Academy Obscura

by J. J. Krzemien

  Angel lunged at the Tromara King, morphing into wolf-form midair. His jaw opened wide, as he focused for his attack to land on the vampire’s neck.

  Time seemed to slow down. The faculty members collectively gasped. Dean Wright’s eyes widened in horror. Angel was going to get us all killed.

  The Tromara leader didn’t even flinch. In a fluid, graceful motion he flicked one hand at Angel, seconds before the wolf would have plowed into him. A bolt of red light left the Tromara’s fingers, hitting Angel in the face. He dropped to the floor with a yelp, laying motionless on the smooth stone.

  My body jerked in surprise. I took a step toward Angel.

  “Stay where you are!” King Sebastian shouted. His gaze darted between me and Jaxon, whose face burned with fury.

  The enemy’s soldiers tensed, but didn’t rush forward to protect their king. They waited, watching for his command and any other danger.

  When their leader spoke to the dean, his voice was low. “Tell the Supernatural Council of my decision.” His attention returned to me and Jaxon. “And you two, keep your hands off my bride-to-be.” He gazed down at Angel’s nude, human form. “Make sure to tell him that too.”

  The king turned on his heel, his soldiers closing in around him as they left.

  Jaxon and I rushed to Angel. I found his steady pulse within seconds. Air whooshed from my lungs in relief. He was unconscious, but alive.

  Dean Wright approached. “The moment he’s recovered, send him to my office.” Anger and fear rolled off of her in nauseating waves. She stormed out of the hall. The other teachers followed, except May, who stood nearby hugging herself.

  I went to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She buried her face in my chest. We took comfort in each other’s familiarity. Our heartrates gradually returning to normal.

  Jaxon hadn’t moved from where he crouched beside Angel. His emotions punched to my very core, resonating with my own: Rage, fear, and hopelessness.

  The three of us paced or perched awkwardly around Jaxon’s apartment, waiting for Angel to return from the dean’s office. I sat on the arm of the couch facing the door, the Tromara King’s words replaying in my mind.

  He’d baited us. He knew exactly what he was doing as he spoke and read our emotions. Because of Angel’s attack, he managed to show us how much more powerful he was than us. How going up against him was futile.

  “He used magic,” I muttered for the umpteenth time.

  Jaxon halted his pacing long enough to throw me an exasperated glance.

  “I know,” May said from where she leaned against the kitchen counter. “I don’t understand. He’s a vampire. Vampires can’t cast spells.”

  “They can’t read emotions either.” I rubbed a hand over my mouth. “It’s impossible. All of it.”

  The door opened, and Angel stepped through with a sullen expression. “Hey, man,” he said to me.

  “How’d it go?” I asked, leaning forward.

  Angel plopped down on the opposite couch. “You know. She ripped me a new one. If she could punish me, I’m sure she’d give me life in prison. But since the Tromara let it go, she has to as well.”

  “Why’d you attack him?” Jaxon asked, his features rigid.

  Angel shrugged. “Fucker pissed me off.” He brushed off Jaxon’s question. “Now what the fuck are we going to do about Caprice?”

  Jaxon grunted, but didn’t get on Angel’s case.

  “What can we do?” May asked.

  I twisted around to face her. “That we, it doesn’t include you. Actually, I think you should leave.”

  May crossed her arms and huffed. “I’m part of this all too.”

  “No you’re not.” I stared her down. “The three of us are in trouble. Not you. You haven’t done anything wrong and I want to keep it that way.”

  “You can’t boss me around, little brother.”

  I stood, towering over her by several inches. “Really? You’re going to pull that card?”

  “Enough!” Jaxon grabbed May’s arm, hauling her toward the door. “He’s right. You’re out of here.”

  May dug her heals into the carpet. “You can’t—”

  “It’s my apartment, so I can.” He opened the door, pushed her through, and waved his wand in a spell that turned the deadbolt, probably casting a warding charm with it. He strode over to the couches, taking a seat next to Angel, the two of them facing me. “Any one have any brilliant ideas?”

  “One of us should tell Caprice,” I said.

  Jaxon’s jaw worked. “Tell her what? The fucking Tromara King is going to force you to marry him and there’s nothing we can do about it? That’ll go over well.”

  Angel sighed. “Besides starting another war, there is nothing we can do about it.”

  “Maybe it’s time,” Jaxon said under his breath.

  I felt a surge of determination in Jaxon’s emotions. He was serious. He’d start a war over a woman. Unbelievable. Who was I kidding? I’d do it too, for Caprice. Angel probably would, as well. The Tromara’s leader had said his decision was to punish the three of us. That we all loved Caprice. Was that true?

  I squinted at Angel. His emotions were always shut down when around her. Maybe not shut down, but reined in for sure. What was he hiding?

  I cleared my throat. “The last rebellion is too fresh in everyone’s memory. It would be the three of us against the Tromara. And we all know how that would end.”

  “Then I’ll take her and run,” Jaxon said.

  A sharp pang—jealousy—gripped my chest. Jaxon thought he was Caprice’s man. But she hadn’t decided yet. And maybe she wouldn’t choose only one of us, if this whole dragon-shifter and multiple mates information was reliable. He didn’t know about her kissing me that second time. And he didn’t know how I felt about her.

  “Not a chance, man,” Angel said. “You’d be putting all our families in danger. Don’t get crazy.”

  Before I thought better of it, I said, “Besides, she’s not just yours, Jaxon.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?” His tone was icy.

  I dropped my gaze. “You were there when May told us about dragon-shifters being polyamorous.” I steeled myself to look at him. “I didn’t risk my life to rescue her for your sake. And I didn’t do it because I like Caprice as only a friend either.”

  The waves of jealousy coming off him made me tense up, ready for a fight. Before, when I thought Caprice would only choose one of us, I’d been willing to accept that she’d go for Jaxon. But now…if she wanted me too, then for once in my life, I wasn’t going to step aside. Jaxon couldn’t have it all, all the time.

  We stared at each other, neither of us willing to back down. When Angel spoke, it took a moment for his words to register: “My wolf has claimed her.”

  Jaxon and I turned our attention on him.

  Angel wore a pained expression. “I thought I could shake it off, you know? Give myself enough time and space, and it would go away. I thought I had it under control. But then that Tromara fucker…what he said he was going to do to her…I lost my shit.”

  Several heartbeats of silence followed Angel’s confession.

  “What do you mean by your…wolf…claimed her?” I asked.

  Angel rubbed the back of his neck. “Werewolves, mate for life once we find our partner. The wolf part of me has decided that my life partner is Caprice.”

  Jaxon abruptly stood. His hands balled into fists as he glared down at Angel, then headed for the door.

  “It’s not like I had a choice,” Angel called after Jaxon.

  The door slammed shut so hard behind him that the frame rattled. Angel’s grief nearly overwhelmed me.

  “Damn, I didn’t want to let this come between us,” he said. “It’s not like my father will let me marry her.” He hung his head. “What am I going to do now?”

  I took it as a rhetorical question. What were any of us going to do now?

  24

  Caprice

  My hands
wouldn’t stop trembling. I trudged across the vacant lawn toward Academy Hall. About an hour after the Tromara left, the summons arrived from Jaxon. I was to meet him in his office immediately.

  The fact that he was meeting with me, and not the dean, gave me some hope that everything was going to be okay. The Tromara hadn’t taken Jaxon, he hadn’t been locked up. So what was our punishment? I assumed it had been decided, since Jaxon wanted to talk with me.

  Tentatively, I knocked on his office door. The wooden slab swung open. Without a word, he ushered me in and closed the door. His face was flushed and his hair was a mess. His red-rimmed eyes took me in from head to toe.

  Had he been crying? My heart sank. This couldn’t be good.

  “What is it? What happened?” I asked, reaching for his arm.

  His muscles felt as solid as stone under my palm. He didn’t react, didn’t reach for me. His gaze swept over my face as his brows drew together in a frown.

  When he spoke, his voice was flat. “The Tromara have decided on a punishment for our crimes.” Jaxon visibly swallowed. “For restitution they demand…you.”

  “Me? What do you mean? How—?”

  “Their king will take you as his wife.” He got the words out quickly.

  I let my hand drop to my side. Stunned, I didn’t know what to say. An image of a large, greasy-haired, dead-eyed man filled my mind. The stench of decaying blood. Being surrounded by violence and fear. A slave for life. It was a worse fate than death.

  “I see,” I whispered, the vague statement covering for my frenzied emotions and thoughts. I wanted to scream, and cry, and run. To rewind my life to before I knew anything about supernaturals. Then came the anger. The rage of helplessness swelled in my gut.

  “God damn it!” Jaxon’s veneer of composure shattered. He wrapped me in his strong arms, burying his face in my hair. “I don’t know what to do—” His voice broke. “For once in my life, I don’t know what to do.”

  I held onto him with equal ferocity, inhaling his oatmeal spice scent. My inner dragon stirred. I wanted to protect him, to make everything okay.

  Inspiration struck so suddenly, it sent a physical jolt through me. Instantly, I knew Jaxon would hate the idea.

  I spoke against his chest. “I killed those other two Tromara, let me kill their king too.”

  He pulled away only far enough to meet my eyes. “No. You’re not going anywhere near him.”

  I sighed, already exasperated and we hadn’t even started to argue yet.

  “I’m serious, Caprice. You don’t know what you’re talking about. The Tromara we fought in the woods were unskilled compared to their king.” He cringed. “Angel attacked him at the meeting—”

  “What?”

  “And he just flicked his wrist, and Angel went down. It was nothing to him. He could kill us all in a heartbeat.” Jaxon’s hands slid to my waist. “We’ll figure something out. We have to. I won’t let him take you.”

  I didn’t feel like arguing. My mind was made up about what I was going to do. Where I got the nerve, I had no idea, but suspected it had to do with my inner dragon. I was going to use the rest of this year to learn and prepare. When the time was right, I’d chop the head off the Tromara snake. No one was going to talk me out of this.

  My bravado died down. I must be insane to think I could do what no other supernatural has been able to do before. An unnatural warmth spread over my skin, tingling. But those who’d tried weren’t dragon-shifters.

  “Did you hear me?” Jaxon asked. “You’re not—”

  I stretched up on my toes, silencing him with a kiss.

  Jaxon pulled back. “He also forbade me to touch you. If anyone sees us it will bring more trouble. From now on—”

  “He doesn’t own me!” I gazed fiercely up at him, daring him to contradict me.

  He ducked down, angling his head to better ravage my mouth. His tongue slid between my lips, teasing and tasting before plunging inside. I moaned into his open mouth.

  Heat pooled between my legs. My fingers laced through his silky hair, pulling him closer, as I pressed my aching breasts against his hard chest. My whole body felt tight and flushed. I needed him. Wanted him more than anything in that moment.

  Teacher and all, he was mine.

  He eased his tongue out of my mouth to lick my swollen lips. Taking my bottom lip between his, he sucked on it, then nipped at it. His teeth grazed down my jawline, down my neck. He licked the hollow at my collarbone.

  My hands slid over Jaxon’s powerful chest, down his abs, to his jeans where I found the hard length of his erection. Gently, I ran my fingers over it. His breath hitched. He rocked his hips, rubbing himself against my hand. I undid the button and zipper to free him.

  When I wrapped my hand around his hot cock, his eyes closed. He let out a primal groan.

  “Oh, Caprice, that feels so good.” He groaned again. With his eyes closed and his lips slightly parted, he looked like a golden god in ecstasy. I ran my tongue over those lips as I continued to stroke him, applying a little more pressure.

  He growled. “Fuck, girl, you’re killing me.”

  “Take your clothes off,” I whispered against his lips.

  He slid his jeans and boxers over his narrow hips. I released his cock, so he could finish discarding his pants. He pulled both his button-down shirt and the T-shirt beneath it over his head, adding them to the pile on his office floor. With lust-filled eyes, he stood before me in all his naked glory. There wasn’t a shy bone in that man’s magnificent body.

  For a second, I felt out of my depths. I’d had brief sex with a boy when I was sixteen, mostly as a rebellious act. It had been awkward and uncomfortable. Once I’d declined the offer for a second round, we never spoke to each other again. Shortly after that, I moved to a new foster home.

  The man standing in front of me was no boy. Fine golden hair covered his chest and powerful thighs. My pulse raced with a mix of anticipation and nerves. He knew what he was doing. I was just letting instinct guide me, blindly plowing full ahead.

  “Are you okay?” Jaxon asked. He must have caught a sense of my trepidation. “We don’t have to—”

  “No. I want to.” My mouth twisted in a wry little smile. “I just…don’t have much experience.”

  His brows lifted. He closed the distance between us. “That’s okay.” His fingers caressed my cheek. “It works best if we’re both naked,” he said with a naughty grin.

  I gulped. Even my first time, I hadn’t been naked.

  “May I?” Jaxon asked, his fingers tugging at the hem of my sweater.

  I nodded.

  Slowly, he lifted the sweater off over my head. The backs of his hands trailed down my sides, leaving gooseflesh along their path. He undid my jeans, helping me step out of them. Bowing his head, he kissed my cleavage, his fingers making quick work of the bra closure. Once the bra fell away, he palmed my breasts, feeling their weight.

  “You’re so beautiful.” He kissed me long and slow, while teasing my nipples until they hardened. The warmth from his body heated my skin. His erection pressed against my stomach. I felt light-headed.

  By the time he released my mouth, I was panting. A dull ache throbbed between my legs.

  He took a nipple in his mouth, caressing it with his tongue. I moaned, pressing into his mouth. With one arm around my waist, his free hand slid between our bodies, and into my panties. He slid a finger over my wet core. My knees gave out, but Jaxon held me in place.

  “Please,” I begged. He was driving me wild with his fingers and mouth.

  In one fluid movement, he peeled off my underwear and swept me into his arms. He sat down on the loveseat against the wall. Turning me in his arms, he positioned me so that I straddled him.

  Jaxon took a moment to wave a hand over his crotch. Catching my quizzical look, he said, “Protection.” I was grateful one of us was thinking straight.

  He held my hips, slowly lowering me onto his cock. I gasped as he slid me down his hard le
ngth. My inner muscles relaxing to accommodate his girth. All the way in me, he paused, leaving one hand on my hip while the other massaged my breasts.

  Then he set a slow rhythm, up and down. Jaxon kissed me slow and sensual. He moved his lips to my nipples. As pressure and heat built in me, I tried to speed up, but he held my hips steady. I whimpered.

  “Patience,” he said, taking my ravaged nipple in his mouth again.

  I threw my head back, digging my fingers into his shoulders. My core tightened, promising release, but he wasn’t giving it to me.

  He ran his hot tongue up my neck. A smug, masculine grin pulled at his lips. “You want to come?”

  “Yes,” I breathed.

  “Say my name.”

  “Jaxon.”

  He gripped my hips with both hands, holding my body in place as he pumped into me. My breath came in quick, shallow bursts as my core tightened.

  “Say it again.” He groaned, thrusting faster. Those intense grey eyes focused completely on me.

  “Jaxon!” I exploded in a mind-shattering orgasm.

  His features twisted in sexual agony as a prolonged growl wrenched from his throat.

  I collapsed against his heaving chest. His arms surrounded me, clutching me to him. I let myself float, eyes closed, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. The fine, golden hair on his chest tickled my cheek.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, his warm breath on my neck making me shudder.

  “Mmmm,” I answered.

  I could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “That good, huh?”

  Jaxon slid me off of him. He settled back, with his long legs hanging over the side of the loveseat, and nestled me next to him. He took the soft, fuzzy blanket that was folded on the back of the couch and spread it over us.

  I snuggled into the warmth of him. I could have stayed there forever and been happy.

  A while later I was dressed, being nuzzled from behind by a shirtless Jaxon. I’d been trying to leave his office for at least the past twenty minutes. But neither of us could keep our hands off each other.