Page 132 of Blood & Betrayals

“Well, I have cheer tryouts today. Then I thought maybe you could come over, we could order dinner, and perhaps my dessert can be a mouthful of you…”

Connor groans, his cock throbbing inside of me. “Is that right?”

“Are you up for it, Morningstar?”

“Fuck, absolutely I am.”

“Perfect.” Connor reluctantly pulls out of me and then lowers me to the ground. He zips up his pants, and I look around for my panties, frowning when I don’t see them. The bright pink lace should be stark against the dark stone of the library floor, yet they are decidedly absent. I get onto my hands and knees to search under the stacks, hoping that maybe they just got kicked under there in the frantic, heated moment, but all I see are shadows.

“Con, do you know where my panties are?”

Connor finishes tucking his shirt into his pants and turns to face me. “They were on the ground.”

“Well, they’re not anymore.”

Connor helps me look, but it quickly becomes clear that they may be lost, destined to be found by some poor, unsuspecting, studious person.

“Commando, it is then, I guess.”

Connor cups my cheek. “My place or yours for tonight?”

“Mine,” I reply, considering the fact that while I have Alice sharing the dorm with me, he shares the house with his four brothers. I lean in, brushing my lips over his. “I’ll see you later, big guy.”

“See you later, succubus.”

“Do wehaveto?” Alice groans, repeating the same questions for at least the twentieth time since we left our last class.

I give her an exasperated look. “Youdon’t have to, but I do. I’m doing this for Connor.”

“Stupid bird brain jock,” Alice grumbles, crossing her arms over her chest. “You know, to be a cheerleader, you have to be actuallycheer-y. As in, you need to have cheer in order to lead.”

I glare at her.

“What? I’m just saying. You have that dark and mysterious, angry, don’t-talk-to-me vibe.” Alice glances at my face and continues quickly, “Which you know I love. But say you’re successful today, just don’t get all?—”

“Summer! Alice!” Ashley hurries over, holding a black and silver pom pom in each hand. Her smile is overly bright, though it wouldn’t surprise me if this is simply the way her face is stuck, thanks to what looks to be a painfully tight ponytail. “I am so glad you decided to try out! You’re going to do great. Just remember to relax and smile!” Ashley’s smile grows if that is at all possible, and Alice glances at me, giving me the most scathing look I’ve ever received from her.

“Like that,” Alice continues, her gaze wandering to Ashley and the rest of the squad. If looks could kill, this would be the biggest massacre Avalon has ever seen.

Alice and I join the group of nervous, prospective cheerleaders, and we start to warm up. Well, I do. Alice is more invested in sussing out the cheerleaders, and I’ve no sooner bent down to touch my toes when she abandons me to interrogate one of them. I can only see the back of her head, but I know she’s conspiring to get all the gossip. She’ll no doubt lock it away in the recesses of her mind, only to use it at the moment it will cause the greatest chaos.

Damn, my best friend is cool.

Ashley claps, drawing our attention as the guys flood onto the other side of the field to start their own practice.

“I’m so excited to see such an incredible turnout! So, as you know, there are three spots on the team, and there are thirty of you trying out, so you’d better bring your A-game!” Ashley grins and pulls out her phone, tapping at the screen. “Okay, everyone spread out. The first round is to see who can keep up with us.” Ashley taps again, and suddenly, there is a blast of music. The cheerleaders fall into formation and start their routine. The moves are basic and repeated to the rhythm of the beat. Alice throws me a mutinous look, and I grin at her as I copy their steps. Others follow, and a few cheerleaders seamlessly extract themselves from the dance to walk through the group. Ashley’s eyes scan us all as she dances, not missing a step.

One of the cheerleaders stops in front of me. Her mousey hair is pulled back in a single braid, and I can’t help but notice the challenge in her stare as she eyes me. Never one to back down, it is nearly instinct to hold her gaze. She narrows her eyes at me before slowly moving on. Every so often, when someone messes up, the wandering cheerleaders tap them on the shoulder, the dreaded signal that they have not made the squad. By the end of the routine, only ten of us are left. Ashley grins at us all.

“Congrats on making it this far. Next, we’ll test your speed, agility, and flexibility.”

My gaze wanders across the field and invariably lands on Connor. I’m immediately captivated by the way his muscles flex as he catches the ball and throws it to one of his teammates. As if his gaze were a magnet drawn to mine, he lifts his head and throws me a wide, easy smile.

“So, everyone ready?” Ashley asks, and I grimace, looking at Alice. Fuck, I really should have been listening. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Georgie, you first,” Ashley says, and a brunette shifter girl steps forward, smiling sheepishly. “High kick,” Ashley demands, clicking her pen, preparing to take down notes. Georgie doesa high kick, and Ashley purses her lips, her pen flying across the clipboard. “Back handspring.” Again, Georgie immediately attempts a backflip, but her landing is wobbly. I grimace for her. “Okay, and handstand.” Georgie inverts into a handstand, her legs anything but straight. Ashley smiles at her. “Thank you, Georgie. Isabella will time you running the field now, and we’ll get back to you.” Georgie trots off, following a pink-haired cheerleader.

“Summer, you’re up!” Ashley grins at me, and we go through all the same drills. Ashley nods, making notes on her clipboard. “Okay, perfect. If you want to foll?—”

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