Project Alaric: Book One ✔️

Chapter Fifteen

Alaric Benson

"These books smell like my grandma's living room." Apollo turned his nose up as he shoved the book back on the shelf. "Why are we here? I know you like to read, but maybe you should buy a Kindle like the rest of the reading community."

I snorted as I flipped through the book in my hand. "I have a Kindle, but you wouldn't understand the feeling of holding that work of art in your hand. It's much different than scrolling through a Kindle."

Axton popped up beside me, shoving a book on top of mine. "Buy me this."

Picking up the book he rudely threw at me, I arched my brow. "I'm not buying you a book on one thousand ways to die. You will find too many violent ways to murder someone. Someone like you shouldn't have a book like this in their hands."

Apollo plucked the book from my hand and then started reading through it–his face scrunching. "Yeah, this doesn't belong in your hands, Ace. Too many graphic ways to die. Why don't you find a fantasy book? Wouldn't that be more up my alley?"

"Bleck." Axton curled his lip, snatching the book from Apollo. "Hell, no. I don't read unless it benefits me."

I smacked the side of his head. "Might benefit your pea-sized fucking brain."

"And which of us has yet to take their GED test?" Axton dipped in front of me with a smartass smile on his face. "That would be you. Apollo and I finished. Why haven't you taken it? We're supposed to start at Chapel Hill Community College next year. We won't go without you."

Frowning, I put the book I had taken back on the shelf. "I failed it the first time, and it kind of dampened my spirits. What if I fucking fail again? I hate that I'm still sponging off Apollo's parents for a place to stay. But I don't want to move away from you idiots. I want to feel like I'm doing something, but what if I fail again."

Apollo stepped toward me and put a hand on my shoulder. "We will help you study. You took it years ago. You've learned a lot more over the years than you're giving yourself credit for. Every time you open a book, no matter what it is about, it teaches you something you didn't know."

Axton nodded in agreement. "Even if every page is full of nothing but sex, you're still learning something."

Apollo smacked Axton with the book he must have stolen back from him. "You're disgusting."

He shrugged. "I am who I am." He looked at me. "Uhm, since your sisters kidnapped Emery, what the fuck are we supposed to do? Hell, they were up until like five this morning talking. I thought they'd never shut the fuck up. Wow, can you believe that I've been a good boy to Emery for thirteen whole days?!"

I blinked. "We haven't been on this trip for thirteen days."

"No, I'm counting the three days before we left. I was nice to him! They count!" Axton defended. "I like him, though. He's definitely not like anyone I've come across."

Apollo pulled a book off the shelf, but didn't look at it–but at us instead. "I agree. You sure know how to sense the good people, Lark. I like that he's finally showing his true self instead of the person he showed when we would go out with Declan and them."

"Mmm." I hummed. "He needed us just like we needed him. Don't debate me on it–Emery was hiding, and with us, he's finally opening back up to his true form. And it gives us a chance to see that this world isn't all evil. Most of it. But not all of it."

Axton held up his hands in surrender. "I never said all people were bad. If I did, I'd have to include the two of you in that, and I wouldn't say that. And yeah, Emery isn't bad. I actually enjoy his company. He's going to chill with us when we get home, right? Hell, does he know that we all live with Apollo?"