Fallen University: Year Three

“Toronto is practically Buffalo, and Buffalo is basically Canada,” I corrected. “I went there once and everybody was so nice I had to call my doctor and make sure I wasn’t dying.”

Kingston sighed. “Fine. Canadians are nice, and I’m the red-headed stepchild.”

“Hold on,” Kai said. “If we’re going to Toronto, how did you manage to have the jet in Seattle in an hour and a half?”

“My Dad’s in Calgary on business.” Kingston shrugged. “Apparently, my mom went with him.”

“Lucky you caught the pilot while he was still there,” Jayce said.

The dragon shifter frowned. “Of course he was still there. He wouldn’t just strand Dad in the middle of nowhere with no way home. He’ll be headed straight back after he drops us off.”

“Your dad’s a billionaire,” Kai pointed out. “There are other planes he could take.”

Kingston looked confused, then his eyes widened. “You mean—fly commercial? Oh my God, don’t ever say that to his face. I shudder to think what he’d do to you.”

“He’d hire all of your maids out from under you,” I warned to Kai in my most serious voice.

“And buy up all of your stocks,” Jayce added.

“Find out who you’re voting for and back the other guy,” Xero said with a grin.

“He’d buy all of your favorite brands and liquidate them, I bet,” Hannah said. Then she flopped back against her seat. “Ugh, I miss shopping. Can we go shopping?”

“Tell you what, Hannah, if we save the world, I’ll take you on the shopping spree of your life,” Kingston offered. “I wonder if Gucci makes tunics and leggings?”

There weren’t nearly enough throwable things on the plane, so we had to make do with loud groans in response to that.

The flight was a nice break from reality, and it was just long enough for us to really get comfortable and begin feeling like humans again. Even the expensive furnishings felt homey after about the third hour, and by the time we were buckling up to land, I was sure that I was a worldly woman.

I’d flown in a private jet, after all. No display of wealth and luxury could ever take my breath away again.

Boy was I wrong. So wrong.

Could not have been more wrong.

Kingston’s house was… insane.

First of all, we didn’t land at an airport. We landed in his backyard, and we were still met by a limo driver because the house was like a mile away. From its own backyard. Craziness, I tell you. Second, the place was a goddamn castle. Swear to God. Turrets and all, and enough windows to blind an approaching army. Sure as hell blinded me. Third—

“Oh my God! Your hedges are carved! Look at the kitty! Ooooh, a mermaid! Look! There’s a whole hedge maze, a real hedge maze, ha! I knew you had one of those,” Hannah squealed, practically smooshing her face against the window as she peered out.

I blinked, managing to keep myself a little more restrained than my friend, but unable to stop myself from rubbernecking a little. The yard looked like something out of a fairy tale. Sculpted hedges, marble statues, epic fountains, the works.

“Dang, Piper. It’s a good thing you met Kingston at FU. You would have had to lose a glass slipper or something to snag him in the real world,” Jayce teased, slipping an arm around my shoulder.

“I dunno. He’d have to be charming first,” Hannah tossed over her shoulder, her fingers still pressed to the window pane.

“Yeah, yeah, keep it up, guys. I could just leave you all here and save the world myself.”

“Oh, come on, Kingston, don’t pout. You know we’re all just jealous,” I said, rolling my eyes at him.

“It’s just a house.” Kingston waved a dismissive hand, but his ears were doing that pink thing again.

“Just a house,” Xero scoffed. “I bet you have a bat cave in the basement.”

“That’s ridiculous.” My princely mate pulled a face. “Who wants to work in a cave? The lab is fully finished, thank you very much.”

“Oh, a lab! What do you experiment with, the tears of underprivileged orphans?”