And then I sat back and stared at Ezra. The beard was sharp and angled in jagged lines, highlighting his jaw and cheekbones even further. The silver glasses didn’t hide his rugged beauty, only enhanced it with a splash of color. I blinked. “I didn’t think it was possible.”
Ezra rubbed his chin, feeling the beard like his dad was doing with his own. “What wasn’t possible?”
I glanced at Antonio, who was fingering his own hair, and stared at it while he put it through a variety of different shades, trying to pick which one he liked best. “Antonio, you’ve outdone yourself.” He grunted, his eyebrows puckering as he altered his hair colour between dark brown and sandy blond.
My eyes went back to Ezra, again shocked at the difference the beard made. Ezra raised a questioning eyebrow, so I waved a flittering hand, mumbling, “It’s, like, you…but, not you. A whole different version of hotness.” Rugged-geek-badass, if there was such a thing. His shirt’s words pretty much summed it up. Yummy.
Antonio jumped up, moving farther into our room, back to where our bed was and where the room veered to the right — out of sight — mumbling, “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Ezra grinned, drawling, “You like?” He rested back, laying his arms on the back of the couch.
I managed a nod, but quickly cleared my throat, rolling my eyes. Wouldn’t want to pant too much. “You look good.”
The cocky bastard’s grin only increased.
“How do I look?” Cahal asked, which surprised me, still fingering his beard.
I blinked at him, seeing he was seriously asking me. Mentally shaking myself past the astonishment, I cocked my head, trying to evaluate him beyond the fact he was Elder Zeller, Ezra’s dad. He held my gaze unflinchingly just like his son always did. I was shocked when I peered past who he was, seeing him for…himself. “Handsome. You look handsome. The beard suits you.” And he smiled. A real one. Flashing those white teeth at me. Uh. “Very handsome.”
He preened almost as his son might have at the compliment. “I may have to keep the beard.”
Ezra chuckled quietly.
I pointed at Cahal. “You won’t pass as being old enough for his father in the Com world. But you look too much alike, so you’ll have to say you’re an older brother if anyone asks.” He nodded in agreement, and then my slightly bewildered gaze returned to Ezra. I didn’t know how to handle his dad. He was scary as shit, but there were moments like this when he seemed almost…normal.
“Okay, how do I look?” Antonio asked behind me.
I turned, and physically jerked in shock. He must have used our mirror because he had changed his clothes, going from a dress shirt and suit pants to dark faded jeans, a thick black belt with a large silver buckle, a soft, thin, fitted silver long-sleeved shirt, and black boots, but really, even though I had never seen him dress quite like this, it was his face that stunned me. His skin was still bronze, which meant he could be taken as someone with an Asian background, but his hair was now brown with blond highlights, and only two inches long, messily spiked on the top of his head and showing his facial features in handsome relief.
“Wow,” I muttered, whistling brazenly. “You look great.”
He smiled, running a hand through his hair and then placing them in his pockets. The action, and this also surprised me, appeared bashful. “You sure? I haven’t had short hair before.” He rocked back on his heels, watching me eagerly for my answer.
Ah, he was a little vain.
My grin grew. “Don’t worry, you look amazing. The Mages will be falling all over themselves.”
And…he flushed.
I blinked. “Are you blushing?” I couldn’t help but chuckle when his blush grew rosier. “Seriously, Antonio? Are you worried what someone might think?”
“No,” he stated instantly, picking up my bag.
Lie.
My eyes grew large. “Who?” I yelped when he grabbed my ear, hauling me to my feet. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry!” Lie. “I won’t ask again.” Also a lie.
“Let’s go,” he muttered, literally kicking me in the butt toward the door, then dancing away when Bonnie took notice at me being manhandled. “We’re late.”
My lips pinched, and I couldn’t help but ask, “Is it that ‘talented partner’ you were with when you were late for that meeting?”
“What talented partner?” Ezra asked, watching avidly from the couch. “I think I missed that.”
Antonio’s lips twitched the barest bit. “Lil, just get your ass out the door.”
“Oh,” I hummed, eyebrows waggling as I put my hoodie on. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
Antonio sighed heavily, and then griped to Cahal, “Get your son up. We need to go.”
Cahal had been peering back into the depths of our room, but turned narrowed eyes on Antonio, snapping, “Don’t order me.” But he did stand and motioned for Ezra to get up. “We need to get outside instead of fooling around in here. The next Prodigies are more important than figuring out who Antonio’s currently f**king.”
“Precisely,” Antonio grumbled, shooing me out the door. He pointed at me. “My sex life is not up for discussion.”
That was too big of an opportunity. My eyebrows rose as I crossed my arms, rocking back and forth on my feet. “Then…,” I leaned forward as Ezra and Cahal exited the room behind us, Bonnie and Clyde scurrying out with them, “neither is mine.” I punctuated it by tapping his nose lightly, and added a curt nod when his eyes narrowed. “Fair is fair.”
He growled, “You are…”
“Sweet? Innocent? Adorable? Brilliant? Fantastic? Funn—”
He slapped a hand over my mouth. “All of those things,” he groused. “But definitely more infuriating the older you become.”
I grinned behind his hand. “Ah, I love you, too.”
“Your door?” Cahal ignored us, speaking with Ezra. He pointed at Ezra’s door next to mine. “Where does it lead?”
“Same place,” Ezra stated, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me away from Antonio so that I was flush against his chest. “It’s also spelled to take us to our room.”
Cahal eyed us before turning a glare on Antonio. “You and I are going to have words.”
Antonio’s smile was only teeth. “No, we’re not, and you know it.” He gestured to Ezra and me without turning his gaze away from Cahal. “You can see it as well as I can. They’re damn cute and endearing together.” It didn’t sound like a compliment.