by LJ Swallow
Ash moves and my lips tingle as he looks down at me, his arms propped on the ground above my head. "I spend a lot of my time wishing I could be alone with you. We never have the chance.”
I stroke the nape of his neck. “Then don’t stop kissing me.”
Our lips meet in a hard, hot kiss, tongues tangling as I pull him hard onto me so we’re closer. His fingers dig into my skin, exquisitely painful as his desire grows to match mine.
Ash’s passion fills with a devouring hunger as his mouth moves from my lips to the hollow of my throat, hard and insistent, his breath speeding. I’m more aware than before of the shifter power Ash holds back in the knotted muscle in his shoulders and how his insistent kisses become devouring. My heart races, but the power doesn’t scare me. Quite the opposite.
“Look at me, Ash.”
He trails softer kisses upwards before looking down at me. “Too far?”
I shake my head and wriggle against his touch. Biting his lip, eyes still fixed on mine, Ash shifts back and unbuttons the top of my dress. He takes his time, fingers grazing against my skin as he does, and the heat spreads through my blood. I moisten my lips and smile, a silent yes, continuing to unfasten the buttons for him.
“You’re beautiful, Maeve,” he murmurs, eyes heavy with intent.
Lowering his head, Ash presses his mouth against my skin, breath hot and laboured. His lips touch the top of my breasts, mostly hidden beneath lace, to my stomach, my sides, as if mapping my body with his mouth. He takes the soft noises I make as the need for more, as I move against him, beginning to lose awareness of where I am.
Ash slides a hand along my inner thigh and rests his large fingers respectfully away from moving too high, as he looks down at me again.
“Don’t stop,” I tell him. “I want to be with you and forget everything.”
His fingers tense against my thigh. “I’m not pushing the situation, Maeve.”
“You're not, Ash.” I move beneath him and he takes a sharp intake of breath.
Leaning forward, he slowly traces his tongue against my lips. “I’ve spent weeks dreaming about you naked, but I don’t think this is the right time and place.” He says the words as if telling himself, his voice thick with desire.
I slide my hand beneath his top and across the hard muscle. He's right, but after kisses like those, all I can picture is Ash in the changing rooms that time, only just covered by a towel. "I don't think there's ever a right time or place," I murmur. "Not in our lives."
His eyes darken and his fingers dig into my thigh. "Stop, or not?"
“Not,” I whisper.
Ash dips his head and kisses me again, attempting to be slow and gentle, but I grip his head and plunge my tongue into his mouth as his fingers move higher up my leg. Ash’s skilled hands explore me, but his light touches aren’t enough, and I dig my fingers into his muscled back, pressing myself against his hand.
Maybe Ash is correct, and on a blanket in the woods isn’t the best place for what we’re doing, but now I’m at this point I don’t want to stop. My body cries out for more from him, for Ash to give a part of himself to me, and me to him. For him to understand how deeply I feel.
The passion is bruising, and I’m lost in a secret world amongst the trees, far away from Blackwoods and the academy—from danger and fear. I’m with Ash, who brought me here to get away and now drags us further into an escape. After all the pain and confusion of the last few days, I want to chase the high and feel alive.
“Ash. Wait,” I murmur.
He stills his hand. “What? Stop?”
“This is the right time and place for me,” I murmur and trail a finger from his chest to his abs. “If you’re prepared.”
His brow tugs in confusion for a moment and I arch one of mine. “Oh.” Ash nudges my nose with his. “Would you be shocked that I am?”
I chuckle and stretch my arms above my head and his eyes drop to my breasts, mouth parting before his lids close. “You’re a bad influence, Maeve.”
“Good.”
I didn’t plan to take this final step with Ash, but my body and mind have been bruised over the last few days and his love for me not only drags me into a new place of pleasure, but also reaches into the dark places and fills them with light again. He’s tender and careful, kissing me with reverence and then with a devouring heat that fires through my body.
I abandon myself to us, to the sensations, as our bodies quicken against each other and our hearts speed up in unison. The strange hidden corner of the academy grounds keeps us wrapped in each other and the tree canopies could be a curtain to keep us safe. As I move with him, murmuring his name, I feel the tension in Ash and he stops, taking a long, ragged breath. I wrap my legs around his waist and urge him on.
The dappling light becomes brighter above me, dancing behind my eyes as I clutch onto him, spiralling away and into the blinding sunshine. I gasp out his name as I’m pulled to the edge.
“Look at me, Maeve.”
I blink away the dancing light and focus, body coursing with the need for him to continue. I look back at him and he mouths ‘I love you’ as he holds my shaking body close to his. Reality disappears but in the best possible way as I relax into the intense waves shuddering through me. Ash tenses before he buries his face into my neck.
We lie together, half-dressed and only half-aware of anything but each other, hanging on to our time alone on the edge of a world that wants to divide us, unified in a way that nobody can tear apart.
Chapter Thirty-Six
JAMIE
I spend two days protesting I'm well enough to leave the hospital and return to the academy before the doctor relents. My parents would rather I return home to heal, but I need to be back with my friends. I’m desperate to see and speak to Maeve and check how she is. I’ve seen her once since the night she escaped, and the memory is hazy thanks to my semi-consciousness.
I lost a fair amount of blood—almost too much. Thank god for hospitals with supernatural staff who can explain away suspicious wounds.
Luckily, I can't remember much and avoid traumatic memories. I recall sensing Maeve within Leon, and then others stemming the blood flow before unconsciousness hit me.
I text Maeve to tell her I’m returning today, and she waits with Ash on the academy’s front steps, her figure framed by the bright sunshine picking out the white gold in her hair. As she runs to me, Maeve pauses and her eyes go to the large square bandage on my neck, her mouth tugging down. I hold my arms out. "You can still hug me. It won't hurt."
Her face brightens and she flings her arms around me, holding me tighter than she has before. Ash watches and I nod at him over her shoulder. He nods back and approaches.
"Good to see you back, dude."
Maeve's bear-hug hold on me remains and I rest my chin on her head, inhaling the familiar soft scent and warmth. I don't care what happened to me; Maeve is safe and that's all that matters.
"How are you?" she asks and pulls away. "You’re pale. Should you be back at the academy yet?”
"I wanted to come back. How is everything? I'm sure the place is filled with rumours," I ask, eager to deflect attention away from myself.
"We were only away a night," says Ash, crossing his arms. "The only rumours are about Maeve and Tobias, and where they went for two nights.”
“Is he at the academy?” I lean against the wall to hide my weakness as my legs ache.
"Tobias isn't back yet." Maeve chews on her lip. There's worry in her tone. "He's with the Confederacy."
“With the members he works for?" I ask.
"Not sure. Nobody has heard from him." This time her voice cracks and I exchange a glance with Ash. Did something change when they were together at the house?
Ash puts his arm around Maeve's shoulders and pulls her to him. “Theodora told you, Maeve. Tobias is keeping a low profile, so it's best he stays away from us—you."
"I suppose."
But our bond tells me that Maeve misses Tobias
as deeply as I once sensed her miss Andrei—something definitely happened between them. Has she spoken to the others about her experience at the estate yet? When I held her, I couldn't feel any strong differences in Maeve, but there's a new edge to her. From the trauma or something more?
"Are the Confederacy coming to the academy?" I ask.
"Probably."
I wrinkle my nose. My parents know more than I’d like already. "Andrei? Where is he?"
"His grandfather took him away for a couple of days. Questions about his mother, I expect."
"And Amelia?" I ask. "Where’s she?"
"She stayed with the others," Maeve whispers. “And we haven't spoken to anybody about the people Amelia is with.”
I slump further against the wall, stunned by the news. “What? Why did she stay?”
"She doesn't want to leave Matt and he’s joining her soon.” Ash blows air into his cheeks. "You know Amelia was never happy here, even though she spent her time smiling at everybody. She felt she didn't belong. Was unworthy."
He's right; I lost count of the times I'd encourage Amelia when she struggled. Will her witchbond with Matt give her the confidence she needs? "And nobody knows where the group are headed?" I ask.
Maeve shakes her head. "No, but she told me she'd keep in touch now."
"I'd like to know more about Alaric and his mates,” says Ash gruffly. “They were too secretive.”
“Agreed. But they did help us save Maeve from the Blackwoods and didn’t ask for anything in return,” I say.
“If Amelia said she’ll keep in touch, she will, and maybe we’ll find out more,” says Maeve firmly.
She snuggles close to Ash, the way she did in the early days when I was convinced she only wanted him. Considering her ordeal, Maeve is bright, cheeks pink, and I silently thank Ash for bringing her back to us. The crap she's been through would be enough to damage the strongest person.
I set down my rucksack on the wall and push hair from my eyes. "I think the group knows more than they told us."
"For sure," replies Maeve. Her phone buzzes and her face illuminates further as she checks the message. "Andrei."
Maeve's interest in us evaporates as she ducks away from Ash and hops off the wall. I watch as she walks away, unable to take my eyes off her swaying ass. Hell, I love everything about this girl—her beautiful heart and soul, her tenacity and her goddamn gorgeousness.
With a sigh, I reach for the rucksack and haul it back onto my shoulder. "How’s Maeve?”
Ash glances after her. "Alright. She hasn’t spoken about what happened much and is either coping or pretending to. Maeve isn't physically hurt, anyway."
"How would you know? She could have injuries on her body. Runes even—what if they're tracking her?"
"Whoa. Calm down. No, there aren't any injuries or any runes.”
"How would you know? Have you seen her...?” I trail off at his goofy smile. Naked. "Oh. You offered her some physical comfort, huh?"
"Maybe once or twice. Anything she asks for." He winks and I roll my eyes. They’ve spent two days alone—I wish I had time like that with Maeve. I’m definitely planning that date as soon as possible, because she needs that normality now.
We walk up the steps and into the cooler hallway.
"Back to normal tonight, then. Classes and all that,” I say.
"Normal? No. Our first task is to figure out who's feeding info to Dominion. Someone is," retorts Ash. "We need more info on Vince too. Amelia said her group know little about him."
I pull Ash's arm until we're against a wall. "Shush. Whoever's at the academy on the inside for the Dominion will know what's happened to us. If we pay attention, someone inside the academy might slip up and mention something they shouldn’t know."
"My money is on Sofia," says Ash and glances around. "She's behaving oddly."
I shake my head. "She's always odd. Too obvious. I think Sofia is jealous of Maeve's powers, that's all. I’m more concerned about who else watches us. Such as those who tried to frame Andrei over the attack on Lorna.”
Ash slumps against the wall. "Man, this is complicated."
At the mention of vampires, my neck stings. There's no hiding this injury from anybody, since I'd look ridiculous and suspicious if I wore a scarf inside the classroom. I know Theodora will suggest I miss lessons, and I’ll refuse. If she bans me, I'll hide out in the library. I've research to do.
A grinning Maeve bounds up to us. "Andrei's back tonight. We can catch up properly." She links her arms through each of ours. "Let's celebrate. I'm in the mood for donuts."
Something in the knowing look between her and Ash intrigues me. What significance do donuts have to them?
“Donuts sound good,” I say. Maeve's genuinely happy and her aura has brightened further since she spoke to Andrei.
Once again, whoever strove to tear apart our unity failed.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
MAEVE
Since I returned from the Blackwoods, I’ve continued to sleep badly and by early evening I fall asleep in my room before lessons. Tonight, I fight this because I want to see Andrei before class, but I drift off.
I have another reason I want to stay awake—the nightmares. I've switched from a life never dreaming to having the worst imaginable; worse than visions. Even a nap like now brings them to me. This time I dream I'm running through the academy the same way I run through the Blackwood hallways, the walls closing in and stairs moving so I can't step on them. The heart beating in my ears becomes louder with each dream and grows to a deafening level as the nightmare continues.
A new knocking sound in my nightmare confuses me and I spin around, attempting to locate the source, but see nothing but the constricting walls.
But the heartbeat and knocking continue, the sounds out of sync with each other.
"Maeve! Wake up! We have class!"
Reality filters into my nightmare and I claw my way from the dream as Jamie raps on the door and calls me. Groggily, I prop myself up and check the time on my phone.
Crap, now I've no chance to catch Andrei before class. "I'll be five minutes," I call back. "You can come in."
As I splash water on my face in the bathroom, I hear the door open and close. In my room, Jamie stands, hands in pockets, eyes half-hidden by his fringe. My heart surges as I look at him. Earlier, I was relieved to see he’s okay, but something bothers me. I interrupted the vision of his death at the farmhouse and he lived, but the night triggered events that have changed everybody. Ash is mostly unscathed, but the situation with Vincent continues to haunt him.
I push Jamie's fringe from his eyes to see him more clearly. They're circled by dark marks and he's ashen-faced. Tiptoeing, I brush my lips against his. He makes a surprised noise and places his hand in the small of my back before gently kissing me back.
"That was a warm welcome," he says and strokes my hair.
"I've worried about you so much." I hug him again and he winces as I knock the bandage on his neck. "Sorry."
"I'm going to take this off," he says and begins to peel at the corners. My mouth parches. What does a vampire bite look like when healing?
How many people live to answer the question?
The purple and yellow bruising is more visible than the wound, but the injury is bigger than puncture marks. I hold a hand over my mouth as the attack flashes back in my mind. My mouth fills with acid.
No.
Not acid. I can taste the blood again. Sucking in a breath, I turn away so Jamie can't see my eyes tear. Why does this keep happening? Do I talk to Tobias about the weird side-effect from possessing Leon?
“Does the wound look that bad?" Jamie picks up a mirror from my nightstand and examines his neck. “I won’t be able to deny what this is, will I? Should I create a story that makes me a hero scarred in battle?"
"You are a hero," I say softly. "All of you risked your lives for me and Tobias."
Jamie wrinkles his nose. "Okay, how about I tell everybody that I met
a hot vampire and indulged in some fun that went too far?"
My mouth drops open. "Jamie!"
He chuckles. "Man, I'd love to see people's faces."
"A new reputation to replace the nerd label?”
“That might deflect attention from you."
"I bet some will think Andrei did this." I touch his neck, careful not to put my fingers on the wound.
"And I'll tell them he didn't," he says firmly and folds his finger over mine "How are you?"
I force my usual smile. "Fine. Mostly."
"Mostly? You can avoid talking to Ash, but I can read you're lying." He sits on the bed. "Were you hurt?"
"No. I told Ash—Nikolai Blackwood attacked me." Jamie's eyes widen. "But he didn't hurt me. He..."
I'll tell them all later, but I can't lie to Jamie. He'll hound me until I say something because he'll sense how tortured I am. "He's dead." My throat thickens and I fold my arms around myself.
Jamie's pallid face grows paler. "What happened?"
"Can we go to class?"
Jamie stands. “Maeve. You can't tell me that and expect to walk away from the conversation.”
Will telling somebody stop the nightmares? Pull the constant thoughts about Jamie's death from my head? “Fine, if I tell you, promise not to freak out.”
He nods but I doubt he’ll keep the promise. Staring at my shoes, I mumble the events of the night, again in sparse detail, tensing further with each word.
“Holy shit, Maeve. If you didn’t have a Dominion target on your head before, you do now. You killed a Blackwood.”
“Thanks for the encouraging news,” I mutter.
“No. Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” He hugs me to him. “All that matters are you’re safe and nothing hurt you. We'll protect you.”
"But the attack isn't what bothers me the most," I say quietly. "I don't understand why I acted the way I did."
He blinks. "Nikolai attacked you. This was self-defence."
My throat tightens. “Jamie. Do you feel Blackwood magic in you from wearing the pendant?”
