“That’s crazy,” Matt said.
“Why would they do that?” Luka asked.
“That’s not how it’s supposed to go. Are they going to move up graduation too?” Ben asked.
“Good question,” I said. “We’re supposed to be here till June, right?” I wasn’t ready for the outside supernatural world. I was still wrapping my head around the fact that I had four mates and that I was going to have to find something to do for a living after I finished here. But I thought I had more time.
The five of us started talking over one another, peppering Professor Halifax with questions.
She held up a hand. “Silence.”
Her words echoed through me, knocking me back a little. There was magic behind that word. She’d never used magic on us before and it freaked me out enough to shut my mouth without question.
All four of my mates were silent too. They’d clearly felt the magic behind that word, too.
Professor Halifax looked tired. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment, then opened her eyes and dropped her hand. “I tried to petition this, but I was overruled. I don’t know how this will impact graduation. I just know that this will be our last session together and we didn’t even touch on the things I wanted you to learn.”
“The magic meld,” I whispered.
She looked at me. “Yes. But you’re not ready.”
“Do you think we can complete the trials without it?” I asked.
“I hope so,” she said. “I can’t in good conscious ask you to attempt a magic meld with all of you.”
She couldn’t ask, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t try it on our own. “How dangerous would it be if we tried it?”
“Raven,” Luka said.
I ignored him. “You said before that it should work, right? That it would finish our bond?”
“Yes,” she said. “In theory. I don’t think it would cause any harm, but you would have so much magic running through you that you might lose control.”
“What would it mean if she lost control?” Matt asked.
I was glad I wasn’t the only one thinking about trying it behind her back.
“I don’t know,” Professor Halifax said. “Best case, she breaks things.”
“Worst case?” Ben asked.
I turned to look at him, shocked as hell that he seemed to be considering it.
“Worst case,” Professor Halifax said. “She could create a time bubble or open a portal she didn’t intend to open.”
“Just from doing a magic meld?” I asked. That seemed extreme. Okay, well, maybe not the breaking things. Could I really make a time bubble, though? Or open a portal? Both of those seemed extreme.
“It’s possible,” she said. “But it’s just theory at this point. I haven’t ever seen what a half fae in a magic meld could do.”
She tapped her chin with her index finger, lost in thought for a moment. Then she looked at me. “Though, since you have a mating bond with them, it should be safer than a typical meld. And you did survive the meld with the Obscura twins.”
It was as if she was trying to talk herself into telling us to try it. Then she shook her head. “No, it’s too risky. I can’t in good conscious ask you to attempt it.”
“Well, what else can we do?” Zach asked.
“Study, get some rest, make sure the five of you can communicate quickly and can rely on each other. There’s not really enough time for anything else,” she said.
“That’s disappointing,” Ben said.
“Professor, do you have anything for us to work on today or should we work on our communication skills independently?” Matt asked.
“If you have anything you want to work on with me, now’s the time, otherwise, you can prep however you’d like,” she said.
“I think it’s time for us to work on some strategy as a group,” Matt said. “Our suite is big enough for the whole group.”
“I’m in,” Ben said.
“Oh no,” I said. “This is a bad idea.”
“We’re not going to do anything crazy,” Matt said.
“Yeah, maybe we’ll just come up with our own hand signals to communicate faster,” Zach said.
I shook my head. I knew exactly where this was going.
“I’ve always wanted to see the Obscura suite,” Luka said.
I lifted an eyebrow and looked over at Luka. “You too?”
I was outnumbered. It was clear they wanted to attempt the magic meld. And I was pretty sure Professor Halifax wanted us to try it too. Fuck. I was the loose cannon here. If I didn’t pull my weight and something went wrong, I wasn’t going to get a second chance this time. Plus, Matt would be in the room with me and he was still having weekly meetings with Officer M.
“You sure?” I looked at all my mates.
Ben stood and offered his hand. “Come on, we’ve got trials to prepare for.”
28
Raven
“So we’re really doing this?” I asked, still not believing my eyes. All four of my mates were in the same room at the same time. And none of them were fighting.
It wasn’t like they fought regularly, they’d just all made it clear that they didn’t want to share me when it was our time. I’d had to find ways to balance being with each of them. The only exception was Luka and Ben who sat at the same table during lunch with me. Matt and Zach never joined us.
Yet, here we were, all standing in the living room of the Obscura suite as if we were getting ready for cocktails.
“I don’t see what choice we have,” Matt said. “If Coach Miller is trying to set you up to fail, it could be an attempt to push you to use your time magic.”
“I’m getting much better at controlling that,” I said.
“Not good enough,” Zach said.
I bit down on my lip, recalling the moment I’d stopped time with him. The sex had been incredible and the power surging through me afterword had been nearly as good. I never realized how much of a thrill having power could be until that moment and it scared me.
“We don’t know what this will do,” I said. “I can’t let anything bad happen to any of you.”
“Raven, you can’t always be the one protecting everyone else. You have to let us take care of you on occasion,” Luka said.
Ben growled and I turned to him, feeling my own tension rise alongside his. “Raven, the four of us think this is best and we’re willing to take the risk. What are you holding back for?”
I wasn’t really sure. It should be enough that the rest of them were on the same page, but it still made me uncomfortable. I knew how strong my magic got when we were together. When Zach and I bonded, my magic temporarily went beyond my control. What would happen if I bonded with all of them that way at the same time?
“What if I lose control and hurt you?” I asked, finally realizing what my fears were.
“I don’t think you will,” Zach said. “Remember after our bond snapped into place and you stopped time?”
I nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
“You’re forgetting the part about me and the others not being impacted by your magic,” he said.
I blinked a few times, letting his words sink in. He was right. The rest of the school seemed to have been frozen in time by my magic, but all of them had been kept safe.
“I don’t think we can be harmed by your magic,” Zach said. “I think it’s part of the bond.”
“Raven,” Ben said, taking a step closer to me. “I need to see that cocky girl who beats me in poker right now."
“And the wild child who runs head-first into a dragon attack,” Luka added.
“The mage who took out two grown men who tried to kill her,” Zach said.
“And the woman who got this group of misfits come together for a common goal,” Matt said.
My throat stung as tears threatened. Never in a million years did I think I’d have even one man who made me feel this way. But here I was, with four. Four men who suppor
ted me and rallied with me. They believed in me. In us.
“Alright,” I said. “If you all think it’s for the best, I’m in.”
A few minutes later, we’d pushed all the furniture against the walls, clearing a large space in the middle of the room for the five of us to sit in a circle.
Like a group of teenagers holding a seance at a sleepover, we held hands. A heavy tension hung in the air that surprisingly didn’t come from the fact that my mates were holding hands.
It was coming from an impending sense of doom regarding the upcoming trials. None of us knew for sure what Coach Miller was up to with the change of date or what he’d create in the course, but we knew he was dangerous.
“So where do we start with this?” Ben asked.
I looked up and gave him a reassuring smile. He was across from me, the twins on either side of me. Since the three of us has successfully done this before, we thought it might be best to keep the connection between us and try to expand it. It was all theory, though. None of us actually knew what we were doing.
“It really isn’t much different than what we were working on with Professor Halifax,” Zach explained. “Only this time, instead of just sending our magic to Raven, we’ll be sharing it with the whole circle.”
“Try focusing on the person next to you,” I suggested. I had no idea if I was right, but it felt right. “We can share our magic through our connected physical bonds, linking all of us together.”
Almost instantly, I felt a surge of magic spike through me and I nearly let go of Matt and Zach’s hands. They squeezed me tighter, responding to my lack of pressure. It reminded me to hold on and I squeezed back.
The room filled with a familiar charge that I’d come to associate with magic. Only this time I caught the scent of leather and smoke and pine, mingling with the electric scent.
I inhaled, realizing that the air was charged with the magic of all of us. Ben’s raw energy, Luka’s smoke, the pine I’d caught on Zach and Matt. It twisted and rolled through the air, taking my own electrically charged magic with it.
Magic buzzed around me, vibrated to my very core. Usually, when so much magic surged through me, it was painful. This time, it was raw and sensual. Every inch of me felt alive. As if I was suddenly hyper aware of everything around me.
I could feel the calluses on Matt’s hand and noted how much rougher they were than Zach’s. I could hear Ben’s heart beating in time with my own. I could feel Luka’s warm breath from across the circle.
Everything was on overdrive.
Including me.
Along with the rise of the magic and the sensations of the room came the rush of arousal. I’d felt it before when channeling magic with my mates. Only this time, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to turn it off.
My heart raced, my face flushed. I could feel myself losing focus as lust mixed with the influx of magic. I bit down on my lip, fighting against it. I couldn’t let it take over. I had to fight against it.
We just had to finish the magic meld. I just had to make it through the end.
I lifted my knees, squeezing my thighs together as ripples of magic shot right through my core. I pressed my lips together to keep from moaning. It was too much.
What the hell was wrong with me? Why was this happening? Was this normal? Why the hell was I so turned on?
Nearly panting, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to break contact or I was going to climax right here in front of all of them.
I tried to pull my hands away from Matt and Zach. They both held on but I pulled harder, finally breaking free of Matt’s hand.
Turning to Zach, I looked at him, silently begging for him to release his grip on my hand. Instead, he pulled me in to him and pressed his lips to mine.
29
Zach
Bursts of magic exploded through me, making me feel like my veins were on fire. But it wasn’t painful, it was hot. Like really, really hot.
Raven’s hand tugged against mine. She was trying to break free.
The urgency in her action only heightened my desire. I had to keep her. I had to claim her.
I didn’t care that we weren’t alone. I didn’t care if that shifter ripped my arms off for taking her right here. I was going to have her and there was nobody who could stop me.
Grabbing her hand tighter, I pulled her closer to me and before she could resist, I pressed my lips to hers.
She moaned into the kiss and I could feel her practically melting into me. She wanted this as badly as I did.
I slid my hand under her shirt, half expecting resistance, but unable to control myself. She was everything. I had to have her. Without breaking the kiss, I managed to unbutton and remove her shirt. As soon as it was off, she leaned forward, knocking me to the ground.
I looked up at her, startled but pleasantly surprised by her taking control. She straddled me and quickly unhooked her bra, tossing it to the side.
Another set of hands reached around her, grabbing her breasts and I noticed that Luka had joined in. There was a momentary flare of jealousy, but it subsided quickly. It was like this was supposed to happen. We were all connected through Raven and there was an intense vibration in the room that made me think we were now connected on a deeper level.
Raven turned and pressed her lips to Luka’s before turning her attention back on me. She gave me a quick kiss, then she climbed off of me and walked across the room to where Ben and Matt were standing and watching the action unfold.
She grabbed each of them by their hand and led them toward the center of the room where Luka and I were waiting.
I could feel the hesitation and the tension rolling off of Ben as if I was inside his head. I wasn’t guessing on his emotions, I was feeling them. The thought made my head spin. How was that possible?
I turned to look at Luka and I could feel his arousal and his excitement. Unlike Ben, he was ready for this. He lived for this. Whatever had happened during our magic meld had connected us. I could tell how Raven’s other mates were feeling.
While there was an overwhelming sense of hesitation coming from Ben and Matt, there was one emotion that every male in this room had in common: lust. We were all ready to jump on Raven.
And as I watched her slide her hands up Ben’s shirt and pull it off over his head, I knew she was ready too.
30
Raven
My skin was on fire with arousal. I needed him. I needed all of them. Ben felt the most tense out of all my mates and I had a feeling if I won him over, everything would be fine. I wasn’t sure where those thoughts were coming from, but I went with it. Lust and desire were making my thoughts foggy. All I could think about was sex.
Ben didn’t resist when I pulled his shirt over his head, though he remained rather stoic in his expression. I could tell he was aroused, his cock gave that away with the tent in his pants.
I pressed my breasts against his chest as I worked his zipper. It only took a few seconds of skin on skin for him to let go.
His arms were around me before I finished unzipping his fly and his lips were on mine by the time I got my thumbs hooked in his waist band. As his lips moved with mine, I slid his pants down.
His tongue darted into my mouth, massaging mine. He was just as desperate as I was now, all of his resistance was broken.
I pulled away from his kiss, but grabbed his hand and dragged him with me as I walked toward Matt. Sliding my fingers through his sandy hair, I pulled his head closer to me so I could kiss him.
Matt matched my pace hungrily, his hands exploring my body, caressing my breasts, teasing my nipples.
While kissing Matt, I reached for Ben’s massive cock, stroking it with my free hand. I could feel his hips working in time to my movements and knew he was enjoying the attention.
A new pair of hands joined Matt’s, exploring my breasts, while another hand grabbed my ass. Someone slid a finger inside me and I moaned into Matt’s mouth.
A hard cock rubbed against my ass and Matt p
ressed his erection against my hips. I let go of Ben and quickly helped Matt and myself out of our clothes.
The whole room felt like it was pumped full of sexual energy and I wondered if this was how Luka felt every time he fed. It was heady and it made me want to never leave this room again. I wanted to stay in here with the four of them forever.
Luka grabbed my hand and led me back to the rug in the middle of the floor but Ben grabbed hold of my other hand. The look in his eyes was fierce and possessive and hot as hell.
Ben grabbed me and lifted me up, carrying me to one of the couches that had been moved out of the way. He sat down, positioning me so his cock was lined up between my thighs.
I braced myself with my knees, straddling him on the couch so he didn’t enter too quickly. Ben was the largest of all my mates and while I enjoyed it rough from time to time, tonight wasn’t like that. It wasn’t fast and dirty. It was beautiful and sensual and slow.
He entered me slowly, giving me time to adjust as he did. Once he was in, I moved my hips, riding him with undulating motions. Luka was next to me again and I half expected Ben to send him away, but he ignored him, keeping his eyes locked on mine.
I grabbed Luka’s hand and pulled him closer to me. With my position, I was perfectly placed to give his cock some attention with my mouth. I closed my lips around him, using my tongue to write the letters of the alphabet on his shaft. He groaned and grabbed a handful of my hair, guiding my movements.
Ben’s hips moved up and down, making me moan around Luka’s cock. We continued on like that for several minutes before I felt Luka’s cock thicken in my mouth. He pulled out and turned away from me, his body shaking as he came.
Zach was next to me know, his cock by my shoulder. I adjusted slightly so I could take hold of it, moving my hand up and down the shaft as I bounced on Ben’s cock.
Behind me, a pair of hands reached around, fondling my breasts and a cock pressed at my rear entrance. I’d only done that once before, with Ben and Luka, but I had enjoyed it. Whatever was going on with the five of us had me so relaxed that I wasn’t stressed about trying it again.
Academy of the Elites: Fated Magic Page 14
