Feral: Part One

by Arisa Baumann

  “Oh, yeah. Of course, he slipped. Fottuto figlio di puttana!” That fucking son of a bitch.

  “Indeed. However, Miss Kinley is not as witless as I am sure many imagine her. While she indeed believes what she has been told, she is smart enough to not go to the administration with her suspicions until she has concrete proof, lest she be penalized for bringing false accusations against an instructor.”

  My stomach twisted into knots, and I knew he could feel my worry as he revved the engine to life and guided the coupe to our usual lunch destination. “It is unquestionably implied that under no circumstances should any instructor to become involved with any student, but as I have said, due to its poor wording, it can be inferred in a different manner.”

  “Are you sure things will be okay?”

  “Well, I cannot lie to you and say everything will be rainbows and kittens as it were,” he said seriously, “but I can say that in all of my centuries on this Earth, I have learned there is very little money cannot buy, and sadly, it will almost always apply to establishments such as those of educational and medical institutions. Equipment, supplies, labs, technology… It all comes with a growing cost, and as such, therefore does the value of men.

  “I can assure you this will not be taken well by the administration, and it will inevitably leak its way down to the staff and the students. There will no doubt be looks and comments, but you need not fret over my status of employment or yours as a student.”

  “You can only keep them from expelling me,” I pointed out. “That doesn’t mean other instructors won’t fail me out.”

  “No. No, I cannot.” His breath rushed out heavily, and his voice was thick with contrition when he continued to speak. “If you wish, I can submit my resignation and request this be kept private, on threat of a hefty lawsuit.”

  “No.” My answer was immediate. “If I can deal with Mads for over a decade, I can deal with anything else anyone throws at me. Plus, if I let you do that, it would be like she and Cole won.” I shook my head resolutely. “No, I won’t allow that.”

  “Cara—”

  “Simon, one of my worries from the moment I met you was that you’re an instructor,” I admitted freely. “I made the choice to get involved with you anyway, and I’m not changing my mind.”

  Less than two hours later, I ever so briefly wished I had, because as embarrassing as it was to be called out of class when you were in middle or high school, it did not compare to the stifling awkwardness of being pulled out of a college lecture.

  I felt more than forty pairs of eyes boring into me from every angle, but there was one in particular I sensed more strongly than the others, and forgetting myself, I looked up. My eyes locked with hers, and I could tell in an instant that she knew why I was being yanked out of the class and that she was both livid and mystified as to how this happened without her involvement. But all thoughts of Madison were shoved to the back of my mind when I silently began to follow the gopher who’d been sent to fetch me.

  There was no alerting me to why I was being pulled out of class or who wanted to see me, not that it mattered since I already knew. There was just deafening silence while I trudged through the painted cinderblock halls, the light and happy yellow mocking me the entire way.

  But to my surprise, it seemed Simon was right. The meeting had gone nothing like I had expected it to, and when all was said and done, money took precedence over their badly constructed guidelines of student-teacher relationships. No one wanted to fire the man, or expel the lover of said man, who had funded what was practically an entire new lab, with state-of-the-art equipment, for the nursing students only seven months before. That, Simon told me as we walked out of the meeting room, did not mean they would renew his contract for the semester after next.

  So that was it. Simon’s position was secure for the remainder of the year and the next semester, at least, and I narrowly escaped expulsion. However, it seemed there was one person I would never escape, and by that point, I’d pretty much given up hope I would ever get away from her meddling nose and childish ire for any period of time.

  Not wanting to return to the classes I had made such an uncomfortable exit from, I waited patiently in the cafeteria for one of two people to get to me first when the three p.m. classes ended. I was wholly unsurprised when Madison was the first arrive, and instead of looking away while she approached, I stared at her the entire time it took for her to make it to the table.

  As usual, her atrocious personality and clothes matched perfectly, and I sat as calmly as possible for the barrage of questions and barely concealed comments of jealousy to flow from her mouth.

  “So, did they expel you?” For the first time since I’d known her, her voice had lost its mockingly pleasant tone. It was harsh, angry. “I’m guessing this’ll be Simon’s last week too?”

  “Actually, thanks to Doctor Treviso’s generosity to the university, his position is secured.”

  Her blue eyes narrowed, searching for something it didn’t take long to find. She all but snarled when the realization hit her. “They didn’t expel you.”

  “No, they didn’t,” I answered in a bland tone, before grinning widely. “But don’t worry. Maybe Doctor Ivers will fail me out.” Bahr’s replacement seemed as big a stickler for rules as Bahr himself had been rumored to be. “I doubt she’ll approve of students getting fingered on teacher’s desks.”

  She sneered. “I knew you were spreading your legs for him when you were in his office.”

  “Yep.” She looked as thoroughly repulsed by me as I was with her. “Guilty as charged. I don’t know why you’re so upset though. I mean, this way y’know you’ve actually got a chance, however slim that chance is, to get into Cole’s pants now. You have my blessing.”

  I almost waved when she stomped off, purposefully bumping into the approaching Brie with her theatrical exit. I continued to beam with near maniacal glee as my friend took the seat next to mine. “If we had some Lunchables and juice boxes, it would be just like being back in elementary school again.”

  “Okay, stop smiling like that,” the red-head demanded. “You’re starting to creep me out.”

  “Sorry.” It was blatantly obvious that I wasn’t. “It’s been such a wonderful day.”

  “Oh god, what’d Mads do now?”

  I shrugged nonchalantly. “She didn’t do anything, but she does know about me and Simon and was going to run to the administration.”

  “Going to?”

  “Simon got there first.”

  “Shit!”

  “No, it’s okay… ish.”

  “Ish?”

  “Let’s just say I think he’ll owe the school brand new computers next year, if they renew his contract anyway.”

  “He paid them off?”

  She sounded as gobsmacked as I’d felt when I’d learned Simon kept no less than six figures in his bank account. Of course, for me, it was probably much easier to digest, given I knew full well the areas of employment he’d had over the long decades, all of his investments and projects, as well as his private business endeavors.

  “Something like that.”

  “You do realize you’re going to have to tell Three at some point?”

  I groaned. “Yeah, and I should probably get it over with sooner than later, but y’know how my mom is sometimes. I know she won’t hate Simon, but I doubt she’ll be jumping with joy when she meets him. As long as she likes him better than Cole, I guess it won’t be too bad.”

  “Hon, anyone is better than Cole, and between the two, I know she’d rather have Doctor Treviso.”

  “Well, that is quite the cheering thought indeed, Miss Hartwin.”

  Brie’s eyes looked like they were about to pop right out of her head, and for a moment, it seemed as if she had swallowed her tongue in shock. She turned, her blush spreading all the way down her neck. “Oh, Doctor Treviso! I’m-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I mean, I know Cole and Three both really well, and I know Three hated Cole’s guts,
so I was just trying to, y’know, make Sofia realize her mom couldn’t possibly dislike you, especially if she were to, um… I mean… Sorry.”

  Her face was darkening by the second, a horrible contrast to the maroon top she wore, until she looked like she’d been laying in the Georgia sun for an hour without sunscreen. “Sorry, Doctor Treviso,” she repeated, looking like she was hoping the floor would swallow her whole.

  I could sympathize. I’d felt like that quite a few times when I had first met the incubus.

  “Please, Miss Hartwin, as we are not in a class setting, or indeed surrounded by my colleagues and pupils, feel at liberty to call me Simon.”

  I cut my eyes to him, brown locking with lavender as I let out an irritated snuffle of air, something both seemed to notice instantly. “Are you going to take me home or does Brie need to?” I asked, unexpectedly and inexplicably annoyed with him for inviting my friend to use his name, and even more disconcerted by the idea she might.

  Thankfully, Brie was more gracious than she really had to be in light of my unusual behavior. “Um, y’know, if Doctor Treviso is busy, has something he needs to do, I can take you,” she said, directing her comment to me specifically. “But I’ve got some, um, errands I need to take care of before six-thirty, so it doesn’t give me a lot of time.”

  Bless my friend’s sweet soul. Even when I had moments of bitchiness, she still loved me and acted no differently than she would have if the situation were the best of circumstances. My mate had barely gotten his words out that he could take me before she was out of the chair. “I’ll call you tonight to talk, okay? See you later! Have a good evening, Doctor Treviso.”

  And then she was gone, leaving me to feel like the worst friend in the world.

  “Stop feeling so badly, cara mia,” he chided. “Believe it or not, your friend is not as disturbed as you might think. In reality, despite not knowing of the exact circumstances of our relationship, she is astonishingly, though most positively on a subconscious level, aware of a difference in our partnership in contrast to most associations. Indeed, even though such a realization would lie solely in her unconscious mind, I do believe her intuition recognized your own instincts to her potential acceptance to my invitation as a challenge.”

  “Oh god, she’s probably going to hate me.”

  “I can assure you, mio tesoro, she will not.” His voice was soothing, but firm. “Her reaction was not one of anger, but an unregistered concern for herself. Her reaction just now was the same as any animal that knows to be wary of latent threats, and it is entirely unconscious. She does not know, nor will she understand, the real reason she felt the sudden urge to leave. She probably thinks you are simply in an ill mood and that I am better equipped to handle said mood. I can assure you she is not dwelling on it, so neither should you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Mia Sofia,” he chuckled, “the incident is already gone from her mind, and I know this because she is on her phone, talking about getting pizza with some gentleman named Dylan.”

  “Oh!” Well, this was news to me. “She’s going out with Dylan? She never told me she was interested in him.”

  “Not to sound boastful, mia diletta,” he drawled while he offered his arm to guide me out of the university, “but I dare say she probably felt her impending date seemed a little less extraordinary compared to the dramatic happenings of the professor and college student.”

  I laughed as I followed him out of the cafeteria. “You make it sound like a soap opera.”

  “No,” he countered, “your acquaintance Miss Kinley is responsible for the seeming theatrics of our otherwise mundane lives. Although, were I a mere mortal, I suppose I might find such excitement interesting, not to mention entertaining.”

  I gaped for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. “Mere mortal?” I teased in a hushed voice when I had regained my breath. “So that’s how you see me, huh? A tiny, little human?”

  “No.” He paused us in one of the empty halls and clasped my chin in fingers. “No, cara mia. You are far, far from such a description, because you, amore mio, are the most marvelous being I have had the good fortune to meet. I am amazed by your inner strength, how you try to avoid confrontations, but will defend yourself and those you love when lines are crossed. Your intelligence and wit, your concern for and kindness to others, your humor, your smiles and your laughter all have brought me unparalleled joy. I told you this once, and I will tell you until the end of our days, there is no single thing about you which I do not adore.”

  His fingers began to trace over my jaw then slipped behind my neck to entwine in my lose curls. “Such a magnificent creature you are, mia cocca. It is no wonder I love you so.”

  Love.

  It was the first time he admitted to loving me.

  While it was true there was an undeniable bond which seemed to enhance the attraction we’d felt upon first sight, love was an emotion I had yet to acknowledge aloud, unsure as to what my mate’s reaction would be and if such an admission would be reciprocated. It appeared now, though, that my feelings were most certainly shared, and for a moment, I could do nothing but grin while I stared at him in fond wonder.

  Stretching up on my tips and not caring that we might be seen, I brushed my lips against his in a brief kiss. “Simon—”

  He reclaimed my mouth in a much more passionate kiss, only releasing me when I needed oxygen. The slightest rumble issued from his chest, and as I glanced around, I was exceedingly grateful the corridor was still deserted. “We should leave immediately,” he growled, “before I lose control and claim you right here.”

  We barely made it through the front door of the spacious manor before he pinned me to it. "I need you, diletta," he whispered harshly, his lips and teeth covering every inch of my neck.

  My mind was clouded with lust, and I rubbed my hips encouragingly against his. "Then take me."

  "No. I need you." He released a pain-filled sigh as his hands began to wander over my body, which responded automatically to the inviting caresses. "I need to touch you—" he pulled off my sweater— "kiss you—" he unwrapped his scarf and his lips found my pulse— "to be inside you." He swiftly removed my jeans and slipped a hand beneath the moist lace of my hipsters. "I need to taste your blood."

  Without warning, I was lifted into his arms, and before I could blink, he was braced above me on the soft bed, gazing down at me with dark eyes. "I wanted this to be different," he murmured as he traced every line of my face with his fingers. "I wanted it to be perfect, amore mio."

  "Maybe I don't want things to be perfect," I responded softly, reaching up to play with the brown locks at his nape. "Maybe I just want them to be right."

  Those words seemed to break his restraint, and all of the intense emotions that had been driving his instincts poured out of him as he stretched himself over me, claiming my lips firmly with his own and grinding his erection between my damp thighs. "Tell me to stop, cara mia. Make me to stop, because this is the only time I will be able to."

  "I can't.” My voice was calm and gentle while I undid the buttons of his shirt. "I can't tell you to stop when I don't want you to." I shoved the shirt down his arms and smiled when he shook the material away from his body. "If I’m your mate, it means you are mine, and I want you to claim me."

  He closed his eyes and his firm body trembled with desire. "Cara," he purred, "if I claim your body, I will claim your blood." His plum gaze was hungry and adoring at the same time. "I can assure you, la mia, once I have tasted your blood, I will crave it more strongly and need it desperately for years to come."

  I rocked my hips against him once more, urging him to let go, and reached up to pull his mouth back to mine, barely brushing my lips against his while I held him tightly to my warm body. "I told you before I wouldn’t deny you, and I meant every word. So taste me.”

  The same hands which in decades past had skillfully handled some of the finest works of art were the same hands that could take down any predat
or or prey with only the slightest exertion of strength. And now those hands moved over my body with reverence, the cool pads of his fingertips ghosting over the delicate skin of my throat, down the valley of my breasts to the clasp of my bra. He flicked it open and purred as my breasts spilled out beneath his heated gaze.

  If someone had told me a year ago about everything I’d experienced these last few months, I’d’ve laughed. The idea of meeting vampires was ludicrous, and even more so was the idea that I would allow one them to claim me as their mate. I would’ve scoffed that such a connection could possibly exist, that there were feelings of love so overwhelmingly powerful that it would have affected me to my core in such a way.

  But it had. I belonged to this exquisite creature, and I felt him in every fiber of my being. When he was near, I felt cherished, loved, safe; when he was apart from me, I felt as though my spirit was incomplete and sick.

  My thoughts abandoned me the moment he took the weight of my breasts tenderly in his hands, and my breathing became rough and shallow when he leaned down and latched onto one nipple, the cool touch of his lips pebbling the sensitive flesh. "Simon."

  His free hand slipped over my hip and grasped the lacy fabric in his dexterous fingers before ripping it away from my flesh easily. He made no move to enter my aching heat, but simply cupped my swollen flesh for several long moments before teasing me mercilessly by letting one fingertip trace my slit so lightly it felt as if air were caressing my skin.

  I shivered and tried to bring my hips even closer his hand, moaning in frustration when it glided away to stroke up my side. "Please… please, Simon.”