Page 115 of Wicked Heirs

Dammit.

“It’s not a weakness to tone it down, Orpheus,” Professor Marlowe told him.

“But itisa lie.”

Again, he gave me a knowing look, an incredibly loaded look.

He thought I was still lying to myself, still hiding.

And as infuriating as it was when he was right in such an arrogant all-knowing way, I guess I actually was still partially in that state.

I’d come a long way, sure, but it wasn’tallthe way.

It became clear in that moment that I hadn’t really been invited here just to observe.

Orpheus was calling me out and challenging me to step up.

To let go all the way.

For the first time in a long time, I actually wanted to.

As I found myself seriously considering it, it went hand-in-hand with hoping like hell that the consequences wouldn’t destroy us all.

21

~Talon~

“She’s late.”

“It’s fine,” Orpheus told me, as he hurriedly worked his magic, his purple flames all over the place.

“Gives us time to make things perfect for when she arrives,” Xavier added, his blue fire all over the place too, working on the sculptures to add a decorative and what he’d called amagical and romanticelement to the surroundings.

As for me, I’d already done my part with creating the little fire at the center of it all.

And also bringing the marshmallows and stuff to make s’mores, alongside the hot chocolates with a dozen multi-colored mini-marshmallows floating on the surface to satisfy her sweet tooth.

“Do you think she got our message?”

“It was impossible to miss,” Xavier said.

Together, we’d prepared a specialized invitation that we’d put outside the door of Alena’s chambers. Orpheus had suggested putting it inside, but Xavier had quickly cut him off on going that route, citing that it would likely be seen as creepy and a violation by her, an invasion of privacy, despite the goodintentions behind it. Sometimes Ore wasn’t good at walking the line there. Neither was I, really. Especially when he suggested something, I usually jumped right on board. It was something we both needed to work on, Alena coming into our lives making us realize that as we never had before.

There was accountability now since she’d become a part of us.

Speaking of becominga part of us, that was what tonight was about, kind of solidifying that.

Tonight was supposed to be a date, her first with all three of us.

We’d intended to keep it casual, as X had suggested, but the temptation to dress it up with a combination of our magic, my phoenix fire, some artistry here and there, and one of Ore’s illusions, had been too much to pass up. She deserved to have all the romance in the world.

We’d just keep the actual content of the date casual, no pressure.

Anyway, back to theinvitationwe’d sent her.

Orpheus had taken some of the magical orchids from his garden and we’d put them in a frosted glass vase that I’d blown with some sand and my phoenix fire, and around the vase we’d arranged some gold candles, her favorite snacks, and a teddy bear holding three hearts. Then, slid into the vase, was a note asking her to this date in what had become our usual, secret spot in the woods at the far corner of campus.

“What if she hasn’t headed back to her chambers yet?” I pointed out.

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