by Nika Gray
My head snapped back as the spell slammed into my skull. I had shit skills, I thought just before I blacked out.
Hands drew me into a body and that body vibrated with magic. It was my body, I realized as warmth spread from my head down to my toes. I dragged my eyes open to see Declan’s handsome face, his lips mere inches from mine. I fought back the urge to kiss him.
“Sadie, are you okay?” he asked, worry all over his face.
He cradled me in his lap and everywhere our skin made contact glowed.
“Stop doing that,” he whispered. “We’re on camera, remember?”
“I can't help it,” I said. “My skin reacts to your touch. Let go of me.”
He shifted away from me and my traitorous body crumpled to the ground. I was some Fae-killing mage, I thought sourly.
To my relief, the red glow faded immediately, but my body cried out to be cradled in his arms again. Another one, I thought. Another one whose body I needed next to mine.
I groaned as I pulled myself up to my feet again.
“I thought this place was supposed to take away the pain,” I said as I swayed back and forth.
My head throbbed and my eyes swam from the pain. I hoped Hotchkiss was right about my healing fast because this hurt.
A portal appeared behind Declan and I thanked the stars this humiliating session was over. I limped through, Declan at my side. I caught sight of quite a few smirks and snickers from the mages closest to the front. My vision was still swimming enough not to see the entire lecture hall. Small mercies, I thought.
Professor Krysz regarded me as the pathetic failure I knew I was.
“I can't say that was the finest effort from either of you two,” he said. “Practice sessions are not the time to go easy on each other. Practice does no one any good unless you give it your all. Understood?”
The last part was clearly directed at Declan. He looked backed at the professor and nodded.
“Professor, my head is spinning,” I said. “Can I go back to my room?”
“Please do,” he said dismissively. “Longbane, make sure she gets there. Professor McKenzie will check on you later.”
The professor turned back to the class. He was done with me. I stared straight ahead as I walked out, avoiding making eye contact with anyone, even Alexis. Declan stayed by my side all the way out to the main quad.
“I can get there by myself,” I said.
“I’m not that sure,” he said. “You’re still swaying on your feet. The spell hit you straight on.”
“Thanks for that,” I said.
“I had no idea you’d duck,” he said. “You were supposed to block me with a counterspell.”
“Okay,” I said. “I don’t know how I was supposed to know that.”
“Look, Sadie,” he added. “I’m here to pick you up if you fall.”
Even though he was helping me back to the dorm, he made sure not to touch me. My hand reached for his several times, but he kept a good two feet of distance between us.
The throbbing in my head subsided, but the throbbing in my body grew stronger the longer he kept that damn distance. Each time I thought I’d lose the battle in keeping myself from touching him, a mage walked by us and I pulled myself back from the brink.
It was the longest fifteen minutes of my life. I peeked at him and saw his jaw clench as he stared straight ahead. I hoped he was having as hard a time with this as I was.
When we reached the steps of the dorm, I turned to Declan. He stood there staring up at me from the first stair. He stepped up, so we were at eye level to each other and brushed some hair out of my face.
His eyes softened and he touched my cheek. He was so damn breathtaking. We were so close; I could see the scar on his eyebrow. Without thinking, I lifted my hand and smoothed his eyebrow down. Touching him made my body flush.
He sharply inhaled at my touch and his chest rose and grazed my breasts. My body warmed to his closeness and he leaned in.
Declan was going to kiss me.
I parted my lips slightly.
He abruptly jerked away from me.
I gave a small cry of frustration.
“Can you make it back to the room, Sadie?” he asked me, his voice gruff.
I nodded, unable to answer him, need shivering through me.
No, I couldn’t, I wanted to scream. Why are you holding back?
He smelled so good, a touch of lemongrass and something I couldn’t identify. Something woodsy. His scent was overwhelming. I wanted to run my fingers through his thick hair. His eyes were green with yellow around the pupils and shining with desire. I reached out to touch his hair and he jumped back down the steps and away from me.
“I gotta, um, go take care of something,” he mumbled.
He hesitated and looked back, our gazes locking. His expression shifted and he turned away from me, stalking off.
I pushed the door open, my heart thumping in my chest. My body, tightly wound from the need I’d had for Declan, vibrated as I made my way up the stairs to the fourth floor. I could still feel the gentle touch of his fingers on my face.
I groaned as my body throbbed. Maybe the spell he’d thrown at my head had made me extra-loopy.
Every step became harder and harder.
Why did they have to live on the damn fourth floor?
So far, this day had been pure crap and I dreaded what the rest of the day would bring.
Chapter 15
Sadie
“Yay for me,” I said half-heartedly as I made it to the fourth floor. “Finally.”
As I walked down the hall to the room, a door swung open to my left. An arm snaked out and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me in inside.
I knew who it was by the scent filling my head. A clean, crisp smell with a hint of vetiver underneath
Cole Trahern.
He pulled me into his body, the heat between us scorching.
“You,” he growled.
“Hey stranger,” I whispered.
“I came looking for you,” he said, his voice gravelly.
My clit was still aching from my near miss with Declan. I hungrily pressed myself into him, our bodies molding into each other.
His lips trailed kisses around my face as I curled my fingers into his thick, white-blond hair. I guided his mouth down to mine.
My lips parted and his tongue plunged into my mouth. I gasped in pleasure at the taste of him.
Dear lord was he delicious.
His hands stroked my ass as I writhed against his hardened cock.
“Where did you go?” he asked as he tore his mouth away.
“It’s a long story,” I said, reaching for him again.
He jerked his head away and looked at me with his ice-blue eyes.
“Where did you go, Sadie?” he asked. “You disappeared on me. Without even telling me your name.”
“Some mages kidnapped me, and I ended up here,” I said.
He pulled away from me.
Talk about ruining a moment.
“Seriously,” he demanded. “I’m not kidding around.”
I didn’t want to talk about all the crazy shit that had gone down since I’d last seen Cole Trahern. I just wanted to feel him inside me again.
“I’m here now,” I said as I pulled off my robe and dropped it to the floor.
“You drive me to distraction,” he said, his hands sliding up my body.
Red fire tendrils wrapped around his arms as he unbuttoned my shirt and dropped it on top of my black mage’s robe. My bare skin heated as his hands roved around my torso and deftly unfastened my bra and tossed it aside. When he took my nipple in his mouth, my core throbbed in response.
“I need you,” I moaned, my body greedy for release.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said and carried me to his bed, nipping and teasing at my lips. He lay me down gently and pulled off his t-shirt.
My hands roamed over the hardness of his abs, my red fire igniting his magic. Blue tendrils wafted o
ver his skin and intertwined with mine. He hovered over me, teasing me by keeping his body away from mine.
“You’re such a tease,” I murmured as I writhed with need beneath him.
He responded to that with a wolfish smile and dipped down to my breast.
“I see you’re still not wearing a bra,” he said and flicked my nipple with his tongue. He licked and suckled both my breasts in just the right way that sent shockwaves through my body.
Cole was not as gentle as Fergus and that was totally okay with me. My hands found his pants, fumbled with the button and unzipped his fly. I pulled them down and palmed his stiff, hot cock. He groaned and stopped doing that delectable thing to my nipples so he could get his pants all the way off.
I shimmied out of my skirt and shoes and we both drank each other in.
His smooth pale skin stretched taut over hard muscles, the blue magic dancing around his torso and beautiful, chiseled face. His cock was hard and glistening.
He rubbed my clit through my panties. Gently at first and then faster. I moaned and squirmed and that made him smile. He pulled my panties off me and stroked me again.
“I want to hear that sound you make,” he said softly against my neck.
He covered my breast with his mouth again, suckling and licking my stiff nipple as his fingers continued to stroke my clit. I moaned and let all thoughts float away except for this. I focused on the sensations of his tongue on my nipple and his fingers on my warm clit. I let pleasure wash over me, my hips bucking as I tried to get even closer to him.
Suddenly his fingers stopped, and his mouth moved away from me. I opened my eyes to see his face disappear between my legs.
I closed them again and welcomed the sweet feeling of his tongue caressing me where his fingers had just been. I felt one of his hands slip beneath my ass and squeeze as his tongue continued to send ripples of delight surging through me.
My entire body tensed as I came and clutched the bedsheets in my fists.
“I must not be doing a good enough job because I'm not hearing you squeak,” he murmured.
I slid out from beneath him and pushed him onto his back. With my core still pulsating from his tongue, I took his cock into my mouth and wrapped my tongue around his hardness.
It was his turn to moan and writhe beneath me as I stroked his shaft with my hand and rubbed the head of his cock against the roof of my mouth.
“Sadie.” My name came out in a raspy croak as he winced and moaned at my touch.
Then suddenly he pulled himself away and pushed me back onto the bed.
“Get on your hands and knees,” he growled.
I did as he said and then felt his hand on my clit again as he grabbed my breast and teased me from behind. The heat of his body up against my ass sent a new kind of pleasure through me. He stroked me with his hard cock and his fingers until I moaned and made the sound he’d been waiting for.
“There it is,” he laughed. “I haven’t been able to get that sound out of my mind since that night.”
He slowed his stroking of me with his cock and pushed me back, so I was facing him as he moved above me. Finally, he let me pull him to me.
I reached down and stroked him. He groaned and took my mouth in a hard and demanding kiss. Blue fire flowed out of him and caressed my face as his tongue became more insistent.
Our tongues twisted around each other as he pressed his hard body into mine and I opened my legs wide to accept him.
His cock teased my opening again and as he ground his hips back and forth. I matched my hips to his grinding and guided him. He knew what I wanted and when he thrust inside of me pleasure shimmered through my body.
Bliss scattered my thoughts as he thrust harder and deeper into me. I arched my back to to meet him. He grunted in delight as he rocked me harder and harder and I begged him to go deeper.
“It's nice to see you again, Sadie Bishop,” he whispered in my ear as he thrust harder and longer and deeper.
Electric tingles shot out from my clit in waves throughout my body. We moved in rhythm and I threw my head back as I felt myself clenching him even tighter inside.
I cried out as waves of orgasm hit me, sending me over the edge. Tendrils of fire exploded out of me and surrounded him.
I clenched his cock as hard as I could as his thrusting became frantic.
Then he gasped against my neck and climaxed inside me.
He slid off me and lay by my side as we both let our breathing and heart rates slow down. I felt the tip of his finger trace a bead of sweat from my neck across my still stiff nipple. He pulled my face to his and stared into my eyes.
“Sadie Bishop,” he said as his lips grazed over mine.
He hadn't pulled out of me yet and I felt him get hard again.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He knew what I meant. I closed my eyes and felt his tongue on my nipples again.
His thrusts were hard and insistent and sent us both over the cliff together.
The entire room was filled with light. It had turned purple from the blending of the red and the blue as our magic moved and danced as we had.
Afterward, we could only lay there embracing each other, our bodies spent and yet needing to be touching.
“I just want to eat you up,” he said and took a little nip on my neck.
I was still in a state of bliss and could only moan in response.
“Are you going to come again?”
“Depends on what you do with your tongue,” I teased.
He laughed and got to work with his tongue and fingers. He took my breast into his mouth and teased one nipple before moving on to the other. His fingers gently caressed my wet clit, barely teasing. He peppered me with kisses all the way to my opening, filling me with his fingers.
He licked the folds of my pussy ever so softly and I arched towards him.
Then he plunged his tongue into my opening and took my clit between his lips, licking, sucking, and fingering.
I cried out in release, another orgasm rocking me hard, my hips bucking against him.
I lay there barely able to move my arms and legs, fully spent.
“Sadie Bishop,” he drawled as he lay next to me.
“Cole,” I whispered. “You feel so good inside of me.”
Cole placed his long fingers on my belly and stroked me.
I couldn't speak.
“Where did you disappear to, Sadie?” he asked again.
“I told you,” I replied. “They took me.”
“Who took you?” he asked, concern creeping into his voice.
“I don’t know if I can talk about it,” I said. I was hoping to evade his questions and we could just go back to the state of bliss.
“Oh, you can’t talk about it?” Cole wasn’t going to let it go. “Where did you come from, Sadie? What did you do to me?”
“What did I do to you?” I nearly screamed. “You started all of this, Cole Trahern. Before you, I had no magic. Now look at me.”
He leaned into me, his eyes the brilliant cold blue I remembered from that night at the club.
“Look at both of us,” he said. “We need to talk about the magic.”
I glanced away, unable to hold his gaze.
“I was just a mage before you,” he continued. “I needed to use the conduit ring to generate energy for my spells like everyone else. I’m a different person now. I have real power.”
He paused, but I knew he wasn’t done.
“And here’s the other thing…” he said in a low voice.
The way he spoke made my heart drop and the warm feeling in my clit swelled again.
“My body needs to be next to yours,” he said.
I knew what he was going to say.
“When I'm not with you, I feel lost.” He punctuated every sentence with a kiss somewhere on my body.
“Like I’m missing a part of my own body.”
He kissed my neck.
“I have to be near you.”
He kissed my hip.
“I feel a pull bringing me to you.”
He kissed my shoulder.
“My skin needs your touch and warmth.”
He kissed my thigh.
“It’s a need that overwhelms me.”
He kissed my lips.
“I feel it, too.” I could hardly say the words in anticipation of his touch.
“What have you done to me, Sadie Bishop?” I heard him ask as I drifted off to sleep, my body and mind completely spent.
I woke up first almost an hour later and looked over at Cole sleeping soundly next to me. His chiseled face softened a little as he slept. I leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek. I felt the familiar ache rising in my body, but I resisted.
I had class in an hour.
I had missed breakfast and now lunch and hoped that Fergus and Declan had some snacks in the room. I dressed quickly and tiptoed out of the room, leaving Cole fast asleep.
I slipped out of his room and went four doors down to my new room. Way too convenient, I thought.
I raided Declan’s stash of cheese and crackers and took what I hoped wasn’t the last bottle of Fergus’ water. I was in and out of the shower within minutes. Then I dressed and hurried back out of the room, tiptoeing again as I walked past Cole’s door.
I’d been waiting for the History of the Faerie Folk class since I first saw it on my schedule. I had a nagging theory the magic the guys and I were experiencing had something to do with the Fae. So far, each of the guys was an heir to a Magic Council seat. What if they’d been cursed or something? What if what was happening was them doing it to me instead of the other way around like Cole obviously thought. I hoped the professor would be open to chatting with me after class about the manifestation of Fae magic. For research only, of course.
As I reached the main quad, a voice called out my name.
It was Alexis.
I turned to see her rushing toward me, her robes flowing out behind her.
“Sadie,” she said breathlessly. “Are you okay? I can't believe that Declan Longbane. Everyone knows hitting a sparring partner in the head is a huge no-no. I can’t believe Professor Krysz let him walk you back to the dorms.”
