They walked cautiously, testing the ice with each step as they approached the unfrozen hole in the river’s middle. Lee had placed Tess’s ashes in a large tupperware container, a practical, if inelegant solution. He tried to pass them to her, but she gave him a small, dimpled smile and shook her head.
“You can do it,” she said.
Lee shrugged and pulled the container’s lid off. The ashes of Tess’s one-time body looked faded and unremarkable, but they stirred emotions within Lee that were hard for him to place.
“Do you want me to say a few things, first?” he asked.
“Of course not,” said Tess. “This isn’t a funeral for me, Lee.”
“What is it, then?”
“A rebirth. I’m like a beautiful phoenix, risen from the ashes.”
“So… you want me to pour them on your head, instead?”
Tess made a face and set her hands on her hips. “You have such a boy’s sense of humor.”
He did eventually dump her ashes into the river, which flowed surprisingly swiftly underneath the ice. A single, silver fish swam through them as they spread out through the water, like bits of dust being carried off by the wind. Tess’s words echoed through Lee’s thoughts, and as he stood and took her hand in his, he saw the truth in them.
“It does feel like you’ve been reborn,” he said. “Like you’ve got a new lease on life, er, death.”
“I should spend some time considering what I really want out of existence, I guess,” said Tess. She made one of her cute thinking noises and smiled. “Do you think you could pinch some more wine from the dining hall?”
CHAPTER 40
Lee checked in with Mattis and Kei once he’d arrived back at Primhaven. Neither had noticed his absence, though he doubted he would have received more than a few stern words as punishment, even if they had. Kei’s wound was beginning to heal up, and according to Mattis, he’d recovered beyond the potential dangers posed by untreated zombie bites.
Lee took Tess’s suggestion to heart. He raided the dining hall for a bottle of wine and made a fresh turkey bacon sandwich for them to share, along with chips, carrots, and celery. There was little point to eating in the massive, empty cafeteria, so he brought the meal back to his dorm common room.
He changed into the dress clothes he’d worn to the Equinox Ball, and Tess put on a stunning black cocktail dress with a plunging neckline that did miracles with her modest cleavage. They ate a candlelit dinner, sitting across from each other, talking about everything and talking about nothing. They drank the entire bottle of wine, and Lee made a quick, somewhat inebriated detour to procure another.
They eventually retired into his dorm room. It was dead silent aside from their voices, which felt strange to Lee. He was so used to either Toma’s snoring, or the sounds of other initiates in the common room, or commotion outside their window. It was just him and Tess.
“I never showed you all of the clothes Eliza and I bought when we went shopping,” said Tess.
Lee leaned back on his elbows on his bed. “Oh? Did you have a particular outfit in mind for tonight?”
Tess blushed slightly and seemed to struggle to stifle a smile. “Maybe. Wait here.”
She slipped into his closet. Lee took off his shoes and undid a few buttons of his shirt, feeling well and truly relaxed for the first time in days. He was tapping through a webpage on his phone when Tess cleared her throat.
His jaw hit the floor when he saw her. Tess wore black lace lingerie that clung to her petite curves as though it had been made by her own personal seamstress. The bra was made from sheer fabric, but complicated lace accents ran through the bottom edge, covering where her nipples would otherwise be visible, though a hint of pink was still evident.
A tiny black skirt clung to her waist, made from several stacked layers of the same sheer fabric and rippling with black lace. It barely covered all that needed to be covered of the lower half of Tess’s petite, otherwise-naked body. She also wore a lace garter belt that connected down to a pair of see-through, thigh-high leggings, running underneath the skirt to avoid spoiling its delightful bounciness.
“How do I look?” whispered Tess.
Lee was already as hard as a rock and found that he was also at a loss for words. He gaped at her like a leering pervert, biting his lower lip as he gestured for her to come closer.
“It looks silly, doesn’t it?” asked Tess. “Eliza dared me to try the set on, even though she couldn’t see me to know what it looked like.”
Lee took her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap. Tess let out a small gasp as she felt his erection poking her in the butt. He ran his hands up the length of her body, delighting at the sensation of the soft, insubstantial lingerie bra underneath his palms. He let one hand drift downward, fingers seeking through the frills of her skirt, until…
“You aren’t wearing any panties,” he whispered, genuinely surprised.
“One of these days, I’m going to make you start calling them bloomers,” whispered Tess.
“You’re going to make me, huh?”
She leaned her head back and looped her arm up, running her fingers through her hair. “Just watch me.”
She started dancing for him, grinding her petite bottom against his hardness in a girlish, unpracticed imitation of an eager stripper. Lee was so turned on that his cock felt like a bar of iron, like something that could do damage to her if he wasn’t careful. He didn’t want to be careful.
He unzipped his pants, feeling too horny to do more than pull them down the minimum required distance to get his tool out of his boxers. Tess flashed a teasing smile and sat down before he could find the angle, pinning his cock against her hot thighs.
Lee roved over her with his hands, squeezing her buttocks, her waist, her breasts. Squeezing her down against his erection as he let his breath tickle her ear. Tess moaned and any sense of self-control he’d previously had went flying out the window.
He gripped her firmly by the hips, lifted her up, and dropped her down on his tool. It slid into Tess easily, though the crush of her lane was hotter and tighter than he’d ever felt before. He let the moment stretch, pulling her down until he was fully inside her, teasing her with the sensation.
He wanted her to keep dancing for him, and she did. Her movements were slow and uncertain at first, a small twitch of the hips, a bounce upward partially guided by Lee’s firm hands on her slim waist.
She seemed to gain confidence as the pleasure intensified. The motion started higher up, almost in her solar plexus, a full-body wave that culminated in her grinding her tight lane along the length of his cock. Her silly skirt seemed to catch on the air and lag behind each time she lifted her butt up, like a ballerina’s tutu as she leapt upward off their toes.
It was something that no other woman could give him, and Lee didn’t even know what it was. He squeezed her body tighter, letting his own dominance come out as he began lifting and pulling her body into him. Tess arched her back, her hips following his every command, her head lulling to the side like an opiate addict about to nod off.
Except, that wasn’t quite right. He was the addict, and every little noise and squeal Tess let out was his opium. He played with her nipples, losing himself in the echo of the lewd moan that came in response. He slapped her butt, and she squealed. He drove into her like a man on a mission, as though he was claiming her for the first or last time.
“Tess!” he cried.
“Oh Lee! Oh… oh… Oh!”
The bliss hit them in unison. It reverberated through Lee, seeming to bounce back and forth between their both as their bodies continued humping on autopilot, carried by the indomitable momentum of their intense hormones. He knew he was making a mess for himself to clean up later. He didn’t care. He kept his arms around Tess, holding her tight even as they came back to reality.
“Wow,” whispered Tess. “Maybe Eliza was onto something?”
“She most certainly was.”
“You’re still
, ahem, embracing me.”
Lee smiled and played dumb. “I’m not sure what you mean by that, Tess.”
She blushed and rolled her eyes. “Your… thing… is still inside me.”
“It is.”
“And it’s still hard.”
“Yeah.”
He ran a slow hand up and back down her side, gripping her waist and launching off for an ambitious round two.
CHAPTER 41
A call woke Lee up the next morning. He rolled over in his dorm bed, fumbling to get his phone screen in front of his face and then smiling as he recognized the contact name. It was someone who he was long overdue to check in with.
“Harper,” he answered.
“Eldon,” said Harper. “Did I wake you? It’s almost ten.”
“No,” lied Lee, tamping down on a yawn. “It’s been a while. I’m glad you called.”
“Yes, well, the past few weeks have been extremely busy and productive,” she said. “I heard from Alora about what happened at Primhaven the day before yesterday. She had high praise for you. Good job.”
Lee chuckled. “Yeah. It was an interesting situation. I’m surprised she told you about it. She made me swear to secrecy. Seems like she’s worried about how it’ll reflect on the school if it gets out.”
“She worded it as an appeal for me to return to my role as an instructor.”
“Are you going to?”
“Sooner or later,” said Harper. “Though what I’ve been investigating in the meantime might take priority. The House of Shadows isn’t the only rogue supernatural faction that’s been making moves lately.”
Lee frowned, considering his next words, and whether to say them at all, very carefully.
“I talked to Zoe again,” he said. “She called me.”
Silence. He gave Harper ample time to reply, but she never did.
“She asked me to give you her number, in case you ever wanted to get in touch.” Lee cleared his throat, feeling suddenly awkward. “It’s—”
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“I’m not interested,” said Harper. “Zoe and I have said what we needed to say to one another, for the moment. If you gave me her number, I’d have no choice but to attempt to use it as a means to get closer to her organization. I would have no reasonable alternative other than to employ some rather… manipulative tactics.”
“I see,” said Lee. He wasn’t completely convinced by her reasoning, but he let the offer drop.
“Why did you spend Thanksgiving alone?” asked Harper.
“Who says I spent it alone?”
“Alora,” said Harper. “She said that she ate a small, rather unceremonious meal with Kei in the dining hall, but you were nowhere to be found, which implies that you spent it alone.”
Lee had, in fact, been with Tess, but he couldn’t exactly explain that to Harper.
“I’m used to spending holidays alone,” he said. “I know how that must sound, but really, it’s fine.”
“You’re always welcome to celebrate with my family, Eldon,” said Harper. “Next time I will make a point to drag you along in person.”
He sighed, though it was through a smile. “If you insist.”
“Anyway, my primary reason for calling was to make sure that you’ve been staying on top of your studies,” said Harper. “I hope you haven’t forgotten that your exams will begin tomorrow morning.”
“What? Uh, no, of course I haven’t forgotten.”
“You’ve been practicing your spellcraft, as well?” asked Harper. “Alora also mentioned how you struggled with the fear simulacrum.”
“Yeah, ahaha, yeah, totally.” Lee practically jumped out of bed, grabbing clothes at random out of his closet. Tomorrow? The Midterm Trial was tomorrow? How in the name of holy hell had he lost track of time so badly?
“Consider doing some meditation and focusing on your breathing before the actual test,” said Harper. “I’m sure you know the consequences of failing the Midterm Trial. It will be essential for you to set your nerves aside and perform at your best. If you were to fail, Eldon, I would not be able to intervene on your behalf.”
“Well, let’s hope to god I don’t fail then,” he muttered.
He and Harper said their goodbyes, and Lee dressed in record time. He headed straight for the library and began pulling books off the shelf with titles that sounded vaguely related to the topics he needed help on.
“What are you doing, Lee?” asked Tess. “That’s the Historical Rumors of Meta-Magic. There’s zero chance that will be helpful. Here, grab that one instead. No, not that one. This one!”
Tess pointed out several other relevant books that he would have otherwise passed over, and he began collecting and carrying them to the table where he’d set up. Lee was floored by the sheer volume of content, more than he could read in a week, let alone a day.
“This is so much to study,” he muttered. “What if I just take photos of all of it with my phone, and then during the test…”
“That sounds an awful lot like trying to cheat,” said Tess.
“Even better,” said Lee. “You could read some of these books for me and whisper the answers whenever I run across a problem I can’t solve.”
“Lee Amaranth!”
“What? How would this be any different from your pranks, or how you helped me fake spells when I first came to Primhaven?”
“This is something you could, in theory, do yourself,” said Tess. “I’m not going to help you undermine your own education.”
“Whatever…” grumbled Lee.
He flipped open a book at random. It was titled Dorwell’s Compendium of Conjuration Mechanics and Principles. Lee focused his eyes on the first sentence of the first page of the first chapter and suddenly got a headache.
“I think my blood sugar is low,” he muttered. “I read an article about how that can cause the brain to have trouble committing facts to memory. Maybe we should make a detour to the dining hall?”
Tess folded her arms. She’d put her hair up into a bun and found a pair of glasses somewhere, presenting herself perfectly in the role of stern academic tutor.
“Lee Amaranth, you aren’t taking a break until you’re at least halfway through this pile.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “Let me just go sharpen my pencil.”
He got up before she could stop him. The library had an old-school, crank-powered pencil sharpener. Lee spent a minute carefully working the tip to a razor point to maximize his studying efficiency before making his way back.
“Music is actually supposed to help with the studying process,” he said. “It lowers the normal perceptual defenses, I think. So the facts just slide in without any resistance.”
“This is the library, Lee,” said Tess, through gritted teeth. “You aren’t putting on music.”
“I’ll keep it quiet,” he said. “Besides, we’re the only ones on campus right now.”
“It’s the principle of it. Not that it would help you, regardless. You’re just looking for distractions. Now get your head in that book and start studying!”
Tess could be fairly scary when she was serious, Lee decided. He stared down the first page of Dorwell’s Compendium and gave it a second try.
“What about flash cards?” he asked.
Tess looked like she was about to throw something at him. A giggle came from behind Lee, catching him off guard. He glanced over his shoulder to find Eliza making her way across the library, still clad in her boots and jacket.
“Oh, hey,” he said. “Did you just get back?”
“Yeah, just a few minutes ago,” said Eliza. “Instructor Mattis said you’d be here. Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?”
Lee smiled and shrugged. “Nothing of consequence.”
CHAPTER 42
Tess immediately went to Eliza’s side with a few pages from Lee’s notebook and one of his pens. He did his best to not look annoyed as the two girls had a rapid, and entirely
private, exchange of words.
“Tess says you haven’t done any studying over the past few days,” said Eliza.
“Yeah, that’s technically accurate,” said Lee. “I’ve been hitting the books hard this morning, though.”
Eliza pursed her lips and glanced down at the sheet of paper in her hands as Tess scribbled another word.
“Tess just called you a liar,” said Eliza.
“Tess should quit being such a tattletale,” said Lee. “Are the rest of the initiates back, too?”
“They’re trickling in,” said Eliza. “Listen… about what happened right before I left. Um, with my dad.”
“That?” Lee snorted. “Don’t worry about it. He’s your dad. He wasn’t exactly off base with his scrutiny, either. I doubt I’m going to have a straightforward future within the magical world.”
“He was a massive asshole to you,” said Eliza. “It’s not up to him to pass judgment on my, uh, you know. On the people I choose to spend my time with.”
“It’s fine, really. I don’t think Tess would have been able to come along, anyway, had I gone with you.”
“I figured. I’m glad that you took her feelings into consideration. It would have broken my heart to think of her stuck here at the school, all by herself.”
Eliza smiled and looked thoughtfully into thin air.
“She’s over there,” said Lee, smirking.
“Oh.” Eliza shifted and turned to look mostly at Tess, who was smiling broadly.
“If the other initiates are returning, I should go see if Toma has arrived yet.” Lee got up from his chair before anyone could stop him. “It’ll only take a second.”
“Lee!” Tess set her hands on her hips. “Get back here!”
“I’ll be quick,” said Lee. “Toma could also help me study, so it makes sense.”
“Wow,” muttered Eliza. “He’s really good at avoiding work, isn’t he?”
Primhaven’s campus was littered with students arriving back from the holiday, most of them heading in the same direction, toward the dorms. Mattis’s bonded animals had done a commendable job cleaning up the mess left by the zombie carcasses, but there were still a few visible dark splotches on the grass or dirt in places, and it felt strange to Lee to watch his fellow classmates tramp over them without paying any notice.
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