Mr. peach spends the rest of the hour outlining the labs we’ll be doing this month. Claire doesn’t say anything to me but she keeps glancing sideways at me. I can’t help but wonder how things are between her and Dev. If they’re still even together. The last I heard he was meeting her parents but that was before he became mine.

My guardian, that is.

I get my answer during lunch when Claire drops gracefully into Devereaux’s lap. I’m stunned for a moment, just watching, and then an animalistic possessiveness rises up so swiftly that I have to grip the edge of the table that Jules and I are occupying to keep myself seated. The urge to march over there and drag her out of his lap by her hair is nearly unbearable.

“Breathe,” Jules orders, placing a hand on my leg. “Take a deep breath. In, out, there. You’re okay.”

His touch is calming and I manage to tear my eyes away from the football table. My heart rate slows as I focus on Jules’ eyes and my inner beast settles down.

A chair scrapes out on the other side of me and I look up in surprise as Brody drops down into it, setting his lunch tray down on the table.

“What the fuck was that, mistress?” he asks.

“Not loving the new nickname,” I hiss.

“Claire sat on Dev’s lap,” Jules explains. He leans around me to study Brody. “What’re you doing here? If we’re trying to keep some semblance of normal you shouldn’t be seen with us.”

“Who gives a shit about normal?” Brody prods a finger at the questionable looking pizza.

“People are gonna ask questions if Emmy suddenly has three boyfriends, Brody,” Jules says.

Brody shrugs. “Let ‘em. You can look now, mistress.”

I glance back up and see that Claire has moved to a separate chair. She looks pissed about it too. Dev catches my eye and we share a grimace. He must have felt my discomfort and acted accordingly.

Sorry, I mouth.

The response was completely out of my control. If Jules hadn’t been here to talk me down I’m not sure what I would’ve done. Even Brody’s presence is helping.

I focus in on Dev’s emotions for a moment and find him ... struggling. He’s annoyed, probably at me, and … aroused? I guess that makes sense. He did have his girlfriend sitting on his lap.

The thought makes another murderous wave crash through me, totally unbidden.

I don’t want to feel this way but I’m helpless to it. Like some primal part of me wants to scream ‘mine’ and mark him somehow. Claim him as my own.

Brody puts his hand on my knee, distracting me enough to pull me out of my angry trance.

“As hot as it is when you go all possessive jungle cat, mistress, you seem to be working all three of us up.”

I look at him in surprise, mostly because he called me ‘hot’ and is touching me in public. These things are out of character for the guy who barely acknowledged knowing me before this whole ‘guardian’ thing happened.

In fact, whispers are beginning to erupt around us. Once I catch mine and Brody’s names a few times I stand. It takes a conscious physical effort not to look at Claire and Devereaux.

“I’m gonna go eat outside,” I announce, hating myself for the jealousy and wrath coursing through my veins. It’s the same feelings I had about Dev before the binding but magnified to a crippling degree. My clenched hands shake on the lunch tray.

Brody tsks. “Alone, mistress? I think not.” He rises too and leans in. “See, I’ve got this urge to be near you. So you’re going to have trouble losing me.”

Jules has risen as well, though he doesn’t offer an explanation for following me.

“Is it really that bad?” I ask them as we make our way outside.

“I’ve been anxious today. Not touching you all the time like we did all night,” says Jules, eliciting a growl from Brody. “I can’t imagine what Dev’s going through. I guess he’s staying away to keep up appearances.”

“Which is stupid if you ask me,” Brody cuts in. “I mean, and I can’t reiterate this enough, who gives a shit?”

“He’s the quarterback and has a girlfriend. Suddenly ditching everything so Emmy can pet him might draw too much attention to us,” says Jules.

“Please. He and I run this school. Devereaux can do whatever the hell he wants.” Brody seems as unconcerned as he sounds.

We all settle onto a stone bench in a secluded corner of the courtyard, but I can tell even Brody is a little worried too.

I pick disinterestedly at my pizza. “I’ll have to ask Mama about the needing to touch me thing. Maybe it’s the djinn throwing things off. Mr. Monroe and Maddox don’t seem to be like that around her.”

Brody and Jules share a look over my head.

“What?” I ask.

“They totally are, Em,” Jules says. “You’ve never noticed?”

“Both those dudes were like, holding her hand or had a hand on her back, like, all the time,” Brody adds.

“But it’s not like they live with us!” I argue. “They go long periods of time without touching her.”

“Well maybe - hopefully - it’ll fade somewhat. This is just really …” Jules trails off, seeming to search for the right word to describe our need to have physical contact with one another.

“Intense,” Brody supplies. “Annoying. Torturous. I don’t know how Dev can stand it.”

“He can’t.” Dev’s deep voice curls my toes and I look up to find him standing in front of me.

“Was wondering when you were gonna crack,” Brody mumbles.

“Lasted way longer than you,” Dev snaps.

Brody shrugs. “She got hurt. What was I supposed to do? Not carry her to the nurse’s office?”

Dev sighs and fixes his eyes on me. “Can we go somewhere private?”

Of course he’d want to be away from prying eyes. I’m not sure why that hurts a little bit.

“Yeah.” I stand, my barely touched lunch tray forgotten on the seat behind me.

Jules starts to rise as well but Brody clears his throat. “Don’t, kid. Let them have some alone time.”

“But -”

“Julius,” Dev snaps. He’s so on edge that his whole body is tense.

I ache to take his hand but we’re still out in the open. He walks away and I follow him inside. Most everyone is still eating in the cafeteria so it isn’t hard for us to slip into a maintenance closet unnoticed.

The second the door clicks shut I’m against the wall with Devereaux’s larger body covering mine. He presses his face into my neck and breathes deeply, fisting his hands in my hair.

“I didn’t tell her to sit in my lap,” he mumbles against my skin. Goosebumps erupt and I shudder.

“Oh?” I choke out.

“You wanted to hurt her so badly. I felt it.” His body shudders this time.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble, though I’m not sure if I really regret wanting to hurt Claire or not. The emotion has been with me for a long time, granted never this strongly, but still. I don’t mention that part to Dev.

“Don’t be. You couldn’t help it. Just like I can’t help this. This is … bliss.” He presses his lips to my skin, probably able to feel my pulse pounding wildly.

“Bliss,” I echo, allowing myself to feel this euphoria as he feels it. Totally encompassing.

It’s different than it was last night with Jules. That was like coming home and this is like … waking up from a nightmare. Instant, total comfort. Breathing after gasping for air.

“She’s your girlfriend,” I say, knowing as I say it that all I’m doing is stating the obvious.

“And I can’t even look at her.” He finally pulls away from my neck but rests his forehead against mine instead.

Joy bursts through me at his words, followed immediately by guilt.

“Stop. Don’t feel bad. This isn’t your fault. You didn’t ask for this.” He pushes a strand of hair behind my ear.

My guilt only intensifies. Because again, these feelings aren’t new to me. I’ve always loathed and envied Claire, because I’ve always loved Dev. And he didn’t love me back, until maybe now, because he has to. Suddenly I feel sick to my stomach.

I push him away and reach for the door handle.

“Whoa, Emmy, what’s wrong?”

“You should stay with her. You’ve gotta keep up appearances. This could even out, wear off once the djinn is dead.” My eyes well up, unbidden.

He snorts. “Andre and Maddox seem pretty convinced that it won’t. We should just --”

“No.” I pull open the door. The idea that the only way he could ever reciprocate my feelings is due to some sort of spell sears my insides. “We shouldn’t do anything. I’ll see you when you need your next fix.” I sound so bitter, but I can’t help it.

The bell rings as I slam the door closed behind me.