Chapter 9 #2
Milo blushes at being included, which is cute. I think even if he could talk he would be a stuttering mess around Wyatt. Since Wyatt retrieved him some pens and paper, I think he might be developing a crush.
“Why do you call me that?” I ask, side-tracked. “What does it even mean?”
“Because you are,” he answers without really answering at all. He reaches over and steals some fries from my plate, stuffing them into his mouth.
Milo has picked up his notepad and turns it around, having scribbled a question, How did you get away from the guards?
Wyatt swallows his mouthful before responding, “Snuck out the window. Those locks they put on them to stop them opening all the way are really easy to dissemble. That grumpy one seems really angry that I escaped. He blew a gasket when he saw me wandering away from the dorms.”
I choke on a fry as laughter splutters from my lungs. Wyatt doesn’t have to say his name for me to know it was Garrick. I would’ve loved to have seen his face when he realised Wyatt had broken out, I bet he was basically vibrating holding his cat back.
“You’ve probably just won yourself the title of suspect number one with that stunt,” I inform him, taking a sip of the soda I’d grabbed.
“Eh.” Wyatt shrugs, stealing more of my fries. “I’m not worried, I know that I didn’t do it.” He pauses, hand halfway to his mouth and eyes the two of us warily. “Where were you both?”
Milo quickly scribbles the word library on his notepad.
“Still?” Wyatt’s eyebrow arches.
“Yes.”
“That’s a lot of studying.” He looks between us like he thinks we might have been up to more than reading the books.
Huffing, I touch his arm to get his attention back on me. “We were just getting ahead on understanding this realm,” I tell him. Lying completely about what I was doing. “We were walking back when the guards wouldn’t let us enter the building.”
“It’s a big deal, isn’t it?” Wyatt asks. “That Hades guy seemed pretty stern when he told us we weren’t to kill each other outside of the games.”
I stifle another laugh imagining the Lord of the Underworld overhearing Wyatt refer to him as “that Hades guy.”
Did you see anything? Milo taps the new question on his notepad.
“Nah, it was on the floor below us. I didn’t hear a thing. I was reading in my room after I left you. I don’t like libraries, you have to be so quiet.”
I eat some more fries as Milo asks another question. What were you reading about?
“I was trying to find a way to stop those rock beasties, I really don’t want to encounter those again on the next task.
“Gargoyles. They were gargoyles,” I tell him, trying and failing not to laugh.
“Yeah, those. Sneaky mother fuckers.” He shudders, clearly remembering his brush with the ill-tempered beings. “Did you know that there are dragon shifters? Now that’s seriously cool.”
“I bet you wouldn’t be saying that when you find yourself in the firing line of one,” I tell him. The dragon shifters are rarer and generally quite hot headed. I’ve nearly been barbequed a few times when I’ve accidentally ended up flying near one. In their human forms though, they’re a fun bunch.
“Do you think any of the guards are one?” He ignores my warning. “I’d love to see them do that fire breathing thing. Do you think their scales are soft? I bet their scales are soft.”
“I definitely don’t think you should pet one. Especially if it’s a guard.” I haven’t worked out all of the guards’ forms yet but there probably is a dragon amongst them. Rare they might be but I’m aware the vast majority work directly for Hades having been past participants in these very games.
“I’m sure they’d let me if I asked nicely.” Wyatt sounds so confident.
I don’t have it in me to correct him this time. Hopefully, if one of the staff is a dragon, they lay the ground rules before they shift. Knowing what I do about the exuberant blonde guy beside me, he’d probably try and ride them.
“Anyway,” I say, trying to steer the conversation back to the reason I called him over in the first place. “What are you doing tonight?”
That immediately gets his attention. And Milo’s too.
“Don’t mess with me Mo Stór, are you finally giving in to this insane chemistry between us?”
I roll my eyes before blowing out my next exhale. Can I rethink this?
“No, but if you’re still wanting to hook up, I’m feeling horny and could use a fuck.” I want to set expectations right now. Before he gets carried away.
“Oh, fuck yes! I knew you’d give in,” Wyatt shouts a little too loud. “Oh my god, this is go–” I slam a hand over his mouth.
“First, do not evoke the gods when in my presence,” I tell him sternly, straightening my back. “Second, this is a one-time thing. I need a release, that is all this is.”
He nods beneath my fingers, his eyes gleaming like I’ve just made his entire year. As soon as I remove my hand he’s talking again. “So, what time? Do you want to go now?”
“Calm down, or I might not come over at all. I was thinking I’d swing by your room at some point later. Once we’re all allowed back into the dorms that is.”
“Cool. Cool, cool, cool. I’m chill.” The way he’s practically bouncing in his seat tells me he is anything but cool over this. It’s kind of flattering really.
Looking over the table, Milo has started chewing on the end of his pen. He’s gone back to reading his book. I can’t tell if he’s simply not interested in the conversation or whether he’s being polite and giving us some privacy to arrange this hook up.
His knee is bouncing under the table though, which I take to mean he’s agitated in some way. Oh, well. I can’t bring myself to care right now. The first step of my plan is in motion. Now I just need to ensure the rest of it goes off without a hitch.