Surviving Plagues (Artemis University Book 3)

by Erin R Flynn

  Good. I preferred to leave men with that feeling. They begged better then.

  For the cherry on top of his need sundae, I sent him images how it felt from my end and how much I enjoyed getting completely fucked by him. There was a promised retribution in his gaze, but also relief.

  I thought he might be worried he was too rough with me and assumed that I snuck out of his bed because of it. Nope, just preferred my morning run to start the day.

  I couldn’t ever make myself to do a real workout later. I had no idea why, my body needing that energy that only came in the morning or something.

  My mood perked up even more when I remembered I had a certain doctor to punish in my first class. We were doing presentations on the last set of runes before the final and since I was done, I could just chill.

  Well, and hand in my stupid paper for him.

  It wasn’t until I reached the building that I realized we hadn’t had our daily plague. So flies around lunch then?

  Craftsman was waiting for me when I dropped off my paper, frowning when I was wearing pants again.

  “I don’t think she’s just busting my nuts and giving me some shit. I think I really hurt her. How can she not know I was just teasing her when I’m always trying to feed her? Shit, I really am a complete duffer. I need to fix this and fast. I want my sweet fairy back. I’m so falling for her and I’ll be a mess if she doesn’t want me. Fuck. She’s got enough with me being a professor.”

  He did a double take, realizing I was listening in and turned away, shutting down the line of thought.

  That was a shame since it was making me feel better. I turned away and went to my normal seat, miffed he shut up in his mind. Why couldn’t he just say that to me?

  Why did he have to pick on me in public but then not even apologize to me in his mind? He really was an idiot. Of course I’d be sensitive after what happened on my date with Darby.

  Fuck, that should have showed him it was already a sensitive topic for me. Idiot.

  My anger rolled and I pushed images of me on my knees blowing him for all the class to see into his mind. He immediately reacted, clearing his throat as he adjusted is neck.

  I changed it to me being a small dragon-sized person not even able to get up to my seat. I focused to picture myself way bigger than that TLC special I saw about someone weighing five hundred pounds. I made it worse than Fat Bastard from Austin Powers and the gross thing from Star Wars combined.

  Then I went back to the images of blowing him. I switched a few more times before the bell rang and he grabbed his head, rubbing it and clearing his throat again.

  “All right, let’s continue where we left off on Tuesday. We went backwards on the alphabet this time so I gave you your numbers.” He glanced down and called off the number we were on and went to sit off to the side in the front row where he did when we were doing presentations.

  The moment the guy started, I sent Craftsman images of my kneeling in front of him. He cleared his throat and crossed his legs, letting me know his body was reacting to me.

  Good.

  I mentally shrugged and turned it up to extra mean, showing him what Hudson did to me after I climbed into his window. I changed it a bit so when I was getting pounded I was begging Craftsman to fuck me too.

  “Okay, well done,” he said too loudly after that guy, everyone else giving half-assed claps. He called the next number and shot me a look over his shoulder. It was a mix of interest, annoyance, and maybe begging me for something I didn’t get. I pretended not to see and focused on the woman who was going next.

  This time I pictured him making out with her and a few other women in the class.

  “Enough, Tamsin. I don’t have a student fetish and it disturbs me to even think of them that way. We’ve been over this and you’re special. I only want you. Don’t bring up past shite because you’re pissed at me.”

  I winced and immediately shut it down. Shit. “I wasn’t. I didn’t think about that, just pushing your buttons. I know you’re not into your students or I wouldn’t ever have let you have me fully.”

  I didn’t wait for his answer, replaying in my mind the last time we’d had sex and how it had made me feel. How good he had made me feel.

  Except that upset me more than it fucked with him. He really had upset me blabbing I ate too much and thought about food too much in front of a ton of people.

  What a shitty way to treat a student who was powerful, making it like all I was magic from overeating. Not to mention we were fucking.

  I realized I was projecting all of that and how much it had hurt me when he looked at me over his shoulder, ignoring the class and presentation, and the pain in his eyes was real. I shut it down and flipped off my telepathy, going back in my own head for a while.

  So much for pushing his buttons. Instead I stabbed myself with my telepathy.

  I went back to fucking with him later and this time he shut me out. It felt as if I was running full speed and collided with a fucking brick wall… Which I realized was his mental shields.

  Ouch.

  No really, it hurt so badly I was shocked my nose wasn’t bleeding from the hit. Well, at least I’d gotten my torture across.

  Maybe?

  18

  The flies came just before lunch as class ended and this time the school handled it like a training exercise, building off what we’d done the day before. So I didn’t even need to do anything.

  Nice.

  Sean had perfect timing halfway through lunch as he brought a cart with packages right over to Craftsman. The doc blinked up at him a few moments and sighed.

  “I didn’t order anything. What is being done to me now?”

  “Your just deserts from what I’ve heard,” he chuckled as he started stacking boxes on the table. He burst out laughing when Craftsman said something I couldn’t hear.

  Craftsman stood and used his knife for lunch to open the first box. “Bloody fuck, mate.”

  “What is it?” Headmaster Edelman asked, taking the scene in with an amused smile.

  “It’s one of those Shake Weights gits use not realizing what it makes them look like they’re doing,” he grumbled, tossing it on the table. He flicked the box at Sean when the wolf burst out laughing.

  He wasn’t the only one.

  Craftsman opened the next one and frowned as he looked at it. It was Campbell sitting next to him who caught what it was first, laughing so hard I thought she might fall off her chair.

  “It’s like a waffle iron but for making abs,” she finally explained. “Or like a corset giving an hourglass figure. He wears the grate tight against his abs and it will look like he has a six-pack because of the indents.”

  Whatever Craftsman said set them all off again. I was pretty sure it was Brit swearing at its finest.

  Next was Spanx for men, a Thigh Master, pain pills for after his workouts, sauna shorts, several diet and self-help books, and a few cases of premade Slim Fast shakes.

  “You are dedicated, Ms. Vale,” Professor White praised. “I might borrow several plays from your book the next time my lover mentions how I sit too much for work and need to move more. That’s the pot calling the kettle black for sure, but I very much like your approach to make sure it’s the last time anything is said.”

  “Make sure whoever you date never takes lessons from Vale,” Nelson told him. “You’d be wrapped around their finger and beaten into submission all before you knew what hit you.”

  Craftsman sighed so deeply it amused everyone again. If only Nelson knew how hysterical what he’d just said was, I was pretty sure not all of them would be laughing at the idea of Craftsman with a student, but it really did make it that much extra.

  “Remind me never to piss you off,” Izzy muttered, shaking her head as she tried to hide a smile to stay neutral.

  I snorted. “You apologize immediately and don’t have that ego-filled air of always being right that backfires when you’re actually wrong. Plus, you’re never insensitive or k
eep pushing when someone tells you it upsets them.”

  I didn’t look at Craftsman but I could imagine the glance he sent my way after saying that. And his annoyance at all his “gifts.”

  Still, I felt better even if it was stupid to spend money on that. I sent them as gifts so I was sure he could do free Amazon returns and get credit for them.

  The rest of classes went like normal but there was lots of speculation for tomorrow given it was livestock. How could the people doing this taint the meat on campus if they couldn’t get in past the protection wards?

  Maybe there really was something on campus someone placed not knowing what it was or even… Yeah, I didn’t get how the wards worked or even the difference between wards and barriers.

  So clearly I was the one who should handle the case.

  No, I didn’t think so either and I pushed it from my mind. The cafeteria seemed to be prepping for a meatless day and to me it seemed silly to even try half service instead of just shutting down. We really could handle our own food for a day. If they gave us portal passes or just let us at a mall food court for lunch we could handle it.

  There had to be a way to manage that.

  Darby had the dinner shift at the cafeteria so we were studying later that night. I was reviewing a few things from my geometry test I wanted to ask him about after I sat down with my tray.

  Izzy was working on a group project and Mel was doing her extra help so for the moment I was all by my lonesome and I was enjoying it. I had my earbuds in and I was studying while practically inhaling some loaded baked potato soup.

  Hey, it was getting cold fast in Kansas and soup was a must in cold weather winters. That maybe didn’t defend the three bowls I had of the other options for the night. They just all sounded so good. I mean, a creamy tomato soup with big chunks of veggies?

  Yeah, I was in.

  I had loaded it with even more toppings and in the seafood soup as well. And I was always in favor of any Asian dumpling soup as long as it wasn’t the spicy ones, so that ended up on my tray as well.

  After that I’d have to see how I felt and reassess. I wanted to load up the reservoirs since I’d been neglecting that the past several days with the drama. I knew I couldn’t rush fixing Faerie but I also would be hard on myself if I sluffed off.

  I jumped when something heavy was set on the table. I blinked up to see Craftsman holding the huge box he’d just put down. He made the gesture to take out my earbuds and I quickly did.

  “You win. I’m sorry,” he blurted. “I’m a complete duffer and should suffer for many years to come for ever mentioning a woman’s eating habits. I thought it an innocent tease to someone powerful but I ate my foot—both feet—and I apologize. I immensely apologize and offer this meager token as proof of my utmost regret and humble groveling for your forgiveness.”

  “That’s a nice apology,” I teased him.

  “Then please, please tell the hobgoblins to let me eat. Real food. I need my energy as well. I’ll let Melody beat me up all you want but please, tell them I can be fed and no more bloody chicken breasts and steamed veggies.”

  I threw back my head and laughed, not just at him being at the end of his rope—which he clearly was—but the dedication of the hobgoblins. Man, this was a huge warning to not mess with me. I was in with the people who controlled the food.

  I smirked at him like I was debating it but then remembered the box, seeing it was a bakery name on it before pushing to my feet. My eyes went wide when I opened it to find a monstrous cannoli that was stuffed with dozens of normal-sized cannolis.

  Damn. I just found dessert heaven.

  “Fine, but you have to hand out some of these to the ones who tormented you for me and you have to make some more full English breakfasts on break. That was what I was going to make you suffer through.”

  “Deal. Very gracious of your generous heart,” he muttered, giving a quick wink before turning away. “I’ll handle the delivery after I eat. I’m bloody starved.”

  A few minutes later when I was on my third bowl of soup, Ryfon came over to make sure I had really forgiven Craftsman.

  “He’s on probation but let the man eat for real,” I answered, smiling at him. “Thanks for torturing him.”

  “We have your back always, child,” he muttered, reaching over and patting my arm. “Enjoy your prize.”

  “Take some for everyone, please.”

  He nodded, Craftsman there holding out a plate. Something hit me when I watched him load it up with treats.

  “What if I bought the meat here?” I muttered, focusing how he was moving the food. “Let’s use it to feed the fae dogs at my house and the sanctuary and put in an order for Saturday for new meat. We can organize catering for food for a Friday. Have the staff pick up for what we’ll pay for instead of doing some stupid dance. People can chip in what they can but it’s not like we don’t have money.”

  “Wise. I will speak with the headmaster and let you know,” Ryfon agreed. He thanked me for sharing and Craftsman was already loading up food before joining the teachers.

  I went back to studying, glad I’d thought of something that could work out instead of all of us hopping around like monkeys dancing to some asshole’s tune.

  Edelman came to speak with me as I went for more food, agreeing it was a better idea than what they were coming up with. I snorted and told him I didn’t care if I inconvenienced the rich brats whereas he had to.

  After some back and forth, he agreed to open a temporary portal in the kitchen that Craftsman linked with the one in my garage.

  The fae dogs were there hanging out on the dog beds Mel had told me I was nuts for buying. Guess I was right on that one. I made sure it was only Edelman, Craftsman, and the hobgoblins that came through before approaching Chief and taking his offered paw.

  I filled him on what was going on and he wanted to come to campus to find the problem. It wasn’t a bad idea and I promised to think on it.

  “If you could tell him we want the bones from the meat they’re eating so we can make you broths for winter, that would be helpful,” Irma told me.

  Chief heard her and nodded, agreeing they would gather the bones and leave them in the freezers to bring to the hobgoblins so they could feed me. He flinched and pulled away, focused on the portal just as Professors Campbell and White came through.

  “I apologize but we couldn’t help ourselves when we heard you were coming to feed your fae dogs,” Professor White explained. “Are we interrupting?”

  “No, I was just listening in on how things have been going,” I answered as I stood. I went over to the freezers and chuckled. “Yup, they’re almost out again. I knew it. They eat so fucking much.”

  “They don’t have a limit like fairies and fair folk as they simply produce more power or fae dust,” Campbell explained. “You’re a bit like that with your eating habits.” I felt the air in the room thicken with tension as she hit a bit close to home. “I would expect whatever your lineage you had a recent influx of fairy blood close to you in your family tree. It explains your power and nutritional needs.”

  “That’s fairly accurate from what we’ve been able to gather,” Edelman agreed. “She was reluctant to dive further into lineage testing until she trusted us more. And now I wouldn’t think of it with all the councils auditing the school.”

  “Yes, of course, that would be a bad move right now. I simply thought it would help her understand why she’s different after reading up on fae dogs because they’re so fascinating.” She glanced at me. “May I?”

  I snorted. “Be my guest, but I’m not the boss of them. Only the Alpha lets me touch him and the others just pretend I’m not there.” That was too close to a lie and I needed to watch that as teachers could have the runes Craftsman did to get extra senses and abilities.

  Campbell tried but Chief wasn’t having any of it when she attempted to touch him. I felt a thrill of fear race through me but then he went right to White and sat at her feet. I caught
a few thoughts and blinked between them.

  “He can sense you have experience with fae dogs. Campbell doesn’t. He doesn’t trust that.”

  “Yes, I had a neighbor when I was a child who had one,” White confirmed, holding out her hand to Chief. “Magnificent creatures.” She chuckled when Chief nuzzled her hand. “Yes, thank you, Alpha. Lovely to see you too. Thank you for protecting our student. The life of an orphan unknown is perilous and she will need your protection.”

  I didn’t disagree and Chief seemed thrilled at the praise. He gave Craftsman some quick attention before actually licking the hobgoblins.

  “Oi, no eating in the garage,” I reminded them when the fae dogs started grabbing meat. “That’s the deal. You can sleep in here instead of outside if you don’t make a mess in my garages.”

  They ducked their heads and one went to push the button to open the garage door, all the dogs taking their score and heading outside.

  “It’s amazing you’ve trained them for that,” Campbell praised.

  That fear raced through me again. “It wasn’t training. I can hear the Alpha and we made a deal. They were afraid I’d get rid of them when I inherited the property. I couldn’t stand the idea of them out in the cold in the winter so—they get a lot more than normal animals.”

  “Clearly if he could sense I’d never been near a fae dog,” she agreed, looking impressed and speculative on that.

  I thought it best to hurry and get to the task at hand and Craftsman did as well as he started loading freezers while trying to change the topic.

  “I heard there was an issue with the dragon dorm?” he asked, shooting Edelman a curious glance.

  “Yes, Mr. Vogel’s dragon misbehaved again. He shifted but then the dragon came to the dorm and shot molten rocks on the far side. They’re worth a lot given it’s from a Vogel, but I still had to address it before all the dragons started to do the same. He said his dragon wanted to see if there was any damage from the amphibian infestation and found some cracks the dragon wanted to help with.”