The Shadows of Blackbriar Academy

by Olivia Ash

  “Do you want to stop?”

  “I would prefer not.” I press my lips to his and that seems to be the only encouragement he needs.

  Without breaking from the kiss, he climbs to his knees, sliding a hand around my waist and lifting me enough to lay me on the floor. I giggle between our locked lips, and tingles ripple through me as he chuckles at my thrill.

  As soon as my back is on the floor, his mouth moves to my neck, sending delicious warmth through me. Pressure builds between my legs and I don’t want it to stop.

  His hand lifts the seam of my shirt up, his thumb brushing against my side as my shirt rides up. His mouth returns to mine for a deep, long, passionate kiss. Pulling away, he pulls me up and lifts my shirt over my head, just before I catch the gleeful look in his eyes and that damn near sends me over the edge.

  I grab his shirt, undoing the few buttons at the top and lift it over his head, marveling at his beautifully sculpted abs and pecs. A patch of dark hair rests in the center of his chest, and I bite the corner of my bottom lip in anticipation of his rock-hard body pressed against mine.

  Jesse catches my staring eyes and smirks at me. “Like what you see?” His voice is low and gravelly, making my heart flutter in my chest.

  I nod. “Very much so.”

  He chuckles as he pushes me back to the floor, using a hand to unsnap my bra and tosses it to the other end of the room. I honestly don’t care where it lands. I’ll find it later.

  Jesse’s eyes take in the form of my breasts and groans. “Woman, you truly are a piece of art.” He licks his lips as he lowers himself to my breast, taking in a nipple and sucking with thrilling flicks of his tongue, edging me closer and closer to an orgasm.

  And the real fun hasn’t even begun yet.

  I gasp and run my fingers through his dark hair.

  He moves to the next and sends me into even greater heights. Just when I think I’m going to lose all my sense of control, he returns to my mouth, sliding his hands down my sides, slipping a thumb under the waistband of my skirt and tights. He runs a hand along the outside of my thigh, and moves to the inside, inching closer to the sweet spot. He runs his fingers along my sensitive folds, and I moan again.

  He chuckles. “You’re certainly excited, aren’t you?”

  I smack him on the shoulder. “Don’t be an ass.”

  “Oh, now you’re going to pay for that.”

  In one, smooth move, my skirt and tights are pulled to my ankles. He slips the skirt off and tosses it away, not paying attention to where it lands. He does the same to my tights and spreads my legs wide, setting his eyes on me with that devilish grin of his.

  “I warn you, I won’t stop. Not until you scream my name.”

  I start to mouth a witty come back as he dives right in. But all sense of thought and logic fly out the window as his mouth works its way around my clit and I gasp, clenching my legs together. “Oh my…”

  He wiggles one arm over my thigh and wedges a shoulder against my other. A finger dips into me, curling as he massages me into a screaming orgasm.

  I can’t form words much less his name, and I don’t know if I want to. This is absolutely mind blowing.

  My climax starts to fade, and he kisses the insides of my thighs, moving up to leave one on my belly, between my breasts, along my neck, and nibbles on my ear.

  I fumble with his pants. He grabs my hands, one at a time, and pins them to either side of my head. “Now, now… I told you I wasn’t going to stop until you screamed my name.”

  I pant. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to think when you are doing such amazingly orgasmic things to me, much less talk?”

  He seems to think about it. “Good point. But you’re still talking.”

  “Jesse, if you do not get inside me now, I’ll hurt you.”

  He chuckles. “Temper, temper. There’s a process here, love. Allow a man to do his thing.”

  I roll my eyes and stick my tongue out at him. He smiles as he returns to his sweet, delicious kisses between my thighs.

  Time after time, I melt into a screaming orgasm. On the last wave, I shout, “Jesse, please. You’re killing me!”

  He pops his head up and uses the blanket to wipe off his face. “Well now. I do believe that was you screaming my name. He climbs up on his knees and shrugs. “I mean, close enough.”

  I chuckle as I pant for breath and have no strength or desire to move.

  But as he starts to undo his pants, I watch as the tip of his erection pokes free and I bite my lip. This man is hung. He’s freaking huge.

  I lick my lips, aching to be filled with every magnificent inch of him.

  He leans in over me and rests his tip at my entrance. His eyes take in mine and he pushes the tip in just a little. It’s enough to nearly send me into another release, and I wonder just how many ways this man is going to undo me in one night.

  He smiles, a devious glint to his eyes. I smile at him and shake my head. “You’re enjoying this—”

  He plunges into me, filling me with his entire length. I claw at his side as my eyes roll back and my toes curl. His mouth on my neck sends me into overdrive. As he slowly slides out, I moan again.

  He growls. “You do things to me when you do that, woman.”

  “Good,” I mutter, slurring it in a way that makes me sound drugged. Perhaps I am. His moves are damn sure that good.

  He chuckles as he slowly slides into me again, filling me in every way possible. His breath pours along my neck with each thrust. The pace is a different stroke from when he was sending me to new heights with his tongue. But this is just as delicious, if not more so, as that was. The buildup is slower, allowing me to savor every second of him filling me.

  I lift my legs, allowing him to sink deeper into me, and with his groan my climax peaks. He rides me through the sheer length of it, gripping my thighs as he keeps rhythm with the pulsating his thrusts send through me.

  “Roll over.” I demand and he looks at me with a questioning gaze.

  He must have seen something he likes as he smiles. “Yes, Captain.”

  He slides out of me and lays on the floor. I straddle him. “Now, it’s my turn.”

  “Do your worst.”

  “Oh, I intend to turn you into a puddle.”

  He smiles.

  I slide him inside me, rolling over the tip of his still massive erection. He clenches his eyes closed and digs the tips of his fingers into my hips. He tries to buck into me, but I clench tight and lift up.

  “Uh-uh. I’m in control now.”

  He chuckles. “Very well.”

  He doesn’t let go of my hips but relaxes into the blanket covering the floor. I ease him, inch by inch, second by second, and he sucks on his bottom lip as he digs his head into the floor, angling into the motion.

  But I don’t take it easy on him.

  As soon as his entire length is in me, I grind against him, bracing myself on his deliciously hard pecs. And I won’t stop until he’s screaming my name.

  At some point, we make it to his mattress, destroying the perfectly smooth flat sheet. We continue our love making until light pours into the room from the window. Then, and only then, do we lay wrapped in each other’s arms, legs woven together, with my head resting on his chest. The steady beat of his heart lulls me to sleep while his hand rubs along my back.

  The last thought that passes through my mind before sleep fully claims me is how each of my men give me something different. Each of them, in their own special ways, make me feel safe, protected, strong, and unstoppable. Jesse makes me feel simply adored and coveted. I can laugh and feel free with him.

  I can’t see my life without any of them. And I know I will do anything for them.

  Chapter Thirty

  I wake in response to Jesse’s gentle coaxing. I peel my eyes open and set them on his beautiful face. His hair is wet. Drops of water drip from the ends of his shoulder-length curls.

  “What time is it?” I mumble, sitting up and pulli
ng the sheet over me to cover my still naked body.

  “We slept all day.” He smiles. “Wore you out.”

  I grin, chuckling under my breath. “We wore each other out.”

  “It’s time to get ready. We’re going to be late.”

  I narrow my eyes on him. “For what?”

  “Finding your dad.”

  My eyes widen, and I’m suddenly more awake than I was a few seconds ago. Before I was told about finding my dad. I had lost all track of time and responsibilities with Jesse. I smile as I rush to his bathroom to shower.

  I hop in and out of the warm spray of water, in record time. I make sure to spend a few extra precious seconds on cleaning my tender bits. I’m sore. Once I’m out, I gather my clothes, throwing them on haphazardly. Once my shoes are on, I rush to Jesse. Kissing him on the cheek, I rush to the door.

  “See you there, I’m going to go change.”

  I don’t wait for a response before I’m out the door and rushing through the halls to my room.

  Once I’m there, feeling the clock ticking against me, I throw on a fresh set of underwear, plain jeans, and a t-shirt before rushing out the door again.

  By the time I make it into Gideon’s office, I’m sweaty and out of breath. Everyone looks at me with concern and questioning eyes. I take a moment to catch my breath enough to push out, “Sorry I’m late.”

  “Just on time,” Gideon says. “We’re actually going to meet Lady Alene elsewhere.”

  I pant a few more times before my breathing slows and returns to normal, along with my racing heart. “Oh.”

  Gideon takes his gaze and sets it on each one of us. He nods and moves toward the door. “Follow me.”

  We each file out of the door and follow him back toward the front of the castle, to a secret door hidden beneath the stairs. It opens to a long, downward sloping hallway, deep into the belly of the castle. The sounds of the ocean waves reach my ears, and it’s colder down here. Nearly frigid.

  We move along the sewers, which I recognize from my fourth trial. It’s hard to get a grasp of which way we’re going. We’re making so many twist and turns, I think we’ve even changed direction from North to South a few times.

  But before long, we arrive at what seems like a simple wall with an arched design in it made of brick. It just looks like a dead end to me.

  Gideon rests his hand on it and mutters to himself. I can’t make out any of the words. Once he removes his hand, the bricks start to shift, twisting and folding in on one another from the middle of the wall, toward the sides of the arch. On the other side is a large opening bathed in thick black shadows.

  “This is a secret location within the castle. Only Lady Alene and I know how to get in.” Gideon turns to face us. “This room is safeguarded that way. Please, step in.”

  “Why does it need to be safeguarded?” I step in, my voice bouncing off the walls.

  “Because of the room’s purpose.” Soren’s voice follows mine and echoes just as much. It’s eerie. Almost like there are more than just one of us.

  “You’ve been here before?” I face Soren’s shadowy form.

  “A few times.”

  Huh. Okay then.

  As soon as Gideon steps inside, the torches lining the walls in this circular chamber light up with a deep purple flame. Once inside of the lit room, I start to feel strange. In the center of the rounded room there appears to be a large stone orb inlayed into the floor, but it’s hard to tell with the color of light being cast by the torches.

  Within moments, the flames turn blue, then red, and finally white. They chase away the shadows, which bleed back into the rock walls.

  “This is the impigritas room. Once used to monitor energy fluctuations.” Gideon approaches the stone orb in the center of the room. It’s not inlayed into the stone like I thought it was, but sits in a cut-out for it, and the rock just… floats. “For this purpose, it’ll be used to locate Wren’s father.”

  Lady Alene appears in the room, standing off to the side. She gestures toward the orb. “Go ahead and take a look.”

  Gideon joins my side, brushing the back of his fingers against mine. I turn my attention to him. “We will join hands first, all of us. Once I give the word, I want you to use this,” he holds out a needle, “to prick your finger and sprinkle a few drops of blood on the letters.” He nods to Milo.

  Milo pulls out the letters from my father and sets them on top of the orb.

  “It will, unfortunately,” Gideon adds, “destroy the letters. But for the sake of finding your father, it is a small sacrifice.”

  “I understand.” Though, my heart isn’t in it. Those were the only things I had of my father’s.

  “We must be clear when we chant Michael Blackwood. It’s imperative that our thoughts not derail into other things. This will take a great amount of concentration, and it will exhaust every one of us. Some, perhaps, more than others.”

  He waits a few moments before taking my hand. I use the cue to grab hold of Jesse’s hand, who takes Soren’s, and then Milo is joined in with Soren and Gideon. Lady Alene remains standing guard, our living statue and patroness, overseeing our safety.

  The orb raises as we stand around it. Runes that I hadn’t noticed before, glow in a ring around the orb. Gideon hands me the needle. I prick my finger, pressing under the puncture to push the blood out. Following Gideon’s instructions, I let a few drops of blood drip onto the letters before returning to the circle and holding hands.

  One by one, we join in chanting my father’s name. Our voices rise slowly, careful to enunciate each syllable clearly.

  The letters start to smoke then quickly catch fire. The flames burn them to ashes in a matter of moments. If I had blinked, I would’ve missed it.

  The orb starts to spin, glowing with a bright blue and purple aura until shapes start to take form over the surface in bright gold. As I watch, the shapes take the form of a map.

  Sweat beads on my forehead, but I don’t break focus.

  Once a pink blip appears on the orb, just above the state of Colorado, our chanting ceases. The blip disappears and pops up in Wyoming, only to disappear and re-appear over yet another state.

  What is he doing?

  “Focus on the pink dot that keeps moving,” Gideon instructs.

  We do, and the map zooms in, following the shape of my father running. Shadowy wisps of smoke that barely resemble people chase after him.

  “Who’s chasing him?” I ask, nervously. “Is it the Order or shadow wolves?”

  “Hard to tell,” Gideon says. “Keep your focus.”

  I nod and do as he says.

  Until one thing catches my attention.

  The pink blip is starting to dim the more it moves. He must be zapping all his remaining strength trying to stay ahead of whoever is chasing him.

  “Come on…” Gideon says. “Find a place… hunker down.”

  I realize he’s not literally speaking to my father, but more to himself. Sort of a silent wish to my father to let us get a lock on him.

  But it’s no use. My father keeps moving. And I know he can’t keep up at that rate forever.

  As we watch the blips, my father appears over Colorado again, then Arizona, California, Kansas… I can’t make sense of it.

  “It’s a pattern.” Milo’s voice pulls my attention to him for a brief second. “He’s visiting the same places but in a different order. If we can watch long enough, I can see when the original pattern emerges. When that happens, we can gauge where he’s going to be. It’s going to take more than just this one time to figure it out.”

  “If we can figure it out,” Gideon adds. “So can the Order and the shadow wolves if they are not acting on the Order’s behalf.”

  “We just need to find the pattern before they do.” I refuse to give up. Not now.

  Probably not ever.

  “She’s right.” Gideon squeezes my hand. “We’ll get him to safety before they find him. We break the chase and he can go into h
iding for a time. We’ll have to keep the map up for the best chance, but we don’t have enough power to do it.”

  “Can we not take turns?” Jesse asks.

  “To continuously stand here will not only drain us, but it may draw attention.”

  Speaking of attention, the air took on a static feel, turning hot and sticky.

  “I think…” Milo pauses and struggles to maintain focus. “I can come up with a list of possible patterns and we can match them up with the map in intervals. That’s the best I can do.”

  “Gideon,” Soren says. “We need a break.”

  Gideon nods and takes a step back, releasing my and Milo’s hands. I watch as the lights on the map flicker and fade, leaving nothing but the smooth surface of the stone.

  I bite the corner of my bottom lip, wringing my fingers to stretch them. I ease the ache in my shoulders by rolling my head back and forth and from side-to-side.

  “What are we going to do if we can’t get a location on Michael?” Soren’s words brings my attention to his face, tense with exhaustion.

  “It’s possible he doesn’t want to be caught because the rumors are true,” Jesse adds.

  I snap my attention to him, glaring daggers, wishing I really could shoot them from my eyes. But that’s not realistic. “That’s bullshit. He wouldn’t reach out to me if that were the case, especially knowing I’m here at Blackbriar.”

  “But even you have to admit, you don’t know for sure,” Milo adds. “His movements were very erratic.”

  “But you said there was a possible pattern,” I point out.

  “True.”

  “So maybe he’s hoping we’re looking for him and this is the best he can give us.”

  Gideon steps forward. “That is a great possibility, and I hope that’s true. But we have to manage our expectations here. Until we know for sure, we need to assume the worst.”

  “Oh, you’re damn right I’m going to find out.” I point to my chest. “I’m not giving up on my father. I refuse to do that until we are out of all other options.”

  “We’ll come back in a week.” Gideon faces us and looks to Lady Alene for confirmation. She nods. “Any sooner, and we could seriously injure ourselves. Once a week is pushing our limits as it is.”