Chapter 74

Zora

It seemed like everyone in Kairos’s room froze at his prescience. The man himself looked pissed. His eyes darted from me to Maximus to Amara to her companion and back. There was an indefinite amount of time in which none of us spoke. Finally, Loren was the one to speak.

“We were looking for a bathroom,” she squeaked. “And came in here but Princess Amara was already in here with that guy.”

“My name’s Dave,” Amara’s Alpha friend sneered at Loren. “We have like ninety percent of our classes together.”

Loren waved a hand at him before giving Kairos a soft smile. “Sorry?”

“Out,” Kairos barked. His tone had all of the tenacity of an Alpha. Immediately, everyone scrambled out of the room. Maximus helped me up and we were halfway out the door before Kairos stepped in front of us.

“Not you,”

I swallowed thickly and tipped my chin up. Normally, I’d have more bite to me and feel empowered to fight Kairos. But post whatever the hell had happened to me downstairs, my energy was depleted. Luckily, I felt Maximus curl around me.

“Not now, Kairos,” Maximus warned.

“Your girlfriend can speak for herself,” Kairos snapped at Maximus. Then he shifted his gaze to look down at me. “Our second fight. You said best two out of three.”

“I did,” I sighed. I was exhausted. “When do you want to do it?”

“Next week,” Kairos said. “Saturday.”

“Fine,” I sighed. “Can I go?”

Kairos’s jaw clenched and unclenched as he looked down at me. When his face wasn’t set in it’s permeant scowl, it was kind of nice. His freckles softened him and he had a kind of curl to his hair that I’d never noticed before. He was quite handsome.

As if Maximus could read my thoughts, his hand flex at my waist. I was snapped out of my stupor and realized I was thinking kind things about fucking Kairos of all people. I sucked a breath in my nose and pushed past him. As our shoulders brushed, I could’ve sworn a felt a tiny twinge of electricity. I shook it off as we left his room.

Maximus walked Loren and I back to our dorm room. It was a quiet walk; Loren and I were completely silent at most points. Maximus would only break the air to ask if I was cold and-or okay. When we got back to our rooms, Loren stood in front of our open door, inviting me in.

Instinctually, my eyes drifted to where Maximus was opening his own door. I sent Loren a pleading look. “Go,” she mouthed with a soft smile. She closed our door and I immediately turned to look at Max. His foot was halfway into his room as he paused and looked at me.

Despite feeling like I didn’t want to be with him over Valentin early in the week, I was drawn to him at that moment. He felt like safety in the chaos that had ensued over the night. He held the door open wider and I skuttled in, head ducked.

Once the door shut, however, I felt nervous and uncertain all over again. Would he pin me to the wall again and roam his hands all over my body? Would he expect something from me because I’d come in his room? My heart thudded in my chest.

“We don’t have to,” Maximus said softly. I turned to look at him. His arms were crossed over his broad chest as he leaned against the back of his door. He shrugged slightly.

“I’m not expecting anything,”

“Oh,” I said, because I couldn’t really think of anything else to say. “Okay.”

Maximus nodded once. “Do you need anything?” I shook my head. He nodded once then pushed off the back of his door. I sat on the edge of his bed, feeling even more nervous, and slightly embarrassed for some reason.

Max yanked a couple of bottles of water out of his fridge and handed me one before cracking one open himself. He slugged half of it before looking at me. I was amazed at how neutral he was, face set in the same line it always was in. It was like I had no effect on him yet my skin was crawling with the effect he had on me.

“Do you want headache stuff?” he asked. “I don’t know how much you drank—”

“How are you so calm?” I cut him off.

“Calm,” Maximus repeated slowly. Then, he snorted a laugh. “I don’t think I’m anything close to calm. But I’m trying not to scare you off.”

I licked my lips before pulling the bottom one between my teeth.

“Right,”

“The bond between us it’s…” he trailed off, trying to find words.

“Weird?” I supplied.

Max half laughed. “It’s something,” he padded across the room and dropped into a bean-bag he had positioned where another bed would’ve been. His hands ran over his head. His hair was spike up in various spots as a result. He huffed and tipped his chin to stare at the ceiling.

“I can’t explain it. It’s like I know there’s something there but there’s also part of it that’s missing.”

“I feel the same way,” I mumbled.

I didn’t elaborate and tell him how I was aching for touch from Valentin and how I enjoyed having sex with Maximus but he didn’t feel as whole some as what I felt for Valentin. I also didn’t dare to mention that Thorne was still a nagging pain in my side. A less subtle pain than Valentin but still a pain.

So, I kept my mouth shut and fell backwards into Maximus’s bed. I stared at the ceiling for a few moments before my eyes slithered shut. I heard the crunching of Max getting off the bean bag then felt the thud as he body fell into the bed next to me. Both our legs were hanging off the side, our backs and necks pressed to the mattress.

I slowly turned my head to look Maximus in the eye. His dark gold eyes were shining with something I hadn’t seen before. I reached towards him as if I could capture it in my palms. The back of hand hit his cheek. Max’s eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into it. A spark broke into my skin from where he touched it. Slowly his hand came up to cover mine, sending more electricity down our shared arms.

“Are you okay?” he whispered. “From earlier.”

I nodded once. “Just was thinking about last time I was there. I got too caught up in my anxiety.”

“It won’t happen again,” Max promised. “I’ll always protect you, Zora. I promise.”

He gingerly pressed a kiss to the center of my palm and I couldn’t help but melt into his touch. He sat up and shrugged off his shirt and jeans. I followed suit and replaced my bra with one of Max’s massive shirts. We peeled back the covers of his bed and tucked into it, Maximus’s arms wrapped around me.

His lips pressed to the top of my head and I heard him murmur again. “I promise.”

It was enough to console me to sleep.