Fallen University: Year Three

“I mean, we kinda did,” Jayce said with a grin. “It runs like one, and it’s full of crazy people.”

Kingston went inside and was back out a few minutes later. “Made the call,” he said. “We have to meet the jet at Boeing Field. How far is it?”

“It’s like a twenty minute drive that way,” Hannah said, pointing. “So, like an hour or two to walk, I guess?”

“The jet will land in an hour and a half,” Kingston said. “Let’s get walking.”

It was almost an out-of-body experience, walking the streets of Seattle. So much had happened since the last time I’d been here, it almost felt like walking through a movie set.

I used to believe that this was all there was. Concrete and steel, humans and dumb animals. No afterlife, no magic, and certainly no demons.

But there I was, a demon myself, taking a break from magic just long enough to power up and find it again.

Surreal.

Not quite as surreal as literally running into Colin though.

I had my head turned, about to say something to Xero, and slammed tits-first into someone who smelled like Axe body wash had barfed all over a cologne counter. There was only one person in either world who could conjure up that delightful scent.

I wrinkled my nose and took a step back as he whirled around, already furious that his precious personal space had been invaded.

“Excuse you—” He broke off, gaping. “P

iper?”

“Yup. Move.”

I wasn’t in the mood to deal with this asshole right now. I definitely hadn’t ever expected to see him again, and I had been one hundred percent okay with that.

He pasted on what he probably thought was a seductive grin and stepped toward me, apparently forgetting that the last time we’d seen each other, he’d been literally inside another woman.

“Damn, I’ve missed that. Remember how you used to boss me around? Harder Colin, faster Colin, come—whoa, back off, buddy!”

Kai had shoved himself into the narrow space between me and Colin and was staring him down. Silent, but oh, so very deadly.

“You back off. Buddy.” Xero moved in on my other side, pulling himself up to his full, considerable height.

Colin looked up at him and swallowed hard. “Uh, Piper? Who are these guys?”

“Who’s asking?” Kingston stepped up behind me, wrapping his arms around me, his dragon possessiveness practically pouring out of him like a physical force. Even his body seemed to be giving off extra heat, as if fire were raging inside him.

Jayce grabbed my hand, stepping up to my other side and squaring his shoulders, looking meaner than I’d thought him capable of.

“I believe the lady asked you to move.”

Colin’s eyes darted from face to face. I could see the gears in his brain slowly grinding out an answer. He stuttered nonsense for a minute, then covered it up with a smirk.

“Oh, I get it. They’re your boyfriends? All of them? Ha. Fucking hypocrite. Better watch yourselves, guys. This one’ll beat the shit out of you for even looking at another girl, even though she’s got four of you.”

The guys puffed up protectively around me, and Kai took half a step forward. Colin shrank into himself and turned a pleasing shade of gray. I put a hand on Kai’s arm and looked my stupid ex dead in the eye.

“Yeah, here’s the thing, Colin. I’ll never have to worry about that. Because these four men? They show me every day that they don’t want anyone but me. And yeah, they all agree to share me, but they know I don’t want anyone but them. It’s a little thing called trust. You should try it sometime.”

Then I tossed my hair and started walking, still surrounded by my men, leaving him slack-jawed behind us.

God, what a creep. I can’t believe I ever let him touch me.

“You traded up, Pipes,” Kingston said, sneering over his shoulder at Colin. “What a douchebag.”