by Riley Storm
“Holy shit,” she gasped, fingers clamping down on his head, pulling him in hard, shuddering at every lick. It would not be long at all before she came.
A finger slipped inside her in time with his tongue and she could take no more. Her body stiffened and she flattened against the wall, hands out wide for balance as her body shuddered and writhed in his grip.
“Don’t stop,” she commanded as the climax burst free, spreading out across her body like a tidal wave, pummeling her nerve endings while she cried out and shoved her hips at Rane some more.
Her brain shut off as Rane played her body with his mouth, until finally, she slumped against him and the wall, breathing hard and struggling to stay upright.
The big dragon shifter didn’t miss a beat, easily scooping her up into his arms and carrying her to the bedroom where he lay her out on the covers and climbed on top. His body looked as magnificent above her as she’d dreamed.
There were no fears from her at this point, no worries of any consequences to come. Natasha no longer cared about any of those things, because what she was doing now felt so right, as if she was supposed to be with Rane.
When he pushed inside her for the first time, her eyes went wide. She drew him down, kissing him deeply. She took him all, breaking the seal of their lips at the end, gasping as the last inch filled her tighter than she’d ever experienced. A shiver ran through her body.
“You okay?” he asked.
Biting her lip, she nodded, feeling drunk on sex and pleasure. It was better than she’d ever expected it to be, and they were just getting started!
“Just great,” she said, the last word becoming a moan as Rane moved against her, grinding into her hips. “Furies, that feels so good.”
He grinned and pulled back farther to thrust deep once more. Natasha’s back arched up toward him and he buried his face in her breasts, growling that deep, manly sound that made everything hotter.
They rocked hard against each other. She kept her arms around his back, forcing him to stay close, the pair basking in the closeness and intimacy of the moment. They kissed and parted, staring into one another’s eyes for long moments before locking lips once more.
Eventually, her hormones overtook her emotions and she clamored for more. Rane, ever happy to please, leaned back on his shins. Her eyes drank in the sight of his body, muscles taut as he flexed and thrust, rubbing against her insides at the perfect angle.
“Just like that. Just like that, don’t stop,” she cried softly, hands spreading wide, taking in great fistfuls of comforters.
Rane thrust harder, shaking her body, causing her to bounce wildly. A moment of self-consciousness overwhelmed her as she felt her everything jiggling, not just her breasts, but the concerns were blasted aside by Rane’s growl when she tried to stop. His eyes blazed with heat as he watched her body, and she felt him grow stiffer inside, though how that was possible she didn’t know.
“I want all of you,” he rumbled sexily. “Your lushness is what I crave.”
His eyes burned brightly, drinking in the sight of her beneath him, and he shuddered. One hand reached between her legs, rubbing her even as he thrust hard. The combination of sensations and the view of his gorgeous body was more stimulus than Natasha could handle.
She tightened around him and rocked hard, each thrust sending another wave of ecstasy through her body, heightening the already powerful orgasm.
“I can’t hold it any longer,” Rane gasped as she was in the last throes, and he pulled out.
Natasha bit her lip as he spilled himself across her breasts and stomach, the hotness of the moment adding to her own feeling of satisfaction as he slid down onto the bed next to her, breathing hard.
They lay there, looking at the ceiling, neither speaking, simply recovering. Minutes passed and her body calmed, but still Natasha wasn’t willing to move.
After all, why should she? After what she’d done…
Her brain clicked back on, and horror spiked through her system.
She was supposed to be sparing Rane from any hurt. Now she’d exposed him to even worse pain if everything ever came to light. Natasha had let herself listen to her body, and not her mind. The exact opposite of what she’d sworn to herself when it came to Rane.
What have I done…oh Furies, this is so bad…
Chapter Twenty-Three
Natasha
The night before was still on her mind as she got ready for her class with Master Pinton.
Thankfully the early-morning class had provided her with a reasonable excuse not to stay the night. She’d showered and crept back to her place, hoping that none of the witches would be any the wiser.
Izzy had spent the night in the infirmary, so she’d been able to sneak in without being noticed or having to answer any questions. Now she just had to make it through this class, and then she could begin to formulate her next moves.
She was just grabbing her notebook and the defensive ward bracelet she’d been working on with Sara when the door shuddered under intense hammering.
Natasha ignored it, more interested in getting ready for her class on advanced wards than anything else at the moment. Whoever it was could wait until she was ready to leave.
“Who is it?” she called, not impressed. If it was Rane, then he needed to learn to keep his distance when she said she had other things to do. If it was someone else, they needed to learn some manners.
The door flew open.
Natasha’s arm dipped into her pocket and came out, wand in hand, but she paused with it halfway raised as her brain recognized the person who had entered her quarters.
“Initiate Celland,” Loiner snapped icily, crossing her arms as the door closed behind her. “What is taking you so long to complete this simple task for me? Is there a problem?”
Natasha’s stomach sank. She didn’t know how to handle the Master right then.
“I’m not used to manipulating a person, Master Loiner,” she said politely, trying to defuse the situation.
“He is not a person,” Loiner spat. “A dragon shifter is nothing. An alien, in our world, in our home. You will do as you please to them.”
Natasha sighed, trying to keep her emotions in-check. She’d never been the vehement Loiner supporter that Sara was, but now after getting to know Rane, she’d found herself wondering if perhaps she’d made a mistake in supporting the Master. Not just on her quest to manipulate Rane, which was horrible she knew now, but from the very beginning.
If she could go back in time, Natasha would undo any association she had with the nasty, manipulative, horrible woman. It was only because of the power the Master had that she’d been drawn to supporting Loiner, but Natasha knew now that there were limits to what she would do to gather more power.
Loiner did not have any such limits, she was starting to suspect.
“I…I’m sorry, Master,” she apologized, unsure of what else to do.
“I sure hope you haven’t proven weak and developed feelings for the animal. If that’s what’s preventing you from doing your job, then we’ll have to do something about reminding you of where your true loyalties lie.”
The bald-faced threat made Natasha shiver in her shoes. If Loiner decided that she no longer needed Natasha’s help, then things would go south, and quickly.
“Of course not,” Natasha lied, trying to channel her burgeoning hatred of Loiner into false outrage at being accused of having feelings for Rane. “I’m just not as skilled as you are.”
“That’s for sure,” Loiner said. “However, I can wait no longer for you to make progress in finding out what they are actually up to. So, we must proceed with other means. The dragons are growing in favor with Circe and the Coven daily, and I must stop that before they fully ingratiate themselves here.”
Natasha’s heart fluttered. “What do you mean by ‘other means?’” she asked, terrified of what the answer was going to be.
“Why, it’s really quite simple,” Master Loiner said, reachin
g into her robes and producing an unsealed envelope. “Your closeness with the dragon will still provide us a way in, and a way for you to show us that you still believe in our cause, and that you value your place here at Winterspell.”
Natasha eyed the envelope. It was white and big enough to fit a sheet of paper unfolded. Judging by the way Loiner was holding it, there were more than a handful of papers already inside.
“What’s in the envelope?” she asked. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. Perhaps she would be able to do it without it being a big deal.
Not that it mattered, and Natasha knew it. The moment she accepted the envelope, she would be as guilty and complicit in whatever happened to the dragons as was Loiner. Any harm that came to them would be as much on her head as anyone else’s. This was her chance to say no, to turn Loiner away.
“Our other means,” Loiner said calmly from the doorway. “You will take this and hide it in their quarters somewhere.” She grinned. “It will give me all the evidence I need to have them thrown out of Winterspell.”
Natasha swallowed hard. “Where will they go?”
Loiner snarled at her. “Does it look like I care? They are not welcome here, and so they must go. It’s really quite that simple, Initiate. Do you understand what you must do?”
“I do,” she said shakily. “But I don’t know if I can do it.”
Loiner was suddenly a hand span away from her, eyes wide. “You don’t know if you can do it? Why, because you think you’ve developed feelings for that alien monster? Is that why? Well, Initiate Celland, it’s time for you to make a choice here. What do you value more? Your new friendship with a creature you don’t really know, or your life at Winterspell and all that it may hold in the future?”
Recoiling, Natasha looked down, unable to hold Loiner’s wild gaze. The master had gone power-crazy, it was obvious to her now. What could she do about it though? If she went to the Coven, it would all come out, how she’d forged a false friendship with Rane all to abuse his trust. He would never talk to her again.
If you don’t do it, Loiner will make your life hell. She doesn’t have enough to order you killed, but you’ll stay an Initiate forever. Never an Apprentice or Master. You’ll pull the worst duties, and more than likely be sent on any high-danger mission that arises, in hopes that you die on it from your lack of training.
Natasha wouldn’t be the first to suffer such a fate. It wasn’t talked about, but she knew of at least two other witches who had crossed Loiner over the years. Neither of them was still around.
“I’m waiting, Initiate,” Master Loiner said, holding out the envelope. “Take it. Plant it somewhere among the dragons. Once you do, I’ll find it, and we can finally be rid of them.”
“Is this necessary, Master Loiner?” she asked, making one last ditch effort to save her soul.
“Of course, it’s necessary.” The Master sighed heavily. “What isn’t necessary, is me going to the Coven right now and telling them that I found this in your quarters. That I believe you to be conspiring with the dragons. The Coven will declare you Rogue, you know. You’ll be forced to flee, if you avoid imprisonment and death, of course. Then you will be hunted the world over by all our sister schools. Nowhere will be safe.”
Natasha shuddered. Rogue witches were few and far between, and they were usually evil creatures. To be labeled as one would mean the end of her life, literally. Rogues were deemed kill on sight.
“I’ll do it,” she said, hating herself, damning her soul to the Abyss for all eternity.
“I thought you would,” Loiner said, voice dripping with condescension. “Now get it done. Don’t delay, like you did finding out what they’re actually up to.”
Natasha nodded, shoulders sagging as she took the envelope.
What other choice did she have?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Natasha
She went that night.
All day she’d sat in her room, trying to find some way out of the situation she’d created for herself. A way that didn’t end up with her losing her life, or Rane. Natasha wanted to have her cake and eat it too.
Unfortunately, the world didn’t seem to be working out that way. It had decided that she was to suffer.
At least this way, Rane will be spared the bulk of hurt.
Natasha would plant the evidence, leave, and then cut ties with Rane. He would never know that their friendship had been false, and she would still be able to continue at Winterspell. Her conscience would suffer, but in the end, Natasha had greater faith in the dragons finding a new home to live than she did in her own abilities to live on the run.
It weighed on her constantly, however, and she couldn’t stop shaking the truth that she was a bad, bad person. Yet what choice had Loiner left her? What else could she do that wouldn’t result in her being expelled from the school?
One of her first thoughts would be to go to the Coven, to hand them the envelope and tell them what Loiner was planning. That, of course, was ridiculous nonsense. Loiner was far too powerful and too smart to have left that open to chance. Natasha didn’t know what would happen if she tried that route, but she knew it wouldn’t work out well in her favor, that was for certain.
So, she was sneaking into the dragon quarters. Her magic was wrapped tightly around her, sealing her off from the outside world. No sound escaped the boundary, though she refrained from talking to herself as she went, just in case.
The light, in theory, should be bending around her, keeping her invisible as long as she moved slowly. Someone watching would see her moving if they had a keen eye, so she crept along slowly.
Get in. Get out. That was it. Just drop the envelope in someone’s quarters, somewhere they wouldn’t see it, and then hightail it out of there. She should be able to handle this, even if the invisibility spell was a new one to her, and not something she had much practice with. For obvious reasons, students were punished very heavily if caught using said spells for non-approved purposes.
Tiptoeing along the stone corridor, she paused every few steps. While the outside world was blind to her sounds, by the same manner she was blind to theirs. Vision was her only sense that still worked, so she had to be careful, always glancing up and down hallways to ensure they were clear.
After all, invisible did not mean intangible. If a dragon walked into her, they would realize something was there.
Moving slowly, she came to a door. This was where everything got risky. She slowly eased the door open. It was nearly three in the morning so there was no reason any of the dragons should be awake, but she couldn’t tell without opening the door.
The wooden slab opened a crack to reveal a light still on inside. Natasha cursed and slowly closed it, thankful that she was able to at least mute the sounds of it, to prevent that from alerting anyone.
A gust of wind swirled along, jostling her robes as she moved on, deciding to skip several doors and try the next one. She frowned at the moving air. Someone must have opened their door and a window, letting the breeze in.
Which meant someone was still awake.
“Crap. Crap-crap-crap,” she repeated, looking around wildly for any sign of movement.
Her heart was up now. Thudding rapidly against her chest wall, a reminder of the sheer terror she was operating under, knowing that if she failed, her life would be forfeit. Nobody would rescue her if she was caught, that much was for certain.
Pausing outside of another door, she pried it open a sliver. Darkness beckoned her, and Natasha sighed audibly, letting her spell cover the noise. She eased her way inside and shut the door behind her, glad to be out of the hallway and whoever was still up at this time.
Now, where to hide these, so that they won’t be found?
The room was dark, near pitch black. Natasha didn’t dare create any light, lest it wake whoever’s quarters she was in. That would be the last thing she needed. Taking deep breaths, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark, providing outlines of everything inside.
/> Her heart stopped as she realized the surroundings looked familiar.
This was Rane’s room!
She groaned and headed for the door. There was no way she could do that to him! Why it seemed less horrible if she framed another dragon instead of Rane, Natasha couldn’t explain. They would all suffer, after all, so why bother?
Because it would give Loiner too much satisfaction, and it would hurt him more than I can bear.
The logic was terrible but Natasha was limited in her options, and it was all she could grasp onto at that moment.
She opened the door—
And wind whirled around her, tightening its grasp until she could barely breathe. Then she was flung backward until she slammed into the far wall hard enough to make her cry out.
Gasping for air, she went for her wand, desperate to cast a spell, to free herself before her captor got to her.
A shape filled the doorway and gestured. Wind ripped the wand out of her grip, flicking it across the room. In the same instance the air was quite literally ripped from her lungs.
Natasha gagged and choked, desperately trying to draw air, yet only a trickle was fed to her. Just enough to keep her from passing out, but not enough to let her form words. She started to panic, feeling her body jerk and spasm as her lungs shrieked for more oxygen.
Her mind could no longer hold up the concentration necessary to keep her invisibility spell going, and so it fell away, revealing her as she struggled, pinned to the wall by the very air itself, gasping for breath. Helpless.
“Well, well,” said the voice in the doorway. “What do we have here?”
Natasha gasped as Rane entered the room, light spilling over his form, revealing the short hair and stubble framing a pair of blue eyes that looked at her with a fury she’d never seen in them before.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rane