Rooming with the Wicked

39 | own you

A soft whistle and the rustling of sheets woke me. My hand automatically went to the now empty spot at my side. The sheets were still warm, but the absence of the source of that warmth made me pull the covers all the way up to my chin.

Low violet light illuminated the space between my bed and curtain. A glance at my alarm clock confirmed that it was well before dawn. I stifled a groan and shut my eyes.

"You little traitor," my favorite roomie said quietly.

And just like that, my eyes snapped open again.

It had been a few hours since we'd returned to the dorm room—but those few hours were not enough for me to recover from what had to be the strangest babysitting session in, well, ever. While Haze hadn't missed a single opportunity to either snatch whatever edible thing he could get his hands on, or take a jab at whoever was unlucky enough to cross our path, by the time we'd actually stepped through the supernatural dorm entrance, he'd gone quiet. He hadn't even finished the dew bar in his hand.

Even stranger, he hadn't questioned my refusal to take the elevator. Not once the entire trip up to the room. While my resolve to ban any and all chocolate from the room in the future had only hardened with each step, his steps had slowed and become wobbly. Soon enough, I'd found myself draping his arm around my shoulders.

When I'd finally closed the door behind us and steered him into his niche, he could barely keep his eyes open. If anyone had told me that I'd be tucking a demon in for a good night's rest, I would have laughed in their face. Now I could only hope that no one ever asked because how the hell was I supposed to keep a straight face and deny that?

Something whined.

No, not something. Susie.

"Don't you wag your tail at me," Haze grumbled. "And stop whining."

The floor creaked once, twice, and then muffled sounds, like clothes being moved around, drifted over to me. Glasses clinked and I made a mental note to get Susie some peanut butter when I restocked next time. While it was nice to see the effect of the chocolate had worn off, a cleaning session at three o'clock in the morning was anything but normal.

A blade scraping against a hard surface cut through a brief silence.

Or maybe he wasn't cleaning at all.

Taking his sword for a spin was worrisome on a whole different level. What the hell was he up to at this hour? Despite me confronting him, he hadn't admitted to anything. Not really. Sure, now I knew who he really was, but that hadn't gotten me any further. Somehow, he still held all the cards.

Enough with the secrecy.

As I pushed myself up on my elbows as quietly as possible, I scanned my nightstand for something I could use to catch him off guard. Lucky me, it was empty. The black scabbard along with the fake sword was leaned up against its side though.

Threatening an Ember Knight with a plastic sword—great idea, Ariel.

It was dark. Maybe he wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I was about to throw back my covers when he spoke again.

"Stay with her." His voice left no room for negotiation.

I froze, instantly disarmed by those three words. A different kind of warmth spread from my center. He wanted Susie to stay...with me? But...

Quiet footsteps traversed the room toward the door. Two soft clicks alerted me to the fact that the door had been opened and closed, swiftly but quietly. Then the room fell deathly quiet. At least until the curtain swayed ever so slightly and the bedsprings creaked after an invisible weight jumped onto the space next to me. A soft snout was pressed into my hand, followed by the quick lick of a tongue.