Zephyr opened his door, swinging it wide so that I could step inside.
I immediately stopped walking when I started noticing very familiar items around his suite. I saw some of my shoes lined up near the door and some of my study materials on his desk. I hadn’t brought those things here, and I had a feeling that some of my clothes and toiletries were here too.
“Why are my things in here?” I asked Zephyr as I turned to face him.
Zephyr shut his door before taking a step toward me. He always seemed to fill whatever room he was in. His presence was the loudest, the most noticeable. He was the one that I couldn’t take my eyes off.
“I want you to be close in case things take a nasty turn,” he replied, not seeming to understand how sudden and a bit extreme all of this was. “I can’t protect you if you’re all the way in your room.”
I brushed my fingers through my hair, trying to reel back my reaction a little. He probably thought that I would be comfortable having all of my things here since I slept here every night, but this hadn’t been my decision. I didn’t want to be forced into a place that wasn’t my own.
I wanted to protest, but my throat tightened. What if he was trying to control me? The more I pushed away, the harder he would tighten his grip around me. He always had to be in control, and he lashed out when it started slipping away from him.
I turned away from Zephyr to hide my wide eyes as a thought crossed my mind. What if he knew about my meeting with Schmidt? I didn’t want him to think that I was conspiring against him, even if that was the reason for the meeting. I hadn’t made a decision yet, and I didn’t want him to know that I had a decision to make in the first place.
Before I could figure out a way to respond, a knock sounded on Zephyr’s door. I turned around as Zephyr opened it to let Arvo inside, my heart rate immediately spiking. I hadn’t seen all that much of him lately, but I was sure that he and Zephyr had been having their daily chats. The Kings were always up to something.
“Any news?” Zephyr asked, the volume of his voice dropping slightly.
“Only glimpses of Sol. He’s been hiding out like a rat in a cave.” Arvo smirked before walking toward me, putting his back to Zephyr. “Are you okay, Biba? I know you’ve had a rough couple of weeks.”
I stared at Arvo, wondering where this concern came from. He wasn’t the type to show worry over others, and telling from the glint in his eye, that hadn’t changed. He was acting.
“I’m fine,” I said evenly, watching his eyes narrow a hint as he tilted his head at me. I almost felt like I was being interrogated right now, and he had only asked me one question. Granted, I did sneak away and ditch him at the party, which probably didn’t look very innocent on my part.
“Good,” Arvo replied, putting a smile on his face that somehow still gleamed but lacked any emotion. He might as well have been wearing a mask. “I’m glad to hear that.”
I didn’t want to play whatever game was going on right now. I had other things to deal with like my sudden move-in.
“I have homework to do,” I said before putting my back to both of them and heading over to the desk to sit down. I heard them murmur near the front door for a while as I tried to focus on my work. My ears strained to hear more of their conversation, and then I realized that I was basically being the spy that Schmidt wanted me to be. I tuned out.
By the time nightfall came, I was exhausted. Zephyr was out like a light not too long after we crawled into his bed together. I let my eyes flutter shut, darkness and silence stealing me away from reality and dropping me into a dream.
I was on a secluded beach with the ocean stretched in front of me, wading through chest-high water. Nude. Moonlight from up above made my skin glow as the saltwater rose higher and higher up my body. I suddenly felt a hand on my lower back, making me turn and see Sol by my side. My eyes swept over his bare body, taking in the lean muscle on display.
The corner of Sol’s mouth curled up slightly as he gazed at me with those captivating hazel eyes. His fingertips trailed up my spine slowly, nearly making me shudder. He then leaned forward, his nose brushing on my own as his forehead rested against mine.
My breath hitched as I felt his breath tease my lips. Desire flooded through me, and all I wanted to do in that moment was kiss him. It felt magnetic, drawing me in. Before I could close the distance, he drew away.