"I came to check on Eamon," he said. "I didn’t expect to see you here. Kael didn’t even mention you were here."
Slater smiled and pushed off the counter, slapping Rhett on the shoulder. "He’s all yours," he said with a wink and strolled out of the bathroom.
After Slater left, I began gathering my things and was about to follow when Rhett stopped me, gently gripping my arm. "Are you alright? Was he bullying you?"
I shook my head, giving him a reassuring smile. "No, we were just discussing something."
"So, why was the door locked?" Rhett pressed.
"I was kissing him," Slater called lazily from behind us, his eyes twinkling mischievously as they met mine, giving me a wink. "You interrupted us."
"What?" Rhett turned sharply.
I nearly dropped the things in my hand, but before I could speak, Rhett was already reaching for me, gently pulling me out of the bathroom like I might break. "Don’t let him bully you," he muttered under his breath, shooting Slater a dark look.
Across the room, Kael was watching us with a puzzled expression. His brows furrowed as his eyes flicked up and down my length.
"You...you dressed up in the bathroom?" Kael asked slowly.
I nodded, trying to appear nonchalant, sensing where this was going.
"In front of your brother?" Kael’s voice carried a note of disbelief.
"Y-Yes...No..." I stuttered, unsure how to navigate this particular question, when Slater’s voice cut in lazily from the couch where he was already unpacking the food that Rhett had brought.
"Do you have a problem with that? Or would you prefer he change in front of you?"
Kael flushed. "No! I mean—of course not. It’s just that..."
"...he’s changing in the bathroom?" Rhett added with a teasing smile. "Maybe he’s afraid that if you see him naked, you’d lose the last shred of your sanity."
Kael looked horrified. "No! I won’t! The kiss happened once, and it was a mistake!"
"Sure," Slater smirked. "And you wouldn’t kiss him again if you got the chance?"
Kael’s face had gone red with a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. "Stop making speculations!"
"Why?" Rhett grinned wickedly. "Are you getting hard already?"
I let out a soft laugh, quickly biting my lower lip to hide it, as Kael went a full shade of red while Slater and Rhett burst into laughter, clearly enjoying tormenting Kael.
Kael groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "You guys are the worst."
Rhett turned to me with a devilish grin. "He’s a virgin, by the way. Probably the only virgin boy Ravenshore’s ever admitted. Are you sure you didn’t grow up in a Moon Temple?" he gave Kael a sideways glance. "All the boys lose their virginity before they’re fourteen. I lost mine at twelve."
"I lost mine at sixteen," Slater said, giving me a meaningful glance that made my cheeks warm. I smiled and lowered my head.
Rhett turned his attention back to me. "How about you?"
I looked up, momentarily lost. The heated glance I’d shared with Slater had reminded me of the little pleasuring I’d received some minutes ago in the bathroom. "What?"
"What age did you lose your virginity?" Rhett repeated patiently.
I colored with embarrassment, my cheeks burning bright red as I struggled to find an appropriate response for Eamon.
Rhett’s eyes widened with shock before he burst into delighted laughter. "Don’t tell me you’re still a virgin!"
"Well..." I swallowed hard.
"Wow," Rhett laughed. "What are the chances of meeting two virgin roommates?"
"We are honoured to be in your presence," Slater said with an exaggerated bow as he and Rhett dissolved into another episode of laughter.
Kael grabbed the nearest object to him, a small pillow, and hurled it at Rhett.
"Ouch! What was that for?" Rhett protested, still chuckling.
Kael glared at him. "Enough of your X-rated talk, Rhett. We know and agree that you’re the expert. Now, come let’s eat or we’ll be late for classes."
Rhett sighed dramatically, rubbing his arm. "Killjoy."
Before turning to lead me to the small coffee table where Slater had arranged the breakfast spread.
Since the food was all set out, Kael brought plates from his small kitchenette. I was sitting next to Kael, while Rhett and Slater sat at the opposite end.
The breakfast smelled like heaven. It was grilled sausage, toast, boiled eggs, fried chicken with sauce and steaming hot chocolate.
"This looks really nice," I murmured, reaching for a plate to scoop in some of the toast and grilled sausage, but Kael took the plate from me and scooped a good portion onto my plate before setting it in front of me.
"It grows on you," Slater murmured, popping a boiled egg into his mouth. "Rhett makes sure we’re well fed. Last term, I doubt I ate at the school dining room more than once."
"That’s what having connections like mine gets you," Rhett said with a smile. "I have my chef here, so I don’t need to ever worry about food."
"So, Eamon," Rhett said after a while, stabbing a piece of sausage with his fork. "First rule of Ravenshore—never, and I mean never, cross Miranda Peters from the student council, the girl holds grudges like they’re precious gems."
"Isn’t Miranda a girl? I thought Ravenshore had separate leadership from Ebonvale?" I asked, biting into my toast.
"Not the student council. To ensure equality and fairness, we have seven students from Ravenshore and eight from Ebonvale on the Student Council. She’s the fourth most powerful person in both academies combined," Rhett said.
"I’m guessing Marcus is the first?" I asked tentatively.
"Yup," Rhett nodded. "Marcus first, Peter and then your dearest brother. You should always use that to your advantage. Also, Miranda got rejected by Slater last year, and she still hasn’t forgiven him. If she hears you’re his brother, she would spare no resource in dealing with you to get back to Slater."
"And stay away from the east wing basement after midnight," Slater added with a knowing look. "That’s where the seniors conduct their...unofficial activities."
"You don’t need to worry about that. What would I be doing outside by midnight?"
Rhett chuckled, raising his glass of water to his lips. "You never can tell. Anything can happen once you’re within these walls."
"Oh, and if you need anything contraband—energy drinks, snacks from outside, phone chargers, condoms, sex..." Rhett continued.
"I get it..." I said hastily, flinching at the description of things I didn’t want to hear.
"Talk to Jensen, he’s not a student, his mom works as a cleaner in Ravenshore, but he’s our go-to guy to get us supplies. But never let him catch you talking to his ex, or you’ll find yourself on kitchen duty for a month."
"But I thought you said he’s not a student? Can he do that? And what’s his girlfriend’s name?"