“Still, I’m not usually like that. Once upon a time, maybe, but not now.”
I can see he’s genuinely sorry, and I can’t help but feel relieved that he’s still the decent guy I’ve come to know.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
He stares down at me for several moments, and it seems like he wants to say something, but he’s holding back. At last, he opens his mouth, but before he can get a single word out, a deep, angry voice lashes at us from down the hall.
“Doesn’t this look fucking cozy.”
I turn and find Saint skulking toward us. Gabe is with him, though he looks amused at Saint’s obvious fury.
Liam’s expression goes instantly cold.
“What? She’s not allowed to talk to other people now?” he snaps. “You need to get a fucking grip, man.”
Saint comes to a stop possessively close to me, and irritation unfurls in my belly.
“You have something you want to say to her, you shouldn’t have a problem with me hearing it,” Saint says, and Liam rolls his dark eyes.
“Do you make her call you master in private or just sir?”
They’re talking as if I’m not even there, and that’s annoying as fuck. I hate that they get this way around me, but I don’t feel guilty anymore. This rift between them isn’t my fault, it’s theirs. If they want to act like giant man-babies instead of mature-ass people, that’s their problem, not mine.
Gabe is shaking his head and chuckling, but he’s not saying anything or goading either of them on. Of the three of them, he’s acting the most like an adult.
Saint points a finger in Liam’s face. “I will fuck up your world, you got me? She’s mine. End of discussion.”
“I don’t think it is,” Liam snaps back. “I think this is you lulling her into a false sense of security again just so you can—”
“Shut your fucking mouth.”
They glare at each other, and it’s clear they’re moments away from ripping each other to shreds. I’m not really interested in watching that. Hell, I’m not really interested in listening to this bullshit one moment longer.
“Why don’t you both fuck off?” I snap.
I’ve clearly caught them all by surprise, as all three of Angelview’s gods are staring at me with wide-eyes and open mouths.
Gabe cracks a grin.
Saint narrows his eyes.
“Mallory,” Liam begins, but I shake my head.
“You know what? I don’t even care,” I hiss. “You’re both fools and I’m over it.” Turning my eyes to Gabe, I say, “I’ve changed my mind about your offer. I need to blow off some steam. Let’s go.”
His brows shoot up and he looks like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Fucking finally,” he chirps, stepping around his friends to walk with me down the hall.
“Mallory!” Saint’s voice is tight, a note of warning underlying his tone.
I don’t look back, instead throwing my middle finger up into the air to show him exactly what I think of his threats.
10
“Damn, Mallory. Have some frustration you need to work off?”
I roll my eyes at Gabe’s teasing tone and don’t respond as I send a right hook flying toward his face. He blocks it, and I find myself dodging a jab as we dance around the ring together
This feels so good. I haven’t had an outlet for my pent-up anxiety and anger since I found Jon Eric floating in the pool. I haven’t been able to go back since, so I haven’t been swimming and exercising that away. Boxing is the perfect release. Not only am I burning energy, but I’m able to whale on my opponent and get some of my building aggression out of my system.
Gabe’s done me the extra solid of forbidding Saint and Liam from following us into the gym. He’s locked the doors to our training room and told them both to piss off, which I’m sure they’ll give him shit for later, but he doesn’t seem to care.
We go at it a few more rounds before we’re both at our limit. Exhausted and panting, I realize it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this good. We catch our breath and grab water bottles from the edge of the ring.
“You should be careful, you know,” he tells me between sips.
I cock a brow at him. “About what?”
“Fucking with Saint.” He laughs and shakes his head. “Don’t get me wrong, I love watching him lose his shit, but you have to know he’s only got so much patience for people. You push him too hard and he’s eventually going to stop trying.”
This has been Saint trying? I want to scoff, but I can see that Gabe’s serious.
“I’m not trying to fuck with him. I’m just trying to keep up when he fucks with me.”
He considers that a moment, then nods. “Fair enough.”
Once we’ve rested some more, we decide to call it a night. I thank him for everything he’s done, and he shrugs it off saying that it’s no big deal. He walks me out of the building, and then we part ways to head to our dorms.
I feel relaxed and as close to happy as I tend to get nowadays. My mind is actually clear, and I’m able to keep my mind off my discussion this morning with Loni, and Nora and our upcoming meeting. Just as I’m reaching my building, my phone buzzes. I grab it and look to find that Kristyn has finally emailed me back about visiting Ravenwood. She says I can stop by on Friday and she’ll give me access to the library.
Throwing my head back, I let out a groan of relief. Finally, something’s going right for me. Feeling almost elated, I make my way inside and up to my room. I open the door without thought, not even comprehending that it’s unlocked, and then I freeze when I find Hot Draco in all his blond, muscular glory standing by my bed, waiting for me.
He looks pissed.
“What the fuck happened in here?” he demands to know without preamble.
“What do you mean?” The room’s clean, and I got new bedding to replace the linens that Nora had Ghost destroy.
He points to my broken mirror. “Explain,” he orders through gritted teeth.
Shutting the door behind me, I lift my shoulders into a shrug. “Guess it’s seven more years of bad luck for me, huh?”
I make my way toward my closet to gather clean clothes to change into after my shower, but Saint strolls toward me and grabs my arm to stop me. He spins me around to face him.
“Don’t lie to me. I’m so fucking sick of your lies and secrets. I own you, remember? You need to stop keeping shit from me.”
“You don’t own me, so I’ll do whatever I please,” I say, and he laughs when I jab a finger at my door. “You need to—”
He cuts me off with a harsh kiss that makes me whimper. His tongue invades my mouth as his hands grasp the back of my thighs and yank me off my feet. With quick strides, he walks to my desk and sets me on the surface.
I tear my lips from his when he starts yanking at my athletic shorts.
“Saint, wait, I’m sweaty…”
He ignores me, pulling my shorts and underwear down my legs and sinking to his knees before me. I try to push him away, but he shoves my hand away and forces my thighs apart. His face descends to my pussy, and I let out a strangled cry when his tongue drags along my folds. I go from pushing him away to pulling him closer, and the fact that I just finished working out doesn’t matter anymore. He licks and sucks at me until I’m squirming on the desk, then he stands and forces his lips against mine.