Chapter 17
Slate
Peri rolled her eyes, teasing a hidden grin at Onyx’s antics.
I glanced at my friend, a plastic shot glass in his hand and an eternal smile on the shithead’s face. “What?”
“Shot?”
I wasn’t drunk. It was nearly impossible for me, but it was Friday the thirteenth, and with it being mid-March, spring began to thaw the icy temps, encouraging us to have some fun.
We always met on the rooftop on Fridays unless there was an insurgency gathering or mission.
This was the first time we’d been able to meet at our spot in weeks.
It was much needed for us all to get together and be teenagers for once.
“Sure.” I chuckled and walked over to Onyx. With a glance over my shoulder, I spotted Peri walking toward Hazel, where they lowered to the rooftop to sit, crossing their legs. They fell into conversation, and I turned my attention to Onyx, who beamed at me.
Onyx held the tiny plastic cup out for me to take. “Bottoms up, Helair!”
I took the plastic shot glass and peered down at its contents. Brown liquor that wafted with the scent of J?ger hit my nostrils. Despite my stomach churning at the smell, I put it to my lips and tossed the liquid back, feeling it slide down my throat.
I winced at the strong aftertaste of the alcohol and then handed Onyx the empty cup.
The future King’s Guard took it and dropped it in the recycling bin beside him. Onyx had always taken the environment’s health seriously. The trash can only existed up here because of him. I didn’t doubt that he’d recycle this bin tomorrow.
Chrome stood in the corner of the rooftop locked in a one-way conversation with Cotton, who didn’t speak or sign.
Apparently, the king refused him that accommodation since he was the only nonverbal Kinetic at the palace and didn’t feel the need to encourage others to learn the language to communicate with a single person.
Fucking prick.
Onyx stared at Chrome and Cotton’s exchange with narrowed eyes. He grabbed another plastic shot glass, refilling it with a strong shot of J?ger, before tossing it back and throwing away the empty cup.
“Another?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Why not?”
Onyx poured two more, and we tapped our cups together before downing another.
Chrome and Cotton walked over to us, their arms crossing. “You guys going to drink all the J?ger before the rest of us get the chance to join in?”
Onyx stepped aside, gesturing a hand toward the alcohol. “There’s more than one bottle, dipshits.”
Hazel and Peri joined us from behind, and I stepped aside to make room for us all to stand as we all formed a semi-circle.
“You guys gonna share?” Peri asked. “Or is this a boys-only club?” Her brow arched, and the similarities between the feline shape of her and Chrome’s eyes were unnerving as she seared into us all.
“You know we can’t say ‘no’ to you, Peri,” Onyx said, flashing her his award-winning grin. “Shot?”
“Aw, why thank you, Onyx. How thoughtful of you to ask. Of course, I’d like a shot,” she said with faux sincerity, laced with sarcasm, and reached for a plastic shot glass.
Hazel cocked her head to the side, pinching her lips together and glaring at me. “Where’s mine, Slate?”
I sighed, rolling my eyes. “You’re too young.”
“No younger than you were when you started drinking!” my sister protested. “Which was only a year ago, by the way.”
I looked up at the sky dotted with glistening diamonds in the pitch night, not in the mood to argue with her over this. “Fine. But if you end up vomiting, I told you so.”
Hazel snorted. “I won’t vomit. Because I’m not an idiot who will drink myself into a coma like you would.”
I scoffed. “What are you talking about? I’m always the one to carry Onyx’s ass back to the palace. Chrome and I have to sneak past the guards so he doesn’t get caught and lose his future position.”
“Whatever.” Hazel held a hand out to Onyx, who shifted his gaze uncomfortably back and forth between us as he hesitantly poured a shot for my sister.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Peri promised me.
“Don’t worry, Slate. I won’t get drunk. She can ride back with me.
” Her lavender-colored hair was pulled up into a neat bun at the back of her head, two wavy tendrils framing her high cheekbones.
Peri’s gentle smile assured me she could be trusted to keep my sister from drinking too much.
“Fine. She’s in your hands tonight,” I conceded, knowing I’d still be keeping a close eye on her anyway.
“So, instead of just standing around taking shots like boring alcoholics…” Onyx announced. “We’re going to spice it up a bit.”
Chrome poured himself a shot, hiding the smile behind the plastic cup as he tossed it back. “Oh, this will be fun,” he murmured as he threw the cup into the recycling bin.
I bit down on my bottom lip, fighting a laugh in anticipation of Onyx’s proposal. It would be something ridiculous as it tended to be when it came to him.
“So,” Onyx said, stepping forward. “Let’s make it a bit risky, shall we?” A mischievous grin spread across his face. The red undertones peeked beneath his brown skin, showing his family’s ancestry in Central America.
Cotton pulled his lips inward, shaking his head as he stared at the rooftop beneath his feet.
“It’s simple, really,” Onyx said with a shrug. “I bet none of you can jump from this rooftop to the next while drunk.”
“Bet.” I surprised myself with the resounding agreement. Apparently, I surprised the others, too, who all looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “What?” I asked, meeting Chrome’s baffled expression.
Hazel elbowed me in the ribs. “Slate!” she hissed.
“It’ll be fun. Easy.” Maybe it was the J?ger, but I felt very confident in my ability. Chrome and I jumped rooftops as simply as walking. It should be fine, right?
A slow grin formed on Chrome’s face as he silently conveyed his humor to me. I returned it. I questioned if Onyx was truly capable of this. He was an outstanding fighter, due to his father, Smokey, but he was training to be a guard. Not a Warrior.
Cotton shrugged. Hiding his amusement behind the twinkle within the olive flecks in his eyes, he poured himself a shot, then tossed it back.
His face twisted from the potent tartness and the alcohol’s burn, but he quickly recovered before turning his attention to Onyx.
Cotton dropped his arms at his sides impatiently, slapping his thighs.
“You up first, Cotton?” Onyx asked, brows raised in surprise.
Cotton shrugged again, analyzing the rooftop of the building beside us. The building was shorter in height than the one we currently stood on. He angled his head and narrowed his eyes as he gauged where he stood the best chance to clear the jump.
Chrome took another shot and passed one to me.
On instinct, I grabbed Hazel’s wrist, stopping her from downing another one. The glare she leveled me made me want to shrink back, but I held strong. “Slow down. And don’t think I’m letting you try to make that jump.”
Hazel’s gaze dropped to my fingers clasped around her pale skin.
“First of all, I can take another shot if I want to.” With her other hand, she began peeling my fingers off her wrist one by one.
Calm and sassy—the tone I knew to avoid—she said, “Second, I’m not an idiot, Slate.
I will not be leaping to my death. No worries. ”
Someone bumped into my shoulder, and I turned to find Peri at my side.
“I told you, Slate. She’s safe with me. We’re not jumping.
Just going to watch you dumbass boys put your drunken superhero capes on while I grab videos for a laugh later.
” She pulled out her cell phone and shook it in front of my face to emphasize her point.
I exhaled, stepping away from Hazel, her sharpened gaze softening. “Good,” I said at last, conceding to my sister.
“I bet Onyx is going to be the one clinging onto the edge of the coping,” Hazel mused, causing Peri and me to laugh. “He’ll be begging someone to pull him up.” The wistful grin on her face told me she hoped this scenario played out.
“I can assure you, I will not be the one pulling his ass up. This whole thing is his idea. He better clear that jump,” I said, wondering how we were even going to do this or if there was going to be any structure to this little game of his.
“Okay, so here’s the rules,” Onyx announced.
“We start out one at a time. We’re all a bit tipsy, right?
So, we’ll start slow and make the jump while only slightly inebriated.
” He blew out a breath, puffing out his cheeks as he did.
“We have to clear the jump back. And once we return, we take another shot and keep going. If you don’t clear the jump, then you’re out. ”
“What if we all clear the jump with the exception of one person?” I asked. I wasn’t sure about Cotton’s rooftop jumping abilities, but I wouldn’t bet against him. And gods knew Chrome could clear the jump while blackout drunk and blind. It was Onyx I severely doubted.
“Well, the loser has to…” Onyx chewed on his cheek, looking up at the sky as he pondered the loser’s punishment. His overconfidence either filled me with amusement or concern. I wasn’t quite sure which one to lean into more. “Loser has to return to the palace naked and get past the guards.”
Chrome closed his eyes and dropped his head to his chest as he shook his head. The grin on his face made it clear he fully believed that Onyx would be the loser and had just fucked himself.
“So, what are the rules? Magic or no magic?” I asked him, the smugness on my face unable to be hidden.
“I honestly don’t see how our magic can help us in this case, so sure.” Onyx shrugged without a care. “Fuck it, keep the magic.”
Chrome and I snickered, our fists blocking our laughter. “Alright, then,” Chrome said. “Magic it is.”
“Cotton, you volunteered to go first.” Onyx gestured to the edge of the roof. “Go ahead.”