Deadly Truth

by Laney Powell

  “After you,” Silas stood back.

  I walked in and stopped.

  Matty bumped into me. “Hey, what’s up, Olivia?” He looked around and saw why I stopped.

  “What’s the hold up?” Jake asked.

  “I can’t close the door,” Silas said.

  We all stared. Caspian sat at the table closest to the door, surrounded by books. He looked up.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Can we move in so I can close the door?” Silas asked.

  I stepped forward, closer to the table. I heard the door click. “Why are you here?” I asked Caspian again.

  He met my gaze steadily. “I’m sorry I was not very kind when we spoke before.”

  “You think, dickhead?” Silas muttered.

  “You haven’t answered the question.”

  “I… can we speak alone?” Caspian asked me.

  “Maybe later,” I said. “Right now, no.”

  He closed his eyes briefly. “Very well. I accept your terms.”

  I blinked, not sure I heard right. “What?” I asked, sitting down next to him.

  “I cannot allow you to come to further harm. I need to help you. And I don’t want to fight this anymore. I want to spend time with you. I accept your terms.” Caspian opened his eyes and looked at me.

  The misery was still there, but it was lessened. The hope—well, that was about to bloom like flowers after the rain. He was just waiting for a little rain.

  I felt something, like the way you feel when you’re walking, and a gust of wind hits you. Whatever it was hit me, and I knew that something had, once again, changed. I sat up straighter, feeling stronger, more capable.

  “I’m so glad,” I said, putting my hand on Caspian’s. There would be time for us to be together later, to get to know one another. But for right now—he’d chosen us. Me. I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face.

  And like that, the tension in the room vanished. Each of the other three guys made the effort to pat Caspian on the arm as they took their seats around the table.

  For the next week, we spent every night in the secret lair. One of them always walked me back to my room, but all of us were tired. We were studying, the guys had rugby, and I was also working on ideas for Madame Karathos. I know she’d said she’d take care of it, but my mind wouldn’t rest. I didn’t like to be in the secret lair without at least one of the guys so I’d take books back to my room.

  On the plus side, they felt like they were building a solid spell to not only close but send the hellway back to wherever it had come from.

  “Hey,” I said as a thought hit me. “How can we use this spell on the hellway if it’s not visible? Do we need to call it up as well?”

  All four of them turned to look at me.

  “That’s a complete killjoy,” Silas said.

  “I don’t even know where we’d begin,” Caspian looked around at the books.

  “We didn’t think of this before?” Jake asked.

  Matty threw up his hands.

  That was me. The betraying fun killer.

  It was another week before we had spells together that we felt would not only open up the hellway, but then close it. The problem was, there was no way to test this out.

  I sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up. Not this time.

  Madame Karathos had a spell in place that seemed to be holding for Granby’s descendants, so after both of our spells were in a good place, I suggested that we take the next evening off.

  “We need it,” I said. “All of us have been busting our brains, and I don’t know about you, but I feel like burned toast.”

  “I like the way you think,” Matty pointed his pencil at me.

  “We could go to bed early,” Silas got a dreamy look on his face.

  “You win,” Jake said.

  “I didn’t really hear an argument,” I said, amused.

  “Exactly,” he said.

  Everyone packed up then, the mood far lighter than it had been since we began. I held back. As everyone moved toward the door, I touched Caspian’s sleeve.

  “Will you come and see me after dinner tomorrow?” I asked.

  “You don’t want to relax?”

  “I’d really like to spend some time with you not researching,” I said.

  He smiled, and it was so beautiful, I nearly fell back into my chair.

  “I’d like that as well.”

  The next day, I found that I couldn’t sit still. I loved all my guys, and now, I felt like we were all where we were supposed to be. I raced back to my room and showered before dinner, taking the time to dry my hair. Given how long it was this was an undertaking. But tonight, Caspian would be coming to hang out with me, voluntarily. I wanted to look good for whatever might happen.

  Caspian didn’t eat dinner with us, choosing to still sit with his fellow fae students. He looked over at me a few times, and I caught the glimpse of a smile, but he always turned away before I could get a full look.

  Matty, Silas, and Jake were all grinning. “We’ll see you tomorrow,” Silas said as we got up from dinner.

  “Yeah, we’re going to have to talk to Silverwood about a schedule,” Matty said.

  “Not it,” Jake said.

  All three laughed.

  “Night, Olivia,” Silas said. He hugged me.

  So did Jake and Matty.

  Then they were gone.

  I walked back to my room with Jade and Thalia, who were kind enough to not force me to talk. They knew how long this thing with Caspian had been going on.

  “Have fun,” Thalia said.

  “Don’t behave,” Jade added.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  I stared at myself in the mirror until I heard a knock at the door. My heart jumped into my throat. A last look at myself, and then I answered the door.

  Caspian stood in the doorway, with a smile on his face.

  “Come in,” I said.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Olivia

  “I’m glad you’re here,” I said, feeling a little shy. It was tough when the object of some pretty steamy daydreams showed up in front of you.

  “I am as well,” he said.

  “Why don’t you sit down with me, and let’s talk,” I said. I sat on the bed, scooting up toward my pillow. I curled my feet under me. “Come on,” I patted the spot next to me. “You can take your shoes off if you like.”

  He slipped off his shoes and sat next to me. His legs were so long there was no way he could do anything other than let them hang over the side of the bed.

  When he sat down, I took his hand. His long fingers threaded through mine, and I felt a thrill at his touch. It was all the more sweet because I honestly hadn’t expected to feel it again.

  “This wasn’t what I expected,” Caspian said.

  “What changed your mind?” I asked.

  “You don’t ask the easy questions, do you?” he replied.

  “The tough ones are the ones worth asking.”

  “May I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” I said.

  “What brought you to this choice? To create your own…” he stopped.

  “Pack?” I offered.

  “That’s a good way of putting it. You have created a pack of your own.”

  “Well, it’s because of what I am,” I said.

  “Are the witches in your family partial to polyamory?” he asked.

  “I’m adopted,” I said. This was another test. And now, I didn’t have the other guys to back me up.

  “Really? I didn’t know that.”

  “No one really does,” I said. “Only a few people that I trust.”

  “Am I one of those now?”

  “I think so,” I said. “My mother is a siren.”

  He was surprised. But he handled it well. “And your father? Sirens do not have male children.”

  “Right you are,” I said. “My birth father is a demon.”

&nb
sp; Caspian blinked. “This makes more sense than anything else I’ve been thinking.”

  “You’re taking this well,” I said.

  “Fae have both dark and light fae. It’s all part of being balanced. You can’t have one without the other,” he shrugged.

  “So why are you working so hard to help close the hellway?” I asked.

  “Because the hellway throws things out of balance. Its presence here is not natural.”

  “It’s also a giant pain in the ass.”

  “Does the Concilium know of this?”

  “No way. They don’t seem to be all that tolerant, I’m sorry to say.”

  He glanced at me, amused. “Did you expect they would be?”

  I sighed. “Let’s just say that I had higher expectations of them.”

  “And now?”

  “I assume the worst,” I said, rolling my eyes. “My interactions haven’t been all that positive.”

  “They do tend to be rather rigid in their thinking,” Caspian commented.

  “You’re all good with this?” I asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I be? Your parentage may be what the Concilium says is a negative, but all your actions, from what I have seen, are positive. You’re trying to help.”

  “I can’t let people get hurt because of me.”

  “Why is this because of you?”

  I told him then, of the leading siren families, the siren queens, as Silas called them. Of the Arabethym Stones, and how our families carried the burden of them.

  “I’m sorry,” Caspian said. “Fate can be cruel.”

  “It wasn’t fate, it was the damn gods,” I said.

  “They are often the same,” he replied. “So your mothers will pass this responsibility to you, and then you will bar the demons from earth?”

  “That’s the plan. But we need to deal with the hellway, and keep Marbys from constantly bothering my school,” I said.

  “Even without your family responsibility, you carry a heavy burden.”

  “Yeah,” I sighed.

  He let go of my hand and slid an arm around me. “I am going to help you, Olivia.”

  I let my head fall onto his arm, inhaling his rainy, moonlight smell. “I’m glad you’re here,” I said again.

  “As am I. Would I be pushing it if I asked if I could kiss you? I very much want to,” he breathed. There was so much hope on him that it was practically a physical thing.

  “I thought you would never ask,” I replied, reaching for him.

  This time, when his lips touched mine, it wasn’t in anger, or frustration, or anything other than happiness, pleasure at being together. His lips were soft, but firm, and he kissed with purpose.

  That described Caspian to a tee, I realized. He acted with purpose. He was deliberate and thoughtful in his actions. I was delighted to be the focus of that thoughtful, deliberate purpose.

  He turned toward me and deepened his kiss. One of his hands reached up to touch my cheek, the softest of touches, and then trailed into my hair.

  “This is so beautiful,” he murmured against my lips. “Like the wing of the raven when it flies in the moonlight.”

  I was going to die of swooning before we ever got to anything else. That would be a compliment at any point, but from a guy with hair like Caspian’s? I smiled as he kissed me.

  His fingers came up to touch either side of my mouth. “I love to feel your smile. It’s even better than seeing it.” Then his hands cupped my face, tracing along my jaw. The tips of his fingers were smooth, questioning.

  They drove me wild. I ran my hands into his hair, wanting to feel if it was as silky as it looked. It was.

  I scooted closer, and Caspian’s hands dropped down to my hips to pull me into his lap. It was evident that he wanted me, and quite badly. The thought made me so happy.

  “This is not necessary,” Caspian murmured against my lips as his fingers traced my face, and then down to my breasts. “I am pledged to you, Olivia.”

  “It’s very much necessary,” I objected. “You’ve been kissing me all over the school. I think I’ve waited long enough.”

  He laughed, a full rich sound. “I’m glad to hear that.” Then he kissed me again, and there were no more words.

  As I sat in his lap, he peeled my shirt off. He kissed the tops of my breasts and then back to my lips. He seemed to love to stroke my hair.

  I eased out of his lap, and he took off his shirt. Caspian was pale, but not like sickly pale. More like creamy. He was also very well defined. His muscles had muscles. When he moved his arms, I could see his chest and sides move, muscle by muscle.

  He was delicious.

  His kisses trailed down my neck once more, and I leaned back in his arms. My hair draped over his arm, and one of his hands moved through it. I was stretched out in his lap, and I felt like one of those women from the Renaissance paintings who lounged on beds, looking like they didn’t have a care in the world. I felt beautiful, in his arms. In his eyes.

  Caspian eased himself toward the bottom of the bed and stood up. He watched me as I rolled over, stretching my hands over my head.

  His eyes were hooded, lowered, and his lips were full and swollen from kissing. He undid the button on his pants, sliding them down his legs.

  Caspian didn’t believe in underwear. I could get behind such a thing. His cock sprang free, and when he was fully naked, he just stood up, looking down at me.

  “You are lovely,” his voice was low and raspy.

  “I think I need to lose the rest of my clothes,” I pushed myself up.

  “A fine suggestion,” he agreed.

  I got up and was out of my pants in an instant, and then we were both naked.

  His eyes traveled up and down my body, again, hooded by his eyelids, and I couldn’t make out his expression, or what he was thinking. Unlike most people here, Caspian kept a barrier up between himself and the rest of the world. Now that he wasn’t blasting misery, I could look at him and not really get a sense of what he was thinking.

  His body gave him away, I thought with a slight smile.

  His hand came down and brushed my cheek, and he bent down to kiss me with incredible tenderness.

  “Come back to bed with me,” I whispered.

  “I plan to,” he responded immediately. “I’m just marveling at my good fortune to be here with you.”

  “How funny. I was thinking the same thing.”

  His lips came down onto mine and he kissed me as though he wanted to know every inch of me intimately. “Let me worship you,” he said.

  That kind of took me aback. His words, his voice, were intense.

  “Please,” I said.

  He scooped me up and carried me to the bed, even though it was only a few feet. When he laid me down, he was tender. His hands ran down my body, brushing against my breasts, and down my stomach. Then he caressed my legs, all the way down to my feet.

  “I have dreamed about this,” he said.

  “So have I,” I replied before I even thought about it.

  “I want to spend hours with you but…” he bit his lip and stopped.

  “But?” I asked.

  “I’m afraid that my willpower is not up to the challenge,” he admitted.

  “You mean you’re dying to get to the main act?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “Desperately.”

  “We have all the time you want,” I said. “For right now, why don’t you come here?”

  He was still, and then he was on top of me, kissing me fiercely. His hands traveled all over, making me feel like he had more than two hands. Then he settled himself between my legs, and I felt the warmth and hardness of his cock, seeking entrance.

  I didn’t want to wait any longer. I spread my legs wider and arched myself toward him.

  Caspian eased himself into me, his eyes closing as he did so. This moment where our bodies joined—I felt a sense of completion, a sense of rightness—and it was the best thing I’d ever felt.

  Caspia
n propped himself on his elbows, his hands on my face. He kissed me as he moved in and out of me. His movements were slow, steady, and measured. I could feel that he was maintaining control, but that he was tightly coiled. His control was a narrow wire.

  With each stroke into me, I arched up into him, wanting more, wanting to push him over his tight edge of control, but his ability to keep it together was stronger than I anticipated.

  I liked it.

  Slowly, carefully, we moved higher together. I could feel his heartbeat next to mine, feel the slickness of his body where I grasped his hips.

  He leaned his forehead into mine, speaking in a language I didn’t understand. “Allae utae a’plyae,” he whispered.

  I kissed him. I didn’t understand the words, but I understood the sentiment.

  Something snapped in Caspian and his movement inside of me became faster, his strokes harder, deeper.

  “Oh, yes,” I breathed.

  His chest pressed into mine. No space, no distance existed between us. His lips were demanding everything from me, and I gave it willingly. It was if there was nothing else but the two of us, right here, right now. There was no one else.

  “Oh!” I cried out and his kisses took my cry as his own. We dropped into a well of stars and light and space, and there was nothing but Caspian and me.

  When I came back to the world, he was still on top of me. I wrapped my arms around his midsection—well, I tried. I couldn’t get my arms all the way around him.

  He picked his head up. His eyes were shining, and I could feel the happiness bubbling over from him. “Thank you,” he said formally.

  “I think I should be thanking you,” I said.

  He laughed quietly. “That was all that I hoped for.”

  “And more,” I said.

  We kissed some more, and then he eased off me. We ended up cuddled in bed together, Caspian running his hand absently through my hair.

  “What changed things for you?” I asked, from where I curled into his arm. Even now, he smelled like rain. “And what did you say?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Every time we ran into each other, you acted like you hated me.”

  Caspian sighed. “It’s not a short story.”