Infernal

by Cara E Holt

  He leans down closer and takes a piece of my hair between his fingers. “Because your hair is like the feathers of a raven. Black, but in certain lights it glistens with a blue sheen.” He loses the serious expression as fast as it came and swaps it for a signature smirk. “And well little, because you are.”

  “Be she but little, she is fierce.” I quote out loud to him.

  “Well my little fierce Raven,” he stands up and offers his hand out to me, “we are done for this morning.”

  “Yours?” I grab his hand and let him pull me up.

  Grinning, he runs his finger over the rock on my finger. “This ring says you’re mine.”

  “A ring on my finger doesn’t make me yours Black.”

  He scoffs as he takes my daggers from me and places them back in the lock-up. “You keep telling yourself that Latimer.”

  As the morning passes I realise that he is in fact correct. Literally everyone in the Wiccan world knows about our engagement. As we leave the senior dorms for breakfast Drayce is greeted and congratulated by everyone we pass. We enter the dining hall and the busy chatter falls silent as we walk in. Drayce sees me freeze in my steps, and with a gentle hand at my back, he urges me towards the counter to select my food.

  “Breathe.” He whispers in my ear.

  I take a steadying breath and collect my food and start to walk towards my table, but Drayce takes a hold of my elbow and stops me in my steps.

  “Where do you think you are going?”

  I look up at him puzzled. “I’m going sitting with my friends.”

  Drayce grins and leans into my ear. “Not anymore. It would be expected that an engaged couple would eat together.”

  I frown as he gently guides me over to a table full of hulking seniors.

  “Hey guys.” He greets as he sits down and pulls me down beside him.

  A guy with short dark hair, who sits opposite us, studies me and grins. “So it’s true then?”

  Drayce looks up from his food and smiles. “Yes. Everyone this is Elara, my fiancé.”

  Everyone’s eyes around the table are on me, and I flush under their stares.

  “Hi.” I say my voice barely a whisper.

  A chuckle from across the table has me looking up at a pretty girl with long burgundy red hair. She is sat on the lap of a guy with blonde hair that hangs in his eyes.

  “How did Sereia take this news?” She asks Drayce, as she studies me with a smile.

  Drayce shrugs. “As expected. She will get over it.”

  The guy whose knee the girl is sat on laughs. “This is Sereia we are talking about right? That girl doesn’t understand the meaning of the word no.”

  The burgundy haired girl leans over the table. “Can I see the ring?”

  Flushing again, I lift my left hand up and hold it out.

  “Wow.” She says, her eyes widening as she takes in the rock on my finger. “Drayce did well.”

  I offer her a smile. “Yeah, it’s not bad.”

  The girl grins. “I’m Ivelle and this handsome fucker here,” she says squeezing her boyfriend’s cheeks, “is Auden.”

  I nod and smile and then slowly everyone around the table introduces themselves. Talk then moves on to academy gossip and training and this allows me to finally relax as everyone’s attention is no longer on me. I jump slightly when I feel Drayce’s hand on my arm. Smirking he leans into my ear.

  “You doing okay?”

  I nod in response. Truth be told when he was this near to me, I had a tendency to lose coherence.

  “Oh, and try not to jump when I touch you, remember we are a couple now.”

  I can hear the teasing tone in his voice and I raise my eyes to meet his. “How could I forget?” I reply quietly and look down at the rock on my finger. He surprises me then by lifting my chin with his finger and dropping a quick kiss on my lips.

  “You look quite cute little raven when you blush like that.” He says softly to me in my ear before pulling away and joining back in the conversation with his friends.

  Movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I see Norah stood at our table waving her hands in the air like a mad woman trying to get my attention. I pull out my phone and send her a quick text telling her I’ll meet her in the library in ten minutes.

  I finish my food and then tap Drayce on the arm. “Hey, I need to pick up some books from the library.”

  He nods and starts collecting up his things.

  “You don’t need to come with me.”

  He cocks a brow at me and leans in to my ear. “Escorted everywhere, remember?”

  I frown. Damn I had forgotten about that.

  “We’re heading to the library guys. We’ll catch you later.” He tells all his friends.

  This earns chuckles and grins from around the table. Auden winks. “Library huh? Going doing some extra-curricular studying.”

  Drayce fights a grin and gives them the finger as we stand, and he places a hand at the bottom of my back. “Yeah, yeah.”

  As we walk out of the dining hall, each table we pass stares and whispers. This level of notoriety was not something I was used to and I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted to get used to either.

  “Great.” I groan. “Do your friends all think we are sneaking off to have sex in the library?”

  Drayce raises a brow and grins at me. “That’s what most newly engaged couples would be getting up to. I do know a nice quiet corner at the back.”

  I roll my eyes. “Oh, I bet you do. No doubt many girls have had the Black experience in this library.”

  He shocks me when he reaches for my hand and takes it in his. He follows my gaze to our hands and grins again. “You need to get used to me touching you, it will be happening a lot.”

  I snigger. “Just never had you down for the hand-holding type that’s all.”

  I squeal when he suddenly grabs me and forces me back against the wall of lockers, pinning me in with his body.

  “Would you prefer if I was the more physical fiancé, like this?” He keeps my body pinned against his as he nuzzles into my neck with his face and sucks on my skin.

  “Drayce!” I say somewhat breathless, as him sucking on my neck is doing all kind of things to my body. Students walking past giggle and whistle in response.

  “I’m being an attentive fiancé.” He tells me, and I can feel his smile against the skin of my neck. He leans up and grins. “There we go, now I’ve marked you.”

  My hand flies up to neck and I glare at him. “You didn’t just give me a hicky?”

  His wide smirking grin is enough of an answer.

  “You’ll pay for that Black.” I promise him.

  His response is to wink at me. “I’ll look forward to that. Now come on let’s go find a quiet corner in the library.” He says this to me just as two girls are walking past us, and they hurry away giggling and looking back at us.

  “Great, now everyone in the school will hear that we have been at it in the library.” I groan as I stomp off in front of him and hear him chuckling behind me.

  It’s Already real, Little Raven.

  I find Norah in the library and she looks over my shoulder in surprise when she sees Drayce behind me.

  “Oh hi, I wasn’t expecting two of you.”

  “Me either.” I reply with an eye roll. I turn and face Drayce. “Can you give us five minutes?”

  Drayce nods and shocks me once again when he leans in and cups my face and kisses me. He pulls away and offers a wink to Norah, whilst I stand there like a dummy.

  “I’ll be over there. Come get me when you’re done.” He walks over to the spare chair at the large oval table, and girls stop what they are doing as he passes them and gawp at him like he is some kind of god.

  I watch him walk away with my heart pounding in my chest.

  “Holy broomsticks! That was hot.” Norah fans herself. “Okay, sit! How, when, what the flying fuck Elara!?”

  I pat her arm as I guide her down i
nto a seat. “Okay, take a breath Norah.”

  She nods and composes herself. “Okay, I’m calm. You and Drayce?!”

  I grin and nod. “I know, crazy huh?”

  She nods, her eyes wide. “Yesterday you told me you hated him.”

  I chew on my lip. I hated lying to her. “I did say that didn’t I? Look this was a thing orchestrated by our parents and well, we decided to go with it.” I look over at Drayce who is sat back in a library chair with his feet up on the table, reading a book. “I mean look at him Norah? It’s hardly a chore.”

  Norah sighs as she follows my eyes and takes him in. “You are one lucky bitch.” She grins. “Have you two done it yet?”

  My cheeks flush. “No.”

  Norah chuckles as she chews on gum. “Oh girl, he is going to rock your world.”

  I grin back. “Let’s hope so because I’m kind of stuck with him now.”

  Norah grins again. “I can think of a lot worse guys to be stuck with.” She shoves me playfully and puts out her bottom lip. “You left me roomy.”

  I smile softly at her. “I know, but just think, now you can take any guy you want back there.”

  She bobs her head. “That’s true.”

  I reach for her hand. “You’re still my bestie though. You can come and hang with me still.”

  She nods and points a finger at me. “We’d better still hang.” She looks over at Drayce. “No getting mesmerised by his dick and forgetting about me.”

  I laugh out loud and Drayce looks over at me with a questioning look on his face. “I won’t get mesmerised I promise.”

  She continues to pout. “Yeah you will, one dip and you’ll be an addict.”

  A hand snakes around my waist and I feel Drayce’s breath against my ear.

  “An addict of what?” He asks.

  Norah grins. “Girl talk, Black.” She points a finger over my shoulder at him. “You look after her okay? And no more whoring around.”

  He chuckles and it tickles my ear. “Trust me, my whoring days are over.”

  Norah nods, seeming satisfied with his answer. “Right, I need to get out of here. Libraries should only be for one thing and that is not reading.”

  Drayce chuckles against my skin, his body firmly pressed behind mine. “See? Even Norah knows.”

  Norah throws her bag over her shoulder and gives us an impish grin. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  As soon as she is gone, I move Drayce’s hands from my hips and turn to face him. “Your whoring days are over?”

  He rolls his eyes at me and nods. “I’m not stupid Elara. I’m engaged. It’s not going to be believable if I’m going around school fucking other girls.”

  I laugh. “Oh dear, how will you cope with not being able to be able get laid?”

  A smile dances on his lips. “Oh I intend to get laid.”

  I look up at him frowning. “You do?”

  He leans into me and presses me into the table making me fall backwards against it. “As my fiancé it is part of your obligations to ensure I am sexually satisfied.”

  He leans himself over me and studies my face.

  “You’re saying you expect this to be real?” My heart is pounding in my chest.

  He looks down at me; his eyes are intense close up. “It’s already real little raven. We are engaged. Next year you will be my wife. It’s as real as it could possibly get.”

  I bite my lip. His hips are pinned against mine and I can feel all of him. “I guess it is.”

  He hovers over me, his lips tantalisingly close. “I own this.” He tells me as he dips his head and kisses my lips, but pulls away before I get to respond. “I own these.” He says as his hand squeezes one breast through my shirt and bra. “And, I own this.” A smile dances on his lips, as he reaches down and cups my sex.

  I arch a brow. “Cocky much? Well if you own all of that. Then I own this.” I reply and reach out and grab his cock through his school trousers.

  He licks his lips. “Deal.”

  “Ahem!”

  We both freeze at the sound of the voice. Drayce lifts his head up and the librarian is standing before us, arms folded, looking none too happy.

  “This is a library.” She tells us firmly. “It is not for witches to fornicate in.”

  I snigger, I can’t help it, I mean who uses that word? This earns me a stern scowl from her. “Both of you will have detention every evening after school. You will come here and put all the books away from the day. Understood?”

  We both nod, still catching our breaths.

  She nods her head. “Now kindly remove yourselves from my table please?”

  Drayce lifts himself off me and offers me a hand, pulling me to my feet. He straightens his tie and then looks at me and gestures to my shirt which has come un-tucked from my skirt.

  “Leave, now!” She demands, pointing towards the exit.

  We hurry out of the library and the moment we are outside, we both break into a fit of laughter.

  “Fornicating.” Drayce says with a chuckle.

  “I know, so funny.”

  Drayce laughs. “I bet she goes home every night and gets herself off whilst reading some steamy fifty shades kind of book.”

  I shake my head, smiling. “Don’t be so sure. I reckon she has some hot werewolf guy that she meets for clandestine liaisons in hotel rooms.”

  Drayce bobs his head. “Yeah, maybe.”

  We both just stand there smiling at each other, and I realise this is the first time the two of us have laughed together.

  “Who knew Drayce Black had a fun side.” I state, studying him.

  He grins. “I have lots of sides to me little Raven.”

  “Maybe you’re not as big an arsehole as I thought.”

  He scoffs. “You’re still as irritating as I thought.”

  I’m not sure how and when it happened, but it seemed like Drayce Black was growing on me and that revelation scared the shit out of me.

  I’m in History of witchcraft when there is a knock on the door and Drayce pops his head in the room. All the girls in the class turn their attention to him and honestly I think some of them even drool, it’s pathetic.

  “Hi Professor Hawkins. Mistress Isolde has asked to see Elara and I in her office.”

  The professor nods and gestures at me to go. I quickly pack up my things, panicking that the librarian has told the principle and we are about to get our asses handed to us.

  “Are we in trouble?” I ask him as we make our way to her office.

  Drayce shrugs his shoulders, not looking at all worried. He was always so calm and self-assured. I wish I knew how he did it.

  We arrive at her office and before we can knock at the door it swings open.

  “Come in.”

  Mistress Isolde gestures for us to sit, so we both take a seat and wait for her to speak. She remains standing behind her desk and she looks like she has the worries of the world on her shoulders.

  “There has been another attack.”

  I look at her mouth open. “When? Who?”

  Mistress Isolde sits down and leans her arms on the desk. “A second year student. Male this time. He was found in the same state as the girl, with the Ouroboros mark etched into his chest.”

  “How?” Drayce asks her, looking perplexed. “We have increased our wards. There are patrols on at all times.”

  Isolde nods and sighs. “I know. No one knows how this vampire is getting in.” She opens her desk drawer and reaches inside. “This was left with the boy. It was addressed to you, but it has been opened to check if it was a danger to anyone.”

  Nodding, I shakily take the envelope from her. Inside is a piece of note paper with the words ‘The dawn is upon us.’ And with it a small black stone. I reach in and take the stone and when it touches my skin it burns me, as if a flame of fire has just rushed through my body. I scream and drop the stone and the chair tips back with me in it.

  “Elara.” Drayce shouts out as he flies out
of his chair and comes to my side. “You okay?”

  I nod. “What was that? I turn my hand over and my palm has the symbol of the Ouroboros burned into my flesh. “It burned through my body.”

  Mistress Isolde walks over and picks the stone up from the floor. She is turning it over and over in her hand examining it. “How do you feel now?” she asks me.

  I shrug and go to stand, and Drayce places an arm underneath mine and helps me up. “I feel fine. I think.”

  Drayce guides me back into the chair and pours me glass of water from the jug the principle keeps on her desk. He hands me the water and then he picks up the note and reads it out loud.

  “What does it mean?” He asks, looking from me to Mistress Isolde.

  I shake my head. “I have no idea.” I rub my forehead with my hand, suddenly feeling clammy. “I don’t understand what this has to do with me.”

  “Elara you look pale.” Mistress Isolde states, looking at me with concern. “Drayce take her to the medical wing. She needs that burn treating. Take the rest of the afternoon off.” She turns her attention back to the stone in her hand. “I need to take this to be examined.”

  Drayce nods and hovers over me when I stand. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” I reassure him. I turn to face Mistress Isolde. “Will you let us know if there any updates on the boy?”

  “Of course.” She replies, still frowning and staring at the stone in her hand.

  We get my palm treated at the medical wing. No magic seems to be able to remove the symbol from my palm, so in the end it is treated with a herbal potion to help heal the blistered skin and I am sent to rest for the day.

  Drayce takes me back to his room in the senior house. All the way back there he looks deep in thought and his gorgeous faced is marred with a deep frown.

  “What are you thinking?” I ask him, as I settle on the sofa under a throw.

  He shrugs. “That stone did something. I felt it in the air, magic.”

  “You did?” I hadn’t felt anything like that, but then again I guess I had been pre-occupied with my flesh being branded.

  He sits on the coffee table in front of me and lifts my chin with his hand. “How do you feel?”