Academy of Mages and Shifters 2

by Laura Wylde

  “Find out what they have discovered about the hell hound symbols and new portals,” I called after him just before he left. “I presume that they must have someone in there looking in to it.”

  I seriously hoped so. I wanted to know what we were up against. It was all well and good assuming that we could trust in the plan that they had for us, but we had been in too many dangerous situations. Evan had already been badly hurt and if it wasn’t for the love that I had for him, I wasn’t sure that I would have been able to heal him.

  Speaking of the love that I had for him, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about last night. Every time there was a quiet moment in my mind, I drifted back to it. To my sexy, sensual kiss with Trent, my second passionate kiss with Evan, my sweet, romantic kiss with Joshua, and the gentle at first, but later much deeper kiss that I had with Andrew as well. That wasn’t like me at all, I wasn’t sure what had gotten in to me, I was acting like a crazy drunk person who kissed anyone and everyone in sight, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. I felt a magnetic pull towards each of the guys, in different but equally strong ways, and it had become impossible for me to ignore.

  I didn’t even have any guilt this morning, even if I did feel a little strange. It was something that I felt needed to happen, just to get it out of our systems. All this talk about harems, plus the hotel rooms that the academy had put us in, made me think about stuff that I wouldn’t normally think about. This was why I was better at the academy when I had my studies to focus on.

  “I am going to take a quick run,” Evan suddenly declared, shaking me from my thoughts. “See if I can find somewhere nearby for us to camp. There is a cold chill in the air, and I think that we could use somewhere better to sleep tonight than in the tents. Somewhere warmer. I’m wondering if there might be any abandoned buildings.”

  “Why don’t I search with you?” Joshua asked with a grin. “I can fly in one direction; you go the other…”

  “Sure, that sounds really good. We can find somewhere quicker that way. We need four walls.”

  They discussed their plan for a little while, before taking off in opposite directions leaving only Andrew alone with me while Trent was on his call to the academy. So, without thinking too much about it, we took a seat on the rocks next to one another and watched the waterfall splashing like crazy in front of us.

  “It’s relaxing, isn’t it?” Andrew declared softly. “The water. I like watching it like this with you.”

  I leaned my head on his shoulder and shuffled closer to him. “What, just that comment? No facts?”

  He laughed and I joined in with him, noticing that the Andrew I was sitting with now was much more confident and happy than the guy he was when we first started on this trip. It had been good for him to spend time with me and the other guys. Even better, now that he seemed to be getting along with Evan. There was no more bickering and arguing, which could only be seen as a good thing. They could maybe even be friends…

  Possibly even more if my behavior last night was anything to go by…

  It seemed like Andrew was thinking along the same lines as me because within moments, he laced his fingers through mine. His touch sent a buzzing sensation through my body, lighting up my nerves like electrical sensors. I bit down on my bottom lip and glanced up at him through my eyelashes, wondering if it would be totally irresponsible if I tilted my head upwards and kissed him. I really wanted to, even if I knew that it was wild. I had already over stepped this line, so why not continue to enjoy it while we were on this trip? I wasn’t acting like myself anyway, so why not continue down that road for a bit longer?

  But it was shockingly him who made the first move. Much to my surprise, he was the one to connect us, to bring his mouth down on mine, and to dart his tongue between my lips. It was hot as hell for him to take control like this. I angled my body towards him and pressed up to him, wanting him to feel all of me.

  “Okay, so…” Trent’s words made us break apart as if we had been caught doing something wrong. I couldn’t stop the small giggle from breaking free as we both blushed brightly. This was crazy, I was going to have to get used to this if I was going to experience the harem life style.

  But thankfully, Trent continued as if he hadn’t seen anything. Whether that was true or not, I didn’t know.

  “The academy wants us to return back there tomorrow, so we can share our findings face to face and discuss what to do next. The professor didn’t actually say what they have discovered, but I think that’s what we need to find out when we get there.” He took a seat beside me and grinned. “So, hopefully either Joshua or Evan will find a place for us to sleep for the night.”

  “Evan seems dead against sleeping in the tents again,” I laughed, trying to make a bit of a joke about it. “So, I don’t think that he will stop until he does find us a place. I could use some warmth myself.”

  Both guys moved closer to me, to share their body heat with me, which made me feel better. Especially when they snaked their arms around my back, completely comfortable with sharing my attention. I guess they were more adapted to the idea of us all being a harem, even if we weren’t a typical one.

  It did feel nice though. I had to admit that. It was a nice sensation to have these guys caring about me so tenderly. It was something that I could get used to. But I felt guilty.

  “Oh, look!” Andrew pointed upwards towards a hawk. “Joshua is coming back.”

  As the other guys rose to their feet, I did the same thing with my heart hammering in my chest. The last time we were separated something bad happened to Evan so I couldn’t help worrying that the same thing would happen again. I wasn’t even sure why we had allowed them to go off on their own way. It was too dangerous.

  “Do you think that Evan will be back soon? I know they went different ways, but…”

  “I can hear him,” Trent jumped in. “Yep, he’s on his way back as well.”

  Every part of my body stiffened as I waited, very impatiently, for them and didn’t release any of that tension even when they stood beside us in human form, with Evan gushing excitedly about an abandoned stone cottage with a thatched roof that he had found. Perfect for us to sleep in for the night. So, without any hesitation, we followed Evan to where this place was. Trent talked about his phone call with the academy the entire time, which left the rest us off the hook from having to do anything other than walk and think…

  The fire roared in the middle of the cottage, making us feel warmer and happier. The atmosphere between us was a whole lot better as well.

  “You were right,” I said to Evan. “This is a wonderful place. The best since we have been on this journey.”

  “Better than the hotels, even?” he chuckled. “I don’t know about that.”

  It was though, to me, because we were all a lot more comfortable around one another, which we needed. We had been through so much together, there was no way that we could remain as awkward as we were. There was something there bubbling underneath the surface, something even stronger than friendship, and I liked it.

  “Come here.” All of a sudden, Evan seemed to notice the change in atmosphere as well and he was willing to roll with it. As he pulled me on to his lap and dragged my lips down to his, I went with it without thinking too much about it. I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to kiss him back too.

  Oh God, my heart damn near exploded in my chest. How had we not been doing this for years? How did I manage to avoid kissing him for such a long time when it felt this good? I wasn’t even sure what my thought pattern behind that was. There were logical reasons, I was sure of that, but I couldn’t focus on any of that right now. I was falling…

  This was dangerous, far more frightening than a simple hook up. There were a whole lot of feelings inside of me and with them as well, I just knew it, so this path was a frightening one … but I just couldn’t stop myself.

  My fingers knotted up in Evan’s hair and I lifted my ass upwards as Trent snuck up behind me and started to
trace his delicate touch all over my back and bare skin. I instinctively knew that he was heading between my legs and I ached for him to touch me there. I needed him, I throbbed for him, I couldn’t ignore the desire anymore. I had been trying to avoid going too deep and giving into temptation, but caving to this lust was what I needed now.

  Swimming in a pool of lust, I seemed to attract all the guys over to me, and they had their own ways in which they wanted to explore me. Tongues, teeth, lips, fingers… everything was everywhere, I felt like my whole body was engulfed in flames, every bit of me was licked up in lust and I couldn’t control myself. All my thoughts switched off and I became a slave to the phenomenal sensations crashing through my body. Of which there were so many. Oh my God, an incredible amount. Now I knew why it was the best idea to have a harem. Of course, I wasn’t experienced in any way, but I couldn’t imagine it ever feeling this amazing with just one man. I needed all of them. Just like in our friendship, they all brought something new to the table, something unique and exciting.

  Evan was passionate, eager, keen. Trent was tender and sweet, kind too, very gentle with his fingers. Joshua had the most incredible tongue that I had ever experienced. As he explored my body with it, I felt like I was losing my mind. Then with Andrew’s cautious methodic touching, checking that I liked everything he was doing to me, I was in heaven. I never wanted this to end, I wanted to remain in this pleasure bubble forever.

  Pleasure circled through my veins, it flooded me, controlled every part of my body, made me feel like a kinky freak. I was a sexual goddess, I knew exactly what to do to, and I loved it. Evan, Trent, Joshua, and Andrew were in sheer bliss, I could see it all over their faces, every time I touched them it drove them a little nuts which only drove intense excitement through my body. It was magical, I hadn’t ever felt this way before…

  Oh my God. And then the pleasure came for me, it shattered through my body. At least it felt that way, I wasn’t really sure what was happening anymore, it was more of an internal, overwhelming experience. Luckily, I had four wonderful men around me to hold on to me, to care for me, to look after me. Which was good because the pleasure didn’t seem to stop coming. It was a tsunami of endless waves.

  I had a feeling that this was going to go on all night long, that we wouldn’t get any sleep. Instead, we would use this strange abandoned cottage in Ireland with a roaring fire place to get all of these feelings out of our systems. I wasn’t done with any of these guys yet. I wanted to know every inch of them. If this was going to be the only night that we ever shared together, then I needed the best memories to take with me.

  So, instead of basking in the post orgasmic glow, I spun on to my front and pushed up to take control. The guys all looked at me like they knew what this was… the best night of our lives where we would go wild and lose our minds, and that for now, I was going to take complete control of it.

  What did we do? I thought to myself as I chewed down on my nail and anxiously paced up and down the room. The guys were still asleep, relaxed and calm, not in a mess about this at all, which only left me even more nervous. Why did we do that? What the hell was I thinking? Now, everything is so complicated…

  It was going to be awkward as hell, wasn’t it? There was no way that we could all act like nothing had happened because it had been happening all night long until the early hours of the morning, without stopping, for even a second. I now knew every inch of their bodies and them me. They had seen parts of me that I wasn’t going to show to anyone for a very long time… or I wasn’t planning to anyway.

  “Are you okay?” I nearly jumped out of my skin as Joshua’s soft voice shook me from my thoughts.

  “Er, yes, I was just…” A heat raced through my cheeks. Probably my whole body as well.

  “You look freaked out. Is that because…”

  I knew that he was going to mention last night, and I just couldn’t handle it. So, I jumped in and interrupted him rudely. “I am freaking out about this mission. It’s late, isn’t it? And we can’t just lie around sleeping all day. We need to get back to the academy …”

  “Okay.” Joshua nodded determinedly. “So, let’s wake everyone up and get going.”

  He was being calm and nice. Exactly what I needed him to be right now, and I couldn’t stop myself from getting a little choked by this. I wasn’t exactly on my best behavior because I didn’t know how to behave. I couldn’t even look Joshua in the eyes knowing how I had exposed myself to him only a few hours ago.

  “Yes, that might be a good idea.” I nodded in agreement. “Get back to normal life.”

  A tight knot sprung in my chest because I wasn’t sure what normal life would look like anymore, if I could even have a normal life. I wasn’t sure what the academy was going to mean for me anymore. It was weird.

  Bang!

  “What the hell was that?” I screamed. “Did you hear it? It was something outside.”

  There had been nothing outside last night, nothing at all. We had ensured that there was nothing before we came inside, so this was terrifying. My heart pounded in my mouth because it came with a dark feeling, the sensation that there was some evil magic clinging to the air, coming for me.

  Bang! Bang!

  I practically raced over to Joshua to cling to him, to have him protect me as the fear got the better of me. I practically dug my nails in to his shoulders which made him wince, but he didn’t shake me off. He rested his hand on top of mine and shot me a look which confirmed my worst fears. We were in trouble.

  Chapter 14

  Evan

  “What is it? What?” I demanded the moment Joshua shook me hard and woke me from my sleep. “Wait a moment.”

  “There is no waiting,” Felicia practically shrieked behind Joshua. “Something is here. Evan, help.”

  Bang, bang, bang. Bang, bang, bang. Bang, bang, bang.

  Those noises shook me and caused me to bolt to my feet. The cottage was in the middle of the woods, there wasn’t anyone around, I had made damn sure of that, so why the hell was there such a racket? Something didn’t feel right.

  “I’m going out there,” I muttered. “No way can I sit here and wait for whatever it is to come to me.”

  “No, wait…” Felicia’s scream woke the others up, but by that time I was out the door. I continued to race forwards and shook, trembled, and exploded free from my skin. I fell on all fours and pushed on, letting my animal instincts take over. There was something incredible about using my wolf talents to help other people. It made me feel worthwhile.

  Fuck. It didn’t take me long to recognize where the sounds were coming from, and the sight froze my blood for a moment. This wasn’t just one demon, like the one that attacked me, there were lots of them now, we were surrounded. Everywhere I looked there were more shadowy creatures, red slivers in between grayish light, black shapes of evil, edging towards us, closer by every moment. My heart pumped loudly, bashing against my rib cage, making me want to cave and give in to the panic. It didn’t matter how much I tried to convince myself that I was brave and could handle anything, but faced with this… well, I had to admit that I was way out of my league.

  My animal instincts, which worked for my survival alone, wanted to go back in to the house again, to see what the others thought about this, but I had to resist giving in to that. Those people inside needed me, they were relying on me, they saw me as their leader, the one who showed them the way, and running wasn’t an option right now. Not when we were totally backed into a corner. Those demons weren’t going to let us escape…

  All of a sudden, I felt an intense whoosh of wind brushing passed me. The sort of wind that could only come from wings, and sure enough there was Joshua, soaring in to danger whether it was the right thing to do or not. I wasn’t sure if he was being incredibly brave or a naïve idiot.

  But as Trent whizzed passed me as well, to join in with the fight, I knew that I needed to get myself moving. I knew that we had done a lot of reading and studying about demons i
n the academy, about what their strengths and weaknesses were, how we could take them all down, but all of that immediately raced out of my head. I couldn’t remember anything but to go with my instincts and do what was needed of me. So, I charged, and I bit, I used my claws and my teeth to take down the first demon that crossed my path. I used all of my energy to fight…

  What the…? I was more prepared for a physical fight, and hadn’t thought about what else the demon could do. Suddenly the world around me shifted and changed, becoming something completely different. Something white and bright, too hard for me to even see anything. I blinked a few times, trying to see what I could but there was nothing else…

  “Evan,” a voice whispered around me, almost from inside of me. I couldn’t tell where. “Stop this. You can stop this, and you must. There is nothing that you can do to stop what we are doing, so don’t fight it anymore…”

  “Who are you?” I barked with rage, the growling in the pit of my stomach coming out in my words. My words were almost like a howl. “What are you doing? Why have you brought me to this place?”

  “I am warning you. You need to know that everyone will die if you continue on with this.”

  Trent appeared as if by magic in front of me. Only he didn’t look like himself anymore. He had a black spike from one of the demons shooting through his throat, blood splattering everywhere. His eyes were wide open, his mouth parted in a terrifying scream, his limbs stiffened in position. He was clearly dead, but I couldn’t stop myself from pathetically yelling out his name, hoping that this was all going to turn out to be a trick.

  “Trent, no…” I cried out. “No …... don’t die. Trent, I need you. Why did you fight as a human?”

  But he didn’t, did he? I was sure that I had seen him running past me like a fox, but now my brain was too fuzzy for me to be sure that my memory was accurate and not something that I had invented to reassure myself.