The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 166

“Didn’t join in on the boxing, Ben?” Rafe asks, grinning at him.

“Nah, didn’t feel like getting my lights punched out by the national champ,” Ben quips, gesturing towards his face, “I got too much beauty going on here to risk that.” I grin at Ben as he sinks into Jesse’s chair. Jesse gives us a wave as he heads immediately to the bathroom for a quick shower.

“How’d the workout go?” Rafe asks Luca, smiling. “You ready? Fight’s coming up.”

“Oh, I’m ready,” Luca says, pumping a couple of practice punches into the air. My eyebrows raise, because honestly he moves so fast and with such power that I can barely see his hands move when he does that. “Going to knock Atalaxia into the last century, first round.”

“I wish you would,” Rafe sighs. “Their technology, apparently, is getting advanced.”

I half listen as Rafe and Luca chat casually about the war for a few minutes before Jesse comes out of the bathroom in his towel and Luca goes in, taking advantage of our over-luxurious bathroom as he always does whenever he has a chance. The other cadet’s bathrooms are, apparently, a far cry from what we’ve got in here.

When Luca comes out a few minutes later, dressed in a pair of Jesse’s spare pajamas, he immediately flops onto the couch next to me, his eyes fluttering shut.

“You beat?” I ask quietly.

“If you’re asking if your cousin beat me,” Luca murmurs, smirking a little, “the answer is no. He is slow, like fighting a snail.”

“False!” Jesse calls, yawning, from his bed. “I am swift, like a bunny. I just went easy on you.”

I let my hand fall to the side of Luca’s leg where Rafe can’t obviously see it, letting my fingers idly stroke the fabric of my mate’s pajamas. “I’m sure you beat him soundly, as he deserves,” I reply with a happy sigh. “But, as you realize, I’m asking if you’re tired.”

“Always,” Luca replies, yawning and glancing towards his books with a groan. “Just let me…close my eyes here for a minute or two.”

“Luca,” I groan, slapping the side of his leg a little. “You have to study too!” Of all of us, he studies by far the least, which always worries me. He’s not as worried about the Examination as Ben and I are, but he’s certainly the most at risk of failing out according to his regular coursework.

At least, that’s what I thought until I got my Chem test back tonight. I scowl, looking over at it.

“I’ll study tomorrow,” Luca murmurs, his voice light and unbothered. “You can be the smart one between us, Ari, I don’t mind.”

“It will be sad without you here next semester, Luca,” I sigh, giving his leg another slap and turning back to my own books. He just smirks and shakes his head, keeping his eyes shut.

When bedtime rolls around a little bit later, I do my best to get up without disturbing him, heading for my nook with chemical equations rushing around in my mind. When Rafe likewise gets up and moves to shake Luca’s shoulder, I throw a hand out towards him, shaking my head.

Rafe frowns at me, silently asking why, and I step close, whispering. “He’s tired, Rafe, what’s the harm? He’ll sleep as well on the couch as in his bed.”

Rafe just shrugs, conceding the point and not really caring. Ben waves his goodbyes to us, heading out the door, as I spread my green throw over Luca, tucking it in around him so that he stays cozy warm. Then I wave my goodnights to Rafe and Jesse over my shoulder as, exhausted, I climb into bed.

I put out my lamp, noting the rest of the room going dark beyond my curtain, pulled shut tonight for a little extra privacy. Then I lay my head down, taking off my cap and unwinding my tight braid, running my fingers along my scalp and wondering if I’ll even see Luca in the dream state tonight when he’s so tired.

And though I very much want him to rest, I desperately hope that I do see him there. Because while we spend our evenings laughing companionably with our friends…

The dream state is where we really light up.

I meet Luca in the dream state pretty much every night now, and, as promised, he spends our time there teaching me a great deal about myself, and my body. We haven’t gone very far yet, sexually – it’s really just a lot of kissing and petting, with Luca respecting the fact that I’m dictating the pace. But in the past week or so, especially, things have gotten…heated.

And I admit that I’m starting to get…curious. About more.

But even if I were curious, I’m not sure I’m bold enough to ask for it yet – or, really, prepared to deal with the consequences of that curiosity. There’s absolutely no part of me that wants to get pregnant right now, obviously, and while Daphne has helped me with a variety of feminine products it does feel like a step beyond to ask her to start ferrying contraceptives to me.