Meeting him thrust for thrust, I feel the telltale tingles down my spine before they clench my muscles and launch me off the cliff of desire again. Rion’s eyes roll to the back of his head as he finds his own release, our groans softening with every last thrust until we’re clinging to each other, just as desperate now in the post-sex afterglow.
“Look at that. No more tension,” he breathes, brushing a loose curl back off my face as I shake my head.
“You’re no good for me, Rion,” I croak, and a sad smile curls the left corner of his mouth.
“You’re the only good thing for me.”
EIGHTEEN
ELODIE
Yesterday did not go as I had hoped. Committing to the library only got me so far. My first glance over the available books came up empty, and my progress on learning more about myself drags into another day.
The day wasn’t a complete write-off, though. I was comforted with a lukewarm hazelnut chocolate to make me feel better, along with the lingering tendrils of sex. I didn’t question how Rion knew where I was; I didn’t have the balls to ask after he made me shatter into a million pieces like that. However, the chances are high that he followed me.
Ass.
I can’t deny it was worth it, though. Yet as much as my body loves his presence, my mind, my heart, my soul… they don’t know how to act. I don’t know what I’m doing with him, or Kael, for that matter. Damn, even Thorne has gotten under my skin in a way no one else can. The three of them are consuming me and my body bends to their will at any given chance.
Am I sad about it? No.
Am I developing any kind of feelings? Absolutely not.
So, does it even matter if I let myself indulge in orgasms? I don’t think so.
Instead of allowing my thoughts to remain tangled up in the three of them, I need to redirect that focus and attention onto myself if I have any hope of figuring out how to ascend and get the hell out of here.
Taking a deep breath, I lean back in my seat, transitioning from my thoughts to the present as my gaze fixes on the front of the lecture hall. Professor Grimm isn’t here yet, but when he arrives, I know I have the best chance of starting my day with high voltage focus. I woke up today with the burning deep inside of me still, and he seems the most likely to teach me something, like the emberlock.
As the rest of the institutes continue to filter into the room, my thoughts drift back to the day I learned what an emberlock is and what it is capable of. My eyes instinctively darts across to the oppositeend of the room, where a flash of red curls takes over my vision.
My gaze narrows as Willow turns to me with a snarl on her lips. Instead of turning away, I squint more as I consider the visual I would have been blessed with if the flames had met their target that day.
When she bares her teeth, her eyes start to shift in color, the flecks of gold becoming more prominent. I roll my own eyes and turn away, content in ignoring her and giving her the attention she so clearly craves.
Lacing my fingers together on the table in front of me, I let my mind wander once again, this time recalling breakfast in the dining hall. The tables were laid out the same as yesterday, but this time, our table of six only held Ocean and me; the guys were nowhere to be seen.
Not that I care. It’s none of my business what they do with their time and I want to keep it that way. As if sensing my thoughts, the energy in the room shifts and my gaze snaps to the doorway. It almost feels like I conjured them from my thoughts as they saunter through the aisles, their sights set on section thirteen.
Thorne walks a step in front of Kael and Rion, his jaw tight as he keeps his gaze locked deadahead, avoiding eye contact with everyone. It’s as though he doesn’t realize how much swagger he naturally has, earning the attention of everyone in the room—some with lust, some with fear, and others with a mixture of both.
A flash of pale, blond hair garners my attention and my gaze snaps to the vampire as he rakes his fingers through his hair. He definitely knows the attention he earns just from breathing, but instead of ignoring it like his shadow fae friend, he bears a snarl on his lips, anger vibrating from him, making sure no one dares to approach.
The wolf, completing the trio, however, basks in every pair of eyes that turn his way, but the moment they lock with mine, he doesn’t waver. His tongue sweeps across his bottom lip and a shiver runs down my spine, reminding me of yesterday in the library as he winks, fully aware of what he’s doing to me.
Ass.
As the three of them take the stairs beside our section, Thorne and Kael go a few extra steps before turning down the row behind me, while Rion saunters toward me, just like how we sat the last time we were in here.
My breath hitches at his proximity, and I’m certain Ocean snickers from my left, but I can’t look away to confirm or not. Instead, I blink at the wolfbeside me, enraptured by everything about him as he gets comfortable in his seat.
“Petal,” he rasps, but I can’t find a response as my throat dries, a fact which seems to amuse him as he brings his hand to my desk, lifting his palm upward to reveal an earbud.
I stare at it for a moment, considering whether I should take it or not since I have my own now, but I can’t stop myself from accepting the invitation into his little world.
“Thank you,” I breathe, bringing it to my ear to hear one of my favorite country songs playing.
Trying to keep still is harder than I anticipated. His unwavering attention, combined with the desire to bop my head, is real, but just as I consider nodding to the beat, Professor Grimm appears at the front of the classroom.
