I wasn’t eager to live with her again, but I was counting the seconds to leave this place. Until recently, it had felt like home.
Now, I wasn’t so sure.
I shoved my last shirt inside my duffel bag and zipped it up as a knock came from my bedroom door. I stilled, hoping that whoever was it thought I was already gone and left me alone.
“Erin, I know you’re in there.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. What was Rey doing here? Maybe he was bluffing, just testing me, thinking I was here. I tried my first plan: to stay quiet so he would leave.
“Erin, please.”
Shit.
Bracing myself, I opened the door.
Yeah, no matter how many times I prepared myself, the sight of him always wreaked havoc inside me. It had been almost thirty-six hours since Tornar’s attack and everything else that ensued after. He had cleaned up and put on dark jeans and a black sweater. His hair was still damp and combed back, showing off the sharp angles of his handsome face.
I wanted to tell myself that I would have used my magic to run faster and fought Randall for anyone, but I wasn’t so sure. Probably for Claire and Harper, maybe for Harvey and Ava … but I would be lying to myself.
I had seen him zipping past everyone, gunning for Randall with all he had. Knowing exactly how he was running so fast, I did the same and reached him in time to save him.
If I hadn’t done that, if I hadn’t gotten there in time … I didn’t want to think about it.
In need of a shield, I crossed my arms. “What is it?”
Rey ran a hand through his hair. “Can we talk?”
“We’re talking.”
He groaned. “Please, Erin.”
What else could he want to talk about? Hadn’t he humiliated me enough? Were there more hurtful words he wanted to spew at me?
There weren’t many people left in the Gardenia building, but nobody else needed to hear him, so I gave in. I took a step back and allowed him in my bedroom. I closed the door and faced him.
“What is it?” I asked again, trying to hold on to my patience and dignity. It was hard with him so close to me.
He locked those gray eyes on mine. “I … I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
I let my arms drop my side. “As you can see, I’m okay.”
He nodded. “I also wanted to thank you. For saving me.”
I shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big of a deal. “You would have done the same for me.”
“I would.” Inhaling sharply, he took a step toward me. “I really would, Erin. I would do anything for you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what your game is here—”
“There’s no fucking game.” He advanced one more step, and I retreated, trapped between my desk and him. “I know we both thought our feelings for each other would go away, but mine didn’t. Honestly, I think I like you more now.”
I threw a hand out. “Stop, Rey.”
“No, don’t make me stop,” he said, his voice low, but firm. “I have been keeping this inside me for over a year now. I only pushed you away because I thought you would be safer away from me. There were so many people who could use you against me, who threatened you …” He shook his head once. “I couldn’t allow them to hurt you.” He reached up and his fingertips trailed up my cheek. My breath caught. “But I’m tired of being strong. I can’t stand being away from you, and when battles like the one we just went through happen, I realize that I would rather be by your side and fight with you than try to protect you from the sidelines.”
I slapped his hand away. “But you pushed me away. You said you didn’t like me. You even went through the ritual to break the soul bond with me.”
“I honestly thought I was doing the right thing for you.”
My mother’s words rang inside my head.
Forget what I told you. Just … just protect her.
“Did my mother have anything to do with it? What she said to you right before Randall was outed … what does it mean?”
He let out a long sigh. “In the beginning, she had nothing to do with it, but later, she might have warned me to stay away from you.”
My jaw fell open. “And you obeyed her?”
“There were already a lot of other reasons, but I guess her warning just cemented them. Besides, I didn’t want to go against the mother of the woman I love. That wouldn’t be—”
My heart skipped a beat. “What did you say?”
Rey’s eyes searched mine. “Erin, I love you. I've loved you since before the soul bond mark appeared on my chest, and I love you even more now that it’s gone.”
Tears burned the back of my eyes. Groaning, I punched Rey’s shoulder. “I hate you, you stupid man. Shit, how I want to hate you.”
“I understand,” he muttered. “You should hate me for all I did to you.”
“But I can’t hate you,” I whispered, defeated. “Even if I think you were wrong, I can’t hate you.” I grabbed his sweater. “Because I love you too.”
Rey’s hand returned to my face, and he slowly leaned into me, giving me time to push him back, to stop him. Damn, as if I would stop him now. I stood on tiptoes and closed the distance between us.
His lips met mine and I opened up to him. A wave of relief and satisfaction coursed through my body, lighting up every nerve in my body. Rey took control, kissing me slow at first, but could we do slow after all we had been through? Impossible. He deepened the kiss as his hands slid down my body and hooked around my thighs. I followed his lead and sat on my desk. Without breaking the kiss, Rey stepped between my legs and pressed his hips on mine.
I inhaled deeply as pure fire traveled through my body.
This was it. There was no going back from here.
Sure that being with him was not only right but perfect, I tugged at the hem of his sweater. I wanted that thing gone!
Obliging me, Rey broke the kiss enough to let me pull his sweater over his head. Biting my lip, I brought my hands to his chest. I pressed my fingertips where the soul bond mark once was.
“I miss it,” he whispered. “If we could go back in time, I would never have gone through with that ritual.”
“Me too,” I said, my voice low.
I traced my fingers down his torso, over the many muscles imprinted on his warm skin. Rey let me play with his body while he dipped his head to my neck and bit down on my skin, ripping out a gasp from me. He trailed his mouth up until his mouth was over my ear.
“My turn,” he whispered, grabbing my blouse. I helped him take it off. His eyes shone silver as he stared at me. “You’re so beautiful, Erin. I think I’ve never told you this before, but you’re fucking gorgeous.” Heat that had been all over my body spread through my cheeks. I was a little self-conscious of only wearing my bra, but seeing the desire stamped in his eyes was also empowering. “And you’re all mine.”
Then his mouth was on mine again, demanding, delicious.
We lost the rest of our clothing, and Rey carried me to my bed. He covered my body with his, and soon we became one.
I thought I desired him before. I thought I loved him before. But this … it was more than words could express. I felt like I had exploded out of my body, traveled to some distant cosmos, and all the while, I had him with me.
We didn’t need a soul bond to tie us together, not when we were willingly giving ourselves to each other.
30
Rey
Disentangling myself from Erin was one of the hardest things I had ever done in my long, long life. Especially when she knotted her arms and legs around me.
“No, not yet,” she whispered in my ear.
This girl would be the death of me. “We need to go. Your mother will be here soon to pick you up, and I need to check on a few more things before I leave.”
Erin pulled back, but she didn’t let go of me. “Where will you go? When will we see each other again?”
I kissed her forehead. “I’m not sure where I’ll stay yet, but
it’ll be near wherever you go.” I planted a soft kiss on her nose. “I’m not sure when we’ll meet again, because your mother hates my guts. Also …“ I pecked her chin before sitting up on the bed. Erin forced out a big pout. I stifled a chuckle. “We’re together now. We’ll be together forever now, but we can’t be seen together.”
Pulling the bedsheet over her chest, Erin sat up beside me. “Because you’re a professor.”
I nodded. “If we’re seen together, I’ll be fired, or worse. And if I’m fired, I can’t be near you.” I took her hand in mine, brought it to my lips, and kissed her knuckles. “I need to be near you.”
One of her lips tugged up. “Stop saying things like that, or we won’t leave the academy today.”
This time, I did chuckle. “The thought of that is great, but unfortunately, inviable.” If I hadn’t practice self-control over the last several months with her, I wouldn’t be able to resist her now. But I was glad we had made up, that we were together now. And the sex … I couldn’t think of that right now, or as she said, we wouldn’t leave the academy anytime soon. I slipped off the bed. “We need to focus on the next step now.”
Erin scooted to the edge of the bed. “Next step?”
“To fulfill your destiny or whatever.” I picked up my pants from the floor and shoved them on. “We need to focus on finding your half-siblings. One thing we saw in this last battle is that numbers do matter. The more demonic princesses and princes that join you to fight against King Brikan, the greater chance you have of winning.”
Erin’s head tilted as her eyes skimmed through my chest. “I like this.”
“What?” I grabbed my sweater from the floor.
“You in my bed while we talk about conquering the world.”
I snorted. “I’m not in your bed, and we aren’t going to conquer the world.”
Erin rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant.”
I put on my sweater and leaned into her, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “I like this too. Very much.” I buried my face in her neck and ran my nose on her sensitive skin, taking in as much of her sweet rose scent as I could. Erin shivered. “But we have to go now.” I pulled back, picked up her shirt from the floor, and threw it at her. “You better get dressed if you don’t want to anger your mother.”
Erin wrinkled her nose. “She’s always angry.”
“True, so don’t give her any reason to be even angrier.” I slipped on my shoes and turned to her. That was it. I had to leave her now. It would be only for a short time, hopefully, but I felt like my fucking heart was being ripped out. How could I love someone this much? I stalked back to her.
Erin’s shoulder deflated as she stood up from the bed. “You’re leaving, right?”
I nodded. “I have to go.” I leaned into her, touching my forehead to hers. “But we’ll be together soon. I’ll find a way to see you.”
She held on to my arms. “I’ll be waiting.”
I pressed my lips to hers and kissed her … softly, tenderly, lovingly. I had never thought I could feel this way, that I could love someone so much, that I could be right here with her and already missing her.
And the soul bond was gone. What would have happened if we still were still marked by it? My heart would be literally ripped from my chest?
I had to force myself to let go of her. I wanted to take her to the gates, to escort her until she was safe with her mother, but I wasn’t sure I could resist letting her go like that without touching or kissing her, and because others would be there, it would end in disaster.
So I brushed my lips on hers once more, then rushed out of her bedroom before I lost the nerve and went back to bed with her.
I might not take her to the front gates as a human, but I did shift into my raven and accompany her from the skies. After all that happened and the tension against the half-demons rising, I didn’t trust leaving Erin alone for a minute.
I watched as her mother arrived in a black car and parked outside the gates. Erin threw her bags in the backseat, slipped into the passenger seat, and off they went.
I had no idea what Martha had in mind for them for the next couple months. Later, I would have to call Erin to find her.
But for now, I had something else to take care of.
I flew to the side of the Aster and entered the building through a half-open window. I shifted back into my human form and marched to Crimson’s office.
He wasn’t there.
Oh, I knew where he was.
My second guess was right. I found Crimson in Randall’s previous office. He hadn’t wasted time and was already taking over everything.
“Rey, come in,” Crimson said as he opened one of the desk drawers, pulled out the contents, dumped it on the desk, and started rummaging through the many papers and items. “Congratulations on completely ruining Randall. Even if he hadn’t died during battle, I’m sure he would be condemned and publicly executed for that horrible ritual.” Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Crimson threw some paper in the trash beside the desk. “How didn’t we know he performed such bloody rituals every month? It’s a mystery.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I’m glad you found out and brought it to light.”
I was glad about that too. I never really liked or trusted Randall, but I never imagined he would do such a horrible, bloody ritual. And all for power. That disgusted me.
“And now you’re headmaster,” I said, going directly to the point.
Crimson couldn’t contain the big smile that spread over his mouth. “Now I’m headmaster.”
“So our deal is done.”
He nodded. “It is. You helped me secure this seat—” He gestured to the chair behind him, regarding it as if it was a throne. “—and for that, I won’t touch Erin anymore.”
“Anymore?”
“Well, you were taking too long to act. I had to teach you a lesson.”
My blood heated up. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“That time when Tom Heyward and his friends beat up Erin,” he said, his voice slightly amused. “I might have put the idea in his head. I mean, not that he needed much incentive to do it.”
A wave of rage coursed through me. I balled my hands and clenched my teeth as my core shook with the desire to lunge over the desk and kill Crimson on the spot. I knew I could kill him easily. Unlike Randall, Crimson was a normal demon hunter. He didn’t have any special magic, and he wasn't immortal.
With Erin in mind, I breathed in and out and loosened my muscles. Killing Crimson would only generate more chaos. Besides, my demon days were past. I didn’t kill anyone because they angered me, even if they deserved it.
More importantly, Erin would be disappointed in me if I killed him right now.
So, I reined in my killer instinct and inhaled deeply.
“I came here to make sure you would keep your word and cancel the Shadow Trials,” I said through gritted teeth. “You know, the deadly contest for half-demons you promised to cancel if I helped you.”
“About that.” Crimson straightened. “I must say, I’m not sure the half-demons can be trusted.”
“But … the meeting yesterday,” I started. I had been there. I had seen the arguments and the decisions. “Didn’t the school board decide it was Randall’s fault that the half-demons attacked us?”
“They did, but a lot of us are unhappy with that. You see, it was Randall’s fault, but we saw they were easily controlled by Randall, which means, they can be controlled by others. The half-demons aren’t to be trusted.”
I held my breath. “So you mean …”
“I’ve changed my mind. We’re still having the contest.” Pressing both hands flat on the desk, Crimson leaned forward. “And you, as a half-demon, will be participating.”
My blood chilled, and I was sure I was as pale as a ghost. “How did you find out?”
A sly grin took over Crimson’s lips. “Haven’t I told you before? I won’t share all of my secrets with you.” He rolled his shoulders back and st
ood up. “In any case, we’ll have the contest at the end of the next semester. Only the worthy will survive and be accepted into our society.”
I felt my rage coming back. “You promised!”
“I lied.” He shrugged. “Besides, I’m the headmaster now. I can do whatever I want with this academy, starting by taking the helm of the Shadow Trials back from the demon hunters and organizing it myself.”
“I knew you were as bad as Randall,” I snarled.
“That’s not how I see, but I don’t really care about your vision.” He glanced down at the mess on the desk once more. “Now get out of my sight before I either fire you, or have the contest at the beginning of next semester.”
I stayed rooted into place for one more minute as the worst curse words I had heard in all my long life sprouted in my mind and lodged in my throat. The urge to jump over his desk and choke the life out of him came back and hit me hard.
It would take two seconds.
Just two seconds.
No, this wasn’t right.
If Crimson was an evil headmaster like Randall, then all I had to do was prove it. I needed evidence. Then, once I showed it to the right people, Crimson would be kicked out.
And then what? Another evil person would take over the school?
My nostrils flared as I let out an exasperated breath. I stomped out of the office.
I had already too much on my plate with the Shadow Trials, the animosity toward the half-demons, protecting Erin, and helping her find her half-siblings, but I had added another item to our long to-do list: find a way to take the new headmaster down.
Preferably before Erin and I died in this fucking contest.
Enjoying Erin’s and Rey’s adventures? Keep reading about them on The Shadow Trials, book 4 of the series!
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The Soul Bond (Rite World: Blackthorn Hunters Academy Book 3) Page 18
