Page 106 of Degradation
‘Doesn’t matter,’ I counter. ‘He gave us the time and if they want Envy in production by Christmas, they’ll honor what Sark told Shade.’ I pinch the bridge of my nose.
‘We’re close. Real fucking close. You know me, Dom. Iwillfigure it out. I just need a little more time.’
My brother sighs. ‘You know it’s not up to me, but I’ll see if I can call in a favor with Monty Garrett.’
‘Thanks. I’ll call you later.’
The call ends.
‘Fuck!’ I snarl.
I go to the other end of the house and pick up a pair of heavy weights as soon as I pass through the door. I spend the next few hours exhausting my body as much as I can. I lose Blake after the first hour, but I keep going until the clock reads midnight.
I go back upstairs and take a long shower, glad at least that I’m no longer sporting a hard-on that’s refusing to go down.
I shut off the water and dry off, wrapping the towel around my waist. I grab some black pajama pants from my room and sneak into Daisy’s. She’s asleep and the lights are off. I frown into the darkness as I pick up a second person breathing in the bed. I can just see him lying next to her.
I told Blake I was taking tonight. Eyes narrow, I slide in on the other side of her anyway, drawing her close to me. It’s cramped but doable, and I shut my eyes, ignoring the urge to turf Blake out of the bed and tell him to get the fuck out.
I try to sleep, but it doesn’t happen for a while. Instead, my mind goes over and over the formula, trying to think of a way to increase its potency that won’t change its inherent structure.
I finally fall asleep with images of hexagons and element abbreviations floating through my head and hoping I’ll come through before Sauvage decides he’s done waiting.
Chapter Seven
DAISY
The next day, I start exercising again. Shade insists on coming with me, so we jog side-by-side for a few miles around the campus early while everyone’s still asleep. My ankle twinges a little at first, but that’s it and I’m glad there doesn’t seem to be any lasting damage. Not being able to calm my mind over the past couple of weeks has been difficult. Nothing else really has the same effect on me as running as fast as I can for an hour or so.
We spend the rest of the day watching movies and studying together. It’s nice and I feel a sense of contentment when we’re all together. I wonder what Lu is going to say when I tell her what’s been going on with Blake, Mav, and Shade. I think she’s going to be surprised to say the least.
Monday rolls around quickly. I wake up early with a headache, squashed and overheating between both Blake and Mav and tell them angrily and in no uncertain terms for the third time that they need to take turns because the bed is not big enough for three grown people and Iwillstart sleeping elsewhere.
Blake just smirks and tells Mav he’ll play Rock, Paper, Scissors with him for my room every night before bed.
I roll my eyes and go to the bathroom, letting them sort it out amongst themselves. On the way back, I see Shade leaving his room and can’t help the smile that overtakes my face. It feels like I have my best friend back after a decade. A wound in me that I didn’t know was even there has been healed and I’m happy. Actually happy. I value our friendship even more than the sex.
But, of course, that wasreally nice. Pleasurable for the most part. I think they’re good at it. I mean, as far as I can tell considering I have no prior experience with sex. That’s another reason I want to speak with Lu. I don’t think that all of my information should come from one source, and I’ll bet she knows lots of things about it.
When Shade sees me, he smiles back. ‘Want to come to my room and play video games later?’ he asks.
I laugh. ‘Sure, but I’ll probably be a little rusty.’
Blake opens my door and sticks his head out. He beckons us and disappears back inside.
‘Do you think he and Mav have trashed my bed, so I have to get another, larger one with all that money that’s building up in that allowance account?’ I ask hopefully.
Shade chuckles. ‘You can buy whatever you want with it. It’s yours.’
But Novelle money isn’t mine. The only thing I want from John is my education. That’s what he owes me and that’s all I’ll accept. I haven’t spent a dime of the astronomical sum that has started appearing in my account except to buy the rest of my textbooks, and I won’t.
Shade boops my nose. ‘You can always go and sleep in one of their beds or even join me in mine if they’re bothering you, or, you know, just lock your door.’
‘No.’ I wrinkle my nose at him. ‘I like it when someone’s with me,’ I say sulkily. ‘It’s just that I’ll have to dosomethingif they can’t share.’
I rub my temples as I enter my room.
There’s a red box on the bed with a black ribbon around it.
