25. Daemon

C hristmas Day is always just another day for me. A fucked up, festive reminder, that the only person who ever truly cared about me, is dead. Of course I have Josh, he’s been by my side for the last three years, being the best friend I could have ever asked for, and this year he is joined by Hallie. Despite our voyeuristic encounter, things have been surprisingly normal since I returned from Archer’s house yesterday. We enjoyed our usual dinner together last night, and exchanged gifts this morning, and by the time they left to go to her parent’s house for dinner, I was feeling lighter than I had in years.

After leaving Archer’s room, his onslaught of text messages started almost immediately, and I wish I could say I hated it, but being annoyed by him just feels natural at this point. Even though I spent today alone, cooking myself dinner and then dessert, I never felt lonely, because any time my mind began to stray to Ryan, my phone chimed with another ridiculous message from my teammate.

He sent me pictures of his food, of all the gifts he received, including the multiple pairs of ridiculous boxers from his brother, Everest, some random animal facts, and of course his nightly dick pic, which had me reaching for my own instantly. It’s why, when my phone chimes again for the hundredth time today, I expect it to be Archer, but to both my dismay and delight, I find it’s his sister instead.

Aurora - Merry Christmas Daemon

Her message makes me smile instantly, I don’t get many Christmas wishes. In fact, aside from Josh, Hallie, and Archer, she is the only one, and I’m grateful for each of them.

Daemon - Merry Christmas Aurora

I respond quickly, more than used to our casual back and forth, and when I see typing bubbles, I anticipate seeing more art, moving to grab my sketchbook so I can return the favor, but that’s not what I get.

Aurora - So, my brother has more hickeys…

Aurora - Any idea where he got them?

Despite the accusation, my smile is almost instant, and I can’t help but wonder if Archer is aware what a matchmaker his little sister is.

Daemon - Nope. I have no knowledge of that. Maybe you should ask him…

Aurora - I did, and based on the shit-eating grin he gave me when he told me to mind my business, it wasn’t hard to figure it out

An unfamiliar fluttering feeling pulses around my stomach, as I read her response multiple times.

Daemon - Then maybe you should mind your business

Aurora - I can see why my brother has a crush on you

Aurora - Merry Christmas future brother in law…

Aurora - **Image attached**

The picture is a sketch she has drawn of Archer, and me, and it’s probably the best thing she has ever shown me. And I’m not being biased based on her inspiration. The art and technique is truly awe-inspiring, and I instantly save it into the private folder I have of all things Archer on my phone.

We text back and forth a little more, until she tells me she is going to bed, and with no more incoming messages from Archer, I switch over to Instagram . Scrolling up and down, finding nothing of interest, until I head back to the top and refresh the page, allowing a fresh post from Archer to pop up. It’s a picture of a book in his lap, his fingers looking as if they are caressing the spine, but that’s not what has me sitting up in bed in surprise. No, it’s the fact that the book in question is fucking mine.

My eyes flick to my bookshelf, only now noting the gap there, and I curse inwardly, knowing he must have stolen it when I left him in my room last week. And I can’t help but shake my head at his audacity, especially when I glance back down to the caption, reading the words he paired it with.

@theARCHERgray: Merry Christmas to my favorite liar…

This prick.

He gets a kick out of getting under my skin and pissing me off, it’s a game to him, it always has been. He probably expects me to text him right now, and have me at his beck and call. Well clearly, he doesn’t know me very well, because it takes two to play a game, and I always play to win. Slipping out of bed, I grab my black hoodie, pulling it on to go with my sweats, before I quietly make my way downstairs, with only one goal in mind.

It’s almost midnight, and my house is quiet since Levi and Landon have gone home, and Josh and Hallie are both asleep, and let’s just say I hope Archer’s is the same. After speaking with Hallie earlier, I know Nova is at Maddie’s house, and of course I know Archer has gone home, but what about the other two? Opening my front door, I flick my stare across the street, assessing the dark house silently, before coming to only one conclusion.

Fuck it.

Reign must be with his parents, and Harper is hardly ever here, surely they have both gone home for Christmas, right? Without wasting any time, I am across the street and creeping up the steps before I can second guess myself, my eyes flashing across my surroundings to ensure no one sees me. I tell myself if the door is locked, then I’ll go home and forget why I came here, but when my hand slowly reaches out and turns the knob, the door silently pushes open.

I expect one of the guys has left the door unlocked because they were drunk, or just forgot to lock it when they left, knowing that campus security does nightly patrols. So when I slip inside and close the door behind me, I am feeling particularly smug, especially given the late hour. That feeling lasts approximately two-seconds, when I spot Alexander Reign spread out on the sofa, with a full tea set laid out on the coffee table in front of him. There is a girl on her knees between his thighs, sucking him off, as Reign drinks from a pink tea cup, watching the girl with mild interest, as her head bobs back and forth, and when he spots me, he smiles.

“Forbes? Is that you?” He asks, not looking surprised to see me in the slightest, as he takes a sip from his cup, and with nowhere to hide, I have no choice but to respond.

“Reign,” I say by way of greeting, glancing around the rest of the house to see if anyone else is here, but coming up empty. “I didn’t think you’d be here,” I add, and his knowing smirk only grows.

“Clearly,” he drawls, in that accent of his, sipping more of his tea. “You know Arch isn’t here, right?” He adds, flicking his eyes between me and the girl, and for some reason looking more interested in me.

“Erm, yeah, I know,” I reply carefully, still eying him, and wondering how the fuck I am going to explain myself to him.

“Then, why are you here?” He groans in a bored tone, using his free hand to fist the girl's hair, with his eyes still on mine. “Or are you here to join my friend here?” he asks with a knowing smirk, and I contemplate lying, but then I remember who I’m talking to, and that the truth is probably easier.

“Archer stole something from me, so I’m here to break into his room and steal something back,” I reply blandly, expecting him to tell me to fuck off. Yet instead, his smile gets even wider, as he instantly taps the girl’s head twice in quick succession.

“Sorry, honey, it seems my night just got more interesting,” he purrs, pushing her off of him, and rising to his feet. My eyes instantly drop to the length between his legs, before I meet his stare once more, and he winks, before leaning down and slipping some money from his pocket into the girl's bra and pulling on a pair of sweats. “You can see yourself out,” he adds, finishing the rest of his tea, and then making his way toward me. “Shall we,” he grins, moving over to the stairs, and I look between him and the girl, and have no choice but to follow.

“Was that a hooker?” I ask, when I reach his side, and he flicks his stare to me, completely bemused.

“No,” he replies, moving up the stairs, and I’m even more confused by the fuckers who live in this house than I normally am.

“So you were just drinking tea and getting head off some random girl?” I dare to ask, as we reach the top of the stairs, and he shrugs.

“Of course, they are two of my favorite pastimes, so why not indulge? It’s a holiday after all,” he grins, leading me right to Archer’s door and pushing inside without pause. “So, what are we stealing?”

I follow him into the room, my stare zeroing right in on the desk I had him splayed out against yesterday, some of the things still knocked over, and I grit my teeth, forcing my eyes elsewhere. The rest of his room is a mixture of orderly mess, with his bed still half-made and laundry piled up on the chair, yet his shelves are neatly stacked, and his open closet is completely coordinated. Organized chaos, it mirrors him perfectly.

Reign strolls around the room as I look, holding up different items every five seconds, badgering me with questions. “What about this?” He asks on repeat, and I shake my head every time, until he snaps, “Why are you even doing this?” I can see he isn’t buying into the basic answer I provided downstairs, and despite us being teammates, we both know we aren’t friends.

Yet still I find myself sighing, as I say, “Archer Gray infuriates me more than anyone I have ever met, going out of his fucking way to get under my skin, any chance he gets. So, I’m here to steal something so I can try and piss him off the same way he does me.” My words are gritted through my teeth, and by the time I am done, Reign is smiling wider than I have ever seen him.

“Well, all right then,” he purrs, before shoving me roughly, until I am sprawled on my back on Archer’s bed, watching in disbelief, as he jumps on it beside me and holds up his phone. “Smile pretty for me, love,” he winks, before snapping multiple pictures of us, him posing differently for each of them.

Then I watch as he flicks through them, finding what he deems to be the best one, before posting it on social media with the caption ‘Flyers Christmas Reunion’, and all I can do is glare at him, as I push myself upright.

“How is a picture of us going to piss him off?” I ask, but before I can even finish the end of my sentence, Reign’s phone light’s up with an incoming video call from Archer, and my deranged goalie just gleams at me.

“Archer, to what do I owe the pleasure on this fine Christmas evening?” He says by way of greeting, getting himself comfy on one of Archer’s pillows, as I continue to stare at him in shock.

“What the fuck are you doing, Alexander?” Archer yells, and I blink back in surprise at the anger in his tone, glancing towards the screen, and capturing a glimpse of him looking pissed as hell.

“Is something wrong, Arch?” Reign asks innocently, clearly enjoying himself as he toys with his friend. “Is Christmas with the family not going well?”

Archer only gets louder, as he spits back, “You know exactly what’s wrong, you oversized British piece of shit.”

Reign’s grin now is infectious, as he continues to gaslight him. “Do I? Why don’t you enlighten me?” He teases, pulling me into the shot, and when Archer sees me, sees him touching me, he loses his temper completely.

“Don’t fucking mess with me right now, Reign, and get the fuck out of my bed,” Archer demands, a fury like I have never heard from him before, lacing his every word, and it makes me giddy. Especially when his eyes meet mine, and they darken with nothing but pure possession.

“And what about Forbes?” Reign asks, watching me as he talks, clearly having worked out the dynamic between Archer and me. “Should I kick him out too?” he drawls, tossing his arm around me, and I try not to cringe beneath his touch.

“Get your fucking hands off him, he doesn’t like to be touched,” Archer curses, and though he laughs, Reign releases me instantly.

“Now, we both know that’s not true, don’t we, Gray?” He tosses back, getting more pleasure from this interaction than he was from the girl who was sucking him off.

“Just leave him your fucking phone, and get the fuck out of my room, Alexander,” Archer commands, and Reign holds his hand up in defense, handing me his phone with a wink, and leaving the room without looking back.

When I look back to the screen, Archer is glaring at me. “Care to explain your evening activities, Forbes?”

Leaning back against his headboard, his scent assaults me, and I can’t help but grit my response. “I was here to return the favor of theft,” I shrug, acting as casual as I can manage, finally pulling a smirk from him.

“Did Alexander let you in?” he asks, leaning back himself, and I can see he is in a different room from the last time I called.

“In your room, yes, in the house, no,” I reply, searching his surroundings, before I ask, “Whose room are you in?”

His smile only widens, as he drunkenly asks, “Is this what I can expect now I’m yours , demands of where I am?” When I don’t reply, he rolls his eyes, panning his phone to reveal a familiar figure from his sister’s social media account. “I’m with Everest, we’re having a nightcap.” He holds up a bottle of champagne in view of the screen, as his younger brother nods at me, as if he knows exactly who I am, before Archer pans it back to him. “So, how the fuck did you get into my house? Wasn’t the door locked?”

Still feeling completely thrown off by this whole fucking night, I shake my head, as I reply, “No, but do you honestly think a locked door would stop me from getting to you?” Which only makes his brother snort a laugh.

“Damn, the psycho sounds just like fucking Griffin,” he tosses out, grabbing the bottle from his brother. “No wonder you like him so much,” he adds, and if I’m not mistaken, I swear I see Archer’s cheeks turn pink.

“Fuck off, Ever,” he groans, grabbing the bottle back, before focusing on me. “So, should I expect you in my bed with our goalie when I get back?” he asks, and I’m already shaking my head.

“Fuck no, he’s fucking crazy, he was drinking tea and getting his cock sucked when I got here,” I snap back, and Archer smiles, tipping some of the champagne into his mouth.

“Yeah, that sounds like Alexander,” he sighs, looking tired, before he adds, “Well, hurry up and steal something and fuck off home, so I don’t have to worry about him corrupting you.”

“How do you know it wouldn’t be me corrupting him?” I ask, mocking outrage, and the prick only smiles.

“Because you’re a loner who hates everyone, and he’s a fucking British playboy with no credit card limit,” he grins in response, as I push up off his headboard. “Now, unless you’re gonna jerk off in my bed while I watch, I suggest you go home,” he adds, making his little brother groan in outrage, as he hits Archer with a pillow.

“You guys flirt really fucking weird,” he complains, but Archer only laughs, looking as light as always.

“I better go before my brother disowns me,” he smirks, letting his stare drag over me once more. “I’ll text you when I’m home?” He adds, in a slight question, and I nod before we say our goodbyes. “Merry Christmas, Daemon.”

“Merry Christmas, Archer.”

When I am finally staring at the blank phone screen, I’m half-wondering if all of that just actually happened, and I end up stumbling out of his room without stealing anything in return. By the time I make it downstairs, Alexander is sitting back on the sofa enjoying another cup of tea, and when I slip his phone back on the table, ready to take my leave, he nods his head at another filled cup. Which is how I find myself spending the next hour drinking tea with Alexander Reign, while Archer Gray blows up his phone.

All in all, it’s a weird fucking Christmas, and yet I go to bed smiling wider than I have in a long time.