Winter Term

by J. J. Krzemien

  “How? Aimes and his friends already know.” I tugged Liam’s arms closer.

  “I’ll take care of them,” Jaxon said.

  I lifted a brow in question. “Oh?”

  “I know a good conditional muting spell.”

  I gaped at him. The things these teachers could get away with here! Was it just me, or were there no ethics among supernaturals?

  Bemused, my gaze slid to Angel, who stood leaning against the wall watching us. His glowing eyes were filled with smoldering desire. Suddenly, I felt the closeness of the other two and my body responded. Heat pooled low in my stomach. My nipples grew erect.

  Liam felt it, too. His hands slid down to grip my hips, leaving a blazing trail through my clothes, as he inhaled the scent of my hair. He pressed his growing erection against my butt and let out a low groan. I closed my eyes, loving how he was so easily swept up by my lust. If only he’d let me have him.

  The door to Jaxon’s apartment clicked shut. I startled, glancing toward the door. Angel had quietly left.

  Jaxon was half-turned away. “Why did he leave?”

  I reached up, taking Jaxon’s face between my hands and pulled his lips down to mine. Hungrily, I kissed him, parting his lips to explore his mouth with my tongue. He grunted in surprise, then relaxed into it, gripping the back of my head as he kissed me back.

  Liam’s hot mouth nibbled at my neck and shoulder from behind. He ground his pelvis hard against my ass. I moaned into Jaxon’s mouth.

  The attention from both of them was heady. My inner dragon writhed, needing to be satisfied—now.

  I broke away from the kiss. “I need you.” I was speaking to them both, but didn’t bother to clarify.

  Liam released me, coming around to my side. His green eyes were dark with desire. “I’m sorry, I can’t,” he whispered. He glared at Jaxon. “Lots of beast-shifters mate for life. You know that, don’t you?”

  Jaxon stared back at him. “Yes, I know that.” He glanced briefly down at me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “If she wants me for life, I’m hers.”

  The two men seemed to search each other’s eyes. I didn’t know what they were looking for, an understanding? Finally, Liam nodded.

  He took my face in one of his large palms, planting a gentle kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you later,” he said. He let himself out of the apartment.

  I shifted my gaze to Jaxon. His grey eyes were filled with an adoration I’d never seen before. It filled my chest with warmth and longing.

  He ducked his head, taking my lips in a slow, seductive kiss. A tingle of anticipation swept through my body. We’d only had sex that one time in his office. I wanted more, so much more.

  Jaxon pulled back. “Do you want this? Do you want me?”

  I nodded.

  “I need to hear you say it.”

  “I want you,” I breathed.

  “As your mate?” Those steely eyes had hardened. He was seriously asking this.

  I’d been planning on telling him, just not this soon. I searched inside myself for the answer—to be absolutely sure. Beneath the longing and the lust, I found a sense of connection, belonging, and a fierce possessiveness.

  “Yes,” I said, “I want you as my mate.”

  He swept me off my feet, carrying me into his bedroom. Setting me on his large bed, he straightened to peel off his T-shirt. My gaze followed his motions. His muscles rippled with the movement, flexing oh-so enticingly. My golden god. I licked my lips.

  Jaxon watched me devour his upper body with my eyes. When our gazes met, his was steely, serious.

  “I want to make love to you,” he said, not taking his eyes from mine.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  He approached the bed like a predator ready to pounce on its prey. With his chest, he pushed me back and down until I was reclining under him, my legs on either side of his hips. His arms flexed as he held his weight off of me.

  My chest rose and fell with each shallow breath, my gaze still locked with his. He shifted his weight to one arm, freeing the other to slide up under my sweater and tease my navel. He replaced his fingers with his tongue. His hot mouth caressed my stomach in flicks and whirls.

  I moaned, closing my eyes.

  Jaxon worked his way up until my sweater was pushed to my neck. He paused, tugging the fabric over my head and tossing it to the floor. He took my lips in a searing kiss that ended too soon. His mouth moved to my neck, collarbone, to the tops of my breasts.

  In an expert move, he unhooked my bra, sending it to lay with my sweater. I moaned again as he took a nipple in his mouth, sucking and licking. He teased the other one his rough palm.

  I arched into the very different sensations. With a gentle graze of teeth, he switched his mouth to the other side, flicking his tongue over the sensitive nub. Catching my nipple between his fingers, he rolled it, sending waves of pleasure straight to my core.

  I bucked. Through the fabric of both our jeans, I felt the hot length of his cock. Undulating my pelvis, I stroked him.

  He caught my hips, pinning me to the bed. I groaned in frustration.

  Jaxon’s mouth slowly, agonizingly crept down the side of my breast to my stomach. Lower and lower, he kissed, until he was nibbling along the top of my waistband. I squirmed under him.

  He undid the button and slid the zipper down. In a fluid motion he had my jeans and panties also on the floor. I watched him as he gazed at my wet folds. A minor heat of embarrassment flooded my face as he parted me with his fingers. Then he took me with his mouth, his tongue, and the bolt of pleasure swept away all thought.

  I panted as Jaxon sucked my clit, gripping the bed sheets. He entered me with one finger and stroked. A second finger joined the first as he found a steady rhythm that had me moaning and writhing. Tension and heat kept building, coiling my core tighter.

  With a drawn out moan, I exploded.

  Before I could come down from the orgasm, Jaxon thrust into me. The new, intense sensation sent me over the edge again.

  Jaxon slowed, letting us both catch our breaths. He caressed my cheeks with his thumbs.

  “You’re so beautiful.” He captured my lips with his, then parted them with his tongue to explore deeper.

  I groaned as he kissed me while moving his cock slowing in and out. That delightful pressure was building in me again with each stroke. I ran my hands over his strong back, over smooth skin and hard muscle. Wrapping my legs around his hips, I urged him on.

  He sat up, bringing me with him, until I straddled him. Now on top, a wave of power coursed through me.

  I shoved him down to the bed, resting my hands on his broad chest. He caught my hips as I impaled myself on his thick cock. I took his hands away, lifting them over his head and pinning them there.

  He lifted a blond brow, but didn’t struggle to free himself.

  I set a demanding rhythm. Jaxon’s eyes rolled back in his head, his lips parted in ecstasy. Taking full control, I rode him with wild abandon.

  His hard abdominal muscles created the right amount of friction for my clit. Pleasure tightened my core, sending me higher and higher before I broke. I shuddered, screaming, as the orgasm ripped through me.

  Jaxon groaned, finally freeing his hands and taking my hips. He plowed into me over and over, as his found his own release.

  I collapsed on his chest. His heart was pounding so fast. I let my mind and body float, vaguely aware of his warm hands stroking my back.

  This man was mine.

  Two days later, I was still high on endorphins. Waking up and getting to my classes on time was easier. Thoughts of the Tromara were pushed to the back of my brain. I may have even smiled at some of the other shape-shifters, who in turn gave me dirty looks. Nothing, it seemed, could get me down.

  Besides mind-blowing sex with Jaxon, the energy from his spells still swirled around in my gut. It felt like I was filled with electricity, but I had no outlet for it. Jaxon was a powerful witch. I never knew how powerful until absorbing h
is magic. But what was I supposed to do with the energy I’d absorbed?

  I walked into my first class, nearly giddy. Montrell’s dark gaze followed my movements, his face expressionless.

  “Miss Sorrentino, did you bring your report on shifter social behavior?”

  My head jerked up. “What? No. That report isn’t due until Friday.”

  “For everyone else.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “For you it’s due today.”

  I clenched my jaw. “Well, I don’t have it.”

  He tsked. “Too bad. That’s twenty-five points deducted.”

  I opened my mouth to argue. With a frustrated grunt, I bit my tongue. He wanted me to argue so he could take away more points that I didn’t have. I glared back at him, but said nothing.

  When he realized I wasn’t going to take the bait, he shifted his attention to someone in the front row. “Are you passing notes in my classroom?”

  Cautiously, I sighed. The heat was off me—for the moment at least. I still needed to get to the bottom of this. Why did Montrell Freeman hate me so much? He didn’t even know me. I settled in for the night’s lecture.

  The rest of my classes went smoothly, though I wasn’t feeling as upbeat anymore. Trying to shake off the dark cloud that Montrell had placed over me, I headed to May’s office. I had something I wanted to talk with her about—an idea.

  “Come in,” she hollered through the door.

  She sat behind her desk, her long strawberry hair shielding her face. After a moment, she glanced up from the open book in front of her and smiled.

  “Hey, Caprice. What’s up?”

  I took a seat in front of the large desk. “I’d like to try something, and since you’re my experimenting buddy…I thought I’d come to you about it.”

  She lifted a brow, closing the book and setting it aside. “I’m game. What’s on your mind?”

  This was going to be a little weird because I couldn’t tell May about compulsion and spells not working on me. I really wanted to tell her, but the guys would not be happy if I did. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust her, it was to protect her. I completely agreed with them.

  I wasn’t supposed to tell Isabella either, and that was going to be hard. Again, it was to protect her. When had I become so dangerous to those I loved?

  Mentally shaking myself, I said, “I want to try breaking into Ms. Duinn’s office.”

  May’s eyes grew wide. “Okay…” she said warily.

  “Hear me out. I’ve been working a lot with my dragon form in shifting class and I have a feeling that I can break past her warding spell.”

  “But you’re not a witch, so how could you do that?”

  “There’s this energy in me, it feels really powerful, and I think I can use it to break her spell.” I sighed. “I’m probably just insane, but I have a gut feeling about this. Let me try. The worst that can happen is I get caught and the dean takes away all my points and puts me in the Culling Club—oh wait, I’m already in there,” I said sarcastically.

  “The worst that can happen is we get caught.”

  “You don’t need to—”

  “I’m not letting you do this alone.” May folded her arms. “This is my problem, and I’ll take the heat if we get caught.”

  “But they could fire you, couldn’t they?”

  She nodded. “But they won’t.”

  “I have a lot less to lose.”

  “And I know what the letters look like. You don’t.”

  She had a point there. I snapped my mouth shut, leaning back in the chair. “Fine,” I said. “You win.”

  A triumphant smile lifted her lips. “I knew all those years of arguing with Liam would pay off. I always win.”

  I laughed, and rolled my eyes. Siblings. “When should we do this?”

  May pursed her lips, looking so much like her brother. “I’m not sure yet. Let me think about it. I’d like to test your theory first.”

  “Okay. “ Yeah, that was a good idea since I had no idea how I was going to release this magic in me. “When?” I asked.

  She flipped through the date book on her desk. “Ugh, my schedule is jammed. How about this weekend? Saturday at ten?”

  “Works for me.” I smiled, looking forward to testing out my theory.

  “I have a feeling I’m being a bad influence on you,” May said with a sigh.

  I shrugged. “Maybe. Well, I need to go.” I stood up, turning toward her door.

  “Hot date?”

  “Something like that,” I shot back over my shoulder. I had dinner plans with the guys.

  6

  Angel

  I stared into the bathroom mirror, not liking what I saw. It wasn’t my fresh-shaved tan skin, nor my short black hair styled with gel that disturbed me. It was those hard and serious deep amber eyes staring back. Where was the fucking mirth? Gone—along with my abundant sex life.

  Since my wolf had first claimed Caprice as my mate, I hadn’t had sex with anyone, which was a bad sign. It meant that the distance I’d been keeping, in an effort to not let the bond take hold, had failed. My wolf was hers, through and through. Fuck.

  If she were any other woman, I’d have taken her and made her mine by now. But she wasn’t like other women. I was trying to understand and accept that she was a dragon-shifter and therefore would take multiple mates—but, damn, it was hard. Seeing my friends’ hands all over her, knowing she was having sex with at least one of them, was too much. What was worse, it alternately filled me with jealousy and turned me on. I was all kinds of fucked up.

  I flexed my pecs, feeling the burn from my workout. A couple hours of cardio and weights had helped with the frustration and pent-up energy. The jealousy and lust were always the worst leading up to the full moon, which was in two nights. On that night, I’d shift and run with the Pack. By Saturday, and my date with Caprice, I would be as docile as a puppy. At least, that was my hope.

  Until then… I took the towel from around my waist and hung it up. I pulled on fresh jeans and a black T-shirt. On the bathroom counter, my phone buzzed with an incoming text. I swiped my thumb over the screen and it lit up.

  Call me now. It was my father.

  I pulled on my sneakers at the door of the apartment. The only place to get reliable cell coverage in this building was up in the turret. I took the stairs two at a time, dialing his number right before reaching the top.

  He answered on the second ring. “Angel, how are you?”

  I was relieved to be talking to Dad tonight instead of Councilor Diego Cortez. His two personas were different enough that it was good to know which one I was speaking with at any given time.

  “I’m doing all right. You know, the usual,” I said.

  “Still chasing girls like your life’s about to end?” His tone was light, but I knew he took the Culling seriously.

  “Hey, it could have back then. Guess the habit stuck with me after graduating.” I kept my tone light too, wondering why he was calling.

  “Well, you’ll get a chance to kick that habit soon enough. You’re almost thirty now, and it’s about time you took your place in the Pack.”

  “I have two more years until I’m thirty, Dad. And two more years until my contract is up for teaching here.” Why was he pushing me into the future?

  There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

  “Dad? You there?” My stomach knotted up. Instinct told me that something was wrong. “Dad?”

  “There’s something I need to tell you,” he said.

  When he didn’t continue, I prodded. “Yeah? What is it?”

  He drew in a deep breath. “I have cancer.”

  Stunned, I couldn’t respond. Cancer? Some supernaturals got it, but it was rare.

  “How?” I sputtered. “You’re only ninety-seven… I don’t—”

  “It’s terminal. Although, they can’t pin down a time-frame yet.” His deep voice was even, almost calm.

  “How long have you known?” I rubbed the b
ack of my neck.

  “Since the summer. But, it’s taken a turn for the worse and I’m trying to get my affairs in order, as they say.” He paused, then continued in a low voice. “That means you’ll take over the Pacific Pack, Angel, and be the new Supreme Alpha in our territory. I know this is coming too soon, and I’m sorry for that. There’s nothing I can do to change this.”

  I let his words sink in. “No, I’m sorry, Dad. I’m sorry this is happening to you. How’s Mom taking it? Have you told my brothers? Have you told the Packs?”

  “Your mom is wonderful, as always. That’s the importance of a bonded mate, Angel, there’s no comparison.” He inhaled another deep breath. “Your brothers and the Packs don’t know yet. I wanted to speak with you first. We need to plan the succession.”

  My heart sank. The succession, right. I’d always known it was coming—in another sixty years or so. I was the Pacific Pack’s next Alpha here in Oregon, the Gran Lobo Pack’s next Supreme Alpha in the Rocky Mountains, and the Cortez heir to the Supernatural Council seat. Part of the succession ceremony for werewolves was taking a wife.

  “Angel, I need you to come early on Friday night,” he said. “We need to talk about all of this in person. I’ve also selected four reputable females from within the Packs. One should do as a wife, maybe you’ll be blessed with the mate bond.”

  I was already mate bonded, but he didn’t know that. Breaking the news to him now seemed cruel. He was dying and I couldn’t uphold my responsibilities. I felt like a total dickhead. That I knew the bonding was a primal occurrence, and completely out of my control, didn’t help.

  “Angel? You okay?”

  I clenched my jaw, steeling myself for what had to be said. I should have told him sooner, but I’d been hoping that the bond wouldn’t form with Caprice. Nothing against her personally, I liked her a lot. I just wasn’t free to choose a mate outside of the Packs, even though my wolf had done it for me.