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I am so glad that the room is dark, and they can't see my bright red face.

"Esteban?" Mal speaks. "Are you touching our mate?"

Es hesitates and then replies, "Yes."

Suddenly, the bedside lamp is switched on the room is lit with a dull glow. I squint as my eyes slowly adjust.

The covers are thrown back, exposing Esteban's hand between my legs. He quickly pulls it back, as though he has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak.

Lucio flips me onto my back and pulls up my t-shirt. I lift my arms and help him remove it. Mal kneels next to me and plays with my breasts. He squeezes them and leans down to take my nipple into his mouth.

Oro pushes Esteban to get between my legs and takes over on my other breast with Mal. As Esteban's tongue darts out to taste me, Lucio moves up the bed to kiss me.

The four of them tantalise my body in unison. Fangs come out this time, hinting at their inner desire to mark me. I don't know when they will, but I know it won't be tonight.

They want it to be special, like I do.

Lucio's fangs bite down on my bottom lip. Mal's and Oro's scrape over my sensitive nipples, making them tighten further. Esteban only runs his fingers over my inner thighs, he leaves my sensitive folds out of it.

His tongue pushes deep inside of me. He dips it in and out, effectively fucking me with it.

My back arches in pleasure, pushing my breasts against Mal's and Oro's faces. Lucio's tongue swipes over my lips and I open my mouth eagerly. Our tongues duel back and forth, caressing and teasing.

The orgasm that Esteban started with his fingers is finished with his mouth. The pleasure hits me in waves that have my nails digging into Lucio's shoulders, not that he minds.

I moan into our kiss and he moves his tongue faster, exploring every inch of my mouth with his tongue. My mates suck on my nipples and knead my breasts as I ride out my climax.

When I finally stop moaning and shaking, they slowly pull away. I blink up at them, throbbing, satiated and a little embarrassed.

Mal smiles down at me and runs his finger down my cheek.

"Do you think you can cum again, angel?"

My eyes go wide. "Again? What about you guys?"

"Pleasing you, pleases us," Lucio answers simply.

Taking my lack of complaint as acceptance, they all go back to their stations, ready to make me climax again.

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I'm not ready for Lucio's alarm to go off the next morning. I savour every minute in bed, continuously checking the clock to see when I have to get up.

When I eventually make it to the kitchen table, it's worth it. Oro serves up a stack of three pancakes. I cover them in strawberries, raspberries and maple syrup. It's heavenly.

Oro sits next to me and eats with one arm around my waist. I lean into him and rest my head on his shoulder when I'm done, eager and needy for contact.

I have philosophy with Mal for my first lesson. We talk whilst we carry out the work that the teacher sets us. I find out that he is the only one out of The Four to have a sibling, the other three are only child's like me.

He has an older sister named Estrella. I laugh as he tells me the things they used to get up to when they were younger.

In business studies, Lucio and I practice our presentation for Friday. We've tried to add in a few jokes, I hope they don't flop. We bounce off each other well. It sounds like I'm stating the obvious, but the more time we spend together, the more I realise why the powers that be have mated us.

It's the same with all of the members of The Four. It's more than just getting on or having the same sense of humour. Our values are the same, the way we think or approach different situations, the things we want out of life, everything is similar for at least one if not all of The Four.

There's a deep connection between the five of us. The Four obviously felt it before I even arrived. They've been friends since forever and I've just slotted into their group. Each of them is so different and offers something that the others don't.

I questioned why I was given four mates at the start. I understand why, now. We all complete each other in different ways. One of us, without the other four, isn't whole.

I know with certainty that, if one of us were to die, we would all go. You take out one, you take out the group, just like with conventional, two-person mate couples.

After the lesson, I go to the quad for breaktime with the girls. We get updates on Lawrence and Honey. She shows us pictures from her weekend and tells us all about her plans for next weekend.

Esme and Irene are going home, too. It's Irene's birthday and she wants to spend it with her family, which I totally understand. Esme's sister's wedding is next weekend, so Esme has to go home and be her maid of honour.

That leaves me to spend all weekend with my mates without feeling guilty. Well, almost all weekend. I'll hang out with Sal on Sunday because he'll be the only friend I have here.

Oro is the only interesting thing about my maths lesson. It goes quickly though, which is a relief. After seeing the girls at break, I join my mates in their private room for lunch.

I sit on Lucio's lap, sipping bear blood and laughing at their antics. I have alchemy fourth period, but Salvador is a no-show.

Professor Langston asks if anyone has seen him, but no one has since before lunch time. I'm worried about him, so I take out my phone and send him a text.

By the end of the lesson, he still hasn't replied. Esteban, although happy that we got to partner for once, is concerned about me because I'm worried about Sal.

"I've got a Skills lesson next, and I'll be outside, okay?" He tells me. "Come find me if you need anything."

He kisses me goodbye, and I watch him go down the corridor. I have a free period last thing and I usually spend it with Salvador.

I decide to use my time to look for him. I check all the obvious places first before moving on to the not-so-obvious places. He isn't in his spot on the roof. He hasn't logged into the forest book for hunting. He isn't in the common room, study room or library.

I walk along the corridors, scanning rooms until I have an epiphany. I rush outside to where Esteban is training in javelin throwing. It's impressive, watching him run up to the line and launch the enormous spear-shaped point into the air.

It slices through the sky like a knife in warm butter. It lodges itself almost a foot into the ground, metres and metres away from where Es is standing. Probably over a hundred metres. He's panting a little from the exertion and squinting to assess his throw.

"That was amazing," I tell him as I approach him.

He spins around at the sound of my voice and grins. He's so pleased that I'm here. I think he's proud of himself for that throw and he's glad that I witnessed it.

"You saw it?" He says excitedly. "I think it's my personal best."

The teacher goes out and compares the distance to a measuring tape.

"132 metres," she shouts back to us. "Incredible!'

"Oh, my God! That's so impressive!"

Es grins and puts his arms around me.

"I know you didn't come out here just to watch your mate make everyone else look bad," he says teasingly. "What can I do for you, E?"

I roll my eyes at him. "I was wondering if you have your keys on you?"

Esteban's eyebrows draw together in a frown. "Yeah, Em, I do. Why?"

"Can I borrow them? I want to check out the archives room."

"Yeah, of course."

"Thank you!" I kiss his cheek and run over to where his stuff is on a bench in the field.

I dig through his pockets until I find his keys. After removing the iron one that is identical to the one that Oro used, I put his keys back and wave at Es.

It doesn't take me long to get up to the archive room. I try the door, but it is locked, as I suspected. I put Esteban's key into it and twist. The lock clicks and the door opens.

As I suspected, Salvador is sitting at the far end of the room. He's on the floor with his back against the wall, the book on Lamia blades open on his lap.

He looks up in shock. His surprise quickly turns to confusion when he sees me standing in the doorway. With a guilty expression, he snaps the book shut and shoves it into his bag. He scrabbles to his feet and shoves his hands in his pockets.

"Emmie? What are you doing in here?"

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