Page 119 of Kings & Chaos

Rock shrugged. “He has a reputation with the female student body.”

“Emphasis on the word ‘body,’” Oscar said.

I admit that it shocked me. I’d clocked Professor Ryan as a bit of a perv since day one, but a killer?

That didn’t feel right.

Then again, I hadn’t figured Dean Giordana for a killer either, and he’d almost buried me in the woods.

“I guess he’d have access to the school database,” I said. “The emails anyway.”

“It’s just a possibility,” Neo said. I thought he cut a warning glance at Rock and Oscar, but I couldn’t be sure.

“So we’re back to waiting.” I regretted the bitterness in my voice. According to Rock, the Kings had sacrificed thousands of dollars in exchange for Aloha’s help, and who knew what they’d had to trade to the person helping them behind the scenes at Aventine?

They were calling in favors left and right to figure out what happened to Emma.

It just wasn’t working.

Rock squeezed my hand. “I know it’s hard. But we’re closer than we’ve ever been. You wouldn’t be a target —wewouldn’t be targets — if that wasn’t true.”

That part felt right, but it was cold comfort. Being away from Aventine felt good because we wereaway.

And away from Aventine meant farther away from Emma, from what had happened to her.

We cleaned up after dinner, working together in the kitchen to put everything in the old dishwasher and put away the food. It was strangely domestic work — usually we left the dishes for Reva — but it felt perfectly natural too.

When everything was done for the night, we climbed the creaky stairs of the old house and started down the long upstairs hall to the bedrooms.

I was suddenly nervous about the close proximity. The house was way smaller than the house in Blackwell Falls, and this whole polyamorous-with-friends thing had the potential to get super weird in such close quarters.

Sure enough, Oscar turned toward me when I reached the door to my room. “My bed’s always open if you want company.”

“Mine too,” Rock said. “Or we can always come to you. You know, if you’re extra lonely.”

There was no pressure in the words, but Neo had his hand on the knob of his room at the end of the hall and was obviously listening to the exchange.

“I think I’m just going to sleep in my bed tonight,” I said. “I’m beat.”

“No problem,” Oscar said, leaning in to kiss me. “And just so you know, we are capable ofsleepingwith you if that’s ever what you need.”

Rock kissed me goodnight. “Yeah, not to brag, but my cuddling skills are next level.”

I laughed. “Thanks.”

“Night, kitten.”

“Night, tiger.”

They closed the doors to their rooms, but when I looked at the end of the hall, Neo was still there, staring at me with hungry eyes.

I waited, wondering if he would say something, but a few seconds later he tore his gaze from mine and disappeared inside the room.

Chapter46

Willa

The surf was violent, waves battering the island’s coastline as I picked my way along the outcroppings with Rock and Oscar. I’d gotten used to the frequent storms that passed over the island during the two weeks we’d been there, and I loved the aftermath, when it was still wet and a little drizzly, everything washed clean.

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