Queen of Darkness WATTPAD VERSION [Inter-Universal Protectors: Book 3]

17

It took about half an hour for Hathor to be happy with her room. Clothing was stuffed into drawers and hung on coat hangers in the small wardrobe, shoes lined up on the floor beneath them. The jewellery box was placed on the edge of the large desk. Books filled one of the three shelves above the desk, and an art book, pens, pencils, and charcoal were hidden one of the desk drawers.

Once she was satisfied with this, Hathor straightened the pale purple quilt on her double-sized bed before fluffing the four pillows. The book she was currently reading was swept off the bedside table and she made her way back out into the main room. She decided to unpack her weaponry later and instead lay on one of the lounges.

"Sky!" Maddie squealed. "Holy shit! You're a dude! When did that happen?"

Hathor looked up from the book she was reading and grinned at the sight of her friend. "You actually went through with it? Amazing!"

Sky Hawkins was standing in the doorway. He ran a bronzed hand through his short-combed back sapphire hair. The half-Fae, half-Water-Weaver tried to hide his nervousness upon entering the main area, but his golden eyes gave it away.

"Yeah," Sky said. "I went through with it." He dropped his bags and spun slowly on the spot. "What do you think of guy me?"

Imogene hugged him tightly. "Girl - dude," she corrected, "I'm so proud of you."

"We all are," Hathor agreed, hugging him next. When they pulled apart, she winked. "You look awesome as a guy."

Sky and Isaiah stared at each other; arms crossed. Sky lost it first, bursting into laughter as the two embraced. The three girls awed at their show of affection and were promptly flipped off by both men.

"Has anyone heard from Troy?" Maddie asked from where she was lounging, feet kicked onto the table.

"Not lately," Sky said, having dumped his bags in his room. "But I think he'll show up soon."

Hathor brought a bowl of corn-chips to where everyone was seated. "I hope he's here soon."

"Same," Imogene sighed. "I need caffeine."

Isaiah reached over to take a handful of chips. "You always need caffeine."

Hathor brushed the newly formed frost from the bowl and frowned. "I swear, if you make these go soggy again . . ."

"Priorities!" Maddie laughed. "Thought you of all people would be worried Troy wasn't first here."

Hathor went still. "Why would you think that?" The four others in the room stared, all looking at her in disbelief. "Shut up!"

"You lot making fun of my girl again?"

The five turned at Troy's voice. The Wolf Shifter was leaning against a wall, bag over his shoulder, a cocky grin pasted on his pale features and his emerald eyes filled with trouble.

Hathor jumped up and into his arms, holding her friend tightly. She tugged a strand of his shoulder-length wine-coloured hair. "This suits you better than the shaved look."

He frowned at her. "I liked the shaved look."

"If you two are done flirting," Maddie said, "I want this boy to give me some love!"

Troy obliged, hugging her, then Imogene. Isaiah and Sky were given fist bumps before the three came into a group hug. Once again, the girls awed at the sight before them.

When they broke apart, all went about their own business. Sky and Troy went to unpack their things. Imogene and Isaiah got into an argument about whether iced coffee was better than normal coffee. Hathor rolled her eyes at them and returned to her book which was promptly ripped from her hands by Maddie.

Her eyes widened as she read a few lines on the page. "My Gods, Hath! Get a boyfriend!"

Hathor burst into laughter at the look on her friend's face. "It was recommended to me and the book isn't all sex. Just parts of it. And!" she continued, "I need a boyfriend about as much as you do." A pointed look at Maddie.

Before Maddie could come up with a decent reply, Sky and Troy came back into the main area. Troy, as usual, flopped onto the lounge beside Hathor and tossed his arm over the lounge's back in a not-so-subtle motion so it looked like his arm was around her shoulders. Hathor shook her head with a smile but leaned in a little closer.

Sky started flipping through channels on the TV, being yelled at whenever someone's least favourite show happened to appear. He eventually managed to find some crappy reality show that no one was against watching. Mainly because it was so crap they burst into laughter. It was even enough to end the pointless argument between Imogene and Isaiah, the former coming to sit and kicking her feet onto Hathor's lap while the latter scavenged for snacks.

Maddie, Imogene, and Troy eventually became bored and all but pushed the others out of the room, down the hall, down the stairs, and out the front of their building. Maddie lead them to one of the newer cafes, linking her arms with Hathor and Imogene, the three boys lingering and chatting behind them. Hathor let out a content sigh as she and her friends wandered. Oh, how she'd missed them.