Page 302 of Caelum

“In their position, we were the easiest to blame,” I replied easily, turning my face to the side to stare out the window and onto the rocky terrain, which had been half-civilized for modern living but was still rough and raw.

“You told him we weren’t behind it, didn’t you?”

I snickered at my control freak Vampire and turned to look at him. “You think Nicholas would have helped me if I hadn’t told him exactly what happened?”

His brow puckered. “Everything?”

“Everything,” I drawled, amused. “What did you think I was going to talk to him about? The weather?”

He shrugged. “Thought you’d hold some things back.”

“Nope. He even knows we’re a Pack now.”

“He does?” Stefan’s voice was high-pitched.

“Does that bother you?” I inquired, my cheeks turning pink in the face of his embarrassment. Anger began to whirl inside me, and only when Reed tutted and squeezed my thigh did I feel like I had an escape valve.

His Hell Hound butted alongside mine, calming me down, and when I looked at Stefan again, I knew it was without anger, making my eyes gleam.

“I just?—”

“You have to understand, Eve,” Eren replied. “Nicholas is important to Stefan. The whole Academy is. If Stefan hero worships anyone, it’s Nicholas.”

I blinked. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Because he’s stoic?” Eren said with a snigger, which earned him a shove in the side from Stefan’s elbow.

“Fuck off,” Stefan grumbled, but his pink ears said Eren was spot on with his comments.

“I mean, I didn’t tell him we did threesomes and stuff,” I mumbled, dipping my head so the driver couldn’t hear.

“Jesus, I should hope not,” Reed retorted, but he was laughing as he spoke and I shot him a grin, happy he was amused. “He didn’t ask for the specifics then?”

My lips twitched before I could control them. “Nope. He didn’t ask if any of you touched either.”

Silence fell at my words before I began giggling, slapping my belly to contain my glee at their horrified glances at one another.

“We don’t cross swords, babe,” Samuel replied with a disgusted shudder.

“Never say never,” I said in a singsong voice.

“I will,” Eren retorted, sticking his tongue out and making puking sounds.

“Spoilsports,” I teased, but I gave them a wink that encompassed them all and turned back, feeling surprisingly lighter than I’d anticipated.

Of course, our amusement gained us glowers from the driver, and though I knew it was bad, I couldn’t stop myself from spitting, “If you don’t want to be here, then get the fuck out of the car and we’ll take over.”

The man jerked in response, the wheel going with him before he got the vehicle back under control.

He’d heard the Hell Hound in my voice, and it satisfied me deeply that he responded to it.

Reed mumbled, “Since when do you say ‘fuck?’”

I shrugged. “You guys all say it when you come.”

“We do?” he asked with a snort.

“Yep. I hear it often enough…” I gave him another shrug and a quick grin that had him laughing.

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