She smiled. “The cuffs can come off, yes. But the sentence still stands. You will complete your time here.”
I nodded mutely and held out my wrists. Just get them off already.
She pressed the disc to the left one. My wrist tingled, and then the cuff fell off with a clink. She repeated the process with the other one.
Where the cuffs had been, my skin was pale and alien. I rubbed my wrists. “Thank you.”
“You earned it, Justice.”
I stood and gave her a curt nod. “I should get going.”
I was almost at the door when Brunner halted me with a word.
“Justice?”
I paused, hand on the doorknob.
“Make wise choices.”
Yeah, from now on, every choice I made was going to be wise as fuck.
* * *
After the advanced weavers’ classroom had collapsed, part of the Academy was under construction. Builders brought in specially to repair and reinforce the structure were hard at work. Most of the weaver wing, which made up the classrooms, was off-limits, but the accommodations were still accessible via a plushy carpeted staircase and an equally opulently decorated corridor.
Electric lights shaped like candelabras jutted out of the wall at regular intervals. It looked like an expensive floor housing apartments. Silence sat over everything like a shroud. Probably because most of the students had already left. Classes had ended yesterday, after all. Brady would be coming to see me in a couple of hours. I needed to get things with Kash sorted fast.
It was only when I got a quarter of the way down the corridor that it hit me: I had no idea which room was his. Shit? What to do? Knock on doors until someone answered and pointed me in the right direction?
Yep, sounded like a good plan in my head.
I knocked on the nearest door and waited.
No answer.
Okay, moving on.
Two doors later, I finally got a bite. A frazzled-looking woman with spectacles tugged open the door with a frown. Behind her, the room looked like a bomb had hit it; clothes everywhere except in the open suitcase that lay on the bed.
She followed my gaze. “Yeah, probably shouldn’t have tried to use magic to pack.” She looked more closely at me and then blinked in surprise. “Justice, right?”
“Um, yeah.”
“Hi, name’s Mel, I heard about what you did. Pretty cool.”
“Thanks. I was looking for Kash.”
She glanced over her shoulder as if expecting to see him there. “Not here.”
“Riiight. Do you know which is his room?”
“Oh, haha. Yeah, sure.” She popped her head out the door and pointed down the corridor. “Second to last door across the hall.”
“Thanks.”
I left her to pack and headed to Kash’s door. What if he wasn’t here? I knocked and waited.
Nothing.
I knocked again to be sure. A muffled curse was followed by the thud of feet. The door opened, and Kash stood on the threshold. His hair fell across his forehead in a tousled bedhead style, his T-shirt was rumpled, and he was dressed in jeans hanging low on his slender hips, but my eyes were drawn to the amulet around his neck. Looked like Madam Latrou had come through. With the amulet, he wasn’t siphoning constantly off everyone. He could control his ability all the time by finally connecting to the weave. He’d needed my help to act as a valve to relieve the pressure when he’d siphoned the energy from the cadets and knights. He’d needed me to feed the energy back to the weave, and in doing so, I’d finally found my own two-way connection to the weave.
But he didn’t need me now.
He had the amulet.
He stretched and yawned. “Fuck, must have fallen asleep.” He backed up. “Come in.”
His room smelled sweet, like honeysuckle. There was a dresser, slightly rumpled bed, computer, and a bookcase filled with books. There was also a chill-out area and a mini-fridge.
“Nice room.”
He shrugged. “Pretty standard.”
“You obviously haven’t seen how the other half lives then.”
He tucked his hands into his pockets and studied me from beneath his dark brows. “You saying I have it cushy?”
“Hell, yes, you do. You have a mini-fridge and a television in your room.”
“You don’t?”
“Me?” I let out a harsh laugh. “Shadow cadets don’t have a fixed abode. Most of the time, I’m sleeping in a dorm with a bunch of guys.”
His brows shot up. “Really?”
I guess that wasn’t classified information kept at bay by the shadow oath. It had tripped off my tongue easily enough. “Trust me, this is cushy.”
“In that case, you should see my quarters back home.”
It was my turn to raise my brows. “I have no interest in seeing your quarters.”
His eyes dimmed. “So, you won’t be coming to the weaver ball?”
“What? No. I want to go.”
He smiled, and there was a hint of smugness to that action. “In that case, you’ll be seeing my quarters. The weaver ball is a big deal. I told them I was bringing you, a Payne. I told them you were my … date.”
Why had he hesitated like that? “Kash … do they think we’re a couple?”
He caught his bottom lip between his teeth. “Would that be so awful? I mean …” He bridged the distance between us. “Do you not find me attractive?”
That damn peachy smell had me taking deep, hungry breaths. Yummy. “You’re attractive, Kash. You’re just not my type.”
He arched a dark brow. “Oh, and what is your type? Brawn and testosterone?”
I bobbed my head from side to side, mouth turned down as if considering this. “Pretty much.”
His tongue peeked out to touch the corner of his mouth as if he was tasting his own lip balm, and why did that make me want to taste it too?
“Shame,” he said. “I’ve got skills.”
“I’m sure you have.” I took a deliberate step away from him. “I’m not going to play your girlfriend.”
His expression sobered. “Then I can’t get you in. Look, they don’t know you. You may be a Payne, but you’re also a nightblood. Being my girlfriend gives you credibility, it gives you a reason to want to be there.”
“I’m surprised your family would be okay with that. Aren’t you all about the pureblood aspect of relationships?”
He grinned. “You’re a shadow caster, do you know how coveted and rare that ability is? So far, it’s only manifested in the Payne bloodlines, but the other weaver bloodlines will do whatever it takes for a chance for it to be born in theirs. Yeah, it could kill the carrier if not mastered, but that’s a risk they’re willing to take.”
So, they were hoping I’d marry Kash and make babies. Great. But if it was the only way to get into Mirage Hills, then I’d take it because my plan couldn’t work without Kash’s help.
My conflict must have shown on my face because Kash sobered.
“There’s something else wrong, isn’t there?” he said. “Justice? What is it?”
“I need to find Payne.”
“You heard something?”
“Yeah. Brunner got a message to pack his stuff and send it to Mirage Hills. The head of the Payne household said he wasn’t coming back. I need to know where he is and what they’ve done to him. I need to know he’s okay.”
Kash looked thoughtful. “I haven’t heard anything on the grapevine, but the weaver collective is pretty tight-lipped when it comes to what happens in trials. It’s like the Nightwatch council—one member of each family represents the bloodlines, and the cases are always closed, but my grandmother just happens to be one of those people.”
“What happened to the last person that was tried?”
He opened his mouth to speak and then shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
“Do you know who it was?”
Once again, he looked dazed. “Sorry. I guess I’m not much into paying attenti
on to the politics of things.”
“Where are prisoners kept?”
“The Towers. It’s where all the official stuff takes place.”
“Can you help me see him?”
He pressed his lips together and averted his gaze as if thinking something through.
I was asking a lot of him and offering nothing. He didn’t need to help me. He could just walk away, but I needed him.
“I like Payne,” he said. “He’s a good guy, and you …” His gaze heated. “I like you too, Justice.”
My mouth was suddenly dry. I licked my lips. “I can’t offer you anything.”
He shrugged. “Fuck it. What’s living without a little risk, eh? We can start by speaking to my gran and take it from there?”
I exhaled sharply. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t seen the dress offerings Joti picked out for you.”
“She went dress shopping for me?” I canted my head. “You weren’t even sure I was coming.”
“Now, I could play the confident card and say I was sure you would, but you’ll probably see through that. It was Joti’s idea. She said it was best to be prepared.”
“Where is she, anyway?”
“She left yesterday. She’s big on prep for these things, but she’ll be excited to see you.”
“When do we leave?”
“At dawn.”
That soon? Still, it gave the rest of today and tonight to spend with Brady.
“Is that okay?” Kash asked.
I had to get to Payne. “Yeah. I need to … sort some stuff before we leave.”
“Wait.” He looked up sharply. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before. But your cuffs …”
I held up my bare wrists. “Sorted.”
He relaxed. “I honestly completely forgot about them.”
“Yeah, so did I.”
“Meet me in the foyer at dawn,” he said. “We port to the station and take my ride from there.”
“Your ride?”
He grinned. “Oh, you’re going to love it.”
Okay, he looked suspiciously gleeful right now. I nodded warily. “I’ll be there.”
But first, I needed to say goodbye to Brady.
Six
Brady didn’t show. He should have been here over an hour ago. Maybe he’d been held up at the barracks?
Henrich had ordered me off duty till after the holiday, but he hadn’t said I couldn’t be in the mist. Fuck it.
I’d stick on my armor and go find Brady. I was headed out of the lounge to find him when Hyde’s citrus scent hit my senses. I froze, heart pounding. I didn’t want to be alone with him. I wasn’t ready.
But he was here, and he was blocking my exit, his body still encased in armor, his expression unreadable.
“Going somewhere?”
“I need to see Brady.”
He held out a note. “From Brady.”
I stared at the proffered note suspiciously. “He asked you to give that to me?”
A flicker of annoyance crossed his face. “My cadets know they can trust me.” His eyes narrowed. “Obviously, you don’t.”
Fuck, the last thing I wanted to do was fight with him. But since we couldn’t be together, our whole dynamic felt off, and the emotions churning inside that couldn’t be channeled as they wanted became twisted and angry.
I plucked the note from his fingers.
Indigo, I’m sorry I had to leave early. I’ll make it up to you.
Brady.
Disappointment tightened my chest. I folded the note and tucked it into my pocket. “Thanks.”
“I’m sorry,” Hyde said softly.
Part of me wanted to hug him, just to touch him, the other wanted to punch him in the face for making me feel these contrary emotions.
“I’m good.” I walked toward him, expecting him to move out of the way and let me exit, but he held his ground. I stopped and looked up at him. “Are you going to move?”
He locked gazes with me. His eyes were more green than blue today, darker around the edges of his irises. His pupils dilated as he drank me in. Heat rose up my neck and across my collarbones as tension bloomed between us.
“Stop looking at me like that.” My voice was hoarse. “You don’t get to look at me like that.”
“Do you love him?” His voice was soft, dangerous, as if he was balancing on the edge of something, and my reply had the power to tip him over.
Delicious possibility skimmed over my skin, but I tamped down on it. No. I wouldn’t go there.
“Do you love him?” he asked again, his tone harder, insistent.
“Yes.” The answer sprang to my lips easily. “I love him.”
“Does he know?”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s none of your business.”
He swallowed hard. “And me?”
The question was like a punch to the chest, leaving me momentarily breathless. “Why are you asking me this? It doesn’t matter how I feel about you. You and I … We can’t be together.” I hated that my voice cracked.
The air crackled, a warning that we were treading on dangerous ground, and then his hands were cupping my shoulders, fingers biting into my flesh.
“Answer the question,” he rasped.
Tears of anger and frustration blurred my vision. “Fuck you, Hyde. You don’t get to do this to me. Go ask Deana if she loves you.” I tore out of his grasp, pushed past him, and headed for my room.
Maybe I was being unfair. After all, he hadn’t made Orion’s law, but he needed to stay away from me. I was weak around him. My body craved him, and my heart … My heart was stupidly eager to get smashed.
Fuck him. Like hell would I tell him I loved him.
I slammed the door to my room and began to pace.
Was he going to stay here, in the dorms, across the hall from me? Had he simply come to deliver the note? Where was Deana? Damn her, she was meant to be the buffer. Shitty buffer, if you ask me.
My door was flung open, and Hyde strode in and began to take off his armor.
I backed up, recognizing the look in his eyes. Determination, direction. Need.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Once,” Hyde said. “We fuck once and get it out of our systems.”
My stomach flipped hard, and my traitorous body responded by tightening in all the right places. I wanted him. I’d be lying if I said otherwise.
His armor hit the floor with a thunk, and then he was standing there in the feytech skin, the lightweight armor that molded to his body, leaving little to the imagination. The grooves of his muscled chest and hard eight-pack abs tapering down to the V at his hips were clearly visible through the skin-tight material, and further down, fuck … Wow. I needed to look away. I had to stop staring.
His arousal jumped under my gaze, and my core throbbed in response.
“Take off your clothes,” Hyde said.
Fuck. Pull it together, Justice. I tore my gaze from his manhood and latched on to his face. “What happened to you’re a cadet, I’m a tutor, blah, blah, blah.”
I was stalling, but damn, I needed a second, a minute even, to collect my thoughts, to wrestle control of my body’s responses and shove them in a box.
Hyde’s eyes were hard, his jaw tense. “Six weeks, and that won’t matter.”
“But Orion’s law still will.”
He closed his eyes as if in pain, as if I’d reached into his chest and grabbed his heart. He knew I was right. He knew we couldn’t do this, so why was he standing here, making me contemplate throwing caution to the wind?
Anger flared like a brittle flame inside me. “Get out. You don’t get to have me. You don’t get to try this.” I stalked toward him, standing so close that his heat mingled with mine, and my skin quivered with the need to press to his. “If you think what’s between us will be satisfied by one fuck, then you don’t deserve me. You want me, then find a way around your fucking Orion’s law.”
Torment ripped across his features, and then his hand was in my hair, fisting it and yanking my head back to expose my throat. His mouth hovered over mine. “Damn you, Justice. Damn you to hell.”
And then he kissed me, savage and angry, releasing all the pent-up frustration into the rasp of tongue and scrape of teeth. My fangs slipped from my gums, arousal making me lose control, and copper flooded my mouth. Blood.
His blood.
Fire raced through my veins, and then I was sucking on his tongue, drawing him into my mouth, bodies crushed together, hands tearing at each other’s clothes. Caution took a leap out the window, floating on the heady taste of his blood as it mingled with mine.
I backed up, propelled by the force of his kiss, his body pressed to mine until the back of my knees hit the bed. I tumbled onto the mattress with Hyde on top of me.
Fucking damn the feytech skin. I needed it off. I needed to feel him against me. I was wet and throbbing, my hips grinding against his arousal. I could feel every ridge of his cock through the feytech skin, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted him inside me. I needed him. We rocked together, his hardness rubbing against my slick core, and then his hands were tugging at my waistband, slipping inside my pants and into the wet, swollen heat.
My mind shattered, all resolve dead beneath the flick of his fingers. More. I opened for him, raising my hips and abandoning myself to the shockwaves and rainbow streaks shooting through my mind. That feeling of something more, something just over the edge, bloomed in my chest.
“Fuck this,” Hyde rasped. “I need to taste you. I need you on my tongue.”
My breath twisted in my chest at his words. He grabbed the material of my slacks and tore them to expose me completely. My panties had no chance, and then his mouth latched onto my clit, and there was nothing but sensation—the rasp of his shorn hair between my fingers, his hot mouth sucking on me, and his tongue pushing into me.
I held him to me, urging him on, grinding into his face as he fucked me with his mouth. I was unraveling, over and over, my cries an echo bouncing around the room as sobs of release expanded in my chest, mingling with more, so much more because this was Hyde, this was my heart and this shouldn’t, couldn’t, be happening.
Shadow Warrior: The Nightwatch Academy book 3 Page 4
