by LJ Swallow
Pursing my lips, I slap his chest and he catches me around the wrist. “Seriously though, Maeve. Do you want to?”
The light-hearted direction drops again, and I nod. “Yes.”
Andrei takes a shuddery breath. “Okay, but I’ve other things I want to do first. Move.”
I’m snapped back into confusion again as I’m flipped over, almost landing on the floor until he catches me. This time when he kisses me, his lips move lower, mapping every inch. “Stop tensing, I’m not about to sink my teeth into you yet,” he says, voice muffled by his mouth on my stomach.
“Good,” I say.
“Definitely.” He chuckles and continues his move down.
I don’t know if this was Andrei’s ploy to have me lose the little control I have around him and switch my brain off, because his attention works. That forcefulness and intensity applies to everything Andrei does, and I’m pulled into his lust as if he’d clicked his fingers.
Andrei’s body joins with mine again, but with each touch and kiss, every brush of fingers and lips, we move closer to breaking a taboo greater than any other. There’s nothing virginal about what we’re doing or how far into pleasure we’ve found ourselves already, but the same thrill of the unknown and my nerves about what the step means pulls me back to the first time I had sex.
Andrei draws back and he pushes hair from my face, resting a hand on my cheek. I take a sharp breath when his captivating eyes meet mine, the green glimmering luminescent as he asks me a silent question.
My hands wind into his hair again and I whisper ‘yes’ against his cheek.
A tremor runs down my spine as his warm lips brush against the skin close to my collarbone. The fear shivering through builds as Andrei’s tongue flicks against my neck, moistening my skin. His lips have touched me in this spot every time we’ve explored each other, and each time I’d tense, half-wanting him to nudge us towards the forbidden.
This time my apprehension is how much his teeth will hurt, not whether he’ll take that step.
The anticipation builds as Andrei’s mouth remains against my skin, stilling his body at the same time. I move against him, lost in the haze from the sex, scared he’ll stop altogether, as my heart speeds. My skin cools as he moves his lips away and I grip his hair and pull him back to me, urging him not to stop. A sharp sensation shocks me as Andrei’s teeth break my skin, and my heart skips out of rhythm as his mouth closes over the stinging cut.
The fear he’ll bite too deep drops as I feel his tongue and not teeth. Holding me to the bed by one shoulder, he grips the back of my head as he kisses and licks, filling me with as much bliss as when he used the same skill between my legs. I worried I’d freak out and want him to stop, but with each flick of his tongue I move from the earlier high to a place where I’ve no desire for anything but to experience the intense pleasure seizing me.
Andrei’s hips move against me again and he slips his hand between us, rubbing his thumb against me. I arch backwards as my mind spins away from my body until I’m left with nothing but an indescribable euphoria, building and building as we move together. I’m not in this world, disconnected from everything but the guy loving me.
The vampire blood frenzy I imagined doesn’t happen, but there’s a forcefulness to Andrei I’d struggle to escape if I needed to, which adds to the thrill of the danger I’m in. I close my eyes and Andrei’s mind opens to me. He’s drunk on my blood, struggling to keep control but the elation coming from him is a world away from the misery earlier.
I don’t know how long we stay in our dangerous embrace, urging each other to hold onto the high, but I tremble beneath him and hang on as we slide closer to the edge, not wanting to tip over yet. But the moment Andrei murmurs that he loves me, I shatter into more pieces than I could easily pull together again.
Only when Andrei’s lips press hard against my skin, sealing our secret, do I start to come down from the stars. He props himself up on shaking arms, eyes shining brighter than ever with more than the vampire luminescence this time. Andrei worried he’d hurt me if he showed me his true self, but instead of pushing me away, I feel closer and more connected to him than ever before.
His lips touch mine and the metallic tang shocks me, but I kiss him, refusing to untangle myself from Andrei and the place we’ve found ourselves.
If Andrei could walk in the daytime, we would never experience anything like this. The hemia side he fights and resents, the one that repulsed and attracted me from the moment I knew, creates something unique.
We no longer need to hide in the dark, but I’d stay with Andrei in darkness forever to hold onto this.
Chapter Fifty
ASH
Have we dealt with the threat?
Like, how can a few runes and one spell fix something that’s haunted Maeve and led to April’s death?
I don’t say anything to the others, holding back because I’m the shifter with less understanding about magic, but I’m uneasy. Call me cynical, but life’s fucking hard right now, and an easy, simple fix seems unlikely.
Or maybe I’m wrong and Maeve was the missing link to a spell.
My other unspoken thought: how would this stop the Dominion attacking the academy? Hell, I’ve listened to Maeve’s visions and seen her distress. I wish with every ounce of me that this is the end, but we’re fooling ourselves.
The end. I keep quiet about my fear for Maeve and the others. For the academy. Sometimes, I almost feel like I've no right to contribute to what's between vampires and witches. Is this how the council feels and the reason for the growing division? The situation helps my relationship with Maeve as she craves the distance from that side of her life she has when we're alone.
And what happens after the end?
I mull this over as I sit around the corner from the entrance to Gilgamesh, on the grass with my knees to my chest as I wait for Tobias. Gail subtly accosted me when I walked into Gilgamesh and whispered a location on the moors into my ear.
We agreed, I can't go alone, and I contacted Tobias, as we’d discussed. Maeve worries that Tobias is as big a prize for the Blackwoods as she would be, but Maeve sees Tobias in her end visions, which gives us an unspoken reason for him to accompany me: if Tobias is with Maeve at the end, he’ll come back. And if Tobias comes back, so will I.
"Ash."
Tobias breaks my brooding as he approaches me from the direction of the staff building. He's dressed in dark clothes, almost indistinguishable from Andrei, dressed totally in black with his black hoodie pulled over his face, wearing jeans and heavy boots. Tobias never taught me, but I knew him from around campus, and this man looks nothing like the professor from last year.
Yeah, because that man doesn't exist.
"Well disguised, mate," I say.
He pulls down his hood. "Has the group left?"
"Nah, or I wouldn't be here."
"You would've left without me?" he asks sharply.
I look the other way. Probably, but Maeve would lose her shit if I did. "I'm here, aren't I?"
He sits on the grass beside me and mirrors my position. "How are you, Ash? You're often quiet, but I sense your worry.”
I give him a look of surprise. “Uh. Shit’s about to go down at the academy? Yeah, I’m worried.”
“Do you talk to Maeve about how you feel?"
"A little," I say. "I'm not an over-sharer."
He studies me and I narrow my eyes to warn him to stay out of my head. "I appreciate your support regarding me re-joining the group."
"I supported Maeve in that decision, not you."
"Oh?" Tobias sounds genuinely surprised. "Well, thank you for coming to me when you first discovered the shifter behaviour."
"Theodora didn't listen. I had no choice."
"No need to be defensive, Ash."
I shrug. "You've helped us. I'm focused on what we need to do now. I ignore your history by not thinking about what happened."
He's silent for a moment. "Yes."
I
shift to face him. "Tobias. What will you do once this is over?"
"If I survive?" he asks, deadpan, then shrugs. "I don't know, Ash. That depends on the state of the academy and whether I've fulfilled my purpose."
"You will. Your purpose is to protect Maeve."
"No. I mean watching Andrei, as he's why I'm at the academy." He pauses. "I no longer believe that's the true reason, but my past will catch up with me if I'm no longer needed."
"The Confederacy won't reveal your identity; they've told the world that the person responsible is dead."
He smiles. "Which is why I think my life will end, either helping Maeve or after."
I straighten in shock. "The Confederacy will kill you?"
"Ash. I'm on borrowed time and always have been."
The breeze lifts the hairs on my arms and I shiver. "Does Maeve know your thoughts?"
"No," he says sharply. "I'd like Maeve to hold onto her belief that we all walk away to a happy ending."
Maeve talks about the future sometimes, about our survival and how we'll stay together and fight for each other and the innocent, and she makes me laugh—not to her face—because she makes us sound like magical superheroes. Perhaps she imagines us as Alaric's group, or that we'll join them.
"Maeve needs her happy ending. After all this shit, she deserves an easier life."
"Yes, she does. Look after her, Ash. I know I don't need to ask you, but promise me."
"Don't talk as if you won't be with us," I say tersely. "You will."
Without another word, Tobias stands, and I gaze up at him, shocked by his impassiveness. The guy hides himself well, but can Tobias hide how he feels from Maeve?
He's wrong. He has to be.
Tobias's death would destroy Maeve.
"I can hear them," he says and gestures in the direction of the sports hall exit. "Where do they shift?"
"Not sure. Did you figure out what the potion they drink is?"
"Not my skill set, Ash, but my concern is why they’re using something. Shifters don’t need to."
"Or where they get the drink from." I shuffle back slightly as Clive and Remi pass a few hundred metres away, creeping through the shadows in human form with a handful of other kids. "And how many other shifters they share this drink with."
“A few, it seems.”
“I hope Gail told me the right location. She was vague.”
"Are you sure you want to follow? I can go instead," says Tobias.
"I'll sense them better," I reply. "You've good senses, but you’re not strong enough to detect them at the distance I can."
He nods.
I'm rarely alone with Tobias, but if he attempts to use any superiority over me, we'll end up in an argument. This is my domain; he's here to help.
We wait in silence for ten minutes until the voices fade. Despite the sneaking, there’s no attempt to disguise that they’re leaving campus. Sure, if somebody asks, the group can claim they spent an evening hanging around the woods near the boundary, but nobody would believe them.
I tread with Tobias over the ground covered in stones and twigs, through the moss, and towards the academy grounds perimeter.
"They’ve timed this with the patrols," remarks Tobias as we reach the fence line. "The guards are a few hundred metres away and didn't see them."
"They’ve thought this through, and thinking isn’t their strong point," I say with a snort and leap at the chain fence.
I'm over within seconds but land more heavily than Tobias's effortless drop to the ground. This part of the fence runs through the trees, dividing the woods in two, and we step under the cover of a nearby oak tree. I'm about to speak, when a familiar howl cracks the air around. This is no dog— a shifter-wolf howl, which would be unfamiliar to humans. Others call back and I strain to hear how many separate voices and where. Have they shifted already, or is this other people waiting for the Nightworld academy kids?
"This way," I say to Tobias.
I tread the same path through the trees as the last few times I've followed, tracking their scent. The larger group tonight helps with this task, although Clive hinted that he knows I follow. I didn't deny this—I want somebody to know. There's only a matter of time before I meet whoever leads or encourages their activities, and I’d prefer soon. Will I come face to face with Vince again and if I do, what will happen?
I don't speak to Tobias as we rush through the woods to the edge of the moors, both moving at a speed we never could if amongst the human public. Are we silent because we don't want to alert others or because we have nothing to say? I’m still catching up with our earlier conversation and how adamant he was about his death.
The exposed areas of heather-covered moorland won't hide anybody—us or them— and I navigate my way through the uneven ground as the scent fades in the openness. I pause close to a large boulder and look back towards the village near the academy. The group headed in the opposite direction to the farmhouse and moved further into isolation. This doesn't worry me, although the lack of cover does. Large boulders and isolated trees would offer a place to hide and watch if needed.
"I can see why they choose this area," says Tobias.
"Yeah, humans hate this place at night." I chew my lip and look around the stark surroundings. Many years ago, children’s bodies were found on these moors in an infamous serial murder case; a sick act by humans and not the supernatural they purged from their world. "I doubt we’ll come across any humans."
Tobias pauses when we reach a large, lone tree and I join him under the branches. "Are they close?" he asks.
"I'm losing them," I admit, "but based on how long the group are normally away, I doubt they'll go much further. If they do, they might not get back to the academy before they’re missed."
"Which direction? Do you know that at least?"
Tobias's tone verges on terse and this riles me. "North," I reply and run.
I detect their stronger scent within another mile and slow, training my eyes and ears on the immediate area. Why can't I sense any animals?
Tobias meets my shoulder. "I hear voices."
Moving slowly this time, we head towards a rocky outcrop that stretches several metres high. The natural feature is wider than the one our group searched for moonflower and offers protection for those behind.
Voices move through the still night towards us, a mixture of male and female, laughter and shouting.
"Stay there," I say to Tobias. "They'll sense you, if you move any closer."
"And you?" he says. "The group will certainly know you’re around."
I drop my hood. "They're waiting for me. They've waited for me to come here for weeks."
Leaving a reluctant Tobias away from the scene, but close enough for him to detect any changes in mood, I stride around the back of the outcrop.
Chapter Fifty-One
ASH
I walk into a scene that’s exactly like an academy bonfire night. Kids gather around the fire, cans and bottles in their hands, with some dancing around even though there's no music. The intense flames reach several metres high, casting eerie shadows against the rock and picking out the faces of those closest. The size of the bonfire blocks my vision of those opposite—how many people are here?
I scan the groups for Gail, but it’s too dark to make people’s faces out, so I move to stand close to three guys who lean against the rock and swig from a large bottle they pass between each other.
They don't notice me and neither do the guy and girl making out close by. One from the group watches closely and he occasionally calls out to them in encouragement. I’m disgusted at his voyeurism—this pair are doing much more than making out in the shadows.
The guy turns his face and the orange glow from the fire reveals his identity. Seamus. Clive isn’t with them, as nobody in the group of four match his physique. Are they all Gilgamesh? Seamus hands his drink to another with a smirk then saunters over to the couple. I turn my head when the guy with the girl stands back and Seamu
s takes over. The girl's playful shriek jerks me from my shock and I move away from the group to stand close to the fire, alone.
This is not what I expected.
And somebody around knows I'm here. I'm not hiding.
Too disturbed to pay attention to activities around me, I focus on the heat of the blaze against my face and the smell of wood smoke. From the corner of my eye, I spot human figures run into the dark and less than a minute later wolf howls carry back to me.
Nobody around the fire has shifted, but others come and go, out of breath and shouting with the same triumph as when I win a match.
This is crazy. I rub a hand across the top of my head and dart a look from person to person. Aside from the students, I spot Des and Simmo, the guys from the horrible night at the farmhouse. The tall guys attract attention from a handful of the kids here—guys and girls—who sit around at their feet in a semi-circle. I scope the area, careful to avoid any eye contact, and it’s clear Des and Simmo are the focal guys.
With each person I look at, trepidation grows that I'll come face to face with Vince, but no. He'd be the loudest and most obvious here, and although I can't see those at the edge of the group, I'm ninety-nine percent certain he's not the one leading this gathering.
I turn to a wiry guy beside me, one with crew-cut hair and neck that's indistinguishable from his head and shoulders, wearing a mud-covered T-shirt and jeans. A mid? Maybe. He isn’t from my academy and looks closer in age to Des and Simmo.
“You okay, mate? Looking a bit nervous,” he says in a deep voice.
"My first time," I say with a grin. "You?"
He peers down his squashed nose at me. "First time shifting or gathering?"
"Gathering." I incline my head towards a nearby group. "There’re more people here than I expected."
He smiles, revealing broken front teeth. "Word spreads. You fancied a bit of rebellion too, huh? Or some fun?" The guy jerks his head to an indistinguishable group of three kids who’re definitely not talking.