27. Refreshed

Refreshed

Better Than A Shampoo Commercial

S ebastian's head rests heavily in my lap, his breathing even and steady, the tension finally gone from his face. I glide my fingers through his hair, marveling at how someone so strong can look so vulnerable when he sleeps. The door to my dorm creaks open, and I glance up to see Derek slipping inside. The moment our eyes meet, I put a finger to my lips, silently telling him to keep it quiet.

Derek nods, ever the wolf who can read the room—well, most of the time. He slides onto the bed beside me, his arm wrapping around my shoulders. For a moment, we just sit there in silence, with Sebastian asleep on my lap, my fingers still tangled in his hair, and Derek beside me. It's almost peaceful. Almost.

"How bad was it?" Derek asks in a low voice, his eyes flicking down to Seb's sleeping form.

I let out a breath, feeling the weight of the day's events pressing on my chest. "Bad," I whisper, trying not to wake Sebastian. "He had these lashes across his shoulders. I just—" I shake my head, feeling the familiar spark of anger ignite. "I don't care about the grimoire. I don't care about exposing her. I just want this over. I want him away from her. He's already endured too much."

Derek's expression tightens, his jaw clenching in that way that shows he's angry but holding it back for my sake. "I get that. But you know him—he won't stop until Kyla's completely broken for what she's done."

I glance down at Sebastian, my heart heavy. It's not fair. None of it is. I hate Kyla, not just for what she's done to me, but for the hold she still has on him. "So, what do we do?" I mutter, my voice barely audible. "Keep playing this long game until she slips up?"

Derek shifts beside me, his arm tightening slightly around my shoulders. "Maybe it's time to stop playing the long game," he suggests, his voice low but firm. "Move up the schedule. Force her hand."

I glance at him, narrowing my eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Derek leans in slightly, his voice dropping even lower. "You've been doing a good job getting under her skin, Z. Aggravate her a little more, push her buttons. Make her think she's in control. Get her to command Seb in front of everyone. When he refuses, it'll fluster her. Maybe even expose the fact that she's been hexing him to play her little submissive puppet."

I blink, considering the idea. "You're saying we let her hang herself with her own rope?"

Derek smirks, that devilish glint in his eyes. "Exactly. Kyla's the type who thrives on control. If we make her lose it, especially in front of an audience, that'll hurt her way more than any spell."

The thought sits with me, and the more I think about it, the more brilliant it sounds. Exposing Kyla as a witch who hexed a vampire into being her toy? That kind of scandal would spread through the school faster than Sebastian after midnight curfew. "I like it," I admit, a slow grin spreading across my face. "Exposing her for what she is, turning her into a laughingstock? I'd pay to see that."

Derek leans closer, his voice a low, amused whisper. "The best part is, you won't have to pay anything. Just be your usual aggravating self."

I chuckle softly, the thought of Kyla trying to control Seb in front of the entire school and failing miserably lighting a fire inside me. "I can do that. I can absolutely do that."

Sebastian stirs slightly in my lap, his head shifting but his eyes still closed. I gently stroke his hair, thinking about how much I want this all to end. For him. For us. I glance at Derek, and a wicked grin tugs at my lips. "I'm going to tear that witch's world apart, Derek. She won't even see it coming."

Derek returns my grin, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "And I'll be right there with you. Let's make her regret ever messing with us."

My mind races with possibilities. If I can just push Kyla hard enough, she'll snap. I don't need a spell to bring her down. Her own ego will do the job for me. But first, I have to plan—carefully, methodically. One wrong move, and it'll all come crashing down. But if we pull it off, she'll be the one crumbling, not us.

"Think she'll crack soon?" Derek asks, his voice dripping with anticipation.

"Oh, definitely," I reply, feeling the gears in my brain already turning. "She won't be able to resist. Kyla doesn't handle losing control very well."

Derek snickers, then leans down to press a kiss to the top of my head. "I love it when you get all devious."

"Yeah, well," I say, glancing down at Sebastian, who's still peacefully asleep. "Let's just make sure we win this thing. For him."

"For all of us," Derek agrees, his voice soft but filled with determination.

As I sit there, sandwiched between the two boys who mean more to me than I ever expected, I feel a renewed sense of purpose. Kyla's reign is about to come crashing down, and I'll be the one to pull the strings.

I just hope she's ready for what's coming.

I wake up to the familiar warmth of limbs tangled with mine. It's a mess of arms, legs, and torsos, and I'm perfectly sandwiched between them—both Derek and Sebastian curled around me like I'm some kind of human pillow. Not that I'm complaining, but when I attempt to move, I quickly discover something annoying: I can't wiggle out.

I sigh, knowing full well they're both awake, probably enjoying the fact that I'm stuck. "Alright, I know you two are awake," I mutter. "And if you make me late for class or world domination, I'm going to be mad."

Fake mad, obviously. But still. A girl's got things to do.

One of them, probably Derek, murmurs sleepily, "You don't need to attend classes for world domination, you know."

"Yeah, okay," I deadpan. "But if I skip today, Professor Grimble will hex my ass for missing her pop quiz on cauldron explosions. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather not get on her bad side."

Sebastian stirs, his grip around my waist tightening slightly. "Wouldn't dream of it, witch."

I huff, mostly because I'm half tempted to just give in and stay in bed, but no—no, I have responsibilities. As much as cuddling with two ridiculously hot boys sounds like a better plan, I've got a Kyla to destroy.

"Alright, last warning," I say, a mischievous grin spreading across my face. "The last one touching me, I'll turn them into a cat. And yes, it's permanent." At that, both of them instinctively retract their arms, and I can't help but chuckle as I finally manage to free myself from the human pretzel situation. "You're such babies," I tease, standing up and stretching. "One little kitty threat and you back off."

Derek grumbles, pulling the blanket over his head. "You'd make a terrible villain, you know that? Threatening your minions before you even have your coffee."

Sebastian chuckles from the other side of the bed, sitting up lazily, hair still rumpled. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind being turned into a cat. I could bite ankles all day."

"Right. Well, remind me of that next time," I say, glancing over my shoulder at the two of them still lounging in my bed. "Now, both of you need to get up too. You're not just going to lie there all morning."

Sebastian gives me that lazy grin of his. "I could."

I narrow my eyes at him, reaching for my hairbrush. "Yeah, well, if you don't want Kyla to suspect anything, you'll need to make an appearance today, you know. Don't want her thinking I've completely stolen you away."

Derek, now with his head out from under the blanket, smirks. "As if she doesn't already know."

"True," I mutter, grabbing my bag and double-checking that my spell ingredients for the day are still in there. "But let's not give her any reason to prematurely implode just yet, okay?" I glance back at the bed, where they're both still lying, watching me with those annoyingly attractive smirks of theirs. "Seriously. Get up. World domination doesn't just happen, you know."

Sebastian finally swings his legs over the side of the bed, stretching his arms. "Alright, alright, boss. We're moving."

Derek follows, still a little slower, his grin turning playful as he pulls his shirt on. "You know, I'd argue world domination does happen in bed, but fine. I'll behave."

I roll my eyes, smirking as I grab my jacket. "Behaving? That'll be a first."

As we all get ready to leave, I feel that little buzz of excitement. Today's another step closer to making Kyla's world unravel. But for now, class calls—and I'd rather face my professors than give Kyla the satisfaction of knowing she's the reason I missed anything.

World domination will just have to wait until after Kyla.