Chapter 25
CAM
E veryone was gathered for supper by the time I made it back to the dorm. Touron and Curi were working the stove together in some strange tandem dance, and the air was filled with the delicious aroma of spices.
“You eating with us?” Shar asked, plate in hand.
“I’m not missing whatever’s making that yummy smell.” I took my usual seat, and Shar popped a plate in front of me. “How’s Derek?”
“Tired, I think. I showed him ’round the dorm, but when I tried to take him outside, he balked.”
“Do you think he’s afraid of the outside?” Palia asked.
“I don’t think it’s fear,” Shar said. “Just…wariness. Severe wariness.”
It made sense that he’d be wary. The outside was relatively unexplored and new to him. “The only time I’ve seen him outside was when he materialized to protect me.”
“I’ll work on it with him,” Shar said. “You focus on your training with the elites.”
“How was training?” Ginia asked.
“Exhausting. But I managed to reach the ladder.” She stared at me blankly, so I explained the task Orix had set for me. “I lost count of how many tries it took me, but I did it. Now I need to work on evading him till I get to the top.”
Curi spooned a creamy soup loaded with veggies and hunks of meat onto my plate. “Try this. It’s my special recipe.”
His recipe? He cooked? I couldn’t hide my surprise.
He rolled his eyes. “We’re trained to be able to take care of ourselves.”
“But this is next level,” Ginia said. “If you fail the cadet exams, you should definitely try out for a position as a chef for the Stone Council.”
Touron set a tray of fresh bread rolls on the table.
Palia clasped her hands together in delight. “What a treat.”
I wasn’t about to tell them that I was pretty sure the elites ate like this every night. For me, being here with my friends was the treat.
We ate in silence for a while, and damn, the food was good. Too good not to have seconds.
Curi passed me more bread, and Touron topped up my bowl. They did it almost absently, as if it was reflex and not thought-out.
Across the table, Shar arched a brow, a slight smile playing on her lips.
“Levi pulled me aside for a chat today,” Curi said.
I quickly swallowed my mouthful. “Oh?”
“He’s convinced we’re not a real couple.”
“No!” Palia set her bread down. “You two have done an amazing job of pretending. If I didn’t know better, I would totally believe you two were an item.”
Curi smiled dryly. “Master Halle’s nose says different.”
“Shit,” Shar said. “We didn’t think of that.”
I looked between them. “Think of what?”
Ginia leaned forward, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Pheromones.”
I winced. “Please…”
“It makes sense,” Palia said. “Lovers would exude a certain scent around each other, or at least carry the other’s scent on them.” She narrowed her eyes in thought. “Just holding hands and hanging out won’t be enough. This scent is a skin-on-skin kinda thing.”
Curi choked on his water. “Fuck. No.”
“Hell no.” My cheeks burned.
Serath would kill him. It didn’t matter that Selas had advocated me having sexual relations with someone other than my fated mate. That was not an option for me. “There has to be another way.”
“Oooh.” Palia sat up straighter. “Curi, do you have a sleep tee?”
“No.”
“Undershirt?”
“No.”
“PJ bottoms, or shorts?”
He gave a weary sigh. “Nope.”
“Then what do you sleep in?”
He gave her a flat look which she returned in confusion.
Ginia groaned. “He means he sleeps naked, Palia. No clothes. Everything hanging free.”
She said it with a little too much enthusiasm.
Palia’s cheeks went pink. “Oh…Oh right. Um…Okay, what about…the tee you wore to the gym?”
“You want my sweaty gym top?” Curi asked, lip curling slightly in disgust.
“It’ll have your scent all over it,” Palia said. “Cam can sleep in it, and next time she sees Levi, there’ll be no doubt that you two are…together.”
“Sweaty pheromones,” Ginia said, shooting a wicked look my way.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Fine. Curi, give me your most recent gym top.”
“Whatever. But I still think it’ll take more than that to convince your ex. He’s like a dog with a bone when it comes to you. I don’t think he’s going to quit digging.”
“We just stick to our guns. He’ll back off eventually.”
But it was obvious from the expression on everyone’s faces that they didn’t believe a word I was saying.
Yeah…I didn’t believe me either.
* * *
Back at the observatory, Prasan let me in.
“Just in time for supper,” he said. “Selas was about to go looking for you.”
“I ate at the dorm.”
“But you’ll join us for dessert?”
“Sure. I need to drop my bag in my room, but I’ll be down in a few.”
I took the elevator to my floor and dumped my stuff.
Curi’s tee was wrapped in a plastic bag to preserve his scent.
I’d wear it to sleep for the next few nights, and hopefully it would be enough to shut Levi up.
I needed to let Serath know, though. My reeking of Curi was going to piss him off, but it was necessary. He’d hopefully understand.
The elites were already at the table eating spaghetti. No sign of Willowman today, and no Serath either.
“Serath probably won’t be back till after dawn,” Selas said as I joined them.
“I didn’t ask.”
“You didn’t need to,” Orix said. “Your disappointed eyes said it all.”
“I’m not disappointed.”
“It’s all right,” Prasan said. “It’s natural for you to seek his company and vice versa.”
Natural to be mooning over him, they meant. “So…where is he?”
“He and Willowman are visiting one of our outposts to strengthen the wards there. They do it every so often.”
“One of the outposts close to graynite territory?” The one where Serath was almost killed,
“He’ll be fine,” Selas said. “They’re not going to venture into graynite territory, just strengthen the wards, that’s all.”
“Outpost Ten is our usual base when we’re not here,” Orix said. “There are two alpha teams located there.”
“But you’re here because you lost Romi?”
“Yes,” Selas replied. “The Stone Council can’t risk losing more of the team.”
“But they didn’t mind you and Serath heading into graynite territory to investigate, did they?”
“We’re replaceable,” Orix said frankly. “There’s a Halle and an Albion who can step into our shoes immediately. They’re at Outpost Six. Seasoned guardians who can take the elite exam tomorrow if need be.”
“Not so much for Prasan and me,” Selas said. “Curi would be my closest replacement, and Sharniza Prasan’s, both newbies who’d have to have extensive training.”
“Like me?”
“Yeah,” Orix said. “It’s not ideal, even in your case.”
So the Stone Council put as much value on its elite as how easily they could be replaced. What dicks.
Taz leapt up onto Orix’s lap and stretched up to rub the top of his head against the elite’s neck.
Orix chuckled and stroked the cat under his chin, then rubbed his ears. He was rewarded with a loud purr. “We’ll go for a wander later, I promise.”
“When are you taking him to the sanctuary again?” Selas asked with a smile. “You know he can’t stay here permanently. We could get called to Outpost Ten at any time. You can’t keep a pet.”
The cat slow-blinked his peridot eyes and fixed his attention on Selas, and I could have sworn he understood every word she said.
Orix sighed. “I know, I just…He’s special.” He dropped a kiss on Taz’s head, his golden hair falling forward, silver streaks gleaming in the overhead lights.
It was hard not to warm to the elite when he behaved like this. There was a tenderness about him when he interacted with the feline which was absent from most of his interactions.
The cat obviously loved the gargoyle. “Are cats prohibited at outposts?”
“Not that I’m aware,” Prasan said.
I shrugged. “Then we should definitely keep him.”
Orix beamed at me. “Thank you.”
“Do you regret trying to kill me now?”
“Urgh, woman! Will you ever let that slide?”
“Nope.”
Prasan chuckled and pushed back his seat. “On that note, I’ll get dessert.”
The next hour passed in easy conversation with the elites, but my thoughts kept straying to Serath out at Outpost Ten.
Hanging with the elites was pleasant enough, but I was glad to get away and up to my room. Prasan followed me into the elevator and hit the button for the top floor.
“Get some rest,” he said. “I’m sure Serath will be riding you hard tomorrow.”
“Nice choice of words.”
He looked horrified. “I didn’t mean…I mean…”
“I know.” The elevator pinged for my floor, and it hit me that I wouldn’t get a chance to warn Serath about Curi’s T-shirt and scent. I grabbed the door to stop it closing. “Will you see Serath when he gets back at dawn?”
“Probably. Why?”
I filled him in on our plan to get Levi off my tail by using Curi’s scent. “Can you warn him for me please?” I grimaced. “I don’t want him going all beast mode if he catches Curi’s scent on me during the day.”
“Of course.”
I headed to my room, bone weary, but I doubted I’d get much sleep tonight. Knowing that Serath was outside the safety of the academy, back at the outpost where he’d almost died…Yeah, sleep wouldn’t come easy.