Chapter 28 Thane
THANE
I don’t want to be at school.
I don’t want to be at my family’s estate.
But our apartment is the closest thing to a safe home we have here.
It’s the only home we have.
But here, we’re not friends, brothers. We’re the untouchable, indomitable Heirs.
The last two weeks away felt like a dream, but reality cam crashing down when my father announced his return with his new wife in tow yesterday.
We left as soon as I got the text, and it’s only thanks to the new batch Killian made that I’m not already losing it.
It makes my fucking skin crawl when our adoring fans swarm us as soon as we step out of the elevator.
Killian is the distraction, Luther is the buffer, and Roth is my calm in the storm, but fucking Hell I’m so tired of this.
I fully intend on smoking and sleeping in Politics 202 with McCall this morning, but stop short when I see Nyx sitting in my seat.
Here.
In my class.
What?
She barely spares me a glance, noting down whatever’s on the board at the front of the class as I stand there like a moron.
I take my seat next to her when other students file in, every nerve in my body on fire as her scent saturates the air.
My foot starts bouncing as McCall begins class, but she continues to ignore me.
“Good morning, Thane,” she eventually mutters under her breath, nonplussed. My mouth opens and closes as my brain tries to catch up with what my eyes are seeing.
“What are you doing here?” I whisper. I can’t stop looking at her.
We haven’t talked since Samhain—since she walked away from me with that blank stare after Luther accidentally burned her dress at the bonfire.
But I’ve been watching her. Looking for her.
And fuck, even asking Killian about her since he’s the only one of us she’ll talk to, even if it’s just telling him to fuck off.
“Brandt petitioned the Board of Trustees to reassess me after I did so well on my finals last term. So I tested for advanced placement.” She shrugs.
“But you’re a freshman. And you’ve only been here for like 4 months.”
“So?”
“How did you manage to test into this class?
She scoffs. “When I’m not being starved, attacked, harassed, or beaten up, I’m actually a pretty quick study.” Guilt and shame make my stomach churn with the knowledge of how I—well, we—contributed to her misery last term.
“Did you test into any other classes?”
She raises her eyebrow. “Why do you care?”
“I—” desperately want to know if I’ll see you again. “—can help you get caught up. If you need to.” Lies. If it wasn’t for the private tutor Roth threatened with fiery death if he told anyone he was tutoring me, this isn’t the only class I’d be failing.
She scoffs, incredulous even as she keeps writing in her notebook. “You’re offering to help me, the social-climbing whore?” I wince at the reminder of what I said to her the first time we actually talked. By the lake, where I accused her of stalking me and trying to fuck her way to the top.
“I’m—shit. I’m sorry. For calling you that.”
She stares at me with those sparkling red-brown eyes, searching for the truth in my words before nodding and murmuring her own apology. “I’m sorry for calling you an arrogant, drugged up trust fund baby.”
I shake my head and mutter, “It’s not like you’re wrong.”
“Well yeah, but I didn’t have to be such a dick about it,” she says, but I don’t miss the slight twitch of her lips as she fights a smile. When she turns her attention back to McCall, I pull out my phone and frantically text our group chat under the table, and the answers roll in immediately.
Thane Rorvik
Nyx is here.
Killian Hastings
What?
Thane Rorvik
She tested into the advanced classes over break.
Roth Kovacs
Is this going to be a problem?
Thane Rorvik
I don’t think so?
Luther Falke:
That was convincing.
Killian Hastings
Ask her what other classes she has.
Thane Rorvik
Ask her yourself.
Killian Hastings
Yeahhhhh that might be a problem.
Luther Falke
What did you do now?
Roth Kovacs
Have you been a bad puppy, Killer?
Killian Hastings
Fuck all y’all. I’ll tell you tonight.
After a few minutes, she answers my question.
“Other than this, I have Economics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Runic Studies, and Taxonomic studies. But I’m still in Divination from last term.
And Physical Training.” She rolls her eyes.
I can only imagine it’s from the thought of partnering with Luther.
Again. I quickly relay what she said to the group chat.
Luther Falke
That’s at least one class for all of us.
Roth Kovacs
And most of the Legacies.
Killian Hastings
I’m going to kill whoever her Chem partner is.
Roth Kovacs
No you’re not.
Killian Hastings
Not even some light maiming??
Roth Kovacs
Partner with her but don’t make a scene.
Killian Hastings
Luther Falke
And keep your dick in your pants.
Killian Hastings
About that…
I look at her, wondering what the fuck Killian’s talking about. They didn’t actually hook up, did they? I swallow thickly to hide my warring shock and surging lust as my brain tries to connect the dots.
“Killian’s in Chemistry. And Roth has Runic Studies.”
“Can’t wait,” she deadpans, and my lips curl up into a half-smile. Over the next hour and a half, I steal glances at her whenever she watches McCall lecture. By the time class ends, she’s got three pages of notes to my three sentences.
“See you next class,” she says, packing her things and shouldering her backpack.
“Wait—” I stand quickly before she can get away.
Looking down at her like this reminds me of that day in the Medical Center, and please God don’t let me get hard at the thought.
“—do you want to trade phone numbers, in case you have questions about the material?” She glances at the messy scrawls in my notebook and raises her eyebrow.
“Or, you know, if you want to study. Or something.” She quirks her head at me, and I’d give anything to know what she’s thinking.
Because I don’t do this. Talk to people.
Usually they just talk at me. This is so fucking uncomfortable, but I can’t let her go again like I did on Samhain.
My fingers start to twitch the longer she looks at me, but eventually she reaches out. “Hand me your phone?” I pull it out of my pocket and unlock it before handing it to her. A moment later her phone lights up in her other hand and she gives mine back to me. “Here you go.”
“Cool.” I swallow thickly, staring at her. I can’t stop looking at her. She’s not pissed like she was when Killian went after her, but she’s not smiling like she does with Ramsey whenever I see them together. Or the necromancer. Fuck, was Killian right? Are they—
“Can I get by?” she asks, and I realize I’m still blocking her in.
“Yeah, sorry.” I mumble, inhaling her scent as she passes by, letting it wash over me until I’m almost dizzy. “I’ll text you.” I blurt out, belatedly grateful to realize we’re the last ones in the classroom. She looks over her shoulder briefly, and then she’s gone.
I hastily shove my notebook into my backpack and save her phone number before I do something stupid like have a stroke or come to my senses.
I barely make it to my next class in time, not that it matters because I don’t pay attention.
I agonize about whether I should text her.
Isn’t there some rule about how long I have to wait or something?
Thane Rorvik
I got her number. Do I text her now? Or do I wait?
Killian Hastings
Bro.
Thane Rorvik
Shut up.
Killian Hastings
Just nut up and tell her how badly you want to taste her pussy again.
Thane Rorvik
I hate you.
Roth Kovacs
What’s her next class?
Thane Rorvik
Econ. Then Chem, I think.
Killian Hastings
How many times do you think I can get her to tell me to go fuck myself.
Thane Rorvik
Dude, I just got her to speak to me voluntarily, please don’t piss her off.
Luther Falke
Too late.
Killian Hastings
But that’s what makes her so much fun.
Roth Kovacs
Killian.
Killian Hastings
Alright, FINE. I’ll play nice.
Luther Falke
Don’t play with her at all.
Killian Hastings
Hypocrite says “what”?
Roth Kovacs
I want to know what the dragon and the necromancer are doing with her.
Killian Hastings
Sure thing, boss.
Roth Kovacs
Good boy.
Killian Hastings
Stop that.
Lunch is a fucking nightmare as the Legacies descend on us: Calanthe seems emboldened by the Saturnalia dinner and practically glues herself to Roth’s other side despite the glint of Wrath that flashes across the Ignis Heir’s implacable mask.
Lyra quite literally hangs off Killian, clinging to his arm even as he tries to eat.
Cynthia crawls between Luther and I, indiscriminate as to who she tries to seduce so long as it’s one of us—or preferably, both of us. She’s not picky.
Through the throng of bodies closing in on us, my eyes scan the Great Hall, looking for Nyx.
I don’t settle until I finally see her sitting with the Pembroke girl and two of the Hektreia sisters—Tori and Evie.
Even though we’ve crossed paths since we were children with our parents being on the Dark Council, we’ve never said more than a few words to each other in class.
If they keep getting closer to Nyx, I might just have to reconsider.
I pull my hood up and take a hit from my vape as smoke swirls around me, hiding the object of my attention even while we’re surrounded.
Nyx doesn’t seem to talk much in their group, but she does smile.
Actually smiles. Her pink lips turn up at the corner, and I’m thrown back into the memories of her that are burned into my brain.
The taste of her pussy on my tongue, her lips on mine.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.