Page 37 of Savage Desire (The Savage Six #2)

37

POLARIS

N erves thrum through my veins as I glance at my reflection. Black jeans, black boots, black tee, and a black jacket. “Do you think my outfit matches my personality?” I ask, a grin spreading across my face as I watch Asher’s eyes widen with panic before his mouth starts opening and clamping shut quickly as he stammers for a response.

“That’s not funny,” he grumbles as I fail to stifle the chuckle with my hand over my mouth.

I don’t know what is going on with me, but apparently, waking up with a man beside me, followed swiftly with him between my legs, puts me in an excellent mood for the day—even if we are about to break so many rules.

He eliminates the distance between us, but instead of stopping in front of me, he circles me to wrap his arms around my waist, his eyes catching mine in our reflection. His fingers tease at the waistband of my jeans, his eyes darkening in the mirror, but before he can say a word, like I can sense he wants to, a knock comes from the door.

“We could pretend we’re not here,” he breathes, pressing his lips to my throat, and I shiver.

“I thought we have something important to do,” I mutter, and his pupils dilate.

“Doing you is a top priority,” he states, making my cheeks heat as I shake my head at him.

“Have I mentioned how insufferable you are?” I don’t give him a chance to answer as I step out of his embrace and hurry toward my bedroom door. Swinging it open, I come face to face with Lincoln. He glares at me instantly, while Wylder smirks over his shoulder. Minnie and Tatum are a little to the left, broad smiles on their faces as they step forward, brown paper bags in their hands.

“We brought you breakfast,” Minnie explains, and I take the bag from her grasp.

“Thank you,” I answer, waving for everyone to step into my room, and the moment they’re all inside and I close the door behind me, I instantly regret it.

There are too many people in here.

I feel small, out of place, and washed out in their presence. Especially when Minnie and Lincoln glance around my room and I spend what feels like an eternity worrying about what they think.

I feel vulnerable. Real vulnerable.

Trying to get past the gloomy thoughts, I focus on the bag in my hand, peering inside to reveal a dozen pastries. I take a chocolate croissant before handing the bag off to Asher.

“So, sleepovers, huh?” Wylder murmurs, pulling my attention his way, and he winks. “When do I get a turn?”

My cheeks burn as I stuff the croissant in my mouth and Asher clips Wylder in the back of the head. “Don’t overwhelm her,” he grumbles, earning a scoff from the brute.

“You’re just saying that because you had a sleepover. If it was the other way around, you would be begging for a turn,” he snides, and Asher cocks a brow at him before turning to look at me.

“I’m not the one who does the begging.”

I splutter on my food, plastering my hand over my mouth as I turn away from everyone.

Dead.

Slayed.

Stamp-date the burial.

I can’t survive these damn wolves.

Minnie claps her hands over her ears, babbling so she can’t hear anyone, and it has a wistful way of easing the tension in the room.

A hand lands on my shoulder, drawing my attention to the person behind it, and it’s Tatum’s eyes that meet mine. “Ignore them, Polaris. They just like making you blush,” he murmurs, amusement in the tiny flick to the corner of his mouth.

I roll my eyes at them as Lincoln sighs, disgruntled. “If we’re done here, we need to go.” His disdained tone is a bucket of water to the flames that lick over my skin.

“We’re ready. Stop complaining,” Asher mutters, giving his friend a pointed look as Wylder takes a step toward me.

“Actually, before we go, is there any way you could…” His words trail off as he waves at my hair, and I frown as another sigh comes from Lincoln.

“He wants you to change the color of your hair for protection.”

Oh. Oh .

“Maybe. I think I have some left over from what Bryony made me,” I mumble, sliding between everyone to my nightstand. I open the middle drawer to reveal the elixir I was hoping to find. I don’t bother wasting time showing anyone since it will more than likely make Lincoln more irritated than he already is. Something I’d like to avoid if I’m going to have to spend the day with him.

Holding my hair out, the droplets hit the roots, slowly traveling down the strands, and the silver curls that frame my face transform to the dark shades of night. I rake my hands through the length, the color now matching my outfit, before I turn back to the group.

“I’m good to go, unless Minnie…” I shake the bottle in her direction and she shakes her head.

“Thanks, but I’m okay,” she says with a smile, and Lincoln grabs the door handle, yanking it open with a little more force than necessary as he waves everyone out.

One by one, we all march out, nerves flitting through me as I follow after them. I’m the last one to pass him, and before I can step over the threshold, his fingers curl around my wrist, pausing me in place as he whispers against my ear. “Don’t fuck this up, Midnight,” he rasps, and if it weren’t for that damn nickname, I would likely tremble at his tone, but the use of it reveals more than he knows.

Knowing my effect on him stirs a confidence inside of me that I wasn’t expecting. I meet his stare dead on as I yank my arm from his grasp. “You don’t get to call me that when you’re being an ass. Not now, not ever.”

“I can call you what I want.”

“And I can tell everyone you have a small dick,” I bite back, agitation getting the better of me, and he snickers.

“We both know my dick isn’t small.”

“The one on your head definitely isn’t, Linc. But if you don’t leave her alone, I’ll kick the one between your legs so hard it’ll make the statement true,” Minnie chimes in from behind me, making the others chuckle as I stand in a heated stare-off with the first person here to make me feel things while simultaneously ruining me.

He steps out of my room, slamming the door shut behind him before brushing past me with ease. “Whatever. I don’t have time to deal with this shit.”

My gut twists at his lack of interest, and the feeling quickly morphs into irritation at myself for letting him get under my skin. Again. Taking a deep breath, I try to see past it as I fall into step with Tatum.

As we head outside, I nudge his arm with mine. “We’re definitely cleared to leave campus, right? And miss classes for the day?” I ask, even though Asher already told me it’s all been confirmed.

“Yeah. Minnie took care of it for all of us. We’re good. With any luck, we’ll be able to take tomorrow too and do something fun to make up for the shit we have to deal with today,” he explains, and a ball of hope forms in my stomach.

I like the sound of that.

“Tell me the plan, Little Witch,” Wylder states, walking backwards as he looks to me for an answer, and I frown.

“What, right now?” I mutter, and he raises an eyebrow at me. “In the open?” I clarify again, wanting to be sure, and all he does is blink at me expectantly. Well then. “Head to the classified location, which I wouldn’t even recognize if you told me its name because I’ve spent all of my memorable life at Florentine’s, but that’s apparently beside the point. From there, we need to get through the security measures in place to find the chalice and the specific item Asher is searching for for his uncle. Which, again, I have no knowledge of. Actually, I’m putting a lot more trust in you guys here. Maybe that’s not the best idea,” I grumble, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind my ear as my nerves ignite further at the realization, but Tatum reaches for my hand, squeezing it for comfort as he draws my attention to him.

“We’ve got you, Polaris. Just like you’ve got us. We’ll be out of there in no time. Okay?”

The determination and belief in his eyes is enough to set me slightly at ease, and I nod, taking another deep breath before I commit. “Okay.”

It’s too loud. Way too loud. If I thought the campus dining hall could be too much, I had no idea what else was out there. Now, I’m a breath away from clamping my hands over my ears and hiding in the closest nook to block it all out.

“Are you okay?” Minnie asks, linking her arm through mine. I try to smile, but it falls flat as my face scrunches at the sound of horns blaring in the distance.

“I’ll be okay.” I hope . “Where are we?” I ask, barely able to hear myself think, and Minnie’s mouth forms a little O .

“This is New York City, baby,” she says gleefully, despite the fact that we’re here to deal with something for The Crow. I look around at the hustle and bustle, people moving in every direction, and I already think it’s more than I can handle. The buildings are taller than anything I’ve ever seen before and the cars that fill the road seem to go on for miles.

“Let’s get inside before she does something stupid like reveal that she’s a witch to the whole human race,” Lincoln grunts, heading toward the building in front of us without a backward glance, and the rest of us take off after him.

“Ignore him; he’s a jerk. He’s also really stressed out, and I can’t tell what’s driving him crazier: the fact that we have to deal with this right now or that he can’t manage his feelings for you,” Minnie says. I stare at her for a moment before a laugh escapes my chest.

“Please, that man feels nothing but anger when it comes to me. But it’s fine, I’m over it. I’m over him.”

It’s a lie, and the wide-eyed gaze she gives me suggests she knows it too. Thankfully, she doesn’t attempt to correct me as we step inside from the busy street, but the automatic doors only lead us into a crowded reception area.

The noise will never end, I’m sure of it.

“Where are we going?” I murmur, my heart racing in my chest as it feels like everyone in the space is watching us. If the others feel it too they don’t show it as we cut across the marbled floor to the back of the room where a wall lined with silver doors awaits us.

Lincoln presses a button on the wall beside them and it turns green before a moment passes and a ping fills the air. The silver doors before us open and everyone filters inside. As I step over the threshold, realizing it’s a small square space, panic erupts through my veins.

“What the hell is this? Why—” The doors close behind us, confining the six of us to the tiny space, and I feel myself swaying. “Minnie,” I wheeze, hand plastered against my chest, and she turns to look at me with confusion heavy in her eyes.

“What—”

“Fuck, let me get to her,” Wylder interjects, slipping between Lincoln and Tatum before Minnie steps back, creating space for him to grab my hands.

“What’s her problem?” Lincoln bites out, and Wylder’s gaze snaps across the tight space to the man in question.

“I’m ninety-nine percent sure she’s never been in an elevator before,” Wylder retorts, bringing my hands to his chest. He places his over the top, patting gently, and as I focus on the movement, I quickly realize he’s beating along in time with his heartbeat. “It’s okay, Little Witch. I’ve got you, you’re safe. The elevator is just going to take us down to another floor, okay? Just consider it as an express set of stairs without the leg ache.”

My eyebrows furrow, but I nod in agreement, the tension coiled tight in my stomach unwavering as I try to breathe. It only grows worse as the elevator starts to move, leaving my stomach somewhere up high while we plunge to what feels like the pits of Hell. Before I can curl up in a ball on the floor and rock myself through it, another ping echoes around us and the doors re-open, only this time it’s not the reception area that comes into view, but a dark and dingy corridor.

Lincoln leads the way, Asher following after him with Minnie at his side, while Tatum glances at me for a second, presumably making sure I’m okay before he steps out, and we follow after him. Wylder finds my hand, keeping me pinned to his side as we make our way down the narrow corridor draped in shadows with only a few dim lights to guide the way.

“What do we do now?” I whisper, looking up at Wylder for guidance, but it’s Asher who answers from up ahead.

“The order is to infiltrate the room at the end of the hallway, override whatever security it has in place, and it should lead us into another room where the artifacts are stored,” he explains. Still, the words take a moment to register while I gape in surprise at the fact that he can hear me.

That wolf hearing is something else.

“And we don’t know what that’s going to look like? The security or the artifact,” I clarify, and Wylder squeezes my hand in comfort.

“No, but stay by my side. I’ve got you,” he promises as Lincoln stops at the end of the corridor, just as Asher mentioned, and my pulse quickens instantly.

“Have you guys done stuff like this before?” I ask, and the tight smile from Tatum confirms the answer is yes. I rub my lips together nervously as I process that before glancing at the ceiling. “And the people up there, they have no idea what we’re doing?”

“Nope,” Minnie states before taking a deep breath, as if readying herself for what’s to come.

“Ready?” Asher asks, his eyes glued on mine, and I gulp.

It’s too late to turn back now. I know that much for sure. Exhaling, I will the tension to leave my body, but it’s pointless. I’m nothing more than a vessel for all of my consuming emotions.

“Ready,” I breathe, still a tad unsure why I’m here, but I suppose that’s something I should have asked earlier.

Asher doesn’t wait for any further confirmation, producing a set of silver tools from his pocket. He slips it into the keyhole, twisting around, and my breath catches as my pulse thunders in my ears; he’s picking the lock. The second I understand, the sound of the lock clicking bounces off the walls around us.

Four whole seconds pass, each one stretching longer than the last, and the door swings open.