“What if I don’t want to crush them into dust?” I ask, winking at Jaxon, who is rolling his eyes behind Flint’s back.
“Do it anyway,” Flint orders. “Just stomp those pretty gargoyle feet of yours all over them.”
Yeah. I don’t bother to tell him that’s not going to happen, but I’m pretty sure he can tell from my face. And from the fact that, by the end of that round, Eden stomps her Nikes all over him.
We play all day—turns out Flint charmed a few witches in the kitchen into making us a picnic lunch—and by the time it gets dark, I’m exhausted and limping more than a little. But I’m also feeling pretty good about my ability to fly a ball down the field, so I’m definitely calling it a win.
Jaxon walks Macy and me back to our room around nine, and I start to invite him in to watch a movie or something. But he’s looking a little worse for wear, the energy burst I gave him this morning having obviously worn off.
Because I know him and his ridiculous pride, I don’t offer to give him another boost. Instead, I wait for Macy to slip into our room before I hug him close, kiss his neck, and send a spurt of energy down the mating bond before he even knows what I’m doing.
He pulls away immediately. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”
“I’m not going to stop doing that. Not when you so obviously need it.”
“I’ll be fine,” he tells me, resting his forehead against mine. “This isn’t the first time in my life I’ve been tired and had a lot on my mind.”
I know he’s thinking of the time he and Hudson fought, and my chest feels tight. “This time, things will end differently. I promise.”
Jaxon gives a not-altogether-pleasant laugh and says, “Yeah, well, let’s hope, for his sake.”
“Besides, I need you in tip-top shape,” I tell him, sliding my hands into the back pockets of his jeans as I snuggle close.
“Yeah?” He grins. “Me too.” And then he leans down to kiss me, but just before our lips connect, Hudson groans dramatically.
“I keep trying to change the channel, but it won’t work.”
Even though I know it’s a ploy, I can’t help biting anyway. That’s the magic—and the horror—of Hudson. Change what channel? I demand.
“This one.” He mimes pressing the button on a remote. “So much kissing, when what I could really use is a good old-fashioned car chase. Or an assassination attempt. Or, you know, ‘a plague on both your houses!’ Something, anything, but this”—he waves his hand at Jaxon and me still snuggled up together—“all day, every day.”
Seriously? This is where you want to go after that No Exit BS you pulled on the field?
“I don’t see what the problem is,” he says loftily. “It’s a great piece of literature.”
Yeah, ’cause that’s why you were reading it. I pull away from Jaxon with a regretful smile. “Apparently Hudson has decided to rejoin the party.”
For just a second, Jaxon looks angry. Like, really angry, but then it melts away and he gives me a rueful smile. “I’m really looking forward to the day he disappears for good.”
“Yeah, me too,” I answer. And I mean it, I do. I really am looking forward to having my mind and my body back for my exclusive use. But still, there’s something in Jaxon’s statement, and his voice, that doesn’t feel quite right. I just can’t put my finger on what it is.
Maybe that’s why, when he leans in to drop a quick kiss on my lips, I dodge and give him a big hug instead. Or maybe it’s just my overactive imagination, because when he hugs me back, arms so tight around me that for a minute—just a minute—I feel safe and whole and right, something I haven’t felt in far too long.
I glance at Hudson and notice fury in his gaze before he has a chance to hide it. He’s angrier than I’ve ever seen him. Angry and something more—hurt. His gaze narrows on Jaxon just as Jaxon seems to almost stumble, reaching out to put one hand on the wall beside him.
“Whoa.” Jaxon gives me a half smile. “I think I’m more tired than I thought.”
Something isn’t right. I can feel it. But before I can ask him, he straightens and gives me a confident smile.
“See you in the morning?” he asks me when he finally pulls away.
“Yeah. I’ll meet you guys in the cafeteria for breakfast before class.”
“Sounds good.” He starts to turn away but stops at the last second and says, “Give this to Hudson for me, will you?” And then he flips up his middle finger.