Page 36 of Malice in e minor

Misha and Azriel were stressing about this meeting like we hadn’t done this a million times before. It was a business meeting, and we were discussing a potential job. We wouldn’t be paid a red cent, but getting out of our contracts would be worth it.

I knew enough about these contracts that it was a free will thing. Nothing bad happened if someone said no. We never said it out loud. You didn’t know who was watching. But we could find a way out of our contracts and prevent her from signing one.

I just needed to stop Azriel from falling in love. I was pretty sure I was too late.

Misha and Azriel were standing over the panini press trying to figure out how she liked her grilled cheese.

“She’s a vegetarian. Do the three of you not pay attention at all?” Topher said, appearing out of nowhere like he enjoyed doing.

“Begone, Satan!” Azriel hollered, throwing a piece of bread at him.

Topher just bat it out the way.

“I don’t even look like him. He’s all golden and I’m dark and mysterious.”

I just growled at him and Misha rolled his eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

“Getting the band together. I’m helping. She’s a vegetarian, so don’t get fancy and put meat in hers. She wants a grilled cheese, not some posh sandwich. And she wants an obscene amount of cheese. Use chicken for Leif so he feels better about it. Cullen is coming so make his non threatening.”

How in actual fuck did you make a grilled cheese sandwich non threatening? Also, how in actual fuck did I used to be in love with this guy? Oh, yeah. He was beautiful, charismatic, and a total anarchist.

There was a knock on the door. Azriel and Misha were cooking, since it was their turn. I did it last night. I went to answer the door. It was Harlowe, and she looked stunning. She hadn’t even dressed up. She was wearing black leggings and a giant hoodie that had a skull and cross bones over an apothecary bottle of poison. Her black hair was pulled into a messy bun and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. She had that sleepy look I loved on Misha and Azriel.

“Sorry, I fell asleep editing the footage I shot earlier today. I figured do it tonight since we don’t have Nutcracker rehearsal. I could have put a look together or I could have been on time. I hate being late.”

I could appreciate that. So did I. I usually dressed for business meetings, but this was just us in our dorm room eating bougie struggle meals. She also wasn’t underdressed.

“You’re completely fine. Come in.”

She looked around our dorm room. We never let anyone in here. Topher didn’t count. That was breaking and entering. I could tell she wanted to ask, but there was another knock and it was Leif and Cullen.

I let them both in and directed them all towards the couch.

“Holy shit. My dorm room looks nothing like this.”

“Mine kind of does,” Harlowe admitted.

“So, Blackvale Academy has rooms set aside for visiting dignitaries and politicians. Students don’t stay in them most of the time. We got this one because we demanded to stay together. I’m guessing Harlowe got one because her patron demanded it. Does anyone want anything to drink? We’ve got coffee, whiskey, and Azriel is currently obsessed with kombucha. Please take the kombucha. It has to be refrigerated, and it’s hogging space,” I said.

“Rude. My gut health is important, Orion.”

“Your gut would be pristine if you’d actually take a break from painting to eat something healthy instead of Funyons and Zebra Cakes.”

“And you’d be less of a dick to people if you brought Funyons and Zebra Cakes to your practice room so you weren’t hangry when you didn’t want to leave to eat.”

I just grinned and flipped him off. This was an ongoing thing. Ever since we got here, Azriel’s studio was getting restocked with snacks he liked and someone was slipping sandwiches in my bag before I left since I always swore I wasn’t hungry. Misha was getting peanut butter and oatmeal bars in his dance bag.

None of us would admit to it. I wasn’t stocking Azriel’s studio with junk, so it had to be Misha. Azriel was the one leaving the bars in Misha’s bag because it wasn’t me. I’d started slipping bananas in there so he wouldn’t cramp. I had been sneaking sandwiches into Azriel’s studio when he thanked us for the junk food. Neither of them would admit to the sandwiches I was getting.

“I feel like I’m watching hyenas frolic,” Cullen muttered.

“They are puppies unless you give them a reason,” Misha shrugged. “How does everyone want their grilled cheese? I’ve got four different cheese, chicken, and roast beef.”

Topher smugly stuck his tongue out and then flipped us off behind everyone’s back when Harlowe wanted all four cheeses, Leif wanted chicken and not a ton of cheese, and I guess roast beef wasn’t threatening because that was what Cullen wanted. It was just like he told us from his creeping in the shadows.

Arsehole. Harlowe turned to look at me while I was returning Topher’s middle finger and now I was the one who looked like a dick. Topher was annoyingly sexy and charming. I couldn’t blame her for falling for it because I did. We all did. Everyone always fell for Topher and then he stabbed them in the back.