“Did you tell him you love him?” Her teeth worry her bottom lip.
“Why…? Why does it matter? That’s between me and him.” Something occurs to me, and I bolt upright in bed, my blanket sliding down. I hadn’t even noticed before then that I had changed into my sleep cami and shorts. Or Caius changed me. The memory is fuzzy. “Layla, do you have feelings for Caius?”
The words taste like vomit in my mouth, and pain spears my chest. Caius is…well…he’s perfect. I may be biased, but he has this charisma and charm that propels others towards him.
And Layla herself is ethereal in beauty, exhibiting grace and compassion most females lack. She’s a catch, and Caius would be blind not to notice.
The thought of the two of them together makes my stomach clench violently, wanting to expel the meager contents of my dinner last night.
“Dramaaaa,” Aggie whispers in a singsong voice.
“No,” Layla says adamantly, shaking her head. “No. No. No. I have absolutely no feelings for Caius. But sometimes…fuck, Hadley! You just need to wake the fuck up!”
I startle at her dogmatic statement, and her face pales too, though I can’t tell if it’s because of what she said or the tone she said it in.
“What?” I ask carefully. Layla runs a shaky hand through her dark hair, beginning to pace the small room.
“He’s not good for you, Hadley,” she blurts out at last. Her words feel like a bucket of cold water being poured over my head and slowly solidifying into ice. Her statement should come as a surprise, but it doesn’t. Instead, it niggles something in my consciousness. Something within reaching distance. I just have to stretch a little further, grasp at the memory…
My splitting headache once more ricochets up a notch. I groan, clutching my head.
“Had, can you remember what happened last night?” Layla continues, either oblivious to my agonizing pain or choosing to ignore it. She sounds as if she’s on the verge of tears. “What happened with Caius?”
“We had dinner,” I groan.
But did we?
I try to remember the moment we sat down at the table. I try to remember the garlic taste of the lasagna. The sour and sweet aroma of the wine. The freshly cut greens. The feel of the wooden chair beneath me. The silverware in my hand.
Try as I might, the memory evades me.
“Did. He. Hurt. You?” Each word is clipped.
I exhale noisily, struggling to maintain my composure. I can’t seem to get enough air in my lungs—they struggle to refill.
I think of Caius then. The smooth, sharp angles of his face juxtaposed by the fullness of his lips and the softness emanating from his eyes. The trademark smirk he patented just for me, just for my eyes. The safety and security I feel whenever I’m with him.
He would never hurt me.
But…
My thoughts circle, somersault, and I struggle to slow them down and focus.
“Why are you doing this?” I whisper, a stray tear escaping and cascading down my cheek.
“Because I don’t think he’s good for you.” Layla’s voice is a hushed murmur, barely audible over the roaring in my ears. I struggle to breathe, struggle to ease the tightness in my chest.
Aggie’s voice is surprisingly serious when she speaks. “If he’s hurting you, you dump his ass. Don’t ever, not ever, allow a man to treat you as anything less than the goddess you are. You deserve better. If he isn’t offering daily to grab you the moon, then he’s not for you. Run as fast as you can. And if he chases, shit on the pathway for him to step in.”
“Caius wouldn’t ever hurt me,” I say—or at least, try to say. My voice wobbles despite my best efforts. “He wouldn’t.”
I don’t know who I’m trying to convince.
“Hadley, I love you. And that’s why I’m telling you to wake up.” Layla’s voice seems to have a double meaning, one I’m not able to focus on.
Everything is filled with pain—my head, my body, my fucking heart, as cliché as that sounds.
“He doesn’t hurt me!” I scream, scrambling to my feet and shouldering past her. I hear Aggie say my name, voice abnormally soft, and Layla murmur what sounds like a curse in some language I don’t know.
I need to find Caius.
I need him to make this—my doubt—disappear.
Chapter 7
Braxton
This was the last fucking thing I wanted—to have Layla and Aggie show up right when we’re about to enter the tunnels.
Especially Aggie.
“You all look like shit. You’re covered in blood, and Hadley has been missing for the past twenty-four hours.” Layla’s voice rises as her anger increases. “What is going on? Where’s Hadley?”
My brothers and I exchange a look before I respond. “She’s been taken, Layla.” Instead of gasping or covering her mouth in horror, she simply nods, her mouth pulled into a grimace.
“By the Darkness… Shit.” She pulls at her hair and begins to pace, then stalls and looks at us. “So then what are you doing in the premonitions classroom?”
“I was just about to ask you the same thing, Layla,” Auston jumps in, crossing his arms over his chest. “Classes don’t start for hours. What are you doing here? And why don’t you seem even the least bit shocked that Hadley’s been taken?”
Layla’s face pales, and her jaw opens slightly, but she shakes her head and recovers quickly. If I wasn’t studying her face, I might have missed it.
“I was…we were…out…looking for Hadley.” She stutters through her words, and I wonder what she’s trying to hide.
“Mmhmm,” Auston replies sarcastically. “And you thought to check premonitions—a class DDs don’t even take because…?”
“Because…I saw you guys, and I followed you.”
“This is stupid,” Preston chimes in. “She’s here now. Let’s use her and stop dicking around. I don’t trust her, but we need all the help we can get.”
“Did someone say dicking?” Aggie jumps in, her eyes brightening. “Because I have a hole that needs to be filled.”
“Aggie…” Karston tries to cut in.
“A pepper that needs to be stuffed.”
“Aggie…” Layla tries this time.
“An empty cum bucket that—”
“Aggie!” we all shout in unison.
“What?” The old woman gives us a gummy grin.
“If I tie Aggie to that chair over there and leave her, do you think anyone would notice?” Auston growls.
“Ooh, kinky. Yes, tie me up, stallion. I’m all yours.” Aggie fondles her saggy boobs, and my stomach threatens to expel its contents.
“I’m done messing around,” Karston rumbles. “Layla, Aggie, we’re heading into some tunnels to look for Hadley. They are dark and dangerous, filled with unknown traps and magic that could kill you.”
“I’m coming with you,” Layla declares, leaving no room for arguing.
“I want to come too!” Aggie says. “Actually, I’d like to come at least five times but—”