5. Pool Party

  (Sera)

  The soft sound of crickets teased me awake, and I groaned. I had a bad habit of yelling at anyone who woke be up, but… there was no point in yelling at crickets. They were crickets.

  Blinking away my hazy vision, I twisted my head and gasped lightly at the form across the sitting room. My heart eased once I recognized the limp wings. Hellion rested on the opposite sofa.

  I sniffed a few times to clear my nasal passages, then pushed up, twisting and stretching. My back cracked, and my shoulders relaxed. There were likely a dozen beds in the place, and I had to choose the sofa.

  In the kitchen, I got a glass of water and looked for something to eat. The hollow space in my stomach ached, craving literally anything. But the fridge was empty of even condiments.

  Thankfully, I still had the cake in my bag at the entry, so I grabbed a fork and shoveled it in my face. When I reached in to my pocket for my magi-tab, my heart screamed, as if I’d lost my child. Basically the same thing. I scoured the sofa before realizing I’d left it in the car door.

  Hellion shot up at my frustrated whine, his head whipping to me. I blinked. He blinked.

  His wings relaxed, and he twisted toward me. “I thought something happened to you.”

  “Something did!” He raised an eyebrow, his eyes wandering over my body. “I forgot my tab in the car.”

  “Oh.” He laughed. “Want me to go pick you up a new one?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous…” I pulled some cake off the fork.

  Hellion yawned as he rubbed at his neck. His smoky quartz eyes met mine, and I looked away.

  “There’s nothing else in the fridge?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” I replied between chews, staring up at the floating staircase.

  “They should be back soon. It’s almost 4:00.”

  “Why didn’t you sleep on a bed?”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I didn’t know there were any; you did.”

  He scoffed. “You didn’t think we had a single bed?”

  I shook my head with a smile, licking chocolate and cherry off the fork until it was clean.

  “Want me to show you where my bed is?” He smirked back.

  “Yeah, actually.” My grin grew wild and poisonous. His eyes blossomed.

  “What do you plan to do to me when you find out?”

  “You’ll have to wait and see.”

  “Oh good, so I guess I won’t be sleeping tonight either.”

  “Not if you know what’s good for you.”

  He glanced behind him, muttering something about me being lucky, and I questioned him about it, but he simply shook his head and strolled over to the kitchen. I followed to put the dishes in the sink and then hopped onto one of the wire barstools. He filled a glass of water and leaned over the gray marble island, staring at me.

  “What?”

  I touched my lips to check if I had something on my face. A slight indent creased my cheek from what I assumed to be the pillow’s zipper. Otherwise, my face remained as cute as always. That was likely what he stared at.

  “Let’s go swimming.”

  My arms crossed over my chest reflexively, and he smirked. “Shouldn’t we wait for the others? And it’s not even that hot out.”

  “It’s heated.”

  Of course it was. What—literally what—was I expecting?

  “Fine.”

  We had nothing better to do, at least I didn’t. No magi-tab to glare at or text people.

  As I grabbed my bag, he said, “Your room is upstairs, second door on the left.”

  Thanking him, I climbed the airy stairs, and he called, “Make sure to close the door properly this time.” He snickered to himself, and I rolled my eyes. “Unless you need help. It might be dark up there!”

  “Shut up!” I called back.

  The room was too cute, and I took a moment to admire the view. I found Zey’s and Lina’s things tossed on the leather sofa, so I let my bag down there and pulled at the bundles of clothes in search of my lilac one piece. I locked the door this time.

  The strappy back was a pain in the ass, and I vowed to never buy another strappy backed thing in my life. I scampered to the mirror by the window. It looked good though, so maybe the vow wasn’t worth much. Twisting my silky hair into a braid, I forced it into a chunky bun at the top of my head.

  I escaped the scrutiny of the mirror and forced myself back downstairs.

  Hellion had disappeared. I looked around awkwardly, tiptoeing to the window. The others had returned from the store, and he’d gone out to help them bring the groceries in. Not wanting to be caught half-naked, I ran back upstairs and jumped into my sweatpants.

  “Did you get anything for me?” Hellion’s voice echoed up the steps while I descended, holding tight to the railing.

  “I don’t know, ask Lina—she got you a cherry pie,” Zeyna said, crossing into the kitchen.

  I cooed. I loved cherry pie.

  Kayo entered, and I took his bags so he could go out for round two. Lina dropped her bags on the counter and fell onto the couch in the main living room, something much more formal than the casual sitting room. She always said she hated grocery shopping, but her sticky fingers never failed to fill the cart.

  I opted to help Zeyna unpack everything, only to see what they’d bought. They got me everything I needed. They might as well have bought the whole snack section. Zey picked out all the cold items and slid them into the fridge or freezer. We left the snacks and drinks on the island; conveniently, it was large enough to hold all the goodies while still having room to cook.

  Freed from the task, I took the opportunity to get my magi-tab, grabbing the keys from the counter. The day had turned muggy, the sun going in and out between clouds. I snatched up the tablet, and it glowed in our reunion before buzzing happily.

  Private | Lina: We got our first juicy story, don’t let Zeyna forget

  Private | Shay: Can you take over Marley’s Tuesday shift?

  How juicy could a grocery store story be? Or had something happened between her and Kayo?

  I ambled back up the shallow stone steps to the house, contemplating whether I wanted the Tuesday shift. I settled on yes, solely to have Marley owe me. It’d be a nice trade for a Friday off. I stuffed the glass in my pocket and returned to the kitchen, crossing my arms.

  “Why did you get so much beer?” Hellion asked, analyzing the brand of craft beer.

  “Huh?” She turned, trying to peer past Lina, who cut into some weird spongy thing. “Oh shit, that’s not ours.”

  She snorted. I raised a brow. How do you end up with someone else’s beer?

  My eyes lingered on Lina’s sponge, and I asked, “What is that?”

  Silence fell, and I wondered if it was a stupid question.

  “We’re having teriyaki tempeh with vegetables,” Lina practically whispered.

  “What?” I bellowed, and Hellion glanced back at me with a smile.

  I groaned. Fuck vegetables. But also, they were my beloved children. I leaned on a stool, my glare gifting each of them separately.

  “Why is it that Zeyna has issues with plastic and we limit our plastic for her, but we can’t remove vegetables from our diet?”

  “We do! We limit vegetables and fruit!” Lina countered. Hellion nodded his agreement.

  “Not enough!”

  “Calm down,” Zeyna quipped. “We’re having a barbecue tomorrow, so don’t complain.” I huffed, crossing my arms tighter.

  “Maybe you’ll like it… Plus you need more iron, Sera.” Lina waved her small knife at me. “Pretty sure you had a deficiency when I last checked you.”

  I clicked my tongue, grabbing the chips. Her hand launched out to snatch them back.

  “You need to have dinner first.”

  My mouth hung open, and I looked around the group. “Is anyone else hearing this? Or is it just me?”

  Hellion laughed, and Zeyna couldn’t contain her smile. Kayo just raised a brow, watching from the other end of the island.

  “She’s lecturing me on eating.”

  He gave me a half-smile.

  I shook my head with a rough exhale, and Hellion patted my head. I moved to slap his hand away, but my arms flew back to my chest.

  Zeyna eyed me. “Why are you standing like that? You look like a kid on the verge of a tantrum.”

  “Hellion says he saw my boobs once, and now I’m self-conscious about it!” I whined, unable to meet his eyes. She burst out laughing, slapping the slick marble.

  “I don’t know why; I said it was the best day of my life!” He pulled at my arms, but I refused to move them.

  “I don’t care! I don’t want you getting another peek!”

  I shuffled away from him, crossing the kitchen to the patio door. The turquoise pool came into view. The waters flowed with a calm ripple. He chased me, lunging for my arms, but they held firm.

  “You two never stop!” Zeyna shouted from across the space.

  I ran around the main living room, nearly stumbling into the polished stone fireplace. A shrieking giggle escaped me as his fingertips grazed my back. He cooed.

  “Don’t make such a sound, Sera. Or I’ll have to caress your back more often.”

  I snorted but Lina said, “Alright, keep it in your pants.”

  Zey sighed and began chopping a head of broccoli. A manic laugh escaped me as I skipped through the house.

  “She hasn’t even drank anything yet and she’s like that?” Kayo asked.

  “Drinks?” I called, and had the sentiment echoed back to me from Zeyna and Lina.

  We snickered, but my amusement faltered as Hellion grabbed me. I gasped, falling on the sitting room sofa. He pried my arms open to unveil the deep neckline, but I continued to fight to cover my chest. And for the second he didn’t say anything, I’d never felt more awkward in my life.

  He locked my arms to my sides, and his eyes met mine. I found anywhere else to look.

  “I won’t look, okay? Just act natural. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” He pulled me up and stalked away.

  Pulling a beer from the thin cardboard, he handed it to Kayo and grabbed another for himself. The bottle popped and foamed, and he took a sip. I walked as naturally as possible to the fridge, nearly my whole abdomen on display.

  “Damn, Sera!” Kayo smirked.

  “Stop!” I whimpered, my arms threatening to go back.

  “Yeah, everyone stop looking at Sera’s chest. It’s weird.”

  “Exactly…” I muttered, grabbing the tequila from the counter.

  I took the girls’ orders, telling them to keep it simple, since I didn’t have a whole bar rail behind me. They gave me free rein, so I searched the fridge and settled on a simple citrus cocktail, going as far to rim the glasses and cut garnishes. I found peace in the medley of sounds twisting into a heart-warming song. Sizzling, chopping, shaking, laughter and chatter.

  I passed the girls their drinks and rounded the counter. We stood in our familial circle, and I raised my glass. “To Zeyna, my love… and I guess Hellion”—I smirked but didn’t check for his reaction—“for somehow surviving twenty years.”

  “God forbid,” Kayo quipped, moving closer.

  “Let’s go for like twenty more,” Hellion joked, and we clinked our glasses together.

  They rang out, carrying our toast far and wide.

  ***

  The tempeh wasn’t good; teriyaki just made everything better. I sat at the round wooden dining table, sandwiched between Zeyna and Hellion, feigning my disgust in the meal. I took a swig of my cocktail to wash it down, the taste tainted by the sweetness of the teriyaki.

  “For Luna’s sake, stop that.” Lina rolled her eyes, chewing happily on a cube of tempeh.

  I smirked. “What? Not everything you make is good, Lina; you just gotta live with it.”

  Though, if she had made the teriyaki sauce herself, then maybe everything she did make was good. I wouldn’t tell her that, though.

  “It’s good, Lina,” Kayo commented, and I eyed him. “What? Not everyone has to agree with you, Sera; you just gotta live with it.”

  Lina snickered, thanking him. I’d throw my shoe at him again if he kept it up.

  “It is good!” Zeyna jumped on their bandwagon once she finished her chew.

  I looked at Hellion. He said nothing and continued munching. At least he knew what was good for him. He glanced at me; his eyes landed on my boobs for a millisecond before jumping to my eyes, and I glowered at him.

  “What? I didn’t say anything.” I wasn’t sure if he meant about the food or my boobs.

  “So, what’s this juicy story?” I asked Zeyna expectantly.

  She grabbed her drink and said, “Hm? What juicy story?” before taking a long siphoning sip, her eyes flitting to Kayo.

  Shit, was it about him? I could still save the moment.

  “Oh, wait, was that you? With the juicy story? Maybe I misread the text.” I pulled out my magi-tab and tapped a few times. “Oh, yeah, Lucie, yep.”

  Zeyna raised an eyebrow at me, holding in her snicker. She put her glass down and continued eating. Hellion flicked my knee under the table, but I ignored him.

  I pushed the cubes around on my plate, having finished the rice. “Who wants my tempeh?”

  No one volunteered, so I leaned over and scraped them onto Hellion’s plate. He groaned but stabbed a cube.

  Kayo stood and gathered our plates, taking them to the sink. “What now?” he called back, and the other two got up to help clean.

  “We digest,” Lina offered as Kayo rinsed the plates. I got up and leaned against my seat, waiting for Hellion to finish.

  “Sounds good to me,” Zeyna called from the other side of the wall, already relaxing in the living room.

  It would’ve been nice to have a fire if it was colder. Maybe a bonfire was more fitting in the summer.

  Lina and Kayo weaved between each other in a simple dance. She’d left her mess to sit while we ate and now had to clean it, and for whatever reason, Kayo opted to wash the dishes by hand instead of putting them in the dishwasher. She piled the pans by the sink.

  Fortunately, I hadn’t made a mess and was saved from cleaning duty. “Are we still going swimming?” I asked Hellion softly.

  “If you want. How’s your stomach feeling?”

  “I think it’ll be okay. It was just rice.”

  I kept thinking we needed to go while it was still hot out so I wouldn’t freeze to death, but the pool was lit and heated, which meant we could go any time.

  “Sera!” Zeyna whined from the living room, and I peeked around the wall. Her blue eyes locked onto mine. “Make me another drink, pretty.”

  And as always, I was on bartending duty. I considered giving her a glass of straight tequila just to see what she’d say. If she didn’t mind, it’d make my life so much easier going forward. I didn’t, though. I made her another citrus cocktail, and I brought it over to her. I found her checking her tablet for the sixteenth time since we sat down for dinner.

  I stalked back to the kitchen and leaned against the fridge, pulled out my tablet and texted her: Who are you waiting to text you? Me?

  She looked over the back of the couch and grinned at me. Sliding her drink onto the coffee table, she began typing back.

  Private | Zeyna

  Zeyna: I’m always waiting for you to text me

  Sera: Oh, you should’ve told me sooner, I’d text you every minute of everyday

  Zeyna: Ugh, the dream!

  Hellion ventured into the kitchen, passing his plate to Kayo with a thank you. “I just need to go get changed,” he informed me.

  “Kay.”

  I glanced at Zeyna, lifting a brow for her to tell me. She rolled her eyes and returned them to the glass.

  Zeyna: Don’t worry about it :3

  Zeyna: I’ll tell you tonight, you know the tradition

  Sera: Ok, ok

  Sera: Just tell me what it’s about

  Zeyna: Nope

  Sera: Then just tell me if it’s about Kayo

  Zeyna: Nope

  Sera: Nope as in you wont tell me or nope as in it’s not about him?

  Zeyna: Nope

  I glared at her, pocketing my tab. I dashed at her, threatening to jump the couch. She squeaked, and I wiggled my fingers in her face, pinching her cheeks before giving them a kiss.

  Hellion passed by, grazing my back. I snapped up, and he snickered while tossing me a watermelon towel.

  “We goin’ swimming, boys and girls!” He beckoned me, and I scuttled after him, pushing through the patio door.

  I looked back. Lina and Kayo were unfazed, still cleaning. “Zey, you coming?”

  She twisted her head back over the armrest. “I’ll come in a bit, Serbear. I wanna digest a bit first.”

  She didn’t want to be bloated in a bikini was what she meant. Certainly not in front of Kayo. Any other day, she wouldn’t have quite cared.

  “C’mon, Sera,” Hellion called from the other side of the pool. I slid the patio door closed and took in the surroundings.

  Interlocked stone spread out from the low deck, collapsing into a bright blue in-ground pool. The sun had swung around to the front of the house throughout the day, which left the space warm but shaded.

  Stripping my sweatpants, I threw them on a lounger to the right, along with my towel. I hopped down from the deck and tiptoed down the path to where Hellion was sorting through a pile of weathered floaties.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “There’s all these”—he gestured to the ones already blown up then to a bin—“and these.”

  I never knew someone could need so many floatation devices. I had analysis paralysis just looking in the bin, so I grabbed the flamingo at the top of the pile. He held out a hand, and I passed it to him. He pushed the plastic packs around and grabbed a chocolate-covered donut and a quintessential beach ball.

  I settled on the lip of the pool as he made his way back to the house. “Sera, you want something to drink?”

  “Sure,” I called back, dipping my legs into the water. A warm hug welcomed them.

  “What?”

  I looked back and shrugged. He clicked his tongue but disappeared into the house. Within a minute, I was on my feet to check the bin again. I grabbed a drink floaty, a cherry with two cup holders, but the packaging was impossible; that was why Hellion left in the first place. I sighed and waited a few more minutes.

  He returned, his hands full. I took his beer and whatever the drink he’d made for me was. We sat on the edge of the pool, and he cut open the packages. He passed me the dead flamingo. I snapped it through the air, trying to unwrinkle it like a sheet. I failed.

  “First one to blow it up wins.”

  He pushed the tiny nozzle into his mouth but removed it when I asked, “Wins what?”

  “Oh, I was just thinking bragging rights, but if you want to make things interesting…” His eyes narrowed. “What do you want to win, Sera?”

  I wasn’t quite sure; just being here seemed like winning. There wasn’t much else I could ask for.

  “You have to bartend for the rest of the night.”

  He shrugged as if it was no big deal. Maybe it wasn’t, but it was all I could think of.

  “Fine by me. As for what I want…” I nearly groaned at the fiendish grin that spread on his face. “You have to sleep in my room tonight.”

  “No…”

  “Oh, what? You scared you’ll lose?”

  “Pft, please. You literally don’t stand a chance.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” He raised an eyebrow.

  The problem was I’d be sleeping in his room if I lost. And he was competent at everything he did… And he was competent at everything he did. It didn’t fail to cross my mind that sleeping in his room just might become sleeping in his room.

  But if I was good at anything, it was breathing. I groaned a “fine,” and he smiled. He held the nozzle close to his lips, and I followed suit.

  “On your marks, get set, go!”

  I blew a long, even stream into the floaty and looked at him. He was really freakin’ trying, hardly taking a break between breaths. I sucked in another breath through my nose, blowing on and on and on. His was smaller than mine, and by the halfway mark, I realized I had an extra neck and head to blow up. I growled and picked up my pace.

  He gasped for breath, and I raised an eyebrow. His pace slowed to the point you’d think he only had one lung, and he winced while he blew a shallow breath. I snickered, continuing.

  Squeezing the neck, I checked the pressure. A few more prolonged breaths had the head upright.

  Hellion bellowed, “Ugh! Sera, I’m dying!”

  I laughed, finishing my bird. I popped the nozzle closed and tossed the floaty in the pool.

  “Looks like drinks are on you, Helli.”

  “Helli?” He laughed in pain. He leaned back against the stone, holding his thumb over the nozzle.

  I ended up filling up the tiny cherry too before he finished his donut. He didn’t finish it.

  “You good? You need me to finish that for you?”

  He nodded solemnly and handed it over. I chuckled.

  “You need some oxygen too?”

  “Yes,” he said, free of any hesitation.

  I finished blowing up the donut and leaned over him, cupping my hands around his mouth and nose. The oxygen seeped from my hands, and he breathed deeply. I aligned my breathing with his, and he closed his eyes.

  A few minutes later, he lowered my hands from his face and sat up. “Thank you…” He stared into my soul, and I looked away. “I can’t believe you’ve learned how to do that.”

  I shrugged. It was nothing. Being around plants all day, every day, they told me things and with my magic gifts highly inclined to nature manipulation, learning how to transform carbon dioxide into oxygen had been one of the easier things I learned throughout the year. Not that I learned it in class. I learned it on my own, just for fun because the plants wanted to teach me.

  “There’s many things I can’t believe you learned to do.”

  Many. As I mentioned, he was competent at everything. Except maybe breathing. Good thing I was around more often than not.

  He shrugged and slipped into the water, wings fluttering, then pushed back, sending the water rippling.

  I grabbed the beach ball, blew it up and hit it to him. He hit it back, but the wind blew, and sadly, it didn’t make it to me.

  Hellion traveled back to me to take a sip of his beer. I threw the little cherry at him, and he tested it out. The beer balanced precariously, so I had to give him my drink too to fix the weight distribution. Then I watched the drinks float away and realized how inconvenient it was.

  He flicked a hand. “Come in.”

  I tried to see to the bottom of the water. “Is it deep?”

  He shook his head.

  “Looks deep on you.”

  He stood to prove his point; the water stopped below his pecks.

  “Looks pretty deep.”

  He rolled his eyes and made his way over to me. When his arms raised, I shook my head. “C’mon, you can’t call it swimming if you’re not in the pool.”

  I sighed and rested my hands on his shoulders. His warm hands settled on my waist, and he lowered me into the water. My toes reached for the floor, and the water caressed my collar bones.

  It took my wings a bit to settle. They freaked any time they were submerged in water. The fairies must’ve actually hated water—hated swimming. The humans seemed to enjoy it. And Hellion didn’t seem to mind. Though, his wings were made of flesh, not chitin.

  He pushed away from me and got the ball that drifted across the pool. The sound of his palm meeting plastic echoed, and the ball splashed down right in front of me. I squealed, flinching—even though it was nothing but plastic and air.

  “Oh? It’s like that, is it?”

  He grinned. “Yeah, it’s like that.” His wings flapped, pelting me with water.

  “Makeup!” I blocked my face.

  “Sorry!”

  I splashed him back, flicking my hands up, over and over and over. My smile grew with each barrage. He pushed through the water and grabbed my waist, heaving me over his shoulder, and I screamed while beating on his back. He laughed.

  “Play fair, Sera.” I slid an inch down his back, and my heart fell out of my mouth. “Or I have no problems dropping you in, makeup or no.”

  I wasn’t wearing very much makeup to begin with, not that I’d tell him. It was my secret weapon. But I wouldn’t have been surprised if my concealer and blush had rubbed away already, and I wore waterproof mascara solely for the day I’d cry. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence; a mere thunderstorm could get me sobbing. And in those cases, I huddled under whatever provided the most protection, my face buried away.

  “Don’t you dare drop me! I’ll spank you!” I warned, but realized…

  “I’ll spank you! Also… do it?”

  I kneed him in the chest and he grunted, and my face dropped fractionally closer to the water. I shimmied out of his grasp and escaped across the pool to my drink, using it as a theoretical shield.

  He turned to me, rubbing the spot, and swam over innocently. He flicked my forehead and grabbed his beer. I took a sip with him, and my brows knitted. He’d made it strong, but the mint and watermelon flavor distracted from the sting of the alcohol.

  “I’m glad I won the bet,” I teased, grabbing the cherry before it escaped, to place the glass in the cup holder.

  “I’m not. I wanted to share secrets all night. Alas, I lost.”

  I snorted. “Oh? Is that what you wanted?” He nodded. “What secrets did you want to share with me, Hellion?”

  He floated closer. His knee brushed against mine and our cheeks nearly touched. “I hoped you would have some secrets to share with me,” he whispered in my ear. I glimpsed his face from the corner of my eye.

  I swallowed, not moving an inch. “If I told you my secrets, I’d have to kill you.”

  He pulled back. “Damn, I’m glad I lost the bet.”

  I snickered but beckoned him back. He eased forward again.

  I slung an arm over his shoulder and whispered, “The secret is—”

  The patio door opened, and I pushed away from him and moved my arm back over the lip of the pool. Lina stepped down from the deck cautiously, her ivory skin glowing. She pulled her sheer slip tighter, but it did nothing to hide the simple black bikini beneath. Tossing her towel onto a chair, she eyed us skeptically and swept her bangs back a few times.

  Hellion floated away from me casually, his eyes narrowing. I smiled and swam over to Lina.

  “Cute thingy. Only you could look classy in a bikini.”

  “Why thank you.” She pulled the slip off and tossed it too, but the light fabric fell onto the deck. She eased into the pool beside me, surprised by the temperature. “Oh, I can stay in here all night.”

  “Right?”

  Kayo and Zeyna came out. He didn’t wait around; he tossed aside his magi-tab and dashed across the deck, jumping over our heads into the pool. Resurfacing, he rubbed at his face, grabbed the beach ball and hit it to Hellion.

  “Want me to set up the net?” Zeyna asked, circling the pool to grab the flamingo stuck in the corner. “We can do guys versus girls.”

  “Is that even fair?” Kayo teased, a cocky grin on his lips as he caught the beach ball.

  “Hellion is on his last lung, so I think we have the advantage here, buddy.” Hellion smirked with a raised eyebrow. “Also, Lina is the deity of volleyball, so…”

  “I am, aren’t I?” She smiled, flowing through the water seamlessly, floating on her back. Bliss claimed her face once her eyelashes fell.

  Zeyna finished setting up the net, and I flung away Hellion’s donut. He handed my drink to me under the net.

  “Shall we make another bet?” he asked.

  I smirked, eyeing him. “How many times can the male ego handle losing in a night?”

  “If it’s to you, there is no limit.”

  My brows raised, and I took a sip. “What are the stakes this time, then?”

  “Tell me your secret.”

  I couldn’t contain my grin. The secret wasn’t going to be anything special because I kept no secrets from him. And so really, I could make anything up if I lost. As for what I wanted? Once again, I had no clue. And if this bet meant nothing, I’d ask for something easy as well.

  “Buy me all-you-can-eat tacos.”

  He nodded, sipping his beer. We separated, backing up to our proper positions. Neither of us wanted to be the first to break eye contact. Zeyna skipped down the steps and dove in behind me. Bubbles roiled beside me and she appeared, slicking her hair back.

  We swapped spots, and she called, “If we win, you have to do everything we say tomorrow.” I raised my brow to her and Lina cooed.

  The most Demonic smile I’d ever seen appeared on Hellion’s face, and I nearly peed in the pool. “When does tomorrow start?” he asked.

  “Uh—12:00 AM,” Zeyna answered, her tone labeling him as an idiot. He looked at Kayo, who shrugged.

  “Alright.” He eyed me. “And if we win, you’ll do whatever we say.”

  “No…” I glanced at Zeyna and pointed at her brother. “Do you see that face? I can’t trust that face!” I had everything to lose, and he had everything to gain.

  “Deal.”

  “Zeyna!”

  “Yeah, Zeyna, not cool.”

  Lina shook her head, but she had nothing to worry about. We did. Who knew what Kayo would ask of her? And Hellion… He could have everything he wanted from me for a whole day. He could have me in his room.

  “I guess we have to win then, huh?” Zeyna said.

  I splashed her, cussing her out. Lina joined in on soaking her, but Zeyna simply grinned. She blocked herself until she began sputtering and then the water started evaporating against her magic.

  I growled at her, and she called, “Ready!”

  Hellion served the ball to Lina. She popped it up, and I smacked it over the net. Kayo jumped up in front of me, smashing it back down into the water. I glowered at him incredulously, and he smiled.

  “Okay, crazy…” I said, and Zeyna smiled at me.

  “Gotta get serious, baby girl; this one doesn’t play.” She grabbed the ball and slapped it across the net.

  Kayo passed it to Hellion and he, too, slammed it down, but I dove, fist out, and bumped it to Zeyna, who passed to Lina. She jumped and pushed it out far.

  Hellion fell back, tapping it with a finger to Kayo, and I tensed. The ball drilled into the water behind me. My brows angled at him.

  I didn’t care all that much about the bet between me and Hellion, but with Zeyna’s stupid bet, she’d tipped the scales, and now he held all the weight. I could strangle her. But there was no going back now, and strangling her would only put us at a disadvantage, especially against someone as competitive as Kayo. Hellion alone wasn’t too bad; with him, it was light and fun competition. With Kayo, it was like life or death. And I knew he’d go far in the Athletics spec.

  “Alright.” I cracked my knuckles then my neck. “Time to get serious. There’s absolutely no way I’m losing this bet.” I stabbed a finger at Zeyna, “And if you don’t go all out, I’ll make you miserable tomorrow myself.”

  “I mean—it’s Zeph we’re talking about, not Satan himself. You’ll be fine.”

  “Same difference.”

  I grabbed the ball from her and tossed it to Lina. I didn’t have to tell her to be serious. She took life seriously.

  She served the ball to Hellion, and it bounced from him to Kayo. I saw it before it happened, that terrible smile and the power moving through his arm. The ball ricocheted off my arms, flying high.

  “Get that mother-effing ball!” I called to Zeyna, and she snickered.

  But she wouldn’t make it in time, so Lina, free of wings, flew and slapped it down on Kayo. He missed. It touched water!

  I squealed, hugging Lina as she came back down. “2-1” Hellion called, not waiting to serve.

  Lina passed to me, and I forced as much power into my arm as I slapped it to Hellion. I wanted to avoid dealing with Kayo as much as possible. He slapped it back, and I smashed it down in front of him. “2-2”

  “Get it, Sera! I knew this bet would fire you up.” Zeyna grinned.

  “Shush, you,” I snarled at her.

  I would not get behind by more than two points because, if we did, we’d lose. And I was not losing today. I glared at the guys. Hellion, as exceptional as always, perfected his saves and passes, allowing Kayo to shine with that heavy hand.

  At the halfway point, Zeyna and I switched, as she was less likely to be intimidated by Kayo’s oppressive force. And the shit talk began.

  “Think you’re a big boy, huh? I’ll show you exactly what a big boy looks like.”

  “Oh, I’m big alright.”

  Lina rolled her eyes and served. Hellion hit it back high, and they sent the ball back and forth between them for a few volleys. Her eyes narrowed, and she sent it straight for the corner of the pool with pinpoint accuracy.

  He flicked it to Kayo with a call, and Kayo punched it over the net to me. Zeyna lifted her wings, ready to jump, so I hit it high. And she showed him how it felt to be under such dominating force, spiking it off his face with a magnificent grin.

  The ball bounced off the net and fell into the water. She splashed down with diabolical laughter, and I joined in.

  “6-7,” Hellion called through a snort. “You okay, buddy?” He slapped Kayo’s shoulder.

  “Nah, man, that’s illegal. Take that point away.”

  “Bullshit, not my fault your face was in the way.”

  “Don’t test me, Zey. You wanna get physical?”

  She fell back into the pool casually, pushing away from him with a wink. “Why not? I hear you’re a big boy.”

  He threw up a hand to Hellion. “Serve the ball, Zeph. Your sister wants to see just how big I am, and I’m inclined to show her—maybe tomorrow too.”

  “Yeah… you don’t need to tell me that.”

  I snorted, and Lina sighed. “Oh boy, here we go,” she droned.

  Hellion served the ball shallow. I dove behind Zey and popped it up for her. She flicked her wrist perfectly, and the ball slid down the net, not giving Kayo a chance to counter.

  I hollered, hugging Zey from behind. “That’s my girl!”

  We gained the two-point lead. Kayo smirked and decided he wanted to serve. Zey told me to switch with her and stay out of the way. I’d try.

  He pushed the ball all the way across the pool, and they volleyed back and forth, neither giving up. He hit the ball the full distance so many times that she wasn’t prepared when he went shallow, and it grazed the net.

  I dove into the water to get it up for her, and she spiked it down in front of Hellion. He mirrored my maneuver, and Kayo slammed it down behind me.

  Lina dove for the save, and I could’ve kissed her. She eyed me, giving me a chance for revenge. She slapped it up, and I spiked it down. But again, Hellion and his stupid perfect saves.

  Kayo and Zeyna batted it back and forth again before I intercepted one of his hits.

  Hellion saved it, again, and I glowered at him, an icy fire growing in my eyes. He smirked.

  Kayo jumped and smashed it, and Lina dove. Not in time…

  “7-8” Hellion called, staring at me.

  I huffed. “We just need two more points,” I rallied the girls, and swapped with Lina.

  She smiled. As our ace, she was a well-rounded player. She didn’t have the overwhelming strength of Zeyna, but her jump height made up for it. But having her at center, I’d need to perfect my saves.

  She tossed me the ball with a nod, and I served.

  Hellion hit it back to me, and I sent it up for Lina. She spiked it into Kayo’s arm. He blinked and popped it back up, but she slapped it into him again, and again, and then she switched hands, slapping it down in front of Hellion.

  His reflexes allowed him to send it back up. Kayo hit it across the pool just to get it off their side, but she jumped higher and slapped it back into him.

  “What the fuck…” he called, and she laughed.

  He passed it to Hellion, and he hit high and strong back to me. I sent it to Zeyna.

  She went shallow, allowing Lina to carry on her soft barrage. It bounced off his head this time and fell into the water.

  “Was that hell?” he asked the twins.

  “I’ll show you Hell. I hope your face healed,” Zeyna said, returning to center with a sweet smile and a tilt of her head. Lina huffed, her hands on her hips.

  “Last point!” I called.

  Except they had no trouble catching up because Lina had spent too much energy with all her jumps, and her saves weren’t on point. She’d given Hellion a run for his money, but now she left more up to me and, well, I failed a couple of times.

  “Last point!” Kayo mimicked, and I eyed him.

  Sometimes I wondered if he disliked me. He only really picked on me. Obviously, he talked shit with Zeyna, but with me, his remarks felt a little more personal. I never really cared to get to the bottom of it, though.

  “Time out!” I swam over to Lina and beckoned Zeyna over.

  We had a strategy meeting because I didn’t plan to lose. Not today. Not to Satan. We settled on our preferred play. And I looked over to the guys who also stood together talking—about strategies or about life, I wasn’t sure. Hellion caught my eye, and I looked away.

  Lina didn’t want me putting my wet hands on her face, so I pressed my forehead to hers, and she breathed deeply from me, calming her overactive heart and honing her focus.

  They called for us to hurry up, so we separated. Lina took center, and Kayo groaned.

  “You got this, baby girl,” Zey said. “I’ll buy you anything you want if you win this for us.”

  Lina looked back with a smile.

  I tossed Zeyna the ball, and she served. Kayo passed to Hellion, and just as expected, he went high and far to me, but Lina did her thing, defying gravity. She smacked the ball back down at Hellion, and his eyes hardened.

  I smiled; we’d read him perfectly.

  He passed to Kayo, not wanting to get caught in the loop Kayo had. But regardless of who Kayo sent the ball to, she’d be there and she would not relent on Hellion. She spiked the ball around him dozens of times while we sat back watching. We wouldn’t win unless we tired him out because the goal of the game was to get the ball to touch the water, but with him around, he made it next to impossible.

  Lina would expend all her energy, but she’d take him down with her, and if she had anything left over by the end, she’d take down Kayo too.

  “What did I ever do to you, Lina?”

  She didn’t respond, not giving up her focus. She sent the ball across the pool, forcing him to dive. Then the other side. Then forwards.

  She snapped her fingers. She was done; she had no more energy left.

  Lina swapped with me, and Hellion breathed in relief. But I only took up her mantle. He passed to Kayo, and that knowing smile towered over me. He spiked it behind me, but I fell back into the pool, slapping it up for Zeyna. She smashed it down on him.

  He bopped it up, and Hellion tried to spike it down, but it was weak, so Lina saved it.

  I punched it up, and Kayo slammed it down again.

  Zeyna hit it up for me, and I slapped it high at Hellion. Knowing his reflexes would likely slap the ball back rather than pass, I quickly swapped with Zeyna, staying close.

  He indeed slapped it back, and she jumped, her arm pulled way back, smashing it back down at him. Kayo jumped out to save him, pushing the ball to the back of the pool, but I was ready.

  I smacked it forward, lining it up perfectly for Zeyna to smash again. And she had a pick of who would be getting it in the face. To my pleasure, she chose Kayo again. The ball ricocheted off his face, and she hit it back into his face again. She could’ve gone for a third, but she didn’t get greedy and flicked it down into the water instead.

  We bellowed our victory, and she fell back into the water beside me. Bubbles floated to the surface. Lina moved to sit on the stairs, and I high-fived her. It wasn’t enough, so I squeezed her tight too.

  “So illegal,” Kayo muttered, rubbing his face. He pulled himself out of the pool, then grabbed a towel to dry himself off.

  Zeyna resurfaced and joined us on the steps, resting her head on mine, as Hellion ducked under the net.

  “I’m not sure who the bigger bully is, Lina or Zey.”

  “Zey,” Lina and I called out in unison, and she didn’t deny it. Lina simply used her strengths to take advantage of others’ weaknesses.

  “Best two out of three!” Kayo called from the deck.

  I didn’t think he’d be a sore loser. But taking a plastic ball to the face three times could really reduce your pride. We had a handful of hours before twelve, so we could’ve fit in another round, but we’d likely lose, since Lina already gave it her all.

  “Take the loss, Okeke!” Zeyna shouted, getting up to go check her tab, no doubt.

  Hellion handed me my drink and left the pool.

  “How are you doing, Lina?” I asked, taking a sip of my drink, placing it on the lip and floating back into the pool.

  “Feeling pretty tired. Maybe I’ll go to bed early…”

  “No!” I yelled.

  “What?” Hellion shouted to me. He pivoted to return, and they all watched us.

  “Nothing! Lina just said she might go to bed early!”

  Zeyna bellowed a no; Hellion quickly followed suit, and soon we were all howling at the moon.

  “Hurry! Get the sugar in her quickly!” Zeyna said, rushing into the house.

  Lina scoffed and stood, the water trickling from her beautiful body. “Let’s go get some pie, Serbear.”

  I perked up and jogged slowly back to the steps. I grabbed my drink, yelling, “Pie time!”

  “No running by the pool,” Hellion scolded me with a smile. I slowed my pace and lunged at him. Sadly, he didn’t flinch.

  Giving my body a quick rubdown, I broke into the house with the towel wrapped around my shoulders. Finally, I could cover myself up without people thinking it unnatural.

  I told Zeyna to break out the pie, and Hellion to make us more drinks before falling onto a barstool. I didn’t want to wet their plush couches. Lina slipped onto the stool beside me, and Kayo hopped up on the counter beside Zeyna, watching her prep the pie. A yellow flame sparked and died, and the pie steamed.

  Hellion shuffled from cupboard to cupboard. He pushed a clutter of wine glasses onto the island, then left to go pick out a wine. I followed after him, and he looked back with large eyes.

  We descended a narrow spiral staircase, and I expected a full stone cellar with floor to ceiling wine racks appropriate for a vineyard, but it was a cramped narrow room with only a couple of shelves of wine. The tiles were rather elegant, and the shelves were lit. Aside from storing wine, the tiny room had no other use.

  “Did you have something you needed to tell me?” He smirked as we reached the bottom and perused the shelves, pulling out bottles to check the labels.

  “Sommelier now too, huh?”

  “My parents may have taken me to wine country a few times…”

  I rolled my eyes. “Wow…”

  He stood, and I stepped back, bumping into the post. He squeezed his wings in tight and slipped past me. Pausing at the step, he looked back.

  “Did you have something to say?” he double checked.

  “Not really.”

  “Not really or no?”

  He turned, leaning on the post, his tan chest on full display. He worked out but didn’t take it to the point of being intimidating. Definition but not a full blatant six pack. But his back… Ugh. I guess he needed some muscle to have wings like that, to carry himself wherever he wanted. I wouldn’t know…

  “What would you have asked for if you won?”

  I already had an idea, but what more did he want than me sleeping in his room and sharing my secrets? The bet would last the full day.

  That satanic grin returned, and he gazed away. “What wouldn’t I have asked for,” he joked before saying, “No—nothing—most likely.” He glanced back down the steps to me. “The real question is, what will you ask for?” He climbed the steps, knowing I wouldn’t answer.

  Nothing, most likely. I only wanted to win to keep him from winning.

  “We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

  He looked back with a squint, but his eyes softened, and he said, “You did really well; you deserved to win.”

  I blushed, my eyes growing imperceptibly. “Thank you…”

  Why had that flustered me so much?

  “You too. Those saves were so good they were annoying—but as expected…” I reached the landing, closing the door behind me. “Perfect…” I hushed out.

  “Hm?” He looked at me, but I shook my head and skipped into the kitchen.

  “How many people does it take to get a bottle of wine?” Kayo asked.

  “Two,” Hellion answered, grabbing a corkscrew. “One to get the wine and one to watch and be sassy.” He poured out the white wine and slid me the first glass before asking if everyone else wanted some.

  “No whipped cream?” I asked, disappointed by the plain piece of pie Zeyna laid out for me.

  She informed me it was in the fridge, and Hellion grabbed it, quicker than lightning. He snapped the lid off and topped my pie.

  “More.”

  He added another peak.

  “More.”

  A third peak.

  “More.”

  He looked at me with furrowed brows.

  “Yeah, more.” I nodded.

  Hellion brought the nozzle to my lips, and my eyes got excited. I tilted my head back, and whipped creamed filled my mouth. He kept going.

  I groaned at him.

  He didn’t stop.

  “Ah!”

  I hit him in the stomach. The strand of whipped cream cut across my cheek into my hair. Lowering my head, I caught the excess cream that flopped down and smooshed it in his face. He laughed.

  “I can’t trust you around whipped cream, can I?”

  “No, never,” he admitted.

  The other three watched us in silence. Zeyna shook her head, returning to her pie.

  Blushing, I grabbed a napkin to wipe my hair. “What? A girl can’t enjoy some whipped cream?”

  “Not like that…” Lina said.

  I clicked my tongue. “Then what even is the point in living?”

  Hellion snorted, topping his own pie. “I can show you the meaning of life, Sera.”

  They all groaned, and I was more than inclined to join them as they stalked off to the leather sofas of the sitting room.