In fact, I even text Sage first.
“Damon, what do you think about going on a double date with me and Zoth and Bay? I want to prove her innocence and nail his ass if he’s the guilty party. What do you say?”
I waffle and hesitate before finally pushing send. Ridiculous, right? Because I already sent Sage the warning text.
A few seconds pass before Damon responds.
“I’ll do it.”
“On one condition,” he adds.
There’s no other text.
“What’s the condition?”
“I get at least a kiss out of it.”
I giggle and cover my mouth. Orchid sighs and rolls over, still asleep.
“Let’s see about that. It’s going to take some heavy duty convincing to get Bay to believe this isn’t a setup.”
“All the more reason for us to kiss.”
I shake my head even though he can’t see me. “You’re taking advantage of the situation.”
“Can you blame me?”
“No.”
"Well, then?" I can just picture his cocky grin as he sent that. "Do we have a deal?"
I sigh. “Maybe.”
“Maybe isn’t good enough.”
“Damon, now isn’t the time for fun and games.”
“Maybe I’m a man dying of thirst, and you’re the tall glass of water I need. I’m parched here, Rosemary. Let me drink you up.”
I read and reread his text. It’s corny, which isn’t like him, but then I think about something Bay told me about this past break or the break before, about guys kissing and licking down there, and suddenly, I am very, very wet.
Embarrassed but very turned on, I rub the back of my neck. Would he let me pick where he gets to kiss me?
No! Bad Rosemary! I can't believe I'm even thinking about this. It's absurd. It's wrong. I wouldn't dare ask Damon to do this in front of Sage, so it should be off the table.
I wrinkle my nose and text back, “Fine. One kiss. On the lips. Nowhere else.”
“I just woke up my roommate from laughing so hard. Where else were you thinking about me kissing you?”
“Damon.”
“Your neck?”
“Stop.”
“Your breasts?”
“I would’ve thought you would call them boobs.”
“Nipples?”
I don’t respond.
“Between your legs?”
I inhale sharply.
"If you want me to kiss your lips, I'll kiss your lips, but just realize that you didn't specify which lips."
“Damon, you know full well which lips I meant!” I’m so glad no one is awake to see how red I am right now.
“Relax. You don’t have to worry. I won’t do anything to betray your honor, and I won’t push the envelope. When you want me to kiss you somewhere other than the lips on your face, I will gladly comply, but I won’t go further than you want. I vow.”
A warmth spreads throughout me. A vow. Fairies can’t break a vow, just like we can’t lie. Yes, he’s part demon, but I just know he won’t break his promise.
“Sage isn’t the happiest with this idea,” Damon sends.
I check to make sure Sage hasn’t gotten back to me yet. He hasn’t, so I send him a quick text, “I’m sorry. I just can’t think of anything else.”
“Just be careful and know that if anything happens to you, I will kill Damon.”
“You won’t have to worry about Damon. He’ll behave.”
“I don’t know if I’m more worried about Damon or you.”
“What do you mean?” I’m so confused.
“Zoth. He might see Damon as a threat.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I’m sure you didn’t,” Sage sends to me, and then he sends this to our group chat, “Just be careful. Both of you. Watch your hands and your mouth, Damon.”
“I make no promises,” Damon sends to us all.
I just shake my head. Boys will be boys.
As soon as I wake the next morning, I call and text Bay until she finally caves and answers.
“What the hell do you want?”
"To let you know that I made my choice about the boys."
Silence.
“Damon, in case you’re interested. Oh, and I might have mentioned to him that you had been begging for a double date, and he knows we’ve been… at odds, so he convinced me to call you and see if we can get together. A double date. The four of us. What do you say?”
“I don’t know if I want to deal with you and your drama right now,” Bay says sharply.
"What? No drama. I… Bay, I'm sorry. I don't know if it'll make you feel any better, but I told a guard I would let them use telepathy on me, and they wouldn't let me. I want the world to know we aren't involved, and I thought that would be one way to do it, but it's not my place to have asked. I'm sorry. I really am. I'll say it every day if you want, every hour, every minute—"
“Fire and brimstone, do you know how to breathe?” Bay laughs, sounding so much like her old self that I giggle.
“I do know how to breathe.”
“Hmm. How good of a kisser is Damon?”
“Amazing.”
At least he is in my dreams.
“I’ll consider the double date,” she says.
“Consider?”
“Well, I need to know that you and Damon are serious.”
“Oh, we are.”
“More than just your words,” she says dryly.
I grin. “You want proof?”
My gaze shifts to the window. Just as I saw out of the corner of my eye, Damon's hovering outside.
“Give me a sec,” I tell Bay, and I hang up. I fly out the window and kiss Damon. I only mean for it to be a short peck so I can snap a pic, but he wraps his long arms around me, drawing me close. My lips open in shock, and he probes his tongue into my mouth. I relax against him, giving in, and my toes curl. I can feel his arousal against me, and it’s all I can do to cling to his broad back so that my hands don’t wander to places they shouldn’t.
When I pull away, I’m dizzy and out of breath.
"If I only get the one kiss, it is going to be a damn good one," he says with a beam, his dark eyes glittering.
“Good enough, I suppose,” I say, trying to get my racing heartbeat to slow. I check my phone. The pic is a good one. You can even see a bit of tongue. “Bay will love this.”
Damon chuckles. “You’re so bad.”
“I can be when I have to be.”
“What about when you want to be?”
“Then to,” I tell him as I send the pic to Bay.
“You two need to get a room,” Orchid calls, “and not this one!”
Damon and I burst out laughing.
“FIRE AND BRIMSTONE, YOU TWO ARE DATING!” Bay sends me.
“I told you,” I text back.
“Double date. Two nights from now. Zoth’s place. Eight. Don’t be late!”
“We’ll be there.”
I tuck my phone away and smile up at Damon. “Are you ready?”
“To be your boyfriend? Yes.”
“To pretend to be my boyfriend?”
“If I must.”
“For now at least, you must pretend. Don’t ask me for more. Not now. Not until after.”
“I understand.” He brushes my hair back. “I even understand why you might have feelings for that Sage guy.”
“He’s not so bad, huh?”
“Maybe not. Now, we need to talk.”
“About?”
“Your sister is going to want to know all of the juicy details about how we finally got together, what sexy act of mine got you to agree to be with me. Important stuff.”
“Fine. Let’s get our stories straight, but I get veto power.”
“When will you learn, Rosemary, that sometimes power isn’t everything?” he murmurs.
“You prefer the thrill of the chase?” I ask, suddenly cold.
“Not at all. I jus
t think that give and take is the way to go, that no one person should hold all of the power at every second. Now, if you want me to cuff you to the bed and have my way with you, then yes, I will gladly accept all of the power there. But if you want to cuff me, I would give you that power in return. Give and take.”
Just the image of Damon naked and cuffed to a bed has me swallowing hard. I can't help looking at his tented pants and recalling the swallow or spit question Cosmo asked me.
I have a feeling that I might find out the answer to that question very soon.
That is, if this double date can help us land a killer.
The only question to be answered then would be whose would I swallow or spit?
Chapter 27
Two nights later, Damon can't stop staring. I'm wearing a low-cut black dress. The crescent moon pendant is nestled just above my cleavage, drawing the eye there. Purple wisteria flowers are entwined in my hair, braided like a crown encircling my head with a few strands pulled loose in the front to frame my face.
“You look amazing,” he says, his gaze roving over my body.
I take a moment to stare at him and drink in the sight of Damon wearing a white suit. It looks positively delicious on him, the contrast of dark and light not lost on me in the slightest.
With a smile, I work one of the flowers free and place it in his pocket.
“There, now we’re ready,” I say, spreading my hands on his shirt to get rid of an imaginary wrinkle.
Damon winks at me and holds out his arm. I loop mine through, and off we fly to Zoth’s.
The entire way, we laugh and joke around. It helps to settle my nerves, and I am so glad I’m not doing this along.
When we arrive, Damon pulls me close. He just stares into my eyes, and I swear I know what he’s thinking.
That he would die to protect me.
I pat his cheek and roll my eyes, grinning all the while.
It won’t come to that.
The door opens.
“Aw, you two look so good together!” Bay beams, and she ushers us inside, acting as if we never ever fought.
She directs us to the dining room, where Zoth is already sitting at the table. He barely looks at me, which suits me just fine.
“Zoth, Rosemary and Damon are here,” Bay says, flying over to the demon.
He glances up at her and yanks her to him, kissing her fiercely, possessively. It’s uncomfortable to watch.
Damon snorts and wraps an arm around my waist. He makes no move to kiss me, but if it’s necessary, I’ll let him.
I look up at him. He nods, but his gaze remains focused on the other couple.
Finally, Bay pulls back. Her lips are swollen, and she pats her hair. She's wearing a bra and a miniskirt, and a black lace material covers her abdomen. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, wavy and luscious.
“Let’s sit and eat,” she says. “Then maybe we can play a game or watch a movie or whatever you two want.”
I grin. “That sounds wonderful.”
Throughout the meal, which features a bunch of tremendously spicy dishes like nothing I've ever had before, which makes me wonder if they're demonic dinner options, Bay talks and talks. Damon and I converse with her, but Zoth says next to nothing, which isn't like him.
He’s suspicious.
He’s wary and watchful.
He’s onto us.
That doesn’t stop me, though. Damon and I have a plan, and I have to follow through.
Telepathy.
I need to get into Zoth's mind without him realizing it.
The only issue? I haven’t been able to at all. His mind is like a solid brick wall. There’s no penetrating it.
Finally, I heave a sigh and place a hand on Damon’s wrist. “Maybe it’s time to start a movie now?”
He glances at me, searching my face, and then shakes his head. “I have a better idea.”
What? No. We figured before we came that Bay might suggest a movie. That was code for I can’t get a read on him. If I suggested we leave, that would’ve meant I found something. We’re in danger! Finally, if I made some kind of joke about Sage, it would’ve meant I found something. He’s not the killer.
“What’s your idea?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound pained.
Damon winks at me and then Bay. “How about some fae nectar?”
I gape at him, not at all amused. In fact, I’m downright shocked and appalled.
Bay’s thrilled, though, and even Zoth seems eager to try some. Damon chatters them both up as he fills one, two, three, four glasses. Zoth downs his immediately, and Damon eases my untouched glass toward him as he refills Zoth’s.
Damon then picks up his and drinks. No, wait. He pretended to drink. The half-demon nods. At me?
A knot forms in my stomach as I pick up my glass, but Zoth growls.
“That’s mine,” he says, his words slurring already.
“That’s fine. I’ll just share Damon’s.” I ruffle Damon’s hair and kiss his cheek before taking his glass and pretending to sip. The scent of the drink, though, is intoxicating, and I start to open my mouth.
Damon takes it away from me. “Don’t drink it all,” he says lightly.
I blink a few times and furrow my brow at him. He just shakes his head.
In no time at all, Bay and Zoth are drunk. It’s funny at first but then grows sadder and sadder as they can’t stop laughing and can’t even get out the words they want to say. Finally, after this drags on far too long, they pass out.
"Now," Damon murmurs. "Who knows how long this'll last?"
“Are they okay? I didn’t know fae nectar could affect a demon like this.”
“It’s not quite fae nectar,” he mumbles. “Later.”
I eye him, but he’s right. We can discuss that later. For now, I have a job to finish.
It’s one thing to use oneirokinesis. Dream infiltration is relatively simple, but it doesn’t always mean you can control the dream. That’s why the dream had been so jerky and disorientating when Bay tried to control mine. It needs a more subtle touch, and I think a bit of telepathy might help.
He’s dreaming about fucking Bay, which is not something I want to see at all, so I tap into his subconscious to have Bay fall asleep in the dream just like she had in real life. Zoth is a bit put out, and now is when I tease his subconscious again, having him think about her classes.
And her professors.
Abruptly, the dream shifts, this time because of his guided subconscious, and I watch him talk at this very table with Bay about her classes. When she mentions Illumination, he growls, his upper lip curling back to bare his teeth.
Hmm. He’s angry about the course. Why? Does he not like that she’s taking Illumination? Does he not want her to be able to see to her true self?
Because she isn't as dark as she pretends to be, maybe?
“Professor Luna,” I guide dream Bay to say.
Instantly, the dream shifts again. Now, Zoth is outside a building, waiting, watching. He lingers there until someone leaves. Oh, it’s the office building of the professors! And he’s following Professor Luna!
Before she can reach the front gate, Zoth whistles. She turns to look, and his hand reaches out. His fingers are claws, and he rips his hand down her front. Abruptly, he pulls his hand out, and he rips out her heart. Professor Luna falls to the ground, her eyes glassy, and Zoth lingers above her and eats her heart.
Terrified by what I saw, I force myself to exit his mind, to stop infiltrating his dream. He’s asleep yet, dreaming about killing her, his mouth moving as if he is right now chewing on her heart.
Chapter 28
To say I’m disturbed is the truth, and I feel as white as a ghost as I make eye contact with Damon. He grabs my hand and announces loudly, “Thank you for the food, but we should get going now.”
Bay stirs slightly.
“We’re going now,” I tell her, releasing Damon’s hand and flying over to her.
“Going?” she asks, slurr
ing the word.
“Damon and I are going to get going. Will you come back to the cottage tomorrow? I… I have some questions.”
“About?”
I lean forward and whisper, “Swallowing or spitting.”
Her eyes widen. “You want to ask sex questions.”
“Hush!” I giggle and cover my mouth.
Bay covers hers, laughing loudly despite her hand. She glances at Damon and waves her other hand. “Go away. Girl talk about dicks.”
"Bay, later," I press. "Tomorrow."
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes, tomorrow we’ll talk about… dicks.”
“Okay. Promise?”
I heave a sigh. “I—”
“Make a vow,” she slurs.
I force a grin and grit my teeth as I say, “I vow.”
I shoot over to Damon, and we fly out of there. Bay’s giggles follow us out.
“I so want to hear your conversation about dicks tomorrow,” Damon says with a laugh.
“Oh, hush! And maybe she won’t remember come the morning.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll remember, and you’ll have to call and start the conversation if she won’t.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Ugh!”
“What did—”
“Not now.”
Unlike earlier, it’s a quiet flight back to campus. Once we cross over, I turn to Damon, but he yanks on my hand and drags me down to some bushes, his body on top of mine.
“Get off.” I try to shove him away, but he presses down all the more on me. His hand covers my mouth, and I’m getting really pissed off when I hear a voice.
“I thought I saw something.”
“There’s no one here.”
I go still, and Damon smirks at me. After a moment, he sits up and holds out a hand.
I ignore it and sit up. “That was close.”
He nods. “We’ve gotten lucky so far, but luck always runs out.”
“You first. Go to your cottage.”
Damon shakes his head. “I’m flying you to yours, and you’re telling me what you saw.”
“Damon…”
The bush parts, and Cosmo eyes us. “Well, well, well.”
I push Damon away. “It’s not what you think.”
Cosmo lifts his eyebrows. “It better be what I think it is, or else you two have some serious explaining to do.”
Light Fae Academy: Year Three Page 13
