Page 80 of Fight or Flight
Shane shoots me a dirty look but doesn’t say anything as we get stuck behind a group of students walking ridiculously slowly and taking up the entire path. We skirt around them, but by the time we’re far enough away that we can talk freely, King House comes into view.
Like all of the houses on campus, King House is a reflection of the people who founded it, and they really went hard playing up their historical ties to the aristocracies of the world.
The house is a giant stone mansion that looks like a cross between a castle and a château, complete with spires and battlements and a portcullis over the main door. It’s also surrounded by a stone fence topped with iron spikes.
Most of the front-facing windows on the lower level are lit up, but there are no other indications that there’s a party going on.
“You good?” Jace asks quietly as we tap our IDs at the main gate and step through the doorway when it pops open for us.
“Fine, just having an internal freak out. No big deal.”
“I promise I won’t let you out of my sight unless I have to while we’re here,” I tell him as we walk up the cobblestone path. “Everything will be okay.”
“And if I fuck up and can’t get the card, or he realizes what I did?”
“Then things will get messy, but I don’t mind messy.”
“I think this is the first time your arrogance is actually comforting.”
Before I can answer, the door swings open. Someone who looks like a freshman in a court jester outfit answers the door, holding a tablet. He gives us a quick once-over, then taps the screen of his tablet a few times, presumably to check us off the guest list.
“Please read and sign the following form to agree to the terms,” he says in a bored voice as he ushers us inside. “Failure to do so will result in you being escorted from the premises.” He extends the tablet to us.
Shane takes it and quickly skims the page, then uses his finger to sign his name at the bottom. I take it from him and scan through the rules. None of them are any different from the last form I signed, and they’re mostly about not allowing any sort of phones or recording devices on the property and us promising to stay in the dedicated party areas.
We didn’t bring our phones, but I definitely won’t be staying in the party areas.
I sign it anyway and hand the tablet back to the kid. “So, what did you do to deserve this duty?”
He gives me a wry smile. “I was late for a house meeting because I slept in.”
“Relatable.” I shoot him a quick peace sign. “Keep fighting the good fight, kid.”
He chuckles. “I’ll try. Enjoy the party.”
“We’ll try.”
“Is there anyone you can’t charm?” Shane asks as we head down the hall and toward the faint sounds of music.
“Probably, but I have yet to meet them.”
The inside of the house looks exactly like you’d expect it to, with stone accents, medieval-style chandeliers, massive fireplaces that are big enough to walk into, and random castle decor like coats of arms, hanging tapestries, and actual suits of armor scattered throughout the place.
But just like our dorm, underneath all of the historical artifacts and medieval charm is state-of-the-art technology that’s automated almost every aspect of the house, which makes it perfect for hacking into.
“It’s going to look weird if we spend too much time together,” he says in a low voice. “It’s not like our rivalry or whatever you want to call it is a secret. The last thing we need is for people to get suspicious.”
“You’re not wrong. You go in first and do whatever you normally do at these things, and I’ll keep an eye on you. You’ll know it’s time when I turn your earpiece on.”
“Okay.” He swallows hard. “Don’t get me killed or I’ll come back as a ghost and haunt your ass.”
“Duly noted.” I leave him with a smirk and slow my pace so he can pull ahead of me.
Shane squares his shoulders and keeps his head high as he walks up to a massive set of wooden doors and pulls one open.
I drop my eyes to his ass and try not to grin. I was right; his pants make his ass look spectacular.
I wait a few seconds, then slip inside after him.
