by Marie Mistry
I smiled. “Maybe I just wanted to hear it for myself.” I turned back to my book, amused by his sudden change of tune.
Evidently, Jin was done with sleeping for the day, because he slowly shifted upwards, carelessly shoving the his hair out of his eyes. “Did your horns get bigger or something?” he asked, taking out a set of headphones and tucking them in his pocket. He then removed Doughnut from his perch on my knee, and gently dropped him onto the table, scooping out a few raisins from his pocket and placing them in front of the sweet, little rodent.
The rat happily started nibbling away, and Jin turned his attention back to me.
“So?” he pressed.
“Yeah,” I said, “they did.”
“Cool.” He paused, then looked at my book. “What are you reading?”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you have some sleeping to do?” I asked, bluntly.
“If you’re concerned I’m not getting enough sleep, why not cuddle up with me to make sure?”
I resolved to ignore him, instead trying hard to focus on the dull text in front of me.
“Jin!” A raucous male voice interrupted whatever other distractions Jin had for me, and I looked up to see a brawny guy jogging over towards us in the uniform of the college lacrosse team. The Pride crystal on his forehead glimmered starkly against his dark skin under the dim library lights, drawing my eyes into his honest, friendly face.
“Kain.” Jin smiled, but it looked slightly strained. “I’m a little busy.”
Kain looked at me as if only just noticing that I was there, even then he didn’t really pay me much mind. “Sorry,” he apologised. “What’s your name, Sunshine?”
I frowned. “Lilith Carazor, Lust.”
Kain smiled. “Kain Zenunim, Pride. You must tell me; how did you get Jin to let you on his sofa? He won’t budge even one inch for me.”
“Doughnut likes her,” Jin replied with a shrug. “She has horns.” He shrugged again. “She’s also sexy as hell, which you’ve clearly noticed because you’re blinking your puppy dog eyes at her.”
Kain didn’t even bother to deny it, instead giving me another long, appreciative once over before turning to Jin. “Not that I don’t completely understand your absence, given your company, but the team needs you for practice.”
“I have combat next period,” Jin retorted. “You know I only do evening practices.”
“But the championship game is tonight,” Kain pleaded, his face the very picture of puppy dog eyes on a human.
Jin leaned back into the sofa, and Kain cursed. “You’re picking the opportunity to flirt over the bonds of lacrosse brotherhood,” he complained. “The team needs you.”
When that avenue of approach completely failed on Jin, he looked to me. “Do you like lacrosse?” he asked me, turning his big, chocolate puppy dog eyes on me.
I shrugged. “I don’t know anything about it.”
Kain looked at me as if I’d grown a second head.
“Come watch us play tonight,” he insisted.
Jin stood up suddenly. “Oh, stop pestering her,” he complained as if he hadn’t been doing the same a few moments earlier. “I’m coming already.”
Kain grinned. “You know you’re the best,” he told Jin. “I mean it, Sunshine, come watch us tonight. The match is at eight. I’ll tell them you’re my VIP invite if you promise to cheer for us.”
I raised a single eyebrow. “I’ll consider it,” I mumbled as Jin picked up his bag and headed out from behind the table.
“Yes!” Kain grinned again, a mischievous glint in his eye that I didn’t trust. Jin elbowed him before I could examine the situation further.
“That was a ‘maybe’ not a ‘yes’, idiot.”
“It was.” Kain looped an arm over his friend’s shoulders and pulled him from the library. “See you there, Sunshine!”
Both of them had grins on their faces as they disappeared, racing one another down the hallway and almost crashing into other students with their antics.
I sighed, kicking my feet up onto the sofa and focusing on the dry etiquette book. A few scuffling sounds later, I realised that Jin had left Doughnut behind, and the little rat was quickly running out of raisins.
I looked up at the empty door to the library, and then down at the rat.
“Shit,” I muttered, knowing that the two would be long gone. I looked down at the little rodent. “Well boy, I guess we’re going to have to go to a lacrosse game to give you back.”
To my surprise, Doughnut was a generally silent and easy-going companion for the rest of the day. For the most part, he stayed curled up in my blazer pocket asleep until dinner when I fed him discreet crumbs from my soup roll and some raw veggies from my salad.
“Erm, Lilith, we have vending machines. There’s no need to smuggle salad back to the dorm in your pockets,” Lulu announced from her spot next to me whilst fixing her bright red lipstick in a tiny compact mirror.
I knew she’d only noticed my actions because all the available men and women at the table had left, leaving her with only Aeron, Nelly and myself for company. She invariably became better company when in a smaller group, for the simple reason that there were less people for her to use for power. The stress of this term’s workload was demanding on all of us. The other week I’d even caught Nelly giving Ryon a blowjob under the table, because she’d used up everything she had in a challenging combat class.
“I’m not smuggling salad,” I retorted. “Sharax left his rat in the library today. I’m feeding it till I can give him back.”
“Jin Sharax?” Aeron’s head, previously buried in his book, snapped up.
“Yes.” I smiled. “We were talking in the library today, but his friend, Kain, came to get him for lacrosse practice and he forgot poor Doughnut.”
“Kain Zenunim?” Aeron clarified, agitation clear in his tone.
I raised a brow, wondering what the problem was. “Yes. Do you not get along or something?”
“They’re rivals,” Lulu stage-whispered, conspiratorially at me. “All three of them are in Professor McKinnax’s combat classes.”
“They’re also giant flirts,” Nelly muttered. “Well, Sharax more than Zenunim, but the two of them have shared more than half the girls in Vice.”
Lulu sighed happily, making me certain she was part of that statistic. “What a night. Don’t let her grumpy words fool you, Lilith. She’s just angry they wouldn’t do a repeat with us. That’s just their way, they don’t have the same girl twice.” She shrugged in an understanding way, and I guessed if anyone would be understanding of that kind of behaviour it would be Lulu.
I grimaced. “Well, at least Jin’s rat is cute,” I muttered.
“That thing is feral,” Aeron disagreed, looking at my pocket with concern. “I don’t understand how it’s not biting your hand off.”
“He’s a sweetheart to me.” I shrugged, smuggling a tiny piece of cucumber into my pocket where it was greeted by a little squeak. “But I’m giving him back to Jin at their game tonight.”
“Is one of us going with you?” Aeron asked.
I frowned. “No I was going alone. I’m alright for power, since I haven’t used any today. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like it. They’re massive flirts.”
I smirked. “So is half of our caste, Aeron. I can deal with it.” I kissed him soundly on the lips. “I know who I belong to,” I whispered against his mouth.
“I’ll get Daron to walk you there, just in case there’s trouble,” he insisted. “He needs the break. I’m pretty sure his eyes have fused to the screen of his monitor.” Aeron looked through the assembled tables towards where Daron sat alone, caught his attention and waved him over to us.
I sighed but relented. “Only if he’s not busy,” I asserted, watching my other mate weave between tables to join us, sliding in on my other side.
“What’s up?” he asked, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses.
“Li
lith has developed a sudden interest in Lacrosse,” Aeron informed him as Nelly frowned across the table at my geeky mate.
“Why does no one around here have even a flicker of desire for me?” she complained, getting up and stomping off.
Lulu looked after her sister with a smirk on her face. “Don’t mind her guys, she’s annoyed because Maddox has almost run our class to the ground three times this week.” She grabbed both her bag and the one her twin had forgotten, and left, blowing a quick kiss back towards the three of us.
Aeron smirked after them both.
“Lacrosse?” Daron finally asked.
“I’ve been invited to a game,” I interjected before Aeron could put forward too many details. “Aeron was wondering if you would be okay to walk me, because apparently I am now incapable of walking anywhere alone.” I gave my other mate a playful glare.
Daron flushed slightly. “Of course, yeah, let me just get my books.” He hurried away, giving Aeron a long look that made me glance suspiciously between them.
“Okay, what’s going on?” I asked Aeron once Daron was far enough away.
“He complained he never got to spend any time with you outside of working together.” Aeron shrugged. “I saw his point, so Blaze and I decided to help him out a bit.”
I smiled. “That was surprisingly sweet of you.”
“We’re sweet guys.” He smirked. “Be careful around Sharax and Zenunim, Lilith. I mean it.”
“I will, I promise.”
Daron returned, hovering behind me as I packed up my things and checked that Doughnut was still happily ensconced in my pocket before I started to move. I’d swivelled on the bench, about to pull myself up when Daron held his hand out for me in a gentlemanly move that made me pause.
“Stop making the rest of us look bad,” Aeron complained. “She already thinks we’re unrefined brutes.”
Daron just shrugged as I took his hand with a tiny smile. It felt nice to be treated like a lady, even if it was by only one of my mates.
“Thank you,” I mumbled. I pulled my heavy bag up after me, but before I could sling it over my shoulder, Daron kidnapped it and slung it across his own shoulder. “You don’t have to…”
“I want to.” He promised, leading the way towards the hallway. “I always want to, but I thought people might notice… We’re supposed to be keeping things low profile, right?”
“Right,” I confirmed.
We lapsed into silence as we left the castle and moved into the chill night air.
“So why the sudden interest in lacrosse?” Daron asked. “You don’t strike me as a sports fan, no offence.”
“I’m not.” I smiled, lifting Doughnut out of my pocket. “I have to return Jin’s rat. He left it in the library after he invited me to the match. I wasn’t going to go, but Doughnut probably misses him.
Daron shook his head. “Jin doesn’t forget his pets,” he insisted. “He left Doughnut there on purpose, I’ll bet my best graphics card on it.”
I remembered the mischievous look Kain had had in his eye as they’d left and swore loudly.
“How did I not see that?” I grumbled.
“Many women lose focus around Sharax,” Daron muttered.
“I don’t,” I retorted. “I know he’s beautiful, but he’s mostly a pain in the ass who barely tolerates me.” But today had been different, I thought to myself. For whatever reason, Jin had spoken to me today. I wasn’t going to question it right now, because tonight I was supposed to be paying attention to Daron, not Jin. “So, what even is lacrosse?”
“Ball game played with sticks.” Daron shrugged. “I’m more of a runner than a team sports player.”
I seized on that detail. “You run?”
“Every day,” he mumbled. “Usually I do it alone, but Blaze has insisted on joining me recently. He is… Not what I expected.”
“In what way?” I asked, curious for someone else’s opinion.
“I get the sense he loves to be in control, much like Aeron. But he doesn’t demand, as I would have expected him to. He only ever asks politely.”
I nod.
“He sees visions of the future regularly,” Daron continued. “But instead of working tirelessly to fix what he sees, he lets things take their course. He knows he will die soon, yet instead of spending all his time with you, he shares you with us, and even spends time with Aeron and I.”
He paused. “I don’t understand him, but I suppose I respect him more for it … What do you think? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk about any of us... We’re your mates after all, I suppose your opinion matters most.”
“What do I think about Blaze?”
“About all of us. I suppose you could start with Blaze if you want.”
I smiled, thinking about all three of them, I just couldn’t help it. “You’re all too good for me,” I admitted. “When I’m with any of you I feel safe, but when I’m with Blaze I feel small, delicate and feminine as well. Aeron makes me so mad, but at the same time he makes me feel wanted.” I smiled slightly remembering our mating. “And you’re always so sweet and considerate. The others sometimes get so focused on protecting me that they forget to think about how I feel. You never do that.”
He was quiet, thinking for a second. “I’ll take that.” He finally nodded as we reached the Gatehouse.
The same woman who I’d seen on the first day handing out room keys sat on an uncomfortable looking chair, her attention fixed on the newspaper in front of her. At the sound of gravel crunching under our feet, she looked up and stared at us.
“You headed to the lacrosse match?” she snapped.
“Yes.” Daron replied.
“Names?”
“Lilith Carazor and Daron Abraxon,” Daron said.
The woman perused her clipboard with pursed lips. “You’re not on my list and first years aren’t allowed off the school grounds without being on my list.
“Kain Zenunim invited me,” I admitted.
“Why didn’t you say that to begin with?” she huffed, flicking several pages through the list. “Lilith Carazor, VIP.” She withdrew a pen which had been stabbed through her low messy bun and ticked my name off. “No Daron Abraxon,” she insisted, glaring at my mate.
“He’s with me,” I declared.
She pursed her lips, then looked down at the VIP list. She, obviously, wondered how VIP I really was, and I prayed she decided I had enough influence to let Daron through with me.
“I don’t get paid enough for these decisions,” she muttered. “Fine, go on.”
We hurried past, and once we were in the carpark and out of earshot, Daron looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “You never mentioned Kain to me.”
“Oh, yeah, he came into the library today.” I shrugged. “He was the one who dragged Jin away before I could give Doughnut back to him.”
“Typical.” Daron rolled his eyes. “I assume Aeron told you that the two of them are the biggest flirts in the school.”
I smirked. “I’m pretty sure that’s why he thought I needed an escort.”
“And he chose me…” Daron grumbled. “Asshole really hates those guys.”
“What makes you say that?”
He shrugged. “I told you, I’m a Possession. I’m coping okay with seeing you with your other mates because they’re yours, so it doesn’t seem to affect me that much, but…”
“But?”
“But you’re mine.” He almost growled the last word, then shook his head slightly. “Shit, the amount of power I just got from saying that out loud. I shouldn't have done that…”
“Why not?” I shrugged. “Mates are supposed to generate power from one another.”
“Yes, but I doubt you’d really appreciate being referred to like an object multiple times a day.” He gave me a sweet, apologetic smile that had me smiling in return.
“I don’t know, there are occasions where I think it could be hot.”
He blushed, and my heart did a double tak
e at how adorable it looked. “I didn’t know you thought about me that way,” he admitted shyly.
I smiled. “Daron, I’ve been thinking about you like that for weeks,” I told him honestly, as we headed to the trees on the opposite side of the car park. When we reached the tree line, I took his hand and turned him to face me. “Can I kiss you?” I asked.
He didn’t respond, but instead bent downwards and pressed his warm, firm lips against mine. I moaned at the taste of him, like fresh mint mixed with tart lemons. He didn’t demand like Aeron and Blaze did. Instead his tongue flicked teasingly against my lips, retreating for a moment only to do it all again. His arm circled around behind my back and pulled me closer to him. I could feel the very male hardness of him pressing into my belly through our clothes, and I rubbed against him like a cat, driving the lust we were both feeling higher and higher. He groaned against me and stilled me by moving his hands to my hips to keep me in place, trying to deny the overwhelming temptation to grind against one another.
