Chapter 33
Even though I’ve never been an early morning person, the pre-dawn chill feels good on my skin.
Leaving Wes behind made my skin itch, but he was dead to the world when we slipped out. The tower is secure, and honestly? I needed an hour to clear my head without worrying about him.
Johnny had gone full drill sergeant, and the only thing my whole body feels is a deep hum of power and energy.
Max looks the same, totally energized, though that could just be Max; he always seems wired and bouncing off the walls.
“That was sick,” Max says, his breath puffing out in a white cloud. “I was like the fucking Energizer bunny, but like, if the bunny was a hellhound. DuVille was practically cumming in his shorts.”
I return his grin.
It’s no lie that we ran circles around the rest of the team.
As we turn the corner to Electis Tower, we see Cosmo. He's doing some post-run stretching while displaying a giant frownie-face.
“Don’t think Cos got quite the same buzz we did,” I say to Max, who puts his fingers in his mouth and wolf-whistles.
Cos looks up with an expression of intense annoyance.
“It was you, Larsen,” he snaps. “I know it was.”
“What did you do now?” I ask Max.
“Could be one of a million things.”
He shrugs the winks at Cosmo. “Care to clarify, old chap?”
“I know you messed with my workout playlist.” Cosmo glares like a maniac. “I had a perfect sequence planned, and you put fucking Miley Cyrus in the middle of Arvo Part? Requiem for a Dream, interspersed with Wrecking Ball? I swear, I’ll fucking kill you if you mess with my Musify account again.”
Max gives an unrepentant grin. “It was a remix, bro. You need to open your mind.”
Cosmo’s jaw tightens. “No, I needed to find some peace, because for the rest of the morning I’m supposed to be squiring Jordan to various hair and nail appointments.”
Shit.
I look at Max, and even he has a look of regret on his face. “Sorry, man. That fucking sucks. I’ll make it up to you by giving Joey a pedicure myself if that helps.”
“Of course it fucking doesn’t, asshole.” Cosmo runs a hand across his face and suddenly looks far older than his twenty-one years. “Look, Max, just don’t push me today, I swear I’m hanging on to my sanity by a thread.”
I put a hand on his tense shoulder. “We’re here for you, bro. Can’t you just drop her off at the appointments, then hang with us?”
I wait for an answer, but Cosmo isn’t listening. His eyes are fixed on two people walking along the gravel driveway. Alexis and Theo, hand in hand.
That’s not what makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
It’s the wave of primal energy that hits me.
“Do you feel that?” I say in an underbreath.
Cosmo nods, and it almost seems like his skin is rippling with dragon scales. “He’s shifted. My dragon is not happy.”
“Yeah, same here,” I reply. “But what the fuck is he?”
The three of us stare as Tee-Tee gets closer. She’s smiling up at Max’s cousin like he hung the moon for her. A flash of jealousy burns through me, but at the same moment, I bat it aside.
Be chill.
The ‘couple’ stop in front of us.
Her hair is messed up, and her lips look swollen from kissing. It gets my dick hard just to look at her.
“Guys, guess what?”
“Nooo, don’t tell us,” Max yells. “Let’s have a shifter reveal party; I’ll order a cake.”
Theo rolls her eyes, grins, then gives the announcement. “He’s a gryphon!”
Alright, I’ll admit it. It’s cute how proud she is.
“That’s…unexpected,” Cosmo replies. Huh, Cos looks a little jelly.
“What the fuck is a gryphon?” Max asks, and I’m grateful because I think it’s like a bird-dog thing, but I’m not totes sure.
“Body of a lion, head and wings of an eagle, and intelligence the size of the universe,” Theo answers.
Cool.
Alexis gives a smirk. “And my wingspan is impressive, in case you were wondering.”
Cosmo coughs, looking all dragony and competitive. “Yeah, right, we’ll see about that.”
Max is walking in a circle around his cousin. “Paws or claws?”
“Kinda both,” Theo laughs. “Seriously, for a cuddly lion, he has some wicked-looking talons.”
“I am not cuddly,” Alexis says quickly. “Not in the least.”
“This is all very entertaining,” Cosmo says, obviously being sarcastic, because it’s Cosmo. “But did you find out anything useful in the library apart from Feniks being a bird-brain, and by the looks of it, the two of you fucking?”
Theo flushes and frowns at the same time. “Fuck off, Cosmo.”
She turns to me. “We’ve got loads more info on Avalon, and there’s an ancient prophecy that seems related to what’s happening now.”
“It doesn’t seem that way, pulu, it is a prophecy about these times, and you in particular,” Feniks corrects gently, then looks at his phone. “Fuck, I have to go. Crankshawe called a breakfast meeting for the faculty about the event tonight.”
“The ball? You’ll be there?” Theo asks, her eyes shining hopefully.
“Yeah, I'm expected to schmooze with the board." He looks at my girl, and a small, private smile passes between them.
Sigh.
"At least I'll get to see you all dressed up, pulu,” Mr. Gryphon murmurs. I watch as Theo goes to stand on tiptoe to kiss him. She stops herself as a gaggle of Ordinarii suddenly swarms around the corner. The academy is waking up.
Time to get this day going.
“I’m going to shower,” I tell Theo. “See you and Willow at ten.”
◆◆◆
Cosmo (bless his poor tortured soul) goes to collect Jordan at the same time I head down to the garages to collect the Rover. I waggle devil horn fingers at him, and he gives me the classic middle in reply.
Lol.
I pick up Max and Wes (and yes, shocker, I said Wes!), then swoop around to pick up the ladies. As it’s Saturday, no one is in Academy uniform, and fuck, it looks like a fall fashion crime scene around here.
Chunky sweaters in every shade of brown and cream, plus obligatory jeans and lady-boots.
A few basic bitches even accessorize with black or brown swoopy felt hats, whatever those things are called.
But when I pull around to Defectivum, waiting outside in all her technicolor glory is my Tee-Tee.
I’m not sure how to describe her fit, but the bottom half is sorta fluffy black, tiger-face patterned shorts over leopard spot tights.
Her sweater is also fluffy and bright pink, cropped so a slice of her delicious belly is showing.
Yum fucking yum. Makes my centaur want to do all kinds of horny horse things.
Her friend Willow is wearing a cream knitted wool sweater plus jeans, but I’ll give her a pass, seeing as Tee loves her so much.
“Looking good, ladies. Ready to rumble?” I ask.
Wes has shotgun, and doesn’t seem motivated to give up his seat, so after kissing Theo thoroughly, I help her and then Willow into the back.
Theo squashes up against Max, which he obviously enjoys.
“Dude, even I know what you’re doing is manspreading,” I growl. “Your cock isn’t that big.”
“How do you know? I’ve a fully hellhounded penis now,” he grins back. “Anyway, Princess Sparkles doesn’t mind if I get all up in her space, do you, Sparkles?”
Theo rolls her eyes enough times to sprain her eyeballs as I hop in and gun the engine. “OK, first stop?”
“Coffee?” Old Wills asks.
I meet her eyes in the rear-view mirror, and she gives me a pleading look.
“Coming right up.”
Yeah, she’s probably getting withdrawals from her pumpkin spice latte.
We hit up the nearest drive-thru, and I order Americanos with cream for me and Wes; Tee-Tee asks for an English Breakfast tea, which is cute; Maximus does his regular tooth-rot caramel, mocha ridiculousness; and knock me down with a feather, Willow asks for a quad espresso.
Should never judge a book by its cozy casuals.
On with the show. I make an executive decision to stop for a tuxedo first. “Are you sure you don’t wanna party tonight, Wes?” I ask as we all bundle out of the car.
“Nah, I’m good, but if I change my mind, my old dinner suit is fine. And actually, I’m going to take off for a while. I’m going to the camera store.”
“We can come with you,” Theo says, hope in her eyes.
Wes shakes his head and strides determinedly down the street and away from the rest of us. Trying to ward off Theo’s sadness, I tuck her into my side. “Come on, baby. Let him be. He’ll be safe pawing through telephoto lenses or whatever it is that gets him going. And I need your help in here.”
That’s not really true. I know exactly what I like, so pick out the suit within ten minutes. Obviously, I leave it with a staff seamstress to have it perfected to my size in the next couple of hours. My next job is going to take a little more finesse.
I drive in the direction of Belénus Hills. “This do for you, Willow?” I ask.
“Yeah, perfect, thanks.”
“Cool, and I’ve made a list of consignment and thrift stores we can go to after this,” Theo adds. “If that’s alright.”
“Sure, Tee, whatever you say.”
Ha! I don’t think so. I’m going to Pretty Women the fuck out of my little witch.
Willow chooses the first destination. The store assistant is all smiles when I hold the door for Willow and she enters, but her face drops into a sneer as Max and Theo follow in.
As the movie says, mistake big mistake.
“Turn around, gang. No one is dropping money here if my girl gets looked at like that.” I point a finger at the offending woman.
She blanches. “I’m sorry, I didn’t, I don’t…”
Nope. I make zip-it motions, and Max gives her the finger. Next, we head next door to Balenci-Aura. Luckily, the sweet little manager instantly compliments Theo on her shorts so my shoulders relax.
“OK, ladies, have at it. Me and Max will give you ratings out of ten.”
“I’m not trying on clothes from here!” Theo immediately gasps.
“Sorry, Oliver Twist, you totally are. I’m buying your dress, shoes and whatever the fuck you like. If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t spent any money in a year and my bank balance is ridic.”
“I’m happy for you,” she says, hands on her hips and all pouty. “But that is your money.”