17. Chapter Seventeen

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

MICAI'S POV

I feel like I could burst from all the food the guys have been feeding me today. If I was wearing jeans, I'd have to undo a button. Or three.

I pat my stomach, the delicious pasta carbonara I had eaten minutes earlier still digesting as we approach ‘Elles'.

The boys had been feeding me a lot today and showing me all of their regular haunts; ‘Cage' the vintage music shop Ezra likes, ‘Al's Diner', an old retro-style diner at the edge of town that apparently did the best shakes, and ‘Nero's' a small Italian bistro not far from the Roller-room, and one of Annex's favourite places to eat.

I watched on as he and a small, greying Italian man conversed back and forth in perfect Italian. Hearing Annex's husky voice fluently speaking that sexy language with ease had me heating up and squeezing my thighs together. I wonder if I can convince him to whisper some words to me later when we're alone.

We pass Pages and Pies, the place where the boys got those delicious pastries and sandwiches earlier. Mallyn told me that it's one of the places they visit regularly, and that there was a small bookstore at the back of the café, and it was a nice place to read in peace.

The thought of Mallyn flipping through the pages of some fantasy or romance novel while sitting in a dark corner of the bookstore brings me joy. The image instantly suits the deep, hooded boy.

Most of the places we spent time revolved around food; the guys seemed to enjoy their meals almost as much as I did.

We make our way into ‘Elles' and Annex makes a beeline toward the blades as I head over toward the jewellery section.

Ezra and Mallyn are about to follow me when they notice Annex getting annoyed at one of the staff members. They head over to help and tell me they will be back in a minute.

I peer around at all of the jewellery. There are rows upon rows of silver and gold metal pieces on small velvet black cushions and of all shapes and sizes. From delicate heart designs to larger snakes and skull pieces. There seemed to be a bit of everything here.

My necklace comes to mind as I see a small sword charm and wonder if they do repairs in the shop.

I pull one of the staff members walking by aside and ask if they fix broken chains. He glances toward a black door near the back and nods.

"The blacksmith here is the best. He can do almost anything. Something like that would be a breeze for him." The blonde-haired man gives me a smile before being called by an old man across the shop about their ‘Christmas sale items'.

I make a mental note to grab the precious gift from my room tomorrow and bring it to the blacksmith here. Hopefully, he can fix it soon.

After a few more minutes of looking around and Annex buying two new blades and ordering some custom pieces, we left the shop, and I headed toward the bus stop. I had to make it back before that stupid curfew and didn't want to put the guys out asking for a ride back. They had already done so much for me today.

The old metal lights begin to flicker on as the sky grows dimmer. Time has flown by, and night is already falling as I see the bus stop in the distance.

Ezra calls my name, stopping me in my tracks. I turn around as his gaze meets mine.

"Don't go back to the dorms tonight, Micai. Stay with us."

"We do have bigger beds," Annex adds, his hand falling on Ezra's shoulder, leaning his head against it as a playful grin laces his lips. "It would be a lot more comfortable than us squeezing into your single one."

My brows narrow toward them, my lips biting back a grin.

"Who said you were invited?"

Annex rolls his eyes, his grin widening.

"We both know I'm gonna follow you wherever you go, Red. And as much as I love being wrapped around you, a bigger bed would mean we wouldn't have to leave Ez on the floor."

Ezra shakes his head. "You would be the one on the floor asshole." He narrows his gaze, a playful grin pinching his lips as he pushes Annex from his shoulder. The ass just chuckles in response before turning back toward me. Three sets of eyes are now watching me expectantly and awaiting my answer.

It would be better than being stuck in the dorm…and it's not like anyone would check my room for me anyway.

"What about Creed?" I ask, remembering the grumpy asshole who doesn't appreciate my wonderful personality or presence.

"What about him?" Smirks Annex.

"Wouldn't he be pissed that I'm invading his personal breathing space?"

They all chuckle, even Mallyn.

"Leave Creed to us." Calls Ezra, raising a brow. "So, is that a yes?"

I give them a small nod, their grins growing as a small smile pulls at my cheeks.

Annex wraps his arm around me, pulling me closer as we pass the large fighter cage in the old slaughterhouse. My eyes instantly fall toward the blood stains dripping from the bars and leather mat.

Looks like someone had been fighting recently.

We move to the far back of the abattoir and toward two thick metal black doors. The boys lead me through them, the space completely transforming once we're inside.

A velvety black paint covers the walls in every direction, with black wooden lacquer frames lining them every couple of metres. The floor was a contrasting white and black checkerboard design with a large silver ornate staircase to the right. A few feet to the left sat a single black door, and in the centre, it opened up into a long hallway with two doors on each side and one at the very end. Each door was a varying shade of grey and appeared almost like metal.

We head to the nearest door on the left, pulling it open as we enter what resembles a plush kitchen.

The floor is covered with black marble tiles with white flecks running through them. The countertop matches it perfectly with a rich black wooden base and white marble tabletop. The cabinets above mirror the same rich black design with a small white door handle.

The room is covered in the most modern and expensive appliances, including a fridge that looked like it could easily fit three people. It would probably make even Gordon Ramsey drool.

Creed sits at the countertop, his eyes narrowed as we enter the room.

He pulls himself up straight, folding his arms as he watches me.

"And now we don't even discuss who we invite over?" He grits out, his expression darkening as Annex steps forward.

"We discussed it, and all agreed. You must've missed the meeting." He shrugs. "We already know your vote though anyway, Creed…you were outvoted."

Creed flicks his gaze toward Mallyn beside me.

"You too? You're okay with all of this ?" He gestures toward me like I'm some sort of object.

Mallyn glances toward me, a small glimmer forming in his eyes as our gazes meet. He nods before turning toward Creed.

"I'm okay with Micai staying."

Creed scoffs, his eyes narrowing toward me as he makes his way over to me. "You better keep anything you see and hear here to yourself. Just because they blindly trust you, doesn't mean I will."

After what we had recently been through together, you would think he would have warmed up to me even a smidgen, but the glare he's giving me tells me otherwise.

He slightly hits into my shoulder as he leaves the kitchen, and Ezra instantly narrows his eyes at the move before calling after him. He follows him, an angry tone laced in his voice as he continues to call Creeds' name.

A large arm wraps around my shoulder, Annex's smoky-caramel scent instantly hitting me as his lips graze my ears.

"Just you and me now, Red."

Mallyn clears his throat behind him, his brow raised.

"Ah, and Mal, too. You're too quiet, bro. You need to work on your presence." He grins, glancing down at me before moving to leave while pulling me along. "I'll give Red a tour while you continue to hide in the shadows."

He chuckles, pulling me quickly out of the kitchen and up the silver stairs, stopping at the nearest door up the staircase. It's a large black door with a dark-red metal handle.

Annex stops before opening it, flicking his gaze between me and the door as he grips the handle.

"Don't mind any mess, Red. I didn't know you'd be coming." He opens the door, gently pulling me inside with him, my eyes slightly widening with the massive size of the room.

It was at least five or six times the size of my dorm room and bathroom combined. The floor was a deep oxblood shade, the walls a similar velvety black tone as the halls, and the furniture a mixture of the two tones throughout the room.

There was a four-poster bed with black and dark crimson-patterned sheets tumbled messily on top of it. Behind it sat two large windows framed with black velvet curtains held in place by a rich oxblood tie.

There was a sizeable black wardrobe and draw set to the right side of the room, with bits of silver jewellery falling from small skull-shaped trinkets: ones with silver and black snake rings in them and chains with small snakes and daggers or spikes on them. There's a crimson crystal skull beside it, with half of its cranium missing and little glossy black droplets falling from its eyes.

The wall to the left was filled with weapons hanging from it; all shapes and sizes of blades hung across it, with even a couple of axes and a large sickle. And at the very end sat a circular target about three feet wide, with about ten or twenty blades and knives stabbed in and around its bullseye.

"What do you think of my humble abode, Red?" Annex asks, glancing around the room with me, his face slightly scrunching up after he notices his unmade bed and some old clothes thrown around the room.

"I thought there would be more blood and blades. It seems less crazy than I thought it would be." I bend over, peering under his bed.

A grin tilts his lips as his brows draw together. "What are you looking for?"

"Just checking that there aren't any dead bodies hiding under there."

He chuckles. "I don't bring that shit home with me, Red. Bloods a bitch to get outta wood." He states it like it's the most normal thing.

"Besides, I wouldn't bring a corpse around you for laughs and giggles." His brows furrow before shaking the thought away, his typical playful grin reappearing on his lips. "Unless you're into that?"

He raises a brow as I shake my head.

"I prefer live prey, too." He shrugs before taking my hand in his.

"It'd be nice if you spent more time here. I mean, that little room of yours is nice and all…" He observes me for some reaction, only there's none to give.

The dorm room was tiny and old, and nothing like this or anyone else's room in the academy. It never really felt like mine, anyway.

It was just a space to hide or to get away from everyone else—a place to rest and sleep.

"But you deserve better, and bigger." Annex gestures to the room around us. "You need a space filled with you, a space you can feel comfortable in and do what you want. And in that tiny space, I'm surprised you can even breathe, let alone sleep."

He takes my hand in his. "Ez and I wanna spend more time with you. So much that you'll grow sick of looking at his face."

I raise a brow as he shrugs.

"You couldn't get sick of this face, Red. I'm too pretty. That's why no one can look at me for longer than a millisecond. I'm dazzling." He gives me a bright smile as laughter bubbles up and tumbles from my lips.

"So that's why people can't look at you? Here, I thought it was from fear of being skinned alive or turned to stone."

"Pssh." He waves a hand between us. "Skinning someone takes too long, Red. There are quicker torturing methods these days." He lightly rolls his eyes as he shakes his head. "I'll show you sometime. But let's get back to us." He waves his hand between us, pointing back and forth between himself and me.

"Ez and I want as much as you're willing to give us…" His brows draw together, and his gaze narrows toward me as his grip on my hand tightens.

"Fuck that. I want it all. Ez said we should take our time and not rush you or push you into anything too quickly, but if there's one thing I've learned from dying, Red…it's that you never know what can happen in life and how fleeting time can be. It's precious ." A softer look takes over his features as he leans a little closer.

"It's probably the most precious thing we can have or give to someone. And I want all of yours." His hand reaches up and strokes my cheek before brushing into my hair, his gaze flickering back and forth between my eyes and lips.

"I don't do shit half-assed and don't say shit I don't mean. When I want something, I'll go after it one thousand percent." A mischievous grin pulls at his lips as he continues. "I may cross the line at times, sticking to you like the handsome dark shadow I am. And I'm also a little bit possessive and might do some shit that'll piss you off in the future. But know I'll always have your back…and front." He gives me a playful wink before a more serious expression takes over his features.

"I know we haven't known each other for years or decades, but it's never taken me long to realise what I want." His hand slides down my cheek toward my chin.

I grin, shaking my head as his fingers brush against my lips, tilting my gaze back toward him. "What I'm saying is…I don't see a life without you anymore, Red." An almost desperate look forms in his gaze. "When I died…all I could think about was getting back to you. I don't ever wanna be apart from you like that again." His brows furrow, a strange smile stretching his lips. "It's funny. I never cared much about dying before, but now…" He gazes deep into the depths of me, piercing through every remaining barrier I'd taken years to grow, destroying them easily with one gaze and each soft word leaving his lips.

"You've given me a reason to live again, Red. And from now on, it's you, me, and the dickheads downstairs against the world." He leans his head against mine, his gaze soft and luring me in. His lips brush across mine as I tilt up to him, his grin instantly widening with the move.

"Red." He huskily whispers against my lips. "I lo—"

"Annex—" Ezra's words are cut off as he enters the room, a brow raising as he watches Annex pull back slightly and curse, his hand brushing through his hair as he glares at Ezra's arrival.

"Worse timing ever, Ez." Annex's hand snakes around my waist as Ezra comes over. "But I guess we can just continue." His dark grin reappears as he pulls me flush against him.

Ezra places a hand on Annex. "Unfortunately, you can't. Creed wants you on a job tonight."

Annex whips around, his eyes narrowing. "Fuck no! It's Red's first night here. We have to break all the beds in. And the bathrooms and countertops. There's no time for blood tonight. Tell him I said no." He tightens his hold on me as Ezra shakes his head.

"I tried, but there was no give. You've got to work tonight."

An incredulous look takes over Annex's features. "Oh hell no."

"He's waiting—"

"Let the dickhead wait, I—"

Just then, Creed's voice bellows up the stairs, his timing almost impeccable, as Annex scowls.

"Stubborn bastard." He murmurs, glancing toward his open door.

He flits his gaze back down toward me.

"I'll be back in a minute, Red. Don't get too lonely while I'm gone." He quickly kisses my head before heading out the door, his footsteps thundering down the stairs before I hear a door being slammed.

A small chuckle tumbles from my lips as I meet Ezra's gaze. He shakes his head. "He can be a handful."

He glances around Annex's room before turning back toward me. "How about I show you my room? It's a bit brighter than this, and my bathroom is the biggest in all of the abattoir."

He offers a hand, and I grin. Ezra had such a sweet side to him.

I place my hand in his as he leads me out of Annex's room and toward the door across from it. He opens the deep, rich navy door, a sheepish grin pulling at his features as we make our way inside.

I thought Seria's room back at the Bane manor was the biggest one I had ever seen, but I was wrong.How the hell did they manage to fit these vast rooms in this one building?

Did they use some type of spatial magic, or was my perception just off? Because this wasn't just big, it was huge .

A deep mahogany wood lines the floor, matching in well with the large desk in the corner across the room, and the large drawer set sitting across from the bed.

A bed that looked like it could fit six or seven people and with the softest looking navy bed sheets I have ever seen.

The rest of the room was covered in rich tones and shades of navy and blue, including the walls, the giant plush curtains, and even the floor rugs. A large modern fireplace sits in the centre of the wall on the right, with a large armchair positioned in front of it.

The whole room was luxurious but nothing like Seria's over-the-top taste. It was more refined and modern and reminded me instantly of Ezra. It had a calming warmth to it and made me think of snuggling down somewhere and feeling comfortable.

Ezra gives me a soft grin as I continue to glance around his room.

"Do you want to see the bathroom?" His eyes glimmer, a slight look of excitement and pride bleeding through his gaze. He must have put a lot of effort into it.

"It's this way." Smiles Ezra, leading me in through a door on our left.

He opens the paler blue door, my breath leaving me instantly as I step inside. If I thought his bedroom before was beautiful, then this… this was breathtaking.

White and teal marble tiles line the floor and walls throughout the bathroom, with gold flecks laced throughout its design. White and gold lacquer drawers sit beneath a large oval pearlescent sink, which is surrounded by a white and gold marble countertop.

It has a slightly more ornate feel than the modernised mood of the bedroom and something that seemed fit for Royalty.

There was a bath the size of my whole bathroom to one side and a shower across from me that I'm sure could fit at least five people inside.

Ezra heads over to the bath, twisting some of the golden and white knobs until a warm spray falls into the huge tub. He begins to add sweet smelling liquids and small colourful powdered shapes until it's bubbling and looking like heaven.

Another couple of minutes pass, the bath now packed with a frothy dose of soft bubbles as Ezra turns back to me.

"I noticed you didn't have a bath in your dorm room, and nothing relaxes someone more than a long, hot bubble bath."

He did all of this for me? I look down toward the soft, glimmering water and frothy bubbles. How long had it been since I had soaked in a bath at my own leisure? Played with their soft bubbles, while soaking all the gentle scents and allowing myself to fully wind down?

You didn't get more than a dirty washcloth in The Facility, and my little dorm room doesn't even have a proper dose of running water, let alone a huge, warm bathtub.

Maybe it was when I was a teen or even a child? It had been too long.

Ezra pulls himself up and quickly heads over to a white and gold drawer near the sink. He pulls out two large teal towels before handing them to me.

"If you leave your clothes in the basket outside, I can grab some Runic cleaning gel from Creed's room. You pour it over your clothes and leave it for thirty minutes, and when it dries, all the dirt will disappear." He shrugs. "I rob some from his room all the time. I'll have it done and your clothes ready for you when you're finished showering." His gaze then slowly trails down my frame before meeting my gaze again, a cheeky grin stretching his cheeks.

"Unless you need some help scrubbing your back?" He wriggles his brows, a playful smile taking over his features. And for a moment, I consider it…maybe it's not such a bad idea.

My eyes trace Ezra's lips, remembering the heated kisses from just a couple of nights ago, of the feel of him on my lips and his tongue—

A heat creeps up my neck with the memory, a shiver working its way down my spine as I pull my lip between my teeth.

Ezra must notice the change in my thoughts as the playfulness ebbs away from his expression, a more hooded look taking over his features.

He glances at my lips, taking a slow step forward and reaching for my cheek as my eyes begin to close with anticipation.

"Red?" Calls Annex from somewhere near, and probably outside the room. The interruption has me and Ezra taking a step back, an annoyed look flitting over Ezra's features as he mumbles something about ‘killing him again' .

Annex charges into the bathroom, a hurried look on his face as he rushes over to me.

"I managed to break away from the oversized wolf and black shadow of misery for a minute." He tears off his top, throwing it to the ground as he begins to unbutton his trousers. "Quick, grab the luffa!"

Ezra whips around, catching him by the hair and pulling a wide-eyed Annex out of the bathroom. "What the fuck, Ez. I thought we were allies!"

Ezra shakes his head as he closes the door behind them, giving me an apologetic smile. "I'll hold this animal off while you bathe in peace, Micai."

"That's what I'm saying, though! I'll make her relax real quick. A few orgasms are great for that shit." Annex calls as the door shuts closed. "I'll have Red like jelly with just a few swipes of my tongue—"

My cheeks heat with his words, the thoughts of Annex between my thighs again, his piercing blue eyes watching me, waiting for me to unravel before starting all over again—

I clench my thighs together, a different heat taking over from the one burning my neck and cheeks.

But why couldn't I? Didn't I decide not to hold back anymore?

I glance back over toward the door. Were they still out there?

I step a little closer, listening to the sounds from outside. But there was nothing.

I guess they were gone. A slight feeling of disappointment blankets me.

A little? Who am I kidding? They both stoked a fire in me each time they were near. One little touch from them these days could quickly unravel me and seem to make me crave more of them.

The attack and Annex's death made me realise I couldn't waste any more time. I wanted them. Each and every inch of them in every way.

I won't be holding back with them any longer.