Every breath at my mercy.
“Touch yourself.” I command, and he slips his hands down my thighs while I thrust into his mouth. He gives himself to me, letting the weight of his upper body rest in my hands as he fists his cock and starts stroking.
“She was so soft.” I murmur quietly. His shoulders flex, matching my rhythm as I lose myself to the memory of Nyx. “Warm and soft. Her skin would mark well, just like yours. How pretty the two of you would be, on your knees, bound and begging for relief. You, forced to watch me do everything to her that you want to. Her, pleading for me to let you. Denying you both until you crave the pain just to feel the bite of pleasure.” He moans around my cock, and I close my eyes as the scene plays out in my mind. “She’d sing so sweetly for me to end the torment, but you’d show the pretty bird what true submission means, wouldn’t you?” He looks up at me with tearful eyes from where his lips are pressed against my stomach and nods.
“Good boy.” He whimpers around my cock and I thrust into him on instinct, before pulling him off so he can catch his breath even as we remain connected by a string of spit and precum. His hips thrust pitifully in search of relief, but he knows not to seek his own pleasure while forgoing mine. When I pull his face back onto my cock, he swallows me down and desperately starts working his own.
“When shefinallyyielded to me, I’d wring every ounce of ecstasy from her body until it ran down her thighs, dripping from every hole for you to lick clean so I can do it all over again.” I lose myself in the fantasy of them together. Of the messy, desperate, mewling submissives they’d be after I finish with them. He starts grunting, begging the only way he can for my permission.
“Would you fill her tight, wet cunt after I’ve ruined her?” He moans, voice raw, as I pull him off of me. His chest heaves with ragged breaths, gasping for air through reddened, bruised lips when he leans into my palm, looking up at me like I’m the only one who can save him.
But then I damn us both when I lean down and whisper in his ear, “Or should I give her to Killian first?”
He whines pitifully as I hold him still. “Oh God, Roth?—”
“Her pretty pink cunt would be so swollen after he ran her through.” He shudders, and a fresh bead of precum trails from his cockhead to pool on the floor. “Luther would love it, though,” I add casually, reveling in Thane’s pained expression from holding back his orgasm. “You remember how much he likes hearing them beg for mercy?” He closes his eyes and nods, jaw clenched. “Maybe then I’ll let you slide your desperate cock into her dripping pussy, keeping our cum where it belongs, hm?”
He cries out when my taunting proves too much as his cock throbs, spilling cum between his legs, and I laugh cruelly. “Was that a good ruin?”
He shakes his head without opening his eyes, panting from the painful pleasure of a denied orgasm.
“Good. Get on the bed.”
“Where were you?” I ask Killian quietly as we step into the clearing leading to the Vena Strata. The indiscriminate rocky face of the caverns don’t look like they contain unknown obstacles meant to test our ability to wield, just as the written exams yesterday tested our knowledge. For most, it’s nerve-wracking. For others like us who descend from exceptionally powerful bloodlines—the Legacies, the Hektreia sisters. Even the dragon prince, as loathe as I am to admit—it’s merely an annoyance. Luther, Thane, Killian and I surpassed this level of mastery long ago. It’s a secret we’ve killed for to keep our families from discovering how far our abilities have developed. Our lives would be forfeit in the face of their ambition and greed.
“Hunting.” He answers without further explanation. I turn to look at Luther from where he walks behind me next toThane and he merely shrugs. The crowd of students part as I lead us to the platform that’s been set up for the Headmaster, members of the various Councils, and high-ranking faculty. I nod to my father, who looks down on me from his position next to Headmaster Church, with Preston, Soren, and Marcus to his right. On Church’s left, Professor Brandt sits next to the rest of the Council—Vivica, Amadeus, Corvus, and Armand.
Vivica waves to someone in the crowd and I follow her gaze to where her daughters stand in a group. Nyx and her friend from last night, as well as the necromancer and the girl he left with, stand off to the side. A flash of light draws my attention to the back of the crowd, where Mondragon leans against a wall, deceptively relaxed save for the death glare he directs toward them.
Interesting.
Headmaster Church stands, taps the microphone, and waits for the crowd to quiet.
“Good morning, students, esteemed faculty, and Council members.” He gestures behind him. “Welcome. Today, our students will complete the Crypteia to demonstrate not only their academic excellence, but also their ability to wield that knowledge, both of which are required to advance to the next level of mastery. Before we can congratulate our students on yet another year of study at Dreadhurst, or wish our graduating class luck in their future endeavors, we must first support them in their pursuit of one last achievement: traversing the Vena Strata and completing the Crypteia.
“For those of you joining us for the first time, every year, our world-renowned faculty create a course designed to challenge our student’s ability to combine their knowledge and skill into action. We will begin with the freshman class and proceed by grade level until every student has completed the course, which has been modified to meet the requirements of each respectivelevel of mastery with increasing difficulty. The order in which the first students will begin the course has been randomly assigned, and all others will follow in waves.”
Hushed whispers ripple among the students as the Headmaster instructs all freshmen to make their way to the arched entrance of the course where professors and faculty herd them into an orderly fashion. Only, Nyx isn’t among them.
“Why isn’t she with the freshmen?” Thane asks, coming to the same realization.
“Carrick had me evaluate her as a sophomore.” Luther murmurs.
Thane frowns. “I thought she was just taking advanced classes, you mean she actually skipped an entire grade level? Afteronesemester?”
Luther shrugs.
“That’s not enough time.” Killian shakes his head. “Her epiphaneia was like, two months ago.” Luther stiffens slightly at the mention of his near death experience, but doesn’t say anything.
I hum. “We’ll see.”
“She’s been practicing with Brandt for the last few weeks,” Luther volunteers, and I quirk my eyebrow.
“When?” Killian asks.
“At night. After classes.”
“Is that so?” I ask quietly. I knew he’d been flying at night to rebuild his stamina, but hadn’t realized he’s been spying on her as well. He clenches his jaw and nods.
