Chapter 29 Elodie
TWENTY-NINE
ELODIE
“See you soon, Little Weapon.”
“See you soon, Little Weapon.”
“See you soon, Little Weapon.”
I can’t get his parting words out of my head, or the way he puckered his lips, knowingly getting under my skin.
Those words rattled in my head as a siren blared through the air, cutting the game short.
They consumed me as professors hurried to gather all of the students.
They choked me as the illusion disappeared, returning us to the potions classroom.
Even now, safely back in my room, they torture me still.
Shaking my head, it does little to clear the visual from my mind, but I push through, riffling through my fresh pajamas.
I settle on a soft, pale-blue ribbed set.
As I quickly change, I feel a slight shift in the heaviness on my shoulders.
Moving toward the bedroom, my bed calls to me immediately, and I automatically flop back on the sheets with a groan as the mattress takes my weight.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Ocean asks, still perched on her bed, and I tilt my face in her direction, my eyes half closed as I offer her a soft smile.
“I told you to go already,” I reiterate for the tenth time, and she sighs.
“I know. I just don’t want to leave you. That was a lot for everyone, especially for you. Nathaniel can wait if you need me,” she insists, and I shake my head at her.
“Ocean, go, spend time with your guy, I’m fine. He seemed sad on the phone, but that was more for you. If anything, you’re doing him a favor by letting him see you’re okay.”
“Are you definitely sure? It’s not every day you run into a rebellion group, never mind twice in such a short span of time.”
Leaning up on my elbow, I give her a pointed look. “I’m sure. They have us on high alert. Just do me a favor and message me when you get there, okay?”
Amusement dances in her eyes as she jumps to her feet, her blonde hair swinging from side to side as she grins at me. “Oh, you care.”
“I do not,” I retort quickly, but she pays me no mind as she cuts the distance between us, settling on my bed beside me.
“It’s cute.”
“Just go, you crazy woman,” I grumble, waving her off as her hand slams against her chest and she gapes at me.
“I’m not crazy, I’m—”
“Psychotic, I know. Lock the door behind you,” I interject, making the pair of us smile before she heads for the door.
I relax as the sound of the lock turning into place rings through the silence, but the moment I close my eyes, the vision of the rebel rears its ugly head again.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I take a deep breath, aware that I desperately need a distraction.
Prying my eyes open, I glance around the room.
It takes a moment, but I spy the remote control on Ocean’s bed.
My gaze narrows and I aim my hand in that direction, squinting more with every second that passes as I will the device to come to me, but it doesn’t budge.
It definitely doesn’t look like I’m blessed with such powers.
Reluctantly, I stand with a groan, scurrying across the room, but before I can get my hands on the remote control, a knock sounds from the door, freezing me in my tracks. I take a moment, considering whether to answer it or not, but I quickly roll my eyes and choose to ignore it.
Securing the device, I turn back for my bed, but two steps away from the sheets beckoning me closer, another knock echoes from the door. With a huff, I toss the remote control on my bed and storm toward the offensive piece of wood. Twisting the lock, I swing it open to come face to face with Rion.
My lips part, but before I can speak a word, he sweeps me off my feet and I squeal. “Put me down.”
“With pleasure, Petal,” he replies, swatting my butt, but instead of placing me back on my feet, he turns, cutting across the hallway, drawing me farther away from the comfort of my bed.
“Hey, Rion. Rion!” I grumble, trying to wiggle out of his hold, but it’s futile; his clasp is iron tight, and I know enough to admit I have no chance of fighting against it.
He kicks the dorm door shut behind us, confirming I’m in his shared room with Kael and Thorne, and he brings me down off his shoulder without letting my feet touch the floor.
Instinctively, my arms wrap around his neck as I glance around the space.
I’ve avoided this room since I was last here when Thorne revealed the downfall of his family.
Even though it wasn’t that long ago, it still overwhelms me how big their room is.
Not only do they have their own rooms and en-suites, but there’s a communal living space for them to share too.
The television is already on, a list of movies displayed, but it’s Kael that captures my attention as I watch him methodically convert their sofa into a huge bed. It’s only when he has all of the cushions back in their rightful places that Rion lowers me, but not to my feet, to the sofa.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my eyebrows pinching in confusion, and Kael grunts.
“Get comfortable.”
Frozen in place, I watch as Rion strides toward their small kitchen with confidence, huffing in amusement at my own thoughts.
Small kitchen, I don’t even have one. He’s quickly making his way back toward the sofa, arms laden with an array of snacks, when my stomach grumbles, reminding me that I should eat something.
He stops at the edge of the sofa-bed and cocks a brow at me.
I take the silent order and shuffle back until I’m in the center of the cushions with my back propped against the makeshift headrest. A shiver runs down my spine as he winks at me, but he doesn’t join me as I expect.
Instead, his gaze shifts across the room.
I follow his line of sight just in time to spy Kael stalking toward us with his arms bound around a stack of blankets. He works in silence, spreading them out in every direction, offering me a thicker one as he lays it over my lap, and I instinctively snuggle deeper into it.
It’s only when his arms are free of any blankets that Rion climbs onto the sofa-bed, spreading the snacks out between us with a grin.
My stomach grumbles again, the tightness it twists inside of me growing more insistent, but I turn to Kael to offer my thanks before I eat, only to find him stripping out of his uniform.
I gulp, my throat dry with awe as he kicks off his boots, shakes off his blazer, and unbuttons his shirt so damn slowly I’m certain he’s doing it on purpose. When he’s standing in his academy-issued pants, his chest bare and enticing, he climbs onto the bed.
My eyes almost bug out of my head as I glance out of the corner of my eyes in each direction.
Rion is to my left, Kael to my right. But when I peer back at Rion, I find he’s followed Kael’s idea and lost his uniform when I wasn’t looking.
Only, he had to go a step further. It is Rion, of course.
The only thing that swathes his body are his black boxer shorts, exposing his thick thighs along with the rest of his taut muscles.
Damn.
If there is ever a distraction from the madness that was today, this is it.
Do they know that? Is that why I’m here?
Shaking my head, I rid the thought from my mind as I clear my throat, opting to meet Kael’s gaze since he’s the one wearing the most clothing. “What’s going on?”
His lips purse as he stares deep into my eyes. His emerald-green orbs are stormy and riddled with emotions that I can’t even begin to decipher, but when he parts his lips, his words are far from what I expect. “Can you pick a decent movie?”
I search his stare for something more, something deeper; it’s right there for me to view, but it seems he’s unwilling to share.
After the mindfuck that today has been, I’m unsure I’m ready for it either.
So I do what I do best and pretend it’s not there, offering a smile instead as I give him a pointed look.
“Do you really question my skills?” I breathe, snatching the remote control from his hand the moment he offers it to me.
He shrugs, unfazed. “No idea, pick a movie,” he grumbles in the way only he can.
Rolling my eyes at him, I draw my attention to the television, but before I can scroll through the options, a flash of jet-black hair passes in front of us, making me freeze.
I watch in slow motion as Thorne swoops up a bag of chips and heads toward his room without a single word or backward glance, leaving my heart a pounding mess and my mind filled with disappointment.
Even when he slams his bedroom door shut behind him, I find myself staring at it with wonder, but when a few moments pass and he doesn’t come back out, I know my answer.
I want to hurry toward his door, profess my gratitude for the way he stepped in front of me earlier, and ramble on about anything and everything to make him look at me, but it’s pointless and I know it.
It’s the three of us.
I should be relieved, I should be content, I should be…
Maybe I shouldn’t be here at all.
As if sensing the shift inside of me, a hand lands on my shoulder, tearing me from the chaos in my mind. I follow the calloused fingers, up across the tight forearms and rigid biceps, to find Rion staring at me with a half smile curling his lips.
“Choose a movie, Petal.” It’s an order, one I’m happy to take as it pulls me from the depths of no return.
Nestling into the cushions, it only takes a few swipes through the catalog of movies available for me to find what I’m looking for.
“Is this okay?” I ask, nodding at the screen. Kael hums in agreement as Rion arches an eyebrow at me.
“Have you seen it?” he asks, and I shrug.
“No, but he’s hot.”
His jaw falls slack but he quickly recovers, only to knit his brows together with a pout as he fake glares at me.
“Are you trying to make me hate my favorite movie?” Amusement quickly dances across his features and I shake my head at him, hitting play as Kael leans over me to grab a bag of chocolates and a tube of chips.