“Professor—”
“My name!”
“Luther!” It was the loveliest sound in the world. “Oh… Oh my God! Luther!”
I fucked her through the orgasm seizing control of her body. Her tight inner muscles contracted and squeezed me for all I was worth. I held out until the aftershocks were rippling through her before I let go. I dug my fingers in, holding on for dear life before emptying myself into her cunt. Her pussy continued throbbing around me as if greedy for every drop of my spend.
I hovered over her for the longest time, relishing the feel of her body beneath me. The softness, the submission, the curves, the bond forged from her soul to mine. Ophelia fit against me like the missing piece of a puzzle finally slotted into its rightful place.
Heaven only lasted mere moments before the music crashed back in and the liminal delight of fucking her faded out ofexistence. Reality clanged like a bell in my ears, reminding me of the danger waiting outside that door.
I pulled myself up, straightening my clothes. Eventually, Ophelia whooped in a large gulp of air before sitting upright and collecting herself. I took great pleasure in seeing her freshly fucked, glowing under the wane light as she was.
A prickling at the back of my neck forced me to reconsider our location.
“Come on, I need to get you home.”
She pouted, staring up at me with narrowed eyes. But she complied, standing to take my offered arm. A connection thrummed between us, as vibrant as a lightning strike where we touched. I’d bottle and relish the sensation for eternity.
The party crowd had thinned. I scanned the room, peering into the darkest corners for signs of lurkers. All that remained were simple drunken college students gyrating on one another and spilling their drinks on the floor. Despite the unflappable energy of the dancers, a slimy aura had draped itself over the room. The air stifled, and dread raked down my spine.
“We missed something…” she trailed off, clinging tighter to my arm.
“We need to leave,” I hissed. “Now.”
I hauled Ophelia through the sparse crowd toward a back door, half-carrying her. We exited into the chilly night air with the party’s music thinning the further I dragged her into the cocoon of trees behind the houses.
Something rustled in the branches.
“Hurry up, sweetheart. We need to move!”
“You’re too fast. I… I can’t… keep up,” she gasped.
“Come on.” I held her closer, stabilizing her enough to whisk her away. It might have been the only time I cursed her academic nature. A facet I adored about her, but it made her clumsy andwrong-footed on the run. If she didn’t pick up her feet soon, I’d have to sweep her up and bolt out of there.
Then a piercinghoo-hootcut through the whistling wind.
Instinct leashed me, forcing me into rehearsed evasive maneuvers.
“Fuck!” I ducked, but with Ophelia stumbling beside me we fell into a tangled fumble. We hit the cold, damp ground, cursing—just in time to avoid the massive stolas diving from the trees. Its wide wingspan nearly clipped the hair on my head.
My heart launched into my throat and hammered at my ribs. I kept Ophelia beneath me, shielding her with my body. She whimpered as I crushed her down, away from the beak turning back to snap at my face.
“Stay down!” I yelled.
The demon bird careened past me, swooping upward before releasing another harrowing shriek. I surged to my feet, planting myself between Ophelia and the monster that wanted her. Before the stolas circled around, I’d gripped the Ashcroft dagger and tensed into a defensive stance.
Another stolas descended from the shadows, all disfigured and stretched too long with wiry feathers. A mockery of a majestic animal, morphed into a grotesque nightmare. Yellow eyes gleamed wickedly from the border of darkness. Predatory figures emerged from every direction. Monsters prowled, sweeping in from the sky, and crashing through the trees.
Fucking shit.We were surrounded.
I knew I was only a man, but I’d held my own against the creatures across the decades. If I could hold out long enough to get Ophelia away, then I’d accept that. Anything to keep her safe and unharmed. Because she was mine.
Stolas converged on us, flapping their wings and snapping teeth-lined beaks as they surged inward. I lashed out, strikingand slashing with the blade. Their formation tightened no matter how fast I moved, stabbing and gutting the beasts.
Blood splattered on my hands, dappled my clothes, and sweat lined my brows. Exhaustion broke through my energy reserves. One struck out a claw-tipped wing and slashed me across the ribs. Pain lanced through my side, and I faltered, barely staying upright as blood seeped between my fingers.
A different stolas slipped through the break in my defenses, taking advantage of my injury.
