Fallen University: Year One

Xero leaned down to kiss me, and for a moment, I was completely encased by the two men. Then he withdrew and collapsed to his side on the mattress. Jayce rolled us so I was between the two of them again, and we rested in a tangle of sweaty limbs and breathless gasps.

“These are the kinds of times when I think getting bit by that hellhound was the best fucking thing that ever happened to me,” Jayce murmured sleepily, pressing a kiss to my hair.

Satisfaction strummed through my limp, thoroughly used body, and my eyelids fell shut. I was vaguely aware of Xero pulling a blanket over us. Good. Hannah had been incredibly understanding about my frequent trysts with Jayce, but I didn’t think she’d be thrilled about walking in to the sight of three naked bodies sprawled on my bed.

The last thought that filtered through my mind before exhaustion pulled me under was, Kingston should’ve stuck around.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“I hate finals, I hate them, I hate them, I hate them.” Hannah clutched her head as she stared hopelessly down at the pile of notes in front of her.

“Have you ever even failed a test?” I arched a skeptical eyebrow.

“No!” She looked up at me wild-eyed. “That was my worst nightmare when the consequence was just a bad report card. These consequences are just… just… I can’t even deal. Banishment for failing a test. Like. No pressure, right?” She chewed on a pencil hard enough to leave deep grooves in the wood.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Jayce said, tossing his blond hair back. “Worst case scenario, we all fail.”

Hannah emitted a high-pitched squeak, then started to hyperventilate.

“No, I don’t mean it like that. It’s just ’cause then we’d all be together still!” Jayce said quickly. “And Xero already knows his way around down there, right, Xero?”

“Yep.” Xero flashed his soft, beautiful smile at Hannah. “I’ll show you where the good torture pits are.”

That made her laugh, which broke the tension.

The truth was, we were all panicking. Me because school was not my strong suit, especially not here, and specifically not this year. There had been way too many distractions. Not that it wasn’t worth it, I amended in my head, looking around fondly at my distractions. Hannah, Jayce, Xero—even Kingston and Kai were studying with us.

Of course, there were also the less than pleasant distractions, like Sonja and her crew. They sat across from us in the library, pretending to be as intent on their studying as we were. Sonja, however, spent more time shooting dirty looks in my direction than studying her material.

“She’s like a bulldog,” Xero commented as he followed my gaze. “Gets her teeth in something and won’t let go.”

“That’s an insult to bulldogs,” I said. “At least she’s stopped spreading rumors about us now.”

“Thank God for small favors,” Kingston said. “Glad she never got stuck on me.”

“Yeah, lucky you,” Kai growled.

“What’d she do to you?” Hannah asked.

Kai blinked at her, then looked down at his book. “Nothing.”

“She told everybody about his old girlfriend,” Jayce supplied helpfully.

“Man, shut the fuck up,” Kai said, but his heart wasn’t in it.

“That’s terrible.” Hannah grimaced sympathetically. “Is that why—?”

“Have a cookie,” I blurted, shoving one in her mouth.

She mumbled her indignation at me even as she finished the gooey chocolate cookie, and I just grinned. It was technically against policy to have food in the library, but after the actual damage the place had sustained this year, I couldn’t imagine a few chocolate stains would be a big deal.

“The why doesn’t really matter,” Kingston said, kicking back lazily in his seat. “Once Kai finally gets around to fucking Piper, she’s going to light up like the Eiffel goddamn Tower.”

“With that much suppressed sexual energy? Shit, they’ll set off another blackout,” Xero said with a grin.

The tips of Kai’s ears turned red, and a little smirk played around his mouth.

Jayce grinned. “Unless it works the other way. It’ll be so explosive that it’ll loop all the way back around to nothing.”