Rooming with the Wicked

22 | interrogation

Nothing could have prepared me for this. This being the strong pair of arms that kept me from falling onto the floor and held me like I weighed nothing. My head rested against the warm crook of an elbow. An elbow that could only belong to—

I slammed my eyes shut.

Oh, ground, open up, and swallow me whole.

Maybe it wasn't him. I slowly opened my eyes again. Luckily, my hair acted as a nice little curtain, hiding my likely tomato-red face.

An unmistakable woodsy scent surrounded me. Okay, it definitely wasn't Kenas who'd caught me. Of course, it wasn't.

Jaydis stepped back, giving me a little room as I was lifted into an upright position. Why did Haze's arms have to be so warm and...comfortable? Why did they linger?

And why wasn't I moving?

Get a grip, Ariel.

I could practically feel him chuckling behind me as I brushed my hair out of my face and stepped away from him and toward Danox. Jerk. At least he had the decency to shut up about it.

Haze's face spoke for itself though when I turned to face the room. He didn't even try to contain his amusement. That stupid smile stretching his sharp facial features practically begged me to say something—something much too defensive that would likely only amuse him more.

Don't do it.

I pressed my lips together.

Kenas on the other hand looked as calm as ever. With a nearly empty protein shake in one hand and both legs extended in front of him, he sat on his desk, practically dwarfing it. How it didn't collapse beneath his weight remained a mystery to me.

Apart from a friendly greeting, he hadn't said anything, but that wasn't unusual with him being the quiet type and all. Still, his golden eyes were just as curious as Jaydis's.

"Well?" Jaydis prompted. "Speak."

Something about his behavior was off. Jaydis was more high-strung than the others, but he seemed almost nervous. Danox and I shared a glance—much to Jaydis's annoyance it seemed.

"Hey!" Waving his hands, he stepped between us. "Stop it right here. One of you better start talking."

"Calm down, Forest Pixie," Haze said, his face now stoic apart from a strange twinkle in his eyes.

Danox didn't look like he was about to speak up anytime soon, so slowly but surely everyone's eyes zeroed in on me. Great.

"Thanks, friend," I grumbled and blew a few stray strands out of my face.

In true grumpy kitty nature, he just shrugged and leaned back against the door frame with hooded eyes.

Once my hands had disappeared inside my sleeves, I took a deep breath and faced the others. Might as well go along with whatever this was for now.

"Dunno what the big deal is, honestly," I said, "'cause we just went for some, uh, coffee. That's all."

"Coffee?" Haze echoed, scratching the hint of stubble on his jaw. It was such a subtle gesture, but the way his crimson eyes brightened the tiniest bit made me want to pull my hoodie deep into my face.

"Is she serious?" Jaydis asked, turning to the other two. Unlike Haze, he didn't bother hiding his absolute disbelief.

Kenas shook his head, swirling the rest of the drink in his shaker. "That's what you're going with? Really?"

"What's wrong with coffee?" I huffed. "Friends go for coffee. What is this—"

"Friends?" Jaydis gaped at me. "Don't you think I'd know if..." His yellow eyes stared into space, unblinking, until a solid flick in the temple by a certain demon snapped him out of his trance. He shook his head and grumbled something under his breath. "Since when—"