. I winced. “Is he okay?”

“Puking his guts out.” Carter sighed and seemed to resign himself to the fact that I wasn’t going anywhere. “But he’ll be fine. How much did he have?”

“I made him three drinks, but I don’t know if he had anything before I got there.”

Carter studied me, perhaps looking for any hint that I was trying to deceive him, but he wouldn’t find it. I was genuinely concerned about Tate, and there was a part of me deep inside that was busy throwing a temper tantrum because I wasn’t the one taking care of him. Especially when he whimpered and cried out for Carter.

Even more so when Carter called back, “I’ll be right there, baby.”

I should be the one calling him baby, the one he should be calling out for when he didn’t feel well… even if it was all my fault.

“Is there anything I need to know?” Carter asked. “Did he take anything? Was he mixing booze? Did you put your hand anywhere scandalous while you two were dry humping in the middle of the living room?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “You saw that?” Carter gave me a deadpan look. “He didn’t take anything. To my knowledge, he wasn’t mixing and I didn’t touch him anywhere he didn’t want me to.” I lowered my voice to where Tate wouldn’t overhear. “But you might just want to make sure he changes clothes before you put him to bed.”

Carter’s attention dropped to my lap, and he raised a brow. “Oh, that’s why he was so freaked.”

“You think so?”

“I know so,” Carter relaxed, which caused some of the tension to ease from my own shoulders. “But I don’t think it’ll be a good idea for you to see him while he’s still in such a state. It might only make things worse. I know you’re not human, but you’ve been drinking too so maybe you should just go home and get some rest. I’ll tell him to talk to you when he’s sober.”

I let out a sigh of relief. At least he didn’t think I was some kind of creep anymore. “Thanks, Carter.”

“But pull any funny business and I’ll hide in your cupboards and jump out when you least expect it.”

Then the door shut. Blowing out a heavy breath, I walked away from the dorm door, listening to the soft voices inside. The farther I walked, the less they made sense.

So maybe I lied–to both Carter and myself. I took cover beneath my wings and ducked around to the dark side of the building, scaling the wall and using a nearby tree to help me onto that gargoyle perch. The room was dark, but I hoped that it wouldn’t stay that way. I really hoped that he wouldn’t end up in Carter’s bed for the night. The door opened and shut, then water ran. Just when I was starting to lose hope, the light flipped on. Carter supported Tate by an arm around the waist, and Tate had his arm slung over his roommate’s neck. Carter tossed a bundle of clothes to the floor. Tate now wore pajama pants and a plain T-shirt that—like most of his clothes—was two sizes too big and concealed the perfect body I’d had my arms around just an hour ago.

Carter paused and tilted his head. I held my breath, but it was too late. I was made. But instead of calling me out, he rolled his eyes and continued to Tate’s bed. He didn’t lay him down so much as he did slump him over the mattress, but first-time drunks were like a sack of potatoes when they eventually passed out. He covered Tate with the blanket at the foot of the bed and moved for the door. When he paused again, I thought he was going to storm over to the window and tell me off, but he surprised me. He flipped on Tate’s bedside lamp, then turned off the overhead light that was sure to be hell on the poor boy’s senses when he woke up. Then Carter muttered, only low enough for me to hear, “Don’t stay too long. He needs rest.”