Chapter 12 Skye
Skye
“Baby, relax, I feel fine.” Aiden spoke softly into my ear. I heard him perfectly over the pounding music, even through the sensory earbuds I wore. They filtered out the loudest parts of the music, muffling the intensity while allowing me to hear people speaking.
Zephyr had slipped them into my pocket before we’d left, because he was always anticipating my needs. I needed to find out where he even bought something like this so I could take some back to the academy with me.
“You feel okay?” Aiden asked, his hand grazing over the shell of my ear. I smiled, nodding. I felt great. Aiden holding onto me helped.
I’d teleported us over to the Capitol island.
When Aiden realized where the club was located, he’d wanted to back out.
He was also a little irritated at Zephyr for suggesting a club in a traumatic location, but I’d only shrugged.
The club was nowhere near the site of the massacre, and I’d never been around the club as a child.
The two locations were completely separate in my mind.
I’d resisted coming pretty hard, but now that we were here, I was excited. I’d been excited for the disaster party during first term as well, but that whole night had gone to shit. Aiden was right in a way. This night for us was a bit of a do-over.
We’d somehow left the apartment without Aiden fucking me into the floor. I wish I’d taken a picture of the look on his face when I emerged from my closet in a simple off-shoulder playsuit.
Also, I’d totally gone without panties. Not that I was going to tell him that until the right moment.
“Are we going to dance?” I asked.
“Whatever you want,” Aiden replied, his hands squeezing my hips slightly. “We could always leave and just get right to bed.”
I snorted, taking his hands and pulling him behind me. He had not just convinced me to come all the way over here so we could leave to have sex.
Although that wasn’t a bad idea, it was too late. I’d already accepted that we were here.
I led Aiden out onto the dance floor, finding a free corner for us to have our own space.
Aiden knew how to dance. He wasn’t just standing up against me while I grinded against him, he was moving along with me, flexing his hips in time with mine.
His arms were extra warm, glowing just slightly as they snaked around my middle, then he pulled my back to his front and tucked his face in my neck.
“Too bad it’s just us,” he said. “Imagine how much fun we could have if Wyatt got over himself.”
My dancing slowed as I took in his words.
He wasn’t wrong, but the thought of Wyatt in a club like this made me laugh. He’d probably complain the music was too loud. Except I also wanted to complain the music was too loud, so which of us was more of a stick in the mud?
Aiden brushed his lips over my ear. “Or maybe Rafe,” he said. “Something tells me the Prince can dance.”
I shook my head with a grin. I believed that, too.
Are you trying to tell me you’re not having enough fun with just me? I asked.
Of course not, baby. He nuzzled against my neck. I just think you’d have more fun with more…
Dicks?
Aiden leaned away from me so he could laugh loudly before he squeezed along my waist. I wiggled in his arms, then spun around to face him and threw my arms around his neck.
You into that, angel? You wanna watch some other dude fuck me?
Aiden kissed my nose. If that’s what you want.
I shook my head in disbelief. I still couldn’t quite understand how he was so okay with that.
Ben had always been so laid back, but if Levi saw mom even look at another man, he’d get jealous. Mom loved it, though, so it was never a problem.
At least…that’s what I thought.
Your opinion matters, too, Aiden.
He furrowed his brow. If I told you I didn’t want you with anyone else, would you seriously be okay with it?
I chewed my lip as I considered that. Yes.
Aiden blew out a breath before leaning in to kiss me. When he pulled back, the look of love in his expression was almost overwhelming. His eyes rolled over every inch of my face, drinking in every feature like he hadn’t already memorized it.
“Don’t be mad at me, please.” Aiden murmured. I heard him perfectly, read his lips as he spoke because I watched his mouth too often.
“What?” I asked, confused as Aiden’s gaze moved over my shoulder.
I tensed as another presence met my back, but my affinity didn’t react. Another set of large hands landed below Aiden’s, wrapping around my hips. A hard chest pressed against my back, and Aiden chuckled at how I shivered. Now I understood.
“Rafe,” I mumbled.
No one could have heard me speak over the pounding music, but my shadow heard everything. Rafe’s chin landed on my shoulder, sending goosebumps up the back of my neck. Aiden leaned in on my other shoulder, kissing my neck and making me shudder.
“You did this?” I asked Aiden.
Aiden gave me a shy grin before speaking into my ear. “You need to get to know him without Wyatt around.”
He had a point. And I would probably thank him for it, later, but for now, my mind was racing to find any reason why this was a bad idea.
“Someone will see,” I protested weakly.
“No they won’t,” Rafe practically purred in my ear.
“His face is shadowed,” Aiden breathed in my other ear.
I shivered hard, more goosebumps breaking out all over my exposed arms and legs. Why the hell had I worn this tiny playsuit, anyway? I didn’t need to be sexy for Aiden, but he’d encouraged it, and now it totally made sense. He’d planned for Rafe to meet us here and ambush me.
Although…I was…maybe…enjoying being ambushed.
Aiden squeezed my waist before he began to sway with the music again, forcing me to follow his lead. Rafe was pressed right up against my ass behind me, and he easily moved along with us.
I was now the meat in the middle of a very sexy sandwich.
And Rafe knew how to dance, too.
The three of us moved seamlessly. Rafe plastered himself against me, his hot breath tickling my ear from exertion after the fourth or fifth song.
Aiden’s hairline was damp with sweat, and I could taste it every time he kissed me.
Rafe seemed to just be watching us, since that’s what he did best. He was observing how Aiden and I interacted, and probably taking notes on what I liked.
We could have danced for hours. I was burning hot in between these two six-foot-something men, but I wasn’t about to stop. I could’ve passed out, and that would’ve been fine. Rafe could give me mouth-to-mouth.
I had no idea when my mind had changed about the Prince. He’d stalked me as the shadow, sure. He’d also driven me almost to the point of insanity, and watched me while I slept, and broke into my fucking apartment, and–
Holy shit, he really did sound like a psycho when I put all those instances together.
But he was so…caring. And protective. His declaration to me from right before the attack at the academy, how he’d take care of me and Aiden…then when he’d stood in my living room and declared he was there for me and Aiden…I didn’t think that was an act.
I spun around suddenly, hooking one arm around Aiden’s neck behind me and resting my other on Rafe’s shoulder.
Rafe tilted his head. His face was darkened from shadow, so no one here would really be able to see him. But I’d been able to see him since I first sensed him, so his shadows couldn’t hide anything from me.
I almost smiled as I thought back to that shadow sketch I’d worked on for weeks, thinking it was a waste of time. It’d looked like Rafe because it was Rafe, I just hadn’t known it yet.
My eyes fell to his full lips, which quirked at me with the barest of insufferable smirks, and then I darted my gaze back to his dark eyes.
“Go ahead, darling.” His own eyes dropped to mouth. “I won’t stop you.”
Aiden’s chin rested on my shoulder and he wrapped his arms around me more completely, like he was ready to lift me up and carry me away from whatever mess I was about to get myself into, I only had to say the word.
I made an unsure sound at the back of my throat, and Aiden chuckled right in my ear.
Are you okay with this? I asked him.
You know I am, he replied, then kissed my temple. As long as you are.
“Unless you’re still angry I broke into your apartment?”
I rolled my eyes. He hadn’t broken anything on the lock, according to Zephyr. Somehow the locks that I’d made nearly impossible to undo without my affinity had been no match for the Prince and his shadows.
Speaking of which, one seemed to prod at my arm for a moment, bringing my attention back to the moment, but I couldn’t be sure in the dim light of the club.
Rafe, the stalker, was also apparently a gentlemen. He watched my face hungrily, his eyes eating up my every expression, but he made no move toward me. His hands were still politely on my waist, though one of his thumbs had moved upward slightly so he could rub at my stomach.
I knew he was patient –he’d demonstrated that by stalking and waiting on me– but there was something else under that patience. He truly was content to stand here and watch me while I made my decision.
I almost groaned. A man waiting on consent should have just been a given, not something super hot, but–
Your thoughts are so loud, baby, Aiden kissed my temple again. Tell him to get lost. We can go back to your room and have fun. Or maybe we can go down to the beach.
The beach? Even in my mind, I was breathless.
Yeah. I’ll fuck you in the sand again. Aiden replied.
I sucked in another breath, feeling lightheaded.
Rafe’s eyes finally left my face, flashing back toward Aiden, almost as if he’d heard him. But I knew he hadn’t. Something told me Rafe was just as careful with his telepathy as I was, and he wouldn’t dare intrude on Aiden’s mind without his consent. Especially not right in front of me.
I don’t want to leave, I admitted and Aiden chuckled again. Suddenly, he nudged me slightly, pushing me right up against Rafe’s hard chest.