“What are you smiling about?” Ronan asks as he returns to the kitchen.
“Nothing.”
“Right. I take things with Aurora went well last night.”
“Yeah. Better than I expected.”
Rikkon pauses the game and turns to me. “Did you hear anything about her sister?”
Immediately, my mood sours as I go into protective mode. Aurora is my mate, and therefore, I also feel responsible for keeping her sisters safe.
“What do you want with her?”
His eyebrows arch a little while his jaw slackens. “I was just checking if she’s okay. She did lie to cover for you.”
Ah, hell. I totally forgot about that. Some protector I am.
“I don’t know. I haven’t checked with Rora yet.”
“Rora?” Vaughn pipes up. “Is she your girlfriend or something?”
“She’s my mate, so don’t even entertain any ideas about her.”
He lifts both hands. “Dude, relax. I’m not an asshole who goes after someone else’s girl. But I am surprised. I thought you were some kind of Casanova.”
Ronan snorts. “Casanova. The correct term is manwhore. Saxon’s dick precedes his reputation.”
“Sounds like someone is jealous of my legendary size,” I say through a grin.
“Not likely. Just be glad vampires can’t catch STDs.”
“Really? We can’t?” Vaughn perks up from the couch.
I give him a droll stare. “Dude, you’re practically immortal. The only things that can kill you now are sunlight, heart extraction, or decapitation.”
He twists his face into a grimace as he touches his neck. “I’ll make sure to stay away from sharp blades then.”
“No can do. We’re hitting the tatami in ten minutes and we’re training with swords tonight,” Ronan chimes in.
The door to our apartment opens, and Manu enters as if she owns the place. Tonight, she’s wearing a deep-red leather catsuit that leaves nothing to the imagination.
“Good evening, losers.”
“Where’s the hero convention, Manu?” I ask.
She fires her death glare in my direction, but my good mood has returned, so all I do is smile broader.
“I’m going to Havoc tonight. I don’t need to attend any classes, unlike Lucca.”
“You should be training with us,” Ronan retorts.
She gives him an annoyed glance. “Why, when I can practice with the Red Guard?”
Ronan’s stare becomes darker. Manu loves to insinuate he’s not as lethal as he thinks, which is bullshit. He could be one of the famous elite warriors if he hadn’t pledged to protect Lucca. I try to stay out of their bickering most of the time. Watching from afar is entertaining enough, but tonight, I can’t help but be a brat to her too. There are no victims here. We’re all a bunch of assholes.
“And where is your familiar tonight?” I ask, just to piss her off.
“Don’t know. Probably visiting his annoying sister. She did come by during the day to see him.”
“What was she doing here?” Ronan’s tone changes, showing a hint of worry.
“How am I supposed to know? I was asleep. I pay the security guard to keep me informed of visitors. Besides, shouldn’t you sense when Cheryl is near?”
“Why would Ronan be able to sense her?” Vaughn asks.
We all ignore the new vampire. Trying to explain the Ronan-Cheryl factor is too fucking hard, plus it always puts Ronan in a foul mood.
“Oh, by the way, Sax. Thanks for letting me know you were mated to the High Witch’s daughter. I love being the last to know.”
“I was trying to avoid the unnecessary drama.”
She flips her long white hair back and puts her hands on her hips. “I’m not dramatic.”
“Yeah, yeah, Lady Gaga.”
Her eyes turn to slits, and I brace for something horrid to come out of her mouth. “Go ahead, keep making fun of me, asshole. But while you’re here sucking on your lollipop, your mate’s fiancé is busy enrolling at Bloodstone.”
“What?” I jump out of my chair so fast it tips over.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” She smirks. “See how it sucks to be kept in the dark.”
“Manu, quit being a bitch,” Ronan retorts, but I’m out of the apartment before I can hear her reply.
Letting the bond guide me, I run in Aurora’s direction, which leads me to Solomon’s office. A quick whiff tells me Calvin was here at the same time as she was. Uncontrollable jealousy takes over me and it awakens the bloodlust. I’m going to rip Calvin to shreds. I’d take off to hunt the mage down if I didn’t sense Aurora inside Solomon’s office.
The door opens and the headmaster steps outside. “Saxon, you’d better come inside now.”
Instead of answering him, I hiss like a rabid animal.