by Quinn Loftis
Shelly sighed and leaned her shoulder and head against the wall.
The glass was quickly fogging, allowing her only glimpses of him, but oh how titillating those glimpses were.
“You can join me if you’d like,” Ra said, not bothering to glance at her. He just went about his business, washing his hair and then his body.
She swallowed thickly. “No, thanks. I’m good.”
“Perhaps you weren’t able to entirely wash your back earlier. I can offer some assistance.”
“I appreciate your generous offer. But I think I got it all. Besides, the view from here is not one I’m willing to give up.” Looks like my filter isn’t working today. I guess I’m going to shamelessly word vomit all over him while stalking him. Super healthy, Shell, super healthy.
When the water turned off, she nearly squeaked as the door slid open. She backed out of the room before he could step out. His laugh caused her to grin. I am so ridiculous.
A few minutes later, Ra was dressed in the same uniform and looked delicious, like a red apple she wanted to take a bite out of. Good grief, someone slap me now.
“Ready?” Ra asked and took her hand.
Shelly nodded. She loved the way he touched her without hesitation. He obviously felt like he had every right to touch her whenever he wanted. And she couldn’t lie: it was hot.
He opened a portal and they stepped through. A minute later, they stood in what looked like an upscale school cafeteria.
“This is the dining hall at Terra Academy,” he explained.
“It’s nice.”
“Yeah. Each academy is amazing in its own way.” Ra looked around and then pointed. “There’s Liam. I’ll warn you now, Mery, he’s going to want to get a rise out of you. Just ignore him. Or kick him in the balls. I don’t care. If he embarrasses you, I will deal with him.” His voice was dark and full of promise.
Shelly patted his arm. “I’m a big girl, Ra. I can handle a pervert.”
He chuckled. “Of that, I’ve no doubt. But, there is only so much I will tolerate when it comes to you.”
Shelly looked up at him and smiled. “My hero.”
His lips twitched as if holding back a smile. “Always.”
They took a seat at the table across from Liam. He smiled at them, and Shelly knew the dude wasn’t going to be able to hold his tongue, no matter the consequences.
“You two look surprisingly well-rested.”
“Apparently, exercise is a great precursor for a good night's sleep,” Shelly said without shame. Oh, she might blush and act demure with Ra because he was hers and knew her intimately. But with guys like Liam, she had no qualms about dishing back whatever was thrown at her.
Liam’s brow rose. “Care to elaborate on the type of exercises you two took part in? I’m thinking of maybe taking up a new workout regimen myself.”
Shelly’s eyes lit up with what she knew was a wicked glint. “The delicious, carnal kind that I’m pretty sure you aren’t old enough to hear about. Wouldn’t want to corrupt your young, innocent mind.” Ra’s hand rested on her thigh, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. Shelly didn’t know what it meant, but she didn’t feel anything through their bond except amusement.
Liam chuckled as he shook his head. “You got you a keeper, Ra. She’s feisty and gorgeous.”
“And I’ve got wicked good aim with my foot. It’s like a heat-seeking missile when I send it on a mission to kick the crap out of a dude’s junk.”
Liam’s eyes widened. “Noted.”
Ra spoke up. “Shelly, I don’t know if you were formally introduced to Liam. He’s a student at Hydro Academy, a water elementalist in training. He’s one of my brothers, by choice, not blood. Despite his lack of filter or couth, he would protect you with his life because you are mine.”
Shelly held out her hand to Liam. “Very nice to meet you. Anyone Ra cares about is someone I care about.”
Liam shook her hand. “Thank you, Shelly. It’s very nice to meet you as well. I’ll probably give you crap. But I mean no harm.”
“I’m not easily offended.”
He winked at her. “Good to know.”
Ra pulled her hand out of Liam’s and entwined their fingers, resting their hands on his side of the table with his arm settled over hers.
“I just got a text from Elias,” Liam said. “They’re on their way down.”
Shelly straightened up at the news. It would take everything inside of her not to snatch Tara’s hand and drag her off somewhere private so they could go into a major sharing session. She would force herself to be still and not act like a crazy stalker BFFF. Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, Shell.
“Do I look different?” Tara asked Elias as she stared at herself in the dresser mirror. She was already outfitted in her black training uniform and ready for the day. Now, she waited impatiently for Elias to get dressed. Waking up in Elias’s arms had been heaven. What had followed had been even better.
“What do you mean?” Elias asked as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He tugged her back against his bare chest and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Tara kept herself from purring … barely.
“I mean, like … can you tell I’m no longer … you know…” She motioned with her hand up and down her body.
Elias smirked. “You mean will other people be able to tell that the gate to your garden has been opened?”
Tara elbowed him in the stomach. “Seriously?”
He shrugged. “It sort of fits. You have a lovely garden—”
Tara reached up and covered his mouth with her hand. “The garden is going to be locked up tight for maintenance if you keep talking.”
She could feel him smirking and saw the mischief in his eyes. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say he didn’t actually believe her. When Tara removed her hand, Elias grabbed her wrist and nipped her palm with his teeth. “I’m pretty sure I could convince you to let me have a special pass.”
Tara rolled her eyes and pulled out of his arms. “Shouldn’t you get dressed? We’re meeting our peeps for breakfast. I want to see Shelly before we have this meeting. I assume there won’t be any time for girly talk afterward.”
“As you wish,” he replied and yanked his pajama pants off and kicked them across the room, leaving himself completely nude.
Tara crossed her arms. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”
“You were impressed last night … and this morning.”
“Well, I wasn’t thinking properly, of course, with everything going on. And that was before you made that silly garden comment.”
He took a step closer. “Really? Because I seem to remember you saying I had an impressive spade. And that you wanted me to plant my seed deep in your fertile soil.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you realize how silly you sound right now?”
“What can I say? I’m a master horticulturist.”
“You’re a dweeb. Now, put your clothes on.”
“As you wish,” he repeated, finding his own uniform and pulling it on. He took her hand and led her from his room. As they walked, Tara’s mind wandered over the information she’d learned in the past twenty-four hours. Her head was packed like an overstuffed suitcase, and she wondered how she could handle any more surprises. Was there a point in which her little human brain would simply explode from too much overload? She felt a tug inside and glanced over at Elias.
“Quit worrying,” he said softly. “We’re going to be fine.”
“Quit eavesdropping on my emotions,” she grumbled back.
“Sorry, love. It’s part of the package.”
Tara didn’t respond because they’d just stepped into the dining hall, and she saw Shelly sitting at a table with Ra and Liam.
She let go of Elias's hand and ran across the room. When she reached the group, Tara grabbed Shelly and pulled her out of her seat and into a tight hug. Tara had never been a hugger. But once your BFFF had been to hell-literally-it seemed like somet
hing worth adding to her list of okay emotional expressions.
“How are you?” Tara asked as they pulled away from each other.
“I’m excellent,” Shelly said with a huge smile. There was also a nice little red glow in her cheeks. “You?”
Tara’s own smile was, no doubt, just as big. “I’m excellent as well. I missed you.”
“I missed you too, bestie. We’ve got a lot to catch up on and little time to do it.”
“Very true,” Tara said.
Shelly noticed an empty table close by and motioned to it. “Let’s sit there for a little bit and have a fast share fest.”
Tara glanced at Elias, who she knew would be listening. He looked slightly unhappy but gave her a small smile and a nod.
Ra stood and took Shelly’s face in one of his hands. He ran his thumb across her bottom lip and whispered something to her. Shelly nodded and then held still as the huge Egyptian leaned down and kissed her so gently it made Tara’s heart clench in awe.
As Tara and Shelly walked over to the table, her friend seemed to be floating on air.
“He seems intense,” Tara said.
“He is.” Shelly sighed like a lovesick fool.
Tara smiled. “You’re smitten.”
“I so am, sister. Smitten like a kitten in a mitten.”
“That made no sense.”
Shelly shrugged. “Pretty sure being drunk on love and sex will make you spout nonsense.”
Tara’s eyes widened. “So, bonded, married, and sexed?” She whistled. “Wow, BFFF, when you go in, you go all in.”
“I’ve been to hell, Tara-bear. Pretty sure I have every right to go all in considering I could have died or been tied to the devil for all eternity.”
“Okay, what’s all that about?” Tara asked. “You mentioned it yesterday.”
“I’m going to try and give you a synopsis because we don’t exactly have time for a play-by-play recount. Ready?”
“I feel like I should set a timer.” Tara grinned. “Like it’s speed dating.”
“That’s not entirely unlike what actually happened. Except it was speed courting. An entire engagement, with the ubiquitous love triangle, all packed into twenty-four hours.”
Tara raised her eyebrows. “Huh.”
“I got tossed into hell. But I didn’t know it. I just knew that my boobs were burning.”
Tara’s eyebrows came back down, and her brow furrowed. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Dude, this is not going to work if you can’t keep up with the simple stuff. Boobs.” She pointed to her chest. “They were roaring like a bonfire. And I thought, ‘Damn, my house is on fire and I’m roasting like a marshmallow with tatas, and there is nothing I could do about it.’ I was trapped inside my mind and couldn’t wake up. I couldn’t move or anything. All I could do was sit there and burn.”
Tara’s throat suddenly became dry, her stomach did a not-cool-rolling-thing, and she thought she might puke. “It hurt?”
“Like a mother trucker,” Shelly admitted. “It was the worst pain I’d ever felt in my life. I was screaming, but it was only in my mind. I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. I swear, T, I don’t ever want to go through anything that awful again.” Shelly paused, and her eyes glazed over as if she were reliving what she’d been describing.
Suddenly, Ra appeared behind Shelly and squatted down until he was shoulder level with her.
“You’re fine, beloved. You’re here, safe, with me and Tara,” he whispered in her ear.
Tara watched the interaction, and, though she didn’t understand how the two had become so close in such a short amount of time, she was very glad that Shelly had Ra. He seemed to genuinely care about her best friend, and Shelly deserved that.
Shelly nodded and leaned into his touch. She patted his face and said, “I’m good. Just got lost for a minute.”
“You’re never lost, Shelly. I can always find you.” He kissed her hair and then went back to the table where the other guys were sitting.
“Damn.” Tara sighed. “He’s just … wow.”
“He’s my Elias,” Shelly said.
“I can see that. And I am so happy for you, Shelly. You deserve a guy who adores you and will give you everything.”
Shelly started to speak again, but the doors to the dining hall opened suddenly and hit the walls with a resounding thud. Every head in the place whipped around to find Zuri and Jax standing in full warrior gear, at least that’s how Tara thought of it, considering it was more than the black uniform she had on. They’d added awesome accessories like knives, guns, and some other things she didn’t recognize but was sure would be used to kick major ass.
“Attention!” Jax bellowed.
“We need all of the students who have been involved in the new inter-school program to head to the training fields,” Zuri announced. “Now!” she yelled when no one moved. The room erupted into noise as chairs shifted and bodies scrambled for the exit.
“Darn.” Shelly sighed. “I had so much more to tell you.”
“And no doubt awesome exaggerations in just the right places,” Tara said as they stood. Elias grabbed her hand, and Ra took Shelly’s as they led them from the room.
“Damn right,” Shelly said, a wide grin spreading across her face.
Tara looked over her shoulder and saw that Aston and Liam followed, though Liam was busy looking around the room. Maybe for a certain redhead. He was so distracted Aston had to keep him from bumping into people.
When they reached Zuri, she held up her hand to stop their group. “You six, double-time it to Headmaster Terrick’s office.”
“Dude, I’ve only been here twenty-four hours, and I’m already being sent to the principal's office?” Shelly asked. “Guess I’m just that good. I get in trouble without even realizing I’m doing it anymore. That takes skill.”
“It takes all the skills.” Tara laughed as the guys picked up their pace, pulling them along.
“What kind of punishment do they hand out here?” Shelly asked, slightly out of breath as they hustled up a set of stairs. “Are we talking corporal, like with paddles?”
“What?” Tara coughed as her eyes widened. “We’re not being punished, you weirdo.”
“No one uses a paddle on you but me, Mery,” Ra said, his tone deadly serious.
Tara was shaking with laughter by the time they reached the headmaster’s office. She turned to Shelly, tugging on Elias’s hand to make him stop. He glanced at her, his brow drawn low. “Shell, maybe try and put a filter on while we’re in this meeting, yeah?”
“Sure, sure,” Shelly said with a dismissive wave. “ I can totally do a filter.”
Tara watched as her BFFF followed Ra into the room. “Shelly totally can’t do a filter,” she said to Elias. “This might get awkward fast.”
“Awkward keeps things interesting,” Elias pointed out as he led her through the door.
“Yes, because keeping things interesting is more important than preserving one's dignity and not offending people,” she replied, rolling her eyes at him.
“Dignity is for those who’ve lost the ability to laugh at themselves. And ‘easily offended’ is just another term for ‘the stick up my ass is shoved too far,’” Liam interjected. “Once you start taking life too seriously, Tara, it’s all downhill from there.”
“And what’s at the bottom of the hill?” Tara asked as they stepped up next to Ra and Shelly.
“An empty bed.”
Tara furrowed her brow. “Not sure I follow.”
Liam inclined his head. “Allow me to elucidate. A woman doesn’t want a man who can’t make her laugh, and a man doesn’t want a woman who won’t laugh, well, because she has that stick thing I mentioned earlier. We like our women to be stick free. Sticks are a huge turn off to a man.”
“And I thought he was the idiot of the bunch,” Shelly butted in. “With wisdom like that, I think I may have judged him too quickly.”
Liam turned to her, his lips tilting up
in a sinfully wicked smile. “Sweetheart, I’ll be happy to share all kinds of wisdom with you.”
Shelly narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at him, “I’m giving you three passes today because it’s obvious you’re lacking in self-control, wisdom or not. After those three are up, your junk is free game. It’s your choice if you want to be able to have children.”
Liam sighed. “It’s so satisfying to be around chicks who don’t just giggle and bounce around.”
Tara frowned. “Why would they bounce?”
“Don’t answer that,” Elias warned Liam.
Shelly covered her mouth to keep from laughing, and Ra and Aston both smiled widely.
“I don’t get it,” Tara said.
“You don’t need to,” Elias told her and then pointed behind her. “The room’s almost full. They’ll be starting the meeting any minute.”
Tara held up her hands. “Fine, but you will tell me about the bouncing thing later.”
“And then after you explain it, E, she can give you a practical demonstration,” Liam said with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “And now I’m jealous again. Damn.”
Chapter 2
Gabby stepped out into the corridor and shut her dorm room door behind her. She’d received a message via the student app from Professor Frost to head to her office immediately.
“Probably about to get my butt chewed out for being out on the training fields in the middle of the night,” she grumbled out loud, despite the fact there was no one around to hear her. Not that she would have talked to them if they had been.
Her thoughts were still a jumbled mess. The little bit of sleep she’d managed to get hadn’t helped. The need to see Liam was like an itch under her skin that she couldn’t satisfy, no matter how much she scratched.
When she reached the professor's door, Gabby knocked and tried not to fidget. The last thing she needed was her teachers thinking she was taking drugs or having withdrawals, which she imagined was how she probably appeared to outsiders.
