Page 38 of Spelled By Truth and Tresses

I flashed him a prize-winning smile. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Us,” Jax said, then banded an arm around my waist.

Josh rolled his eyes, then grabbed two cold Noxtosis Hard Seltzers from the ice chest in the room closest to us and popped the top off with his keys. “Zellie, I need to borrow Jax for a minute. Will you be okay on your own?”

“Sure,” I said, then raised the bottle to my lips.

Jax protested and glowered as Josh pulled him into a dorm two rooms down.

It wasn’t long before another body brushed against mine. Thomas stepped around me, then clinked his bottle against mine. I avoided his gaze, then noticed Amara’s crew, minus Jayde, standing in the corner, looking at the rest of us like vermin. “I see they’re over her death already.”

Thomas shrugged. “Maybe they just needed an escape, too. What made you come tonight?”

“I came with my b—I came with Jax,” I said, then forced my lips to turn up into a smile.

A mischievous glint danced in Thomas’ dead eyes. “Ah, so he’s not your boyfriend yet, huh?”

My skin itself tried to shrink away from him as he wrapped his arm around me. I tried to shrug him off, but he only increased his hold.

Lalita saw my struggle, then gripped my hand and pulled me toward her. “Let’s go dance! They cleared all the furniture out of one dorm on the second floor!” She yelled over the music. I nodded and allowed her to lead me through the throng of people to the stairs. I grabbed Eleanore’s hand on the way by and we all trouped up the stairs in search of the cleared space.

The music got louder, and the beat pulsed through me - along with the beer—a delicious buzz was working its way through my system. Black streamers hung across the exposed beams supporting the ceiling. I kicked several silver and black balloons as the girls and I made our way into the living room dance floor. Lalita handed me another Noxtosis, then shouted next to my ear. “I’m going to find whoever is playing the music and ask them if they’ll change it.”

“Brilliant idea, L!” I shouted back.

I danced with Eleanore and lost track of time. Lalita pressed against my back as the three of us moved to the beat.

Jax finally returned with Josh in tow and walked me down to the table where they were playing snap dragon on the first floor. I watched a few rounds with Eleanore and Lalita as spark after spark of magic missed the mark. The thick stalk of the dried plant swayed as its many skull like seed pods snapped their jagged maws to collect the soaring sparks. Deep carvings on the stalk shimmered with power as it magically tallied each team’s points.

I doubted I would be any good at this game, but it at least looked entertaining. On my first try my lavender spark flew over the plant entirely and landed in the curls of a red head standing too close to the table. Thankfully, my spark fizzled out almost immediately. I covered my mouth with both hands but couldn’t stifle my laughter.

I tapped my index finger on the academy’s emblem etched onto my opaque gray glass mug and dutifully held it under one of the seed pod skulls and waited for it to pour a shot of Wrathful Lust liquor. The ultramarine liquid splashed onto my hand as someone pushed by me.

Lalita slipped away with Josh somewhere around my fourth round playing. Unfortunately, I wasn’t great at the game, and feeling tipsy quickly turned to being wasted. Thomas hovered by my side all night. Any time I made a shot, he cheered.

I scanned the dorm for Jax but couldn’t see him. All my emotions rushed to the surface. I looked up at Thomas. “I’m going to the restroom.”

He grinned. “Want me to come with?”

My brows drew in and I stumbled back a step. “No. I’ll be back in a sec. Hold my place.”

The next hour was a blur. Thomas kept handing me drinks on top of what I was already consuming playing the game, and before long, we were the only ones left. Jax and Josh wrestled nearby, and I kept catching glimpses of their barred teeth as they grappled and laughed. I wanted to snuggle up with Jax and ask him to take me to his flat, but I didn’t want to interrupt his fun. It was so rare to see him truly happy.

Everything was moving too fast, and the stone floor waved under my feet. “Do you want to go somewhere quieter?” Thomas whispered in my ear, but I barely registered who was speaking to me.

“Uhm,” was all I could manage to splutter.

He gave Dan a look and said something about using his bedroom in the next dorm over. Thomas half-carried me out of the current dorm we were in.

I tried to look around to see Lalita or Eleanore, but they weren’t anywhere to be seen. A text flashed on my phone, but Thomas grabbed my phone before I could read it.. “You’re too drunk to be answering messages.” He teased.

“I feel sick,” I told him.

“I’ll get you some water. Let’s get you somewhere cozy.”

I saw Jax in the corner of my eye, but Thomas lifted me up in his arms and I lost sight of him. The room spun as he carried me. “I need to lie down.”

“You will.” He said and carried me into Dan’s room. He plonked me down on the mattress. I fell backward onto the bed, then covered my mouth as nausea churned my stomach. My limbs moved of their own accord as I crawled beneath the covers, then stretched out my legs. My eyelids were impossibly heavy, but I fought the urge to sleep. I needed to find Jax, but the room wouldn’t stop shaking and spinning.

---