Page 61 of Depraved Boys

“Right now, we have a truce.” A bold understatement. I had enjoyed spending time with the kings, but this was the only way I could make Cormac understand. “I can’t afford to antagonize anyone by rejecting their hand of friendship.”

We stepped into the dining room, and he said, “Don’t let your guard down around them.”

“I won’t.”

“Wills!” cried a voice from behind.

Leopold strode toward us, a grin making his aquamarine eyes sparkle. He wore worn jeans and a fitted, black T-shirt that showed off his muscular torso. “A word, if you please?”

“Where’s Sebastian?” I glanced over his shoulder.

His face fell. “I know I’m irresistible, but you can trust me with your honor for a few minutes.”

Maybe I couldn’t trust myself if I spent time alone with Leopold. I’d seen what he had to offer, that golden tan, those tight abs, bulging biceps, and delicious pecs. And I’d gotten a front-row ticket to a long, thick erection that made my mouth water.

The memory of his body sent a pleasant tingle between my legs and a burst of heat across my cheeks. Leopold’s grin widened. He probably had that effect on lots of girls.

Pushing away those tantalizing images, I placed my hands on my hips. “What do you have to say?”

“We both wanted to tell you.”

“Is Sebastian around or not?”

“Come with me, and all will be revealed,” he purred.

“Willow…” A disapproving frown crossed Cormac’s features.

“Cormac, I’ll see you later, okay?” I turned on my heel, trying not to imagine the disappointment or disgust on his features.

As I walked down the hallway, thoughts of Prakash and Corrine haunted my mind. I itched to bombard Leopold with questions, but common sense told me to stay calm and not communicate my curiosity.

The girl had been the victim of a terrible betrayal and had killed herself two years later. And Cormac had more than hinted about her obsession with the kings during the year she had died.

“What’s the deal between you and Cormac?”

Leopold stuffed a hand into the pocket of his jeans and muttered, “He’s the one with the problem, not us.”

“Do you think it might be related to his sister?”

“Never spoke to her,” he said without casting me a glance. “I never noticed the girl until someone pointed her out. And I doubt that she was pretty enough to form a blip on Sebastian’s radar.”

I pursed my lips. That was a blatant lie if the diary and Cormac’s account of events was correct. Leopold would have at least seen her with Prakash in the third-years’ common room or in the aftermath of Geraldine and Bianca’s pull-a-pig announcement.

We rounded a corner and walked toward the academy’s double doors. “Did Prakash ever notice her?”

“I don’t see why not.” Leopold held the door open and gestured for me to go down the steps. A cool wind blew in from the external courtyard, which made my skin prickle into gooseflesh. “He shares a few advanced classes with the scholars.”

I walked down the stone steps. “You’re hiding some—”

“Here she is!”

Strong arms lifted me off my feet, engulfing me in the masculine scents of sandalwood and wild mint. Before I could scream, a hand clamped over my mouth.

Leopold ran ahead and opened the door to Sebastian’s jeep. I struggled in what was probably Sebastian’s grip, but he was too strong.

After he deposited me on the back seat, and Leopold slammed the door, they ran around to the front of the jeep and sat inside.

“What are you doing?” I tried the doors, but they had engaged the child lock.