I let him lead me back out to the truck, enjoying the affronted reactions of the Kappa Delta bitches. Rani winked at me while Kai’s cousin, Ezra, gave him that universal dude nod—the one with the chin. For once, I wasn’t worried about how it would look being seen with the TA or the fact that we were about to be alone in his truck. Again. I enjoyed the warmth of his hand in mine and the butterflies that took flight when he glanced down at me with that soft smile. That right there should have told me I was in trouble, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.
seven
Kaiden
The next couple of weeks passed without incident. A tentative routine emerged, where I balanced my busy human schedule with my remote heir duties and hunting with Ez. Searching for the djinn and their traps carried on until late each night, and I was glad I didn’t have to take classes this semester to keep up the charade.
It wouldn’t leave much time for interrogation. The djinn were still here, but as of late, none were smart or bold enough to do more than lay a trap or two. Thank the gods. Traps were easy enough for Ez and me to dismantle—we were pros at it by now, as well as at finding the source caster and eliminating them.
I had more blood on my hands than ever before, but I couldn’t find it in me to be bothered by it. It was worth it. All of it. Every mark against my soul, I’d gladly bear to protect the innocent girl across from me. Her head, full of dark curls, was unbound and spilling across the desk as she leaned over the worksheet.
I didn’t have to see her face to know her brow was pinched in concentration and her bottom lip was pinned between her top and bottom incisors. She was a hard worker—a fact I was already aware of—and our weekly sessions were fruitful because of the effort she put into them. It made me proud.
I watched her flip the page and start on the next set of problems, and wondered how long we could keep going like this. It wasn’t sustainable, hunting the djinn while she continued, unknowing about the dangers after her, and the bond who was right here, protecting her from them all.
“This equation isn’t balanced.” I couldn’t resist reaching across the desk and brushing my hand over hers as I pointed at the paper. That spark that was always there when we touched had grown stronger. We were in the beginning stages of our bond, and only more contact—more intimate contact—would solidify it. “You need to revise the amount of reactants and products to get the same number of atoms of the given element on each side. Try again.”
She scanned the problem but didn’t move her pen. I pointed at the unbalanced element, my fingertip grazing her again. A sharp intake of breath, and she looked up. My smile was innocent, and she shook her head before returning her focus to the problem at hand. The plan was working. I wanted my little bond to be comfortable with me.
It was an infuriatingly slow process, one I found difficult to hold on to. Take now, for example, those two small touches made Eryn restless in her seat, her thighs shifting in need and confusion as her mind tried to figure out what her body already knew. What my own body screamed out for. Connection. To drag her over this desk and ravage her until she left here with my mark permanently etched upon her skin. Each day, the bond pulled harder, but not yet. Physically, I knew she wanted me. I could practically taste her need, but mentally, she still resisted.And the exchanges that came from that resistance…Gods. It was the best kind of foreplay.
“Are you sure you don’t mind dropping me off at my dorm?” she asked, packing her bag.
It was an effort not to roll my eyes. “Seeing as how it wasmyidea in the first place, I’m sure.”
I locked my office door behind her, and we wound our way through the labyrinth of halls to the parking lot stairwell. She walked beside me with an ease that wasn’t there last month when fate continuously threw us together. Now, all our interactions were intentional—at least on my part.
“I was just checking,” she mumbled, but dutifully followed me to the truck, which was already warm and running thanks to the remote start.
“Were the past two weeks of me escorting you not enough proof?” I pulled out of the lot but kept the speed below ten. It still only took five minutes to reach her dorm. “I don’t know how else to prove to you that I enjoy your company. Maybe I should ask Ezra for a few pointers.”
Her laugh was unrestrained and quick, and I smiled, having accomplished my goal.
“Please don’t,” she said, still giggling. “He’s not who I’d recommend you take advice from.”
My poor cousin was completely enamored with my bond’s roommate. It was almost to the point of obsession, but I didn’t think Rani was even aware. She wouldn’t give him the time of day, a reaction Ez wasn’t used to. Their interactions were a never-ending source of amusement, and my impression of the girl went up every time she sent my cousin packing.
I parked along the curb, directly in front of the entrance to the dorms.
“I’ll wait here until you get inside,” I told her, even though I didn’t have to. It was routine at this point.
Snowflakes littered the windshield, growing heavier as we watched. Eryn stared at them with a wonder I never got tired of seeing; it lit her up from the inside. She cracked the door and shivered, my hoodie doing literally nothing to protect her. Neither one of us commented on my lost article of clothing anymore, it was basically hers now, and as much as I loved her in it, it drove me crazy when it was the only thing she wore besides those ass-hugging leggings.
“You know, you could probably enjoy the snow if you wore something thicker thanthat.”
She sighed and pulled back inside the cab to look at me. Her arms crossed as she settled in the passenger seat once more.
“It’s not that bad.”
“Your constant shivering says otherwise,” I argued, jaw clenched.
“I spend like a total of two seconds outside.” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “I go from inside, to the shuttle, to back inside, to your truck, toback inside. Why would I change the hoodie for that?”
I felt a smirk curl across my lips. “I can give you something else of mine if you’ll wear it instead.”
“T-that’s not why I wear the damn hoodie,” she sputtered, obviously flustered. “It’s comfortable.”
“Right. Whatever you need to tell yourself, princess.”
