by Jacey Ward
Zahreena tried to cover how flustered she felt with her aunt, the last thing she needed to look was too anxious or desperate.
Just try to make the conversation natural.
"Fine is not good enough. Are the students being nicer to you, now, Ree?" Lilithe asked her.
"They're coming around ... I don't understand why they would have such issues with us, in the first place?" Zahreena asked suggestively, hoping her aunt would volunteer something.
"There's been bad blood between them and our realm for years now, Zahreena. You know that - it's been an ongoing fight to get even just ten of you enrolled in their hoity-toity school."
"I know, Aunty, but what could have possibly caused that much bad blood between us? And how long do both parties plan to keep it going?" Zahreena asked quietly.
"I don't know the entire history, honey. I just know that before your mother’s and my time, and the time of their mothers and grandmothers before them, something catastrophic happened in our realm. It took several lifetimes to make us strong again. During that time, relations went from somewhat tolerable to turbulent and vindictive. Even now, we continue to fight for our rights within the entire paranormal world,” she exclaimed vociferously. “We are not responsible for our ancestor’s actions, and we do not deserve to be treated like dregs."
Lilithe's silver eyes were sparkling by the time she finished her impassioned statements.
"Aunt Lilithe, I had no idea you felt this strongly about the way things have been. I mean I know you wanted us to be able to pursue a career in one of the best paranormal schools available, but this goes way deeper than just that."
Zahreena didn't know what else to say to keep her aunt talking. Her aunt was typically soft spoken and kept her opinions private, so seeing this side of her surprised Zahreena. As they had with Hunter before, Lilithe's warning about things not being as they first seemed came back to her.
Had she been too sheltered in her life? Was everyone hiding their true natures?
“Don’t you worry about me, my Ree. I’m just ranting like the old lady I’m becoming. Tired of injustice in the world and getting tired of the ridiculous separations between all of us. It just isn’t right.”
Lilithe gave Zahreena a big hug, before heading back into the kitchen to prepare a ‘Welcome Home’ feast for her and the elders.
As she spent the extended weekend trying to enjoy time with her clan again, Zahreena couldn't stop these questions from preoccupying her thoughts. Between the revelations of the bizarre project she and Hunter were looking into, the strange conversation she had overheard, and the heated comments Lilithe had made, she began to see things through a different lens – one which made her wonder if everything she was being told was just an elaborate illusion designed to hide the truth.
She packed her small bag first thing Monday morning wanting to get back to the academy. At least there, she knew where she stood. She wasn't particularly liked or welcomed, but she knew she could always count on herself, if no one else.
Chapter 13
Zahreena was late ... had something delayed her at her aunt’s house?
Hunter found himself once again thinking about what he had discovered when he traveled back to the site of their project. How much should he reveal to Zahreena, at this point?
The tests hadn’t come back from the pieces he had brought to Luna to try to clean and learn something from, so there wasn’t much point in bringing that up at this point. Besides, he wasn’t sure how she would feel about him going back to the scene without her.
Not for the first time and likely not the last, he found himself asking again exactly what had his mother gotten them into? What was the point of dredging all of this mess up? It was no doubt upsetting Zahreena, and he wasn’t thrilled with his findings so far either.
A knock at his door caught his attention.
“I’m so sorry I’m late, Hunter,” Zahreena burst out as soon as he opened the door to let her in. “I got back earlier but wanted to do some research. I laid down to rest my eyes and boom! I fell asleep.”
All of that in virtually one breath.
“Zahreena, don’t worry, you’re not that late. If you fell asleep, you obviously needed the rest,” he allowed, taking in how her eyes took on the appearance of a multi-faceted jewel. He had learned in the time they had worked together that they only seemed to do that when she was particularly anxious or upset.
“How was your weekend?” he asked quietly.
“Oh, Hunter, I don’t know!” she lamented. “I learned very little from my aunt.
“All she could tell me, was that many years ago there was bad blood between the faery realm residents and some of the other paranormals. It all happened so long ago, no one really knows what caused it. There’s no one around from that time – I’m afraid we’ll never get to the bottom of what happened.
“ And if we can’t do that, how on earth are we going to be able to stage a mock trial? We have no perpetrators, we have no motive, we have nothing but a burned out forest.
“All Aunt Lilithe could tell me was that something catastrophic had happened and that it took years to rebuild our home and the strength of our species.” Zahreena stood before him, pulling that same glittering green sweater around her, that she had worn the first time he’d seen her at the cafe.
Hunter noticed it was the material of her sweater outlying the curves of her breasts as she tightened her grip on it. A jolt of desire swept him, distracting him momentarily.
He wondered if she’d grip the bedsheets and twist them in the same way, just as she approached an orgasm.
Damn, get your mind out of the gutter, you ass! She’s upset and trying to solve a problem that affects you too!
Hunter shook his head a bit to clear it of the beautifully sexy image of Zahreena coming on his bed.
“Why is it,” he asked, his voice a little rougher than usual, as he tried to distract them from the case they were nowhere near to cracking. “That every time I see you, you’re wearing some elaborately embroidered covering? And it’s usually sparkling exactly the way it seems to be now. Does the stitching just reflect the light?”
“My aunt insists that I wear the garments she made for me at all times. She’s woven protective spells into the embroidery. That’s why they sparkle. She knew we were coming to a school that was less than thrilled to have us.
“She’s the closest thing to a mother that I have, so she felt she needed to protect me from ...”
He caught her eye, when she paused, awkwardly.
“The likes of me,” Hunter finished for her, a bit put out by how much of a cad she had just made him feel like.
He reached for Zahreena's hand, drawing her closer to him, feeling her small body brush up against his.
“You don’t have to protect yourself from me, Zahreena. We might not have started out that way, but we’re in this together, remember? If either of us fail to figure this out, we’re both in trouble. But we are going to figure it out. I promise you that.”
His lips touched hers lightly. Not sure how she might react to him, he slowly directed her over to his bed, pulling her hands away from her sweater. It fell open and he gently pulled it back off of her shoulders and down her arms.
The look in her eyes was a turbulent mixture of hesitation, excitement and what ... trust? Her eyes were almost glowing now.
"Hunter?" She spoke his name as a question, her breath catching, as his fingers gently caressed her wrists.
"Shhh ... just feel Zahreena. Let go of what’s going on around us and just let yourself get lost in the feelings." He whispered, before capturing her full mouth in a deeper kiss.
He watched as her eyes close, moving closer to him to deepen their kiss, her arms reaching around him. Hunter found himself a bit unsure of her again. A moment ago she seemed so innocent and even vulnerable, and now she was ... doing exactly what he told her to do, getting lost in the feelings. In that moment he decided to do the same.
He r
eached his hand up to capture and caress her breast, through the material of her dress. He was encouraged to feel her nipple respond to his touch instantly. He wanted to touch those nipples, skin to skin, but held back.
Her eyes opened abruptly, those stunning green irises now only a ring around her dilated pupils. She didn’t even seem to realize she had pushed her chest against his hand. Was she longing for skin to skin, too?
His fingers tweaked the tip of her aroused nipple through the folds of her dress, eliciting a moan from her lips. He bent his head again to capture the sound, all the while working both nipples.
He laid her down, her head barely reaching his pillow. A slight tug on her dress brought the halter down. She gasped out loud when the elastic hitched on her hardened nipples. Another excruciatingly slow tug and her nipples were freed of the restraint, popping out from the binding.
"My God, you are beautiful," he growled with awe as he revealed her full breasts and tiny waist. He pulled the dress further down, capturing her underwear on the way.
Hunter sat back taking all of this beauty in, his dragon beating at the edges of his senses trying to escape.
He held his body back, concerned that if he shifted now he would lose all semblance of control and terrify her beyond all redemption. She was already frightened by the possibility of him turning into a monster. If he let his beast out, now, there would be no stopping him.
As he revealed the tangle of dark auburn curls at the vee of her legs, his own breath hitched.
He had remained completely clothed, so as he stretched his body out and over hers, she whimpered where the rough textures of his shirt and jeans met her overly sensitized and heated skin. Her breasts quivered beneath his weight, her nipples catching on the snaps of his chest pockets.
"Let yourself feel, Zahreena. Your nipples are so tight and swollen, ready to be suckled like the sweetest fruit."
To show her just how ready they were, his head dipped to one peak, his mouth opening, his tongue forking out to sweep over it. Without warning he closed his lips over her breast, drawing on the swollen tip with a strong pull of his tongue. His hand closed over her other breast, cupping and pulling at it and matching the rhythm his mouth was setting.
The keening cry she made, as his actions drove her higher encouraged him to shift his hand lower, scraping along her stomach.
"Feel your stomach muscles quivering and clenching in anticipation. In anticipation of what, Zahreena?" His seductive voice kept on as his hand travelled lower still finally finding the entrance he sought.
She was so sweetly wet, his finger slid smoothly into her tight heat. Then his mouth lowered over her other nipple, gently blowing his heated breath over the sensitive tip.
"In anticipation of this?" He suckled her breast in the same rhythm that his finger delved deeply into her.
Each whimper sent bolts of heat straight to his cock, so he thrust another finger into her, filling her.
Before long, he allowed the ribbed scales of his dragon to burst over his hand and brushed them gently against the wall of her canal, marvelling at her fevered cries as the textured scales caught on her clit and drove her to an even higher fever pitch.
Hunter raised his head, taking in her flushed skin and her hair tangling around her face as she tossed her head about, seemingly unsure about how to let herself go.
He crushed his lips down over hers, thrusting his tongue in and out in perfect rhythm to his thrusting fingers. Her pants and gasps were coming in quick succession, until he was certain it would only be a matter of seconds before she climaxed against him.
"That's it my little faery, let go ... drench my hand in your hot juices."
She cried out as the climax claimed her body. He pulled his hand from her centre and it glistened in with her juices.
He swept the back of his hand over her breasts, the sharpness of his scales catching on her rapidly arousing nipples, again causing them to fully engorge into full hard peaks. He dipped his head to taste the juices he had spread over her breasts.
"Hunter ... I - I can't ... I ...” He chuckled as she tried desperately to put a coherent thought together.
"Shhh, baby. Rest and let your breath come back. That was extraordinary, Zahreena."
Normally he would find his own release in her more than readied body, but he was shocked to discover he was happy to let her rest. He was satisfied knowing he had brought her to such an exquisite orgasm. Damn, this little one before him was one passionate woman. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been able to bring a woman to this intense release, if he ever had.
He pulled her into his embrace, his head resting on her soft breast, and despite his painful erection, he was somehow able to find sleep along side of her.
Zahreena had never in her life, ever, felt the exquisitely keen arousal in her body, that she had only a few hours ago. As she became aware of her surroundings, she closed her eyes and let herself relish the feel of Hunter’s rhythmic breathing against her abdomen. She didn’t feel embarrassed or exposed, lying there. She realized her nipples were beginning to react to the tickle of his hair where his head rested on her breast. They tingled and she gasped quietly as she felt them swell in arousal. It was still dark as she lifted her head to kiss the top of his.
He woke with a start, his eyes taking all of her in.
“Are you real or is this another dream?” He asked, his voice groggy with sleep.
“You are not dreaming,” was all Zahreena whispered, as she clasped his hand from where it rested on her belly and raised it to her breast. A turn of Hunter’s head, brought his mouth over the breast he had just rested on and he didn’t need further prompting, when she gripped the back of his head and pulled him over her nipple, the feel of his tongue rasping over her, driving her nearly over the edge.
Zahreena wanted to feel his skin over hers and began pulling at his clothes. He pulled up from her, allowing her nipple to pop out from his pursed mouth.
She gasped in reaction, and cried out for him.
“Easy, little one. I’m coming back.” She felt him shift slightly in the bed and before she knew it, his mouth had resumed suckling her tender breast. His hand lowered to delve into her opening and she heard herself cry out, when his fingers thrust deeply into her, increasing the rhythm of his thrusts with every harsh breath she took. She felt empty when his fingers pulled out of her, but bucked up against him, when she felt his shaft prepare to replace his fingers.
“Damn, you are so tight ... Are you alright?” He asked as he pushed his length further into her.
Zahreena’s moan of pure ecstasy was the only answer he appeared to need, as he drove himself into her, completely filling her.
“Oh Holy Hell, no, don’t do that, Zahreena,” Hunter’s guttural whisper commanded, as her hips tried to thrust upward, to take more of him in.
He lost any semblance of control, as his thrusts came in fast succession, pounding into her repeatedly. Hunter’s hands each grasped a nipple, pulling and pinching in unison with his thrusts. His mouth captured hers and his tongue tangled with hers, as they kept climbing higher and higher.
As their breath came in short gasps, Zahreena reached her hands around his back, scraping her nails deeply, still trying to meet his thrusts, as he finally emptied himself fully into her womb, both of them completely spent in the aftermath of this night.
Chapter 14
Over the next few days, Zahreena struggled with herself, trying to stop going over every one of the possible fallouts of her night with Hunter.
She highly doubted anything further could ever come of them - as much as they had seemed to move beyond his hatred of faeries – or more specifically, her.
The way she'd been consumed with seeing the real truth of everything surrounding her since her weekend with Lilithe, she couldn't help but wonder if he still did have some sort of agenda.
She hoped he wouldn't have made love to her, if he only meant to use her in some game he was playing at.
&n
bsp; "Made love" ... now that was certainly a bit of a stretch.
As much as she hated it, they had "had sex" - pure and simple - very heated, and sweetly amazing sex.
She had gone there confused and vulnerable and he had been sensitive and responsive to that, for some reason. He definitely knew all the right moves.
She seemed to be a natural at some of her own moves too, she thought wryly to herself, recalling how she'd guided his hands and his massive shaft all over and into her body. He had told her to let herself feel and she had definitely done that, without any reservation whatsoever.
Zahreena felt her face flush as images from their night flooded her memory.
She needed to get moving. As much as she'd love to go over every moment they shared together, Zahreena had to find out more about what Lilithe and the elder had been discussing when she'd overheard them.
Blood? A curse? What they hell? Where did she even start with that?! And what deal had been made? Of course, if it had anything to do with the chancellor of this academy, it stood to reason that it had a huge part in them being accepted into it, but how did this even connect to him?
She’d have to learn about that as well. So many questions, all concerning her directly or indirectly.
First things, first. Blood. She'd seen Hunter going into the medical clinic the other day. She knew he and his brother were close with a medical student there, so maybe that was the place to start. Maybe there would be some sort of records she could discover about anyone who had started classes in October only. Whatever this curse was, it must be the reason for the late start.
Lilithe and the elder had talked about those affected being incapacitated. Hunter and Gabe had been latecomers, among a few others. Could she find a common denominator somewhere if she started with them? If she were caught snooping around the clinic, or messing with them, she wouldn't have to worry about Hunter, the mock trial or passing her exams mid-year, because she'd likely be expelled immediately.
