I close my eyes, letting Max’s words and body heat soothe my aching soul.
It’s like a balm of warm oil is being poured through the fibers of my muscles. His strength supports my over-stressed nervous system.
Suddenly, the air in the room shifts.
The pain from trying to treat Wes is completely gone.
Wes.
I turn my body, remaining on Maximus’s lap, then gently pick up Wes’ wrist. A surge of Lumina—not just a couple of sluggish sparks—travels down my arm, out of my fingers, and into his pale forearm.
It’s more than a teaspoon. Maybe even a cupful.
The heart monitor momentarily changes pace, letting out a faster succession of beeps.
Then Wes’s fingers twitch.
“Did you see that?” I gasp.
Please Gods, I didn’t imagine that.
Leaning forward, Maximus presses his stubbly cheek against mine. “Sure did, Sparkles. Sure did.”
This was because of Max, I know it. His love makes my Lumina stronger.
Moving myself back around to face the hellhound, I take his face in my hands and lean forward, gently kissing him. He curls his hand around my hair and deepens the kiss; his hot, wild tongue makes me feel alive and strong.
It fills me with hope, and doesn’t allow any space for despair.
Beneath me, Max grows hard.
My panties, correspondingly, become soaked.
Click, whirr. The door opens.
Shit.
“Uh…” a voice says.
It’s Alexis. Thank Gods.
Max releases my mouth, but not his hold on my body. Looking over my shoulder he speaks to his cousin. “Wes reacted to her Lumina at last.”
“Er, great. But you both need to get out of here. Times up.”
I don’t know where to look as I stand and smooth down my skirt, but Alexis is by my side within a beat. He pulls me into an embrace. “This is good,pulu. All of it. This is how it should be.”
???
It seems like just about every class at Validus Vale has shifted times to accommodate the newly switched students.
My Friday afternoon now consists of a double lesson of ‘Magi Jurisprudence’, taught by a Scottish woman, Professor McCall. Her accent is so thick she sounds like she’s chewing on haggis.
The classroom is usually used for Theoretical Combat Tactics, and smells of testosterone and wannabe authority.
It’s very boring, so I’m silently catching up on gossip with Willow, rather than listening to Professor McCall.
—Did you hear that Scott broke up with Ginger Teresa?—Wills asks me.
