Chapter 27
Skye
“We don’t usually offer room changes this late into the year,” Eleanor said with a pronounced frown. “It’s already second term.”
It had been over a week since the storm, and today Aiden and I had returned to the academy against Zephyr’s wishes and probably my better judgement.
I was now in the main office, trying to get us a new dorm room. I couldn’t continue sharing a room with Willow and sometimes Mia. After having Aiden to myself every hour of every day over our break, there was no way I could go back to how things were before.
That, and his mother had cornered him in his dorm while he was alone. I would do everything in my power to make sure nothing like that ever happened again.
It was hard to believe I’d been so apprehensive about getting closer to Aiden. Now, I needed my ray of sunshine around as often as possible. He was probably the only thing keeping me completely sane right now.
The reason for my impending insanity nudged at me, and I barely resisted the urge to huff. Shadow Rafe was back to following me around, and being especially annoying now that I knew who he was.
“Please take another look at my Links,” I said lowly.
“That doesn’t make a difference–”
I cut her off. “Maybe I can make a phone call?”
Shadow Rafe approved of that. He was the one who’d suggested I get a new room, implying all of my Links would be staying there frequently, but that was definitely not happening.
Eleanor gave me a strange look, but did as I asked. She typed on her obnoxiously loud keyboard for several seconds before pausing to read. Her eyes widened, then widened even further. She stood abruptly, almost knocking her large drink tumbler to the floor.
“My goodness!” She exclaimed, fanning herself as she flushed.
“Of course I can get you moved into a new room. This won’t be a problem at all!
” She rummaged around in a drawer behind the desk.
“There is a penthouse available, at the top of your current building. It’ll need to be cleaned, then your things can be moved. ”
I rolled my eyes at the air, sensing Rafe was full of smug satisfaction. I stood as Eleanor handed me a folder full of information related to my new penthouse.
A penthouse. At a war college. Lord help us.
I thanked Eleanor, then made my way outside and across the quad.
Shadow Rafe continued following me, poking and prodding at my mind like he wanted to speak with me.
I refused to open up, deciding it was more fun for him to pout when he didn’t get his way.
I’d liked playing this game with Aiden during first term, and Rafe was a perfect candidate for the game to continue.
I checked my phone, seeing a message from Willow wanting to meet up.
I replied quickly, deciding I could afford some time to stop and say hi before heading to my new dorm.
Aiden was still in the Health clinic with Dani, so I wasn’t waiting on him, and besides…
I was going to miss Willow and Mia being around constantly.
I turned a corner, side-stepping to avoid a cold patch of shade, then gasped as a shadow swallowed me.
Moving through the shadows was a bizarre sensation. It wasn’t as fast as teleporting, and it left me with a lingering chill. It was not my preferred method of travel.
We reappeared at the back of the building, in an even colder patch of shade.
“You asshole,” I hissed as the dark form of Rafe took shape in front of me.
His lips curved into a wicked grin as he backed me against the fucking freezing brick wall, planting his hands on either side of me to cage me in. I wrapped my arms around my middle, half to warm me and half to put some type of barrier between me and Rafe’s muscled torso.
“Don’t be like that,” he purred. “You have me all hot and bothered, watching you assert yourself in there. Threatening a phone call?” He pressed his face against my neck with a groan, and I shivered at the warmth.
“Whatever.”
“You know, I always wanted to kiss a girl back here,” he said.
“In the cold?” I chattered.
He went on like I wasn’t shivering. “In secret, hidden away.”
He kissed my jaw before moving to my neck, and I let him, because his face was warm.
“You’re trembling,” Rafe murmured in my ear, like it was because he was having an effect on me and not because I was developing hypothermia.
“Can’t your sh-shadows warm us up?” I asked shakily.
“Can’t you warm up the atoms around your body or something?” he countered, raising a dark brow.
I shoved at his hard, warm chest, then gave up, collapsing against him. Rafe immediately wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a beam of sunlight while his warmth bled into my bones.
“Willow is looking for you,” he said. “I can’t keep you for too long back here.”
“Pity,” my voice wobbled. “And t-to think, you almost succeeded in killing me from exposure.”
“You are the hardest person to please,” Rafe said, tucking my head under his chin. “I love it. I’ve never been so constantly on my toes. No wonder Wyatt is losing his mind.”
Hm. I’d had enough.
I nudged at Rafe’s shoulder, and he let go, though he pouted.
And no, he wasn’t adorable when he pouted.
Not at all.
I definitely did not want to kiss his perfect lips, either.
“Give me a kiss and I’ll go,” Rafe said.
“How about, I just squeeze you, and then I don’t have to kiss you?” I said, placing a hand on his chest.
“Don’t be like that,” he said, his voice almost a whine. “You’ll regret not kissing me when you see your new room.”
“Why?” I asked, pushing back to look at his face.
His expressionless face.
“No reason,” he said flatly. “Just kiss me.”
I couldn’t help but grin. I darted forward, giving him the quickest peck possible, but he tightened his hold on me, slotting me against his body.
I groaned into his chest, then gasped as his hand snaked into my hair and pulled so that my neck was nearly exposed.
“A real kiss, love.”
“So demanding,” I chided, but he only grinned.
I strained forward as much as I could since he held my hair, and he moved the rest of the way. His lips landed on mine and my body ignited, my coldness quickly forgotten. His tongue easily pushed into my mouth, playfully prodding at mine before he ran his teeth across my bottom lip.
I couldn’t hold back a whimper, and he grinned again, pleased he was finally having an effect on me.
I grazed my free hand over the seam of his zipper, and he jumped slightly before pressing into me with a growl.
I had to get out of here before I let him take me up against the brick wall.
Which would be insane.
Although, in theory, the shadows should have been able to hide us…
Using some of my affinity, I pushed Rafe off of me. He looked shocked for just a second, then he yelped as I used my affinity again to pull his hair.
“Fuck,” he hissed. “I see why Brandt likes this.”
I barely held in a laugh.
“Don’t pull my hair again.” I said, before I whipped back around the corner.
My cheeks were bright red, now from heat instead of the frigid air. My skin was flushed, the back of my neck hot. Rafe had me all kinds of bothered.
He was so…smooth. He didn’t even have to try, it seemed, and his actions were sensual. I would have hated it if it weren’t all for me.
“Skye! You wonderful, wonderful girl!” Willow’s voice was my only warning before she threw herself into me. I stumbled back with an oof, using my affinity at the last second to keep us from falling.
“Willow, what the hell?” Mia laughed.
“We just found out! Thank you so much!” Willow babbled, holding onto me even as I tried to pry her arms from around me.
“What are you talking about?” Just as I pulled her arm away from me, her other arm snaked around my waist, tightening her hold on me.
“The new room!” Willow cried. “Don’t play dumb! You got me and Mia a new room!”
“Uh…” My eyes found Mia, who realized I didn’t know what the fuck was going on.
“You didn’t get us the new room?” Mia asked, tilting her head in confusion.
I shook my head. “I only went in and got myself moved so I could share with Aiden. I thought they’d leave Willow by herself and then you could just unofficially move in.”
“Sure,” Willow said, not believing me at all. “Whatever, Skye. I see you, throwing that Royal power around already.”
I laughed in disbelief.
“I guess it doesn’t really matter who did it,” Mia said with a shrug. “As long as we’re all where we want to be.”
“Please tell me you’re only down the hall from us,” Willow said, her eyes on my folder of information.
“I think we’re on the top floor,” I said, trying to remember the paperwork I’d looked at.
“Oh, my God. Of course you’re in the penthouse.” Willow rolled her eyes but finally let go of me. “Skye, it’s admirable that you’re using your new Royal powers for good instead of evil, but we totally have to use them for something evil.”
I snorted, pulling away from her completely. “What evil deeds did you have in mind?”
“Changing grades? Messing with some bitches? Oh!” She jumped up and down excitedly, then rubbed her hands together maniacally. “Let’s trash Wyatt’s office.”
My stomach dropped just from hearing his name. I cleared my throat, then feigned like I was stretching as I turned to look over my shoulder.
The campus was filling with more students, friends and couples having reunions all over the spotless quad. You’d have no idea there’d been dead people here a few weeks ago.
My heart clenched as I noticed the large copse of trees Landon had burned hadn’t grown back. Those trees had been so old, there probably wasn’t an earth affinate capable of recreating them.
“I can’t believe they’re just going to act like nothing happened,” I said quietly.
“They’re probably not,” Mia said. “We have an assembly in the afternoon.”
I nodded, noticing Carla and Anton standing together, having quite an animated conversation. Carla was talking with her hands while Anton shook his head furiously.
“We should’ve let her get taken,” Willow muttered, following my gaze.
“Come on, Will.” Mia snorted. “We did the right thing.”
“Yeah. It’s not her fault Aiden was a dumbass,” I said. “She said some mean shit to me but that doesn’t mean she should get kidnapped.”
“You guys are no fun,” Willow said with a pout. “Anyway, thank you again for the room, Skye.”
I laughed. “I swear, Willow, it wasn’t me.”
Willow scrunched up her nose. “So, who? Couldn’t be Wyatt. And I’m pretty sure Rafe wishes I didn’t exist.”
I chuckled. “Come on, that’s not true. Rafe is just…”
“A pompous ass?” Mia offered.
“Prickly,” I corrected.
Willow rolled her eyes. “I know that. Don’t you think I used to wish this were an older-brother-has-hot-Prince-friend-who-falls-in-love-with-me scenario?
Instead I got the older-brother-has-hot-Prince-friend-who-hates-me.
Seriously, Rafe has always been kind of a dick.
I can’t believe Wyatt is the bigger dick right now.
Those two wonder how they’re friends but they’re practically the same person in slightly different clothing. ”
I laughed as we began to walk, heading for our new dorm building. Willow’s comment about the top floor had me wondering what exactly I’d be walking into, but I didn’t want to see my new room without Aiden, so I agreed to see the besties’ room instead.
Mia was saying something about their new room having a kitchenette, and just as I was about to turn around, I bumped into someone.
A man.
The breath left my lungs in a whoosh.
This was…a very attractive man, I noted as I glanced up at him.
He scowled at me even though he’d caught my by the shoulders, and my heart clenched for just a moment. This was so similar to the first time I’d met Landon. The deep pit of grief I’d been avoiding threatened to open up inside me, and I swallowed hard.
The guy was tall, about Rafe’s height, with dark, almost black hair similar to my own. My hands landed on his stomach, which had absolutely no give, by the way–
His large hands caught my elbows, stopping me from losing my balance, and my breath caught in my throat as our eyes met. A perfect cerulean blue with a little gold shot through the iris looked back at me.
“Sorry,” I breathed.
His handsome face looked shocked for just a moment before it transformed back into a scowl, and he gently pushed me back to arm’s length.
Willow scoffed from behind me as the guy let go of me like I’d burned him, then turned and sauntered past us, his blue eyes flashing over to me.
I watched him as he passed, watched how his eyes left mine and traveled down the length of my body before snapping back to my face.
His lips twitched into a smirk for just a split-second before he went back to his scowl, then turned away abruptly.
“What the hell was that?” I blinked several times. “Was that an asshole move, or like…”
“Nope, that was just a hot guy being a hot guy.” Mia said with an eye-roll. “I’m so glad I gave up on men.”
“God, I hate when they know.” Willow sneered.
“When they know what?” I felt a little dazed. That guy was way too fucking hot to be scowling all the time. That smirk alone was hot. If he ever managed to really smile, it would’ve been lethal.
“When they know they’re hot,” Willow explained. “They get so cocky. Look at him with his cocky ass, walking around all attractively.”
Leave it to Willow to say something not-sexual that ended up making me think of something sexual. Now I was envisioning what his ass looked like.
If those abs were anything to go by, it’d be firm and muscled and…
“I’ve never seen him before,” I said, still watching him.
“He has to be new,” Willow said. “I’ll see what info I can get on him. Wyatt owes me big time.”
I hummed in reply, because there was no way Wyatt would be giving Willow information on anyone, even if he did owe her.
I still watched, barely blinking as he reached the end of the building, stepping off the stone path and into the grass.
He ran a hand through his hair, then paused as he caught my eye again, like he couldn’t help but look.
My heart pounded slightly, but I refused to look away.
Unusually warm arms banded around me from behind, and I shivered, my body finally warming.
“Hey, baby.” Aiden spoke right into my ear, and I grinned as the mystery guy narrowed his eyes at us. He watched me for a few more seconds before slipping around the corner.
I shivered again, but this time I wasn’t entirely sure it was from the cold.