“After classes, you’ll either report to Utopia for training or, if you’d like, you can work a few hours in the office with me. There’s a bit of backlogged paperwork left from the previous Power, and I could use a secretary.”
I blinked. “You want me to be your secretary?”
“Yeah, he does.” Noel cackled behind his hand, ignoring Gideon’s glare.
“If you want to be, I’d be happy for the help,” Gideon said after an exasperated breath whistled through his nose. “And it will keep you close so I can keep an eye on you. You’ll be compensated for your time, of course.”
“Yeah, you will,” Jai said, and Noel sputtered another laugh.
“Seriously? You said you wouldn’t do this,” Gideon said between clenched teeth, his ears tinging red. “It’s a legitimate job offer.”
“Uh…” I didn’t get the joke, apparently.
Jai and Noel lifted their hands in surrender, snickering under their breath. Gideon shifted, clearly uncomfortable. I glared at my Secondaries—ex-Secondaries.
“Stop being mean,” I chided before offering Gideon a smile. “I’d like to work with you. I’ve never been a secretary, but I’ll do my best.”
He thawed, his dimple waving hello. “Of that I have no doubt.”
“Aw, now they’re being cute,” Noel whisper-shouted.
“And we can’t make fun of them.” Jai copied his Other.
“I’m surrounded by adolescents,” Gideon grumbled as he strode out of the room, shutting the bathroom door firmly a moment later.
I glared at them both, and they winced in unison.
“Oops.”
I spent the rest of the morning organizing my dresser to my liking and doublechecking that everything was in order for my classes next week. I’d finally chosen a major. I wasn’t sure what my future looked like, but on the off-chance I lived and worked in the mortal realm, I wanted a degree that would help me.
As of next week, I would be majoring in social work and minoring in sociology. I loved studying the science of people and culture, but I also wanted to do something worthwhile with my life. I wanted to help kids like me who didn’t have anyone in their corner. I wanted to be a voice for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. And if I could ensure that even one child never experienced what I did at the hands of Ms. Janet, it would be worth it.
Maybe it was ambitious. Maybe I was too soft for such work. When I told Gideon about my decision during one of our driving lessons, he’d smiled bright as the sun.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” he’d said.
Overjoyed and distracted, I’d almost smashed his car into a parked van.
Noel and Jai agreed that it was a good idea and encouraged me to pursue it. It was difficult planning for the future when I didn’t even know if I’d survive to graduation. In the grand scheme of things, continuing my education seemed futile, but I didn’t want to abandon it. Not until I had to.
In the meantime, maybe Lucifer would find another hybrid to stalk. A boy could dream, right?
Chapter Three
My bedroom door creaked open as a knuckle rapped on the wood, and I glanced up from my laptop. Noel’s head popped into view, and his full lips spread in a grin. I couldn’t help but reciprocate.
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
He entered my room and shut the door behind him. “Whatcha doing?”
“Just doublechecking my schedule.”
Leaning over my shoulder, he read through my classes. “Looks like Tuesdays and Thursdays are busy. Oh, your Friday A.M. class is early. Blech!”
I turned, my nose skimming his cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“And you should be. How dare you schedule your classes without first getting my approval.” He winked playfully, and I chuckled. “I know how you can make it up to me, though.”
“Oh? How’s that?”
He spun my desk chair, hands gripping the arm rests so I was boxed in. “Kiss me all better.”
My stomach flipped. We hadn’t kissed in ages.
As he leaned forward, he gave me his cheek, and a breathy laugh punched from my chest. Closing the distance between us, I pressed my lips against his cheek. It was fleeting and innocent, and I smiled against his skin as he sighed.
“Better?” I asked.
With a comical pout, he shook his head. “Not quite. I think I need another.”
Our noses brushed when he turned to face the other way, offering his second cheek. I snickered as I kissed his cheekbone. “Now?”
“Nope. I’m still mourning the hours of sleep I’ll miss every Friday morning.” His eyes slid closed as my shaky hands framed his face.
“Maybe another kiss will help?” I barely choked out the words, and he hummed.
We hadn’t been this close in three months, and my courage failed me. I wanted to kiss his plump lips, but I wasn’t certain where we stood, where I stood with Jai and Gideon. So I kissed the tip of his nose instead.
With a huff, he angled his head until his mouth hovered over mine. His hair fell forward, curtaining his face, and I dragged one hand through the silky strands. His lilac scent was almost overpowering at this proximity, but I drank it in. I’d missed smelling lilac and dokha on my sheets.
“Kiss me,” he murmured, his lips grazing mine.
“Noel—”
He smothered my voice with his mouth, honey-sweet lips sliding over mine. I gasped into the kiss, and goose bumps prickled my skin as his tongue teased the seam of my mouth. He tasted like faded coffee and something sweet that was all Noel. I melted into him like putty, and he kissed me until my mind scattered and I couldn’t remember my own name.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he confessed on a gasp as he tried to crawl onto my desk chair to straddle my lap. Of course, the unsturdy chair on wheels did not like the sudden upset of balance and nearly tipped.
Catching himself on the desk behind me, he burst into laughter as I yelped shrilly. “Whoopsie daisy. Not the best chair to make out in.”
“You wanna make out?” I asked breathlessly, and he threw his head back and laughed.
“I haven’t kissed you in three months.” With a naughty smile promising sin, he hauled me out of the chair and dragged me toward the bed. “You bet your cute ass I wanna make out.”
When he pushed me onto the mattress, I propped myself up on my elbows, swallowing thickly as he slunk after me, his knees sinking into the bed on either side of my hips.
“But Jai and Gideon—”
“Shush.” He kissed me again, and I sat up, my hands finding his waist and gripping tightly. He was too big to fit in my lap, but he managed it somehow. I laughed against his mouth. “Stop laughing! I’m trying to seduce you,” he cried in dismay.
That only made me laugh harder, and he sat back on my thighs with a sigh. “Sorry, I just…” I looked up at him, and he pouted.
“The first time we kiss in three months, and you laugh.”
“I wasn’t laughing at your… kissing skills. It’s just—never mind.” I fingered the swooping neckline of his singlet, teasing his collarbone. “I missed you, too. So much.”