by A. J. Macey
The clock tower chimed at the end of class, and I walked across the campus to the library for study period, enjoying the sound of my boots sloshing in the puddles. Heading to the desk where Professor Embry was seated with the sign-in sheet, I scribbled my name down, along with the date and time before dropping my bag onto my regular chair and heading toward the archives and research section.
“Oof,” I exclaimed when I turned the corner and ran face-first into a muscled, Henley-covered chest. Warm hands caught me before I could fall to the floor, and when I saw who I had run into, I laughed.
“We really need to get you to look where you’re going, Angel,” Drayce teased with a happy smile. “Are you over here looking into the same thing I am?”
“About... us?” I whispered softly, not wanting to have anyone overhear. He nodded, nudging me to follow him down the aisle. “Then, yes, but I have no idea where to even start. So, want some help?”
“From you? Always,” he said, flashing me a cheeky grin. “Just start scanning these few books here. I’ve already gone through the bottom two shelves.”
“Alright, I can do that.” I had just gotten up on my tiptoes to grab the book when the briefest touch ran down my back, barely tracing over the curve of my ass.
“I love these jeans on you,” Drayce whispered, his breath tickling my cheek as he leaned into me. I couldn’t stop the tiny giggle that bubbled up, my cheeks burning at the heated glimmer in his hazel eyes.
“Thanks. You’ll be seeing them a lot more now that it’s getting cold. My body isn’t used to super cold.”
“Why’s that?” Drayce asked, his brow drew low. “The weather is usually like this, this time of year.”
“I’m from Ignis.”
He stood silently, staring down at me intensely as I opened the first book.
“I don’t think I know anything about you, Aris, or Caspian and the other guys,” he explained with a start.
“Well,” I started with a hum, my brain coming up with an idea. “Instead of eating in the dining hall after classes, maybe all of us can get together and go out for food down in town. Give us a chance to really learn more about each other. That’s half the fun of dating, right?”
“Angel, are you asking me on a group date? Does that mean we’re officially dating?” he teased softly, wrapping his arms around my waist. I giggled again and flashed him a tiny smirk. “I would love to do that, but first let’s research and see if we can dig up what exactly is going on with all of us. Work first, play later.”
I pouted playfully, and the warm and smooth sound of his laughter surrounded me as he kissed my cheek lightly.
“Yes, we are,” I said with a confident smile. His answering grin had my heart fluttering, but I couldn’t argue with his statement. “Alright, fine. Work now, play later,” I agreed, finally turning my attention back to the book in my hand.
Hopefully, this goes quickly.
I could have easily sent a plane to the guys, but I didn’t want to give them the chance to say no. Drayce had met me after class, so we were waiting outside of the Administration building to catch the others... and make it much harder for them to turn me down. Hey, might as well cash in on the cuteness when I can.
Drayce spotted Cas, calling him over in true Drayce fashion.
“Hey, hot stuff.” He let out a shrill whistle and an overexaggerated wink that had Caspian blushing and shaking his head as he joined us.
“What’s going on?” he asked, confused why we were waiting outside, instead of at our usual spot.
“Group date night!” I cheered, giving an excited squeal and grabbing Kye’s arm as he tried to slip by us unnoticed. From the look on his face, I knew he’d heard me explain. “Nope, you’re part of it too, Honey!”
“Where are we going? It better involve food,” he mumbled as he gave me a small smile.
“It definitely will involve food,” Drayce agreed, ushering us to the main road. I noticed Xan walking near the clock tower and decided to drag him along.
“Xan!” Leaving the group after giving Kye strict orders not to run away, I hurried toward him. “We’re going out for dinner and fun, and you’re coming!”
“Uh, I don’t think that sounds like my kind of thing,” he hedged, trying to keep walking as I blocked his path.
“Fun isn’t your thing? I would never have guessed,” I deadpanned, rolling my eyes and linking an arm through his. “Come on, you won’t regret it!” I dragged him over to the group, but something was missing. My eyes scanned the crowd for my favorite burly professor, spotting him walking out of the dining hall heading for the back of campus. Perfect!
“Professor Callahan,” I called, eyeing the nearby students and hating having to call him by his professional title.
“Miss Calisto, how can I help you?” he asked in his professor voice. I wrinkled my nose at the tone, which made him smile slightly before pulling me away from the crowd.
“We’re going into town to have dinner and do something fun. Want to come?” I asked hopefully, really wanting us all to be together. There was just something about having us together that felt right.
“Oh, Aris,” he murmured with a soft smile, “I would love to spend time with you guys, but I can’t. At least, not this time. I’m still a professor, and you’re still a student, but if you want, you can stop by tonight afterward.”
“Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse, but I’ll miss you,” I pouted, giving him a wave that only left me wanting to do more, even though I knew I couldn’t. I joined the others, a hangry Kye glaring at me until I linked my arm through his as we hurried toward Crystal Borough. Maybe this time, I can actually enjoy it.
“Anyone have any ideas?” Caspian asked as we walked, giving Drayce the side-eye as he moved closer to me again. I need to pull him aside and explain what happened.
“Food,” Kye grumbled. “They have a really good diner on the edge of town. It’s out of the tourist area, which means it’s not as busy. Fewer people make it my kind of place.”
“Food makes it your kind of place,” I teased, trying to lighten his mood, but he just shrugged.
By the time we made it to the diner, you would have thought the guys hadn’t eaten in years, the whining and dramatics at a ridiculous level. And people say girls are dramatic. The nice witch behind the counter ushered us in, letting us pick our table. Of course, I chose the corner booth, sliding in, so I was in the middle. Drayce and Cas slid in one side, Xan and Kye taking the other. As soon as the waitress came over, I ordered two servings of their garlic bat bites.
The diner was fast, the appetizer coming out before I could even pick my food, eventually picking a burger and fries before digging into the deliciousness waiting for me. Conversation lagged for a bit as we stuffed our faces, Kye’s frown finally turning into a relaxed expression. Note to self—never let Kye get too hungry.
“Any ideas about what to do after this?” I asked the others. They were all probably a bit more familiar with the town than I was.
“We could do a bit of shopping,” Drayce started but was immediately interrupted by Kye.
“Hell, no. I was promised fun,” he said, flat out vetoing that option.
“Um, okay, how about mini-golf? There’s a course off the main square that’s run by Professor Ruslan’s family,” Drayce countered, clearly refusing to let the first rejection bother him.
“Ah, competition, I can handle that,” Kye said, his eyes lighting up at the prospect.
“I’ve always wanted to play! Did you know the humans have this same game?” I asked excitedly, loving this idea.
“You’ve never played?” Caspian asked in shock.
“I haven’t either,” Xan added with a small shrug.
He’s so quiet I sometimes forget he’s there. I’ll have to change that.
“Well, my parents are assholes. Did you really think we had family outings like this?” I asked, shaking my head at the idea of family fun. Maybe if the media was involved or something.
“Well, then tonight will be awesome,” Drayce said, not letting me get down. “Why don’t we up the ante a bit. Whoever wins gets to take Aris on a date.”
“Challenge accepted,” Xan said, shocking us all. His lips turned up in the tiniest of smirks. Thankfully, our food’s arrival interrupted us before the bets could get any higher. We practically shoveled our food into our faces until we all lounged in the booth with stuffed stomachs and pained groans.
“Ugh,” I moaned dramatically. “So full... Someone is going to have to roll me to mini-golf.”
Drayce snorted and threw me a smirk as I slouched against Caspian’s shoulder.
“I may or may not fall asleep with just mini-golf, so why don’t we up the ante a bit more?” Kye added in a soft mumble, his eyes half-open as he glanced at us.
“How?” I questioned with a brow raise.
“I’m not sure. Someone come up with an idea, I’m too full.” He waved a hand as he talked.
“We could ask questions during the game. Whoever does the best each round gets to ask a question, no matter how embarrassing,” Caspian suggested.
“That would be a good way to get to know each other, seeing as how we’re all stuck together,” Drayce added. Caspian’s jaw dropped, and Xan eyed him with a questioning gaze.
“Wait… so… you bonded with him too?” Caspian stuttered, his hand waving back-and-forth between Drayce and me. I nodded, unable to drum up much care, feeling like I was about to explode from greasy burgery goodness.
“That’s right, Sprinkles, you’re stuck with me,” Drayce flirted with Caspian, a smug smile curling his lips.
“Can I get you anything else?” our waitress asked as she started to collect the empty plates. “Any dessert?” She chuckled at the collective groan at the mention of dessert. Xan reached for his wallet and handed her a card before any of us could protest.
“One check, please!” he said with a polite smile. She gave him a wink at our protests and walked off.
“Thank you,” I said softly, giving him a big smile. It was a sweet gesture, and I didn’t want to make him feel weird about it. When she brought the card back to him, we filed out, ready to keep moving before we fell asleep right here in our booth. Drayce led us through town to the mini-golf course, paying and ushering us through to pick our clubs and golf balls. I grabbed the pink ones right away, excited to start now that I got the best ones.
“Pink? I’m so shocked at your choice,” Kye teased, rolling his eyes at my predictability.
“Oh, did you want it? Sorry,” I shot back, holding it out to him.
“Nah, I’m more of a black kind of guy,” he snorted, holding up the dark black equipment. We stopped at the first course, the others ushering me to go first. Stepping up, I placed the pink golf ball in its slot before lining up my shot and hitting it, hoping for the best. It bounced off the back before falling easily into the hole.
“Yes!” I celebrated, doing a victory dance in my spot before moving to let someone else go.
“Impressive, Sweets,” Kye grinned, taking his turn next. He managed to make his in after it bounced off the back wall like mine. Each of the guys took their turn, but Drayce was the only one who managed to sink it in the hole without the aid of the wall.
“Oh! That means I get to go first,” he cheered, impressively mimicking my victory dance. “Everyone has to answer, don’t forget,” he started, getting groans all around. “When did you lose your virginity?”
Before I could even process, I pointed at Caspian, singling him out in front of everyone. “Uh, my first day here,” I mumbled, my cheeks flaming at being called out.
“Easy, never. Being a councilor’s son means going on arranged dates that are torturously close to business meetings,” Xan said, a slight bitterness to his tone.
“When I was seventeen, some girl I was talking to at the time,” Kye answered, looking uncomfortable at the invasive question.
“Uh,” Caspian coughed, his face flaring as he avoided everyone’s eyes. My brows dipped down as I waited for him to answer.
“Come on, Sprinkles, everyone has to,” Drayce pushed with a cocky smile. Caspian glared before snapping back.
“Well, when did you then?”
“When I was nineteen with the girl I had been dating, but we broke up last year. Now, your turn.”
“Aris’firstdayhere,” he mumbled under his breath.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked, my eyes wide. He flashed me an apologetic smile.
“Uh, surprise?” he hedged with a shrug.
“You little shit! You freaking asked about me and made me admit to it!” I balked and tossed my other ball at him, and he curled into himself, and the pink projectile hitting him in the side.
“Aww, that’s adorable. I love when you two go at it,” Drayce teased, curling us under his arms. “Come on, onto the next course!”
The next course was a bit more complicated. This one had actual magic infused into it, a swirling vortex sitting in front of the hole. We stuck to the same order, which meant I was first to make a fool of myself. My ball got caught in the vortex, shooting out at me, so I had to dodge out of the way, letting Kye catch it for me. He snorted at my smooth move, handing my ball to me as he sauntered up to the course. He bounced it off the back wall, launching it straight in for a hole in one. The sexy smirk he sent me after was definitely worth it. A small tingle of need fluttered in my belly, and I looked away to hide the blush on my cheeks.
Everyone else sent their balls flying into the vortex, one way or another, shooting back at us at varying speeds. I bet the humans don’t have this. As we walked to the next course, Kye remained quiet, apparently thinking hard about his question.
“Who has a tattoo, and you have to let us see it if you do,” he asked finally, chuckling to himself, probably assuming he’d be the only one.
“I’m a Summoner, we all have one to keep ourselves grounded,” Drayce revealed, lifting up his shirt to show us the runes that glowed on his chest. Well, I’m sure the others saw the tattoo, but I saw his abs first, and holy black cat in a box did I want to run my tongue over them! Down, girl!
“I don’t have one,” Xan answered quickly.
“Nope, me either,” Caspian said with a shrug, turning to me.
“Well,” I hedged, remembering that one rebellious streak I had back home. I turned and lifted my shirt to expose my back, showing them the pretty pair of pink wings on my shoulder blades. Even though I’d had sex with two of them, we hadn’t been in any position for them to see it.
“See, nickname was perfect,” Drayce chuckled, tracing the outline of the wings, making me shiver at the soft touch.
“Fuck, I didn’t expect that one,” Kye groaned as I dropped my shirt back down.
“Show us yours,” Caspian said to Kye, seemingly desperate to change the attention off me as he not-so-discreetly repositioned his legs.
“I have a rune spiral on my arm,” he answered with a shrug. “It’s easier to activate them,” he added, lifting his sleeve to show off a band of different colored runes swirling around his toned bicep and ending on his wrist. I’d seen it before, but now that I had my full attention on it, I stepped forward and ran my finger along it, taking in the intricately designed runes. He smiled down at me as I studied him, leaning down to press his lips against mine as I looked up to say something. Once his lips were on mine, I forgot about everything until Drayce cleared his throat to try to hide his laughter.
“Alright, moving on,” Caspian said, turning to take his turn. This time the victor was Xan, who looked like he was actually having fun for once.
“What’s your favorite thing about going to Aether?” Xan asked, his question seemingly simple, but a hint of something deeper in his tone.
“All of you? My freedom? Not being judged constantly? The fact there are actually seasons here? I have a list,” I countered as I took my turn at the next course.
“I can agree with the freedom thing. I feel
like I can actually breathe here. Even though I’m still being watched by the staff and other students, it’s nothing compared to the scrutiny back home,” Xan revealed with a deep sigh.
Yup, we need to give him more opportunities to loosen up.
“Not being judged, other than by my asshole brother,” Caspian answered, taking his turn on the course.
“He’s not that much of an asshole normally,” I challenged. Caspian threw me a look over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed, lips thinned.
“Maybe not to you, Cupcake, but he certainly is to the rest of us. He just likes your ass.” He stuck his tongue out playfully, Drayce swatting at it. I gasped and stomped several steps away so they couldn’t get me.
“Not fair!” I huffed, “Kye and Drayce, your turn!” I sing-songed, having more fun than I’d had in years.
“The free food in the pantry,” Kye deadpanned, refusing to give another answer, but really, I knew he was serious. I’ve caught him in there enough.
“Teasing Caspian is my new favorite hobby. Other than that, it would be flying,” Drayce said, blowing Cas a kiss. Caspian blushed and looked away from us, but a definite hint of heat flared in those ocean eyes of his.
“Xan wins again,” Caspian whined after Xan kicked our cauldrons at the next course. He took longer to ask this time, his question a bit more thought out than the others.
“If you could choose another affinity, what would it be?” he asked, watching me intently as I took my turn. Somehow, I managed to get a hole in one without any trouble, even though the course was more difficult than the others we’d done so far.
“I wouldn’t change. I hate how every other magical ability is shunned; it’s ridiculous. I don’t like the judgment, but I’m proud of what I can do,” I huffed, getting fired up as I thought it over.
“I’d wish to be a Mixta. Then I would be forced out of the spotlight,” Xan revealed, giving us another peek at the intensity of his life. A small flare of magic built within me as I looked at Xan, but it fizzled out quickly as Kye answered.
