“You know you can’t resist me, love,” Colton purred, flicking Elle on the forehead. “But it’s cute to see you try. Extremely.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s funny how you think you can keep Andreas away from me, you know. And Andreas is the one who argues with Colton the most! Why are you only picking on me?”
Colton clicked his tongue in mock pity. “You poor baby.”
I pouted, shaking my head and Colton. “None of that. Just for the sarcasm, I’m not kissing you for the rest of the day until you learn to be friendly and civil with my two best friends.” To Kaden, I replied, “Andreas hasn’t argued at all with my boyfriend today, so he’s off the hook. And I can take him away from you by stealing his caramels and blackmailing him.”
“Hey!!”
“Oh, you took my kisses away from me,” Colton shook his head in misery. “Very well. Since my Queen demanded I be civil to her loyal friends, I shall obey.”
“Jokes on you, Elle, because I’ve stored Andreas’s caramels all over the dorm. You can’t keep him away from me.”
“Good,” I told Colton, making sure to send a subtle, teasing bite of the lip his way. “And, Kaden, I’m determined to find a way to make you and Colton best friends. There’s no stopping me.”
I let out a snort, laughtet threatening to escape from my lips. “Right. Good luck with that, Elle.”
I noticed the way Colton’s eyes flickered to her lips and darkened before he wiped the emotion away as if he wasn’t bothered at all. I furrowed my eyebrows. What was he doing, really? What game where the two of them playing?
“I will do it,” I promised, completely serious. “My three boys must get along. This is non-negotiable.” Naturally, I punctuated the sentence by turning to Cole and swiping my tongue over my bottom lip—because they were dry, of course. No other reason at all…
[Colton’s POV:]
When her tongue slithered out to wet her lips, I knew I was just about ready to kiss her breathless. But, unfortunately for her, I wouldn’t lose this time.
So although my eyes stayed at her lips and my eyes darkened, I made no move at all. Instead, a smile took over my mouth.
“You know, sweetheart,” I purred, reaching out to caress her cheek. “If you wanted to wet your lips, you could have asked me. Perhaps I would have said yes.”
Kaden almost choked.
A pillow, hurled by Andreas, hit Colton’s shoulder before I could dissolve into a flushing, stammering mess. “Get a room, you two,” he teased, “Before Kaden murders the Prince. And I’d rather not watch you make out right here..”
I merely shot him a Cheshire grin. “I’d like to see him try,” I answered in amusement. “And don’t worry, Andreas. You won’t be needing to bleach your eyes any time soon.”
Red in the face, I gestured helplessly towards the door. “Class. We’ve got class—no more teasing me for today.”
I set my hand on her lower back, smiling innocently. “I won’t make any promises,” I said to her before opening the door and leading her out. Before I closed the door, however, I paused, the playful expression erasing from my face. I looked at Andreas straight in the eyes.
“I’ll be needing to talk to you about something, Andreas,” I said to him, eyes flickering to our partners briefly. ”Privately. See you in two hours.”
Andreas and I both frowned, baffled, but he gave a small nod. Once the door was firmly shut, separating the two boyfriends from Colton and I, I tilted my head to the side. “What do you need to talk to him about?”
I shrugged. “It’s related to his abilities,” I answered, not giving her the truth but making the lie believable. “There are some things only he can do, and I want to guide him there. Help him prevent possibke destruction if things get out of control.”
Not a lie, but not the truth, either.
My frown deepened, and I took a step closer. “You’re not telling me everything…” I murmured, “What are you up to, Cole?”
I simply smiled down at her, ruffling her hair. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing to be worried about,” I assured her gently. “I promise.”
I wasn’t so sure.
But I nodded anyways, despite the fact that my expression practically spelled out the phrase ‘I smell bullshit’. His answer was too vague to be completely true… and the way he spoke was just off… I sighed. “Let’s get to class.”
I knew she didn’t believe me, but I wasn’t bothered. I wouldn’t tell her what I was planning, no matter how much she tried to pry it out of me. If she found out… I expelled that thought out of my head. In the end, it was my decision.
“I wonder what Altair has in store for us this time…”
[2 Hours Later: Colton’s POV:]
I had already sent Andreas where I wanted him to meet me. It was a rather deserted section of the academy, and I specifically chose it because of the lack of prying eyes. In addition to that, it was easier to set up wards to or prevent eavesdroppers from listening into our conversation. When Andreas finally joined me, I smiled.
“I take it you managed to slip out of their hold?” I already knew the answer, but what was the harm in asking?
Andreas’s POV
I nodded crisply, then hesitated. Since when was I so sharp and prickly around my best friend’s lover. Forcing my body to relax, I glanced away. “Why have you called me here?”
My stomach twisted into a knot. Was I in trouble?
I felt his nervousness and kept up my smile, arms folded over my chest.
“Relax. You’re not in trouble,” I assured him. “I called you over for a favor.”
Perched in my net of ginger hair, Copper stirred, his interest piqued.
I released a slow breath, relieved. “Oh. Alright, what’s the favour?”
The smile dropped from my face and I released a breath, running a hand through my hair.
“You already know my situation,” I started slowly. “You already know about the spreading of the curse, and I’m sure you know just how hard it’s becoming to maintain control.”
My hands balled themselves into fists, so I shoved them into my pockets. Distress was suddenly written across my features, evident in my body language. “Kaden and I are looking for ways to minimize damage—“
“Which will take years to research,” I cut in, clenching my fists but otherwise maintaining the calm expression. “Given the fact that nearly everything about dark magic was wiped from history, and I don’t have years, Andreas. I don’t even know if I have weeks.”
I fell silent for a few seconds, training my eyes on the ground. “What are you trying to say, Colton?” I asked quietly, fearing the answer. “What favour do you need?”
“Kill me,” I finally said, never removing my eyes from him. “The second you feel like I’m losing it, you will put a sword through my heart and kill me. I can’t ask that from Elle or Kaden. I can only rely on you for it.”
My head snapped up.
“What?!” An icy bucketload of horror drenched me from head to toe. “No—I can’t—I can’t do that.”
Out of all the things I’d expected him to say, this was worse. By far.
“It would destroy Elle. And you’d be gone. I can’t—I’m a healer. I don’t take lives. Especially not yours.”
“I didn’t realize a monster was something worth preserving,” I responded calmly, knowing full well of the burden I was placing on him. I didn’t have any other choice. “You won’t be taking my life. You’ll be saving it. I’d be gone either way, so where’s the difference?”
“No. No, no, no.” I stumbled backwards, vehemently shaking my head. The mere thought of my hands, slick with his blood….
Bile rose to my throat. My stomach twisted into a knot.
“Do you have any idea what this would do to Elle?” My voice wobbled dangerously as I spoke. “She would take one look at your dead body and the sword in my hands, and throw herself from the balcony.”
“She won’t,” I said quietly. “She’s stronger than that. She’ll get through this because she has things to do. She’s important, so you and Kaden will protect her.”
