“No. I’m glad you’re here.”

I really am. I always felt more comfortable around Cole. Even though Ronan and Xander crack me up, there’s something about Cole’s calm that soothes everyone in his vicinity.

It’s not the threatening calm like Aiden’s. It’s a wise-pacifying type of calm.

We all walk to the lounge area. Ronan and Xander are fighting playfully — mostly — and Cole goes to break up the fight.

I search in the refrigerator for something to drink.

Kim joins me, propping her elbows on the counter opposite me. There’s a spark in her eyes as she watches her surroundings.

“So this is the Meet Up. It’s such a legend from how everyone at RES talks about it. I didn’t expect it to be so… cosy.”

“Yeah.” I bring out bottles of juice and place them on the counter.

“What’s going on, Ellie?” Kim rounds the counter and takes my hands in hers. “King said that you’re not feeling well and we should visit. He scared the shit out of me. I thought something like the other time happened.”

I bite my lower lip. “It’s about my past.”

She blinks twice. “Your past?”

“I’ll tell you all about it. Just not now.” I motion at the commotion in the lounge area. “Later, okay?”

She hugs me. “I love you and I’m always here for you whenever you’re ready.”

“Don’t make me cry, Kim.”

“We can cry together.”

I wrap my arms around her and we stay like that for long seconds.

“Ooh, is there room for one more?” Ronan’s voice cuts through the moment.

We pull apart to find Xander and Ronan watching us.

Xander is glaring — at Kim, not me.

Ronan is grinning like an idiot. “By all means, don’t stop on my account. Proceed, Mesdemoiselles.”

That gets him a slap upside the head from Xander.

“Ow, what was that for, fucker?” He’s about to attack Xander.

The latter ducks and heads to the refrigerator. He ignores the juice and pulls a beer.

“I knew Captain Levi keeps this place loaded.”

“That would be King,” Cole corrects, grabbing his own beer.

“So, Ellie,” Ronan wraps an arm around my shoulder and leads me to the lounge area where everyone is headed. “Remember my suggestion about a threesome the other time?”

I laugh. “I do.”

“I changed my mind about the participants and I came up with a brilliant plan. We’ll put sleeping powder shit in King’s water and get rid of him. Then, the threesome will be you, me, and Kimmy.” He waggles his eyebrows. “Genius, right?”

“You know Aiden will wake up at some point, right?”

“It’ll be worth it even if he kills me.” He stops. “Alors?”

“I don’t know.”

“Pff. I guess it’ll just be me and Kimmy then. Your loss, Ellie.”

“In your dreams, fucker.” Xander slams his shoulder into Ronan’s on his way inside.

“If you want to drug Aiden, it’d be more effective if you put the powder in an alcoholic drink.” When I raise my head, both Ronan and Xander watch me with curious expressions. “Just saying.”

“Have you ever seen King drink?” Xander flops on the sofa right beside Kim who visibly stiffens.

Right. Aiden doesn’t drink. “Why doesn’t he drink?”

“He thinks it’s beneath him,” Cole says from beside me.

“Which is cool since he’s an alien, anyway.” Ronan barges between Xander and Kim and wraps an arm around her shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Kimmy?”

She smiles, but it appears more from relief rather than agreement.

“How is he an alien?” I ask no one in particular, but I glance at Cole. For some reason, I want his read on Aiden.

“I thought you’d never ask!” Ronan jumps up on the coffee table. “For one, he was the last to lose his virginity amongst us. I was the first. Not to brag or anything. But he’s the second oldest, come on.”

“Who’s the oldest?” Kim scoots away from Xander and closer to the edge.

“That’d be me,” Cole says. “Then King, Knight, and Astor.”

“Buuut.” Ronan points a thumb at himself. “I lost my virginity first. Again, not bragging or anything, but they were all behind. I thought Aiden and Cole were gay until I saw their kinky shit.”

“Shut it, Astor.” Cole reprimands.

My interest peeks. “No, tell us. Why would you think they were gay?”

“First of all, they never had sex in front of us. Never tried to hook up with girls. They were sexually dead, I’m telling you. But their dicks looked good enough in the showers. Not as much as mine, but still.”

“You spied on them?” I ask, incredulous.

“Mais bien sûr. I needed to look out for my mates. I even told King to fuck a guy or two and see how it goes. I was cool as long as he has sex.”

I smile to myself. That must be why he sent him gay porn.

“Then I walked in on him in a threesome and changed my mind.”

My eyes bulge. “A threesome.”

“And not any threesome. It was a kinky as fuck threesome. The girl was tied, blindfolded and gagged.”

Wow.

Aiden never mentioned that. Not that I asked.

That green monster rears his head, but I try to ask in my most innocent tone. “And who was she?”

“Dunno. The room was blue and dark. She had this grey hair shit. I only saw the part where King was tying her. Ask Captain, he was the third party of the threesome.”

My attention snaps to Cole, not sure how to feel.

He stands beside me, his expression neutral.

Cole had a threesome with Aiden and another girl.

It eats at me not to know who she is.

“Shut up, Astor,” Cole says with more resignation than anger.

“What? I’m still hurt I didn’t participate.”

“You were high,” Xander points out.

“As if captain and King let anyone in their kinky shit.” He thrusts a finger in Xander’s direction. “You weren’t high, why didn’t you participate?”

“I wasn’t interested.”

“So you knew and didn’t tell me? Why am I always left out?”

Xander throws a pillow at him. “You’re left out because you’re horrible with secrets.”

“No, I’m not!” Ronan throws it back and they go on another round of bickering.

Kim sips her juice and watches them with a smile.

I’m about to join her when Cole leans in to whisper, “Can we talk?”

The request takes me by surprise, but I nod. “Sure.”

He motions to a door to the right. I follow him to the back entrance. Xander and Ronan’s chatter withers away as Cole slides the back door closed behind us.

The chilly air blows my hair back. I wrap my sweater around me as I step onto the wooden patio. Three chairs surround a built-in table. The rain beats in the distance, making the vision blurry.

Tall pine trees are the only things in sight. Hmm. So the back door leads to a forest.