“His adopted family, the Crowleys, are a little like that,” he said. “He grew up with it worse than Lucas, even.”
I looked around the room briefly as I sat at the end of Hunter’s bed, trying to ignore the familiar scent of him—No sign of Mykal—before I frowned at Hunter. “Nathan’s adopted?”
He nodded. “Yeah. He doesn’t like to talk about it. I met his parents, though. They mentioned it. I think… they don’t really let him forget it.”
“No wonder he’s an overachiever,” I mused.
Hunter shrugged. “So, ah… I’m sorry I left like that. Nathan just gets under my skin sometimes, and I have to walk away before—”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m not here to yell at you. I wanted to check on you.”
“Why?” he asked, as if genuinely bewildered.
I stared at him, trying to decide if he really was clueless or just pretending like that was a legitimate question. I shook my head slowly, amazed at either his ability to delude himself, or his ability to lie with a straight face like that. “Hunter, is that not obvious? Do I have to say it in a different language? You looked bent out of shape about it, and I worried that you were hurt, so I… Christ, why am I explaining this like you don’t know? I swear to god you are so…”
He sank on the bed, shoulders slumped. “I know. I’m sorry.”
I scooted closer, and reached for his hands. “Hunter, I just wanted to—”
“I know,” he said as he pulled his hand back, wincing, his face turning red. “You’ve got work to do, you should probably...”
It was like he’d slapped me. I stood up, nearly staggering, before I recovered myself. “What the hell is wrong with you? Can’t you just let me in… I thought before, when we… is it Nathan?”
“No,” he said as he stood. “No, it’s not Nathan, and before… that was a mistake, you’re with Lucas and Isaac, and I shouldn’t have—”
“A mistake,” I breathed. “Kissing me, you mean? That was a mistake. I told you what Lucas and Isaac said, I was honest with them about and they… Jesus.” I ran my hands over my face, sparing a thought to be thankful of Serena’s illusionary makeup. No need to have mascara running down my face and make me look as crazy as Hunter was making me feel.
“Amelia,” Hunter said, in that tone that he always managed to use, like I was a child throwing a tantrum, and I was this close to living up to it.
“Dammit, Hunter, why do you keep going hot and cold on me?” Tears burned my eyes, but I didn’t know if it was from hurt or anger, or a combination of both. “Is it because Nathan’s back? Is he your one and only? Because if so, just fucking tell me and I’ll back off. But I can’t back off when you keep getting so close before running like you’re scared.”
The man jumped to his feet, towering over me. “I am fucking scared, Amy.” Hunter was close to yelling, his voice strangled and coarse. He slapped his chest to make his point. “When Nathan disappeared, it fucking broke me, okay? And now that he’s back? It should have been better but it’s worse now.”
I watched, speechless as Hunter of all people began to crumble in front of me.
“It feels like I’m all splinters and broken pieces, held together by glue and sheer determination.” He stared at me, his eyes filled with pain as I finally began to understand. “And if I let myself have you—I could fall apart, totally and infinitely.”
“What if it was the opposite, Hunter?” I couldn’t believe I was pleading with him, but I was. “What if instead of falling apart, we could put you back together.”
He snorted, the sound full of disdain. “This isn’t one of your fucking romance novels, Amy. This is real life. When I fall apart, it’ll hurt us both and I’ll lose everything again. Even Lucas and Isaac. They wouldn’t be able to forgive me a second time.”
“Fuck you, Hunter,” I said, my rage overpowering the hurt. I marched over to him and poked him in the chest. “I am not a fucking flower meant to be protected. You think I don’t know what it’s like to lose someone you thought was your entire world? To be falling into grief and know that when you hit the ground, you’re going to shatter into a thousand million pieces and never fucking recover? How dare you insult me—”
Hunter crushed his lips to mine in a ferocious kiss. It was filled with anger, fear, and grief.
And I fucking loved it.
I buried my fingers in his hair, grabbing handfuls to pull him closer. Our kiss was full of hardness, of clashing teeth and forceful tongues as if we fought with our lips instead of words.
Hunter’s large hands held my hips, squeezing hard enough I knew I’d have bruises tomorrow. In retaliation I dragged my nails down his back, scratching him even through his shirt and making him growl into my mouth.
He pulled away from me, my lips and cheeks burning from the scrape of his beard, only to move his assault to my neck. I hissed out in pleasure, but I needed more. I reached for his half-buttoned shirt, ripping it apart with a snarl. Finally, Hunter’s broad chest was exposed to me.
I scraped my nails over his chest, feeling the strength under his feverish skin. He pulled his mouth from my neck and I didn’t give him any time to speak before I pressed forward, kissing his chest and touching him everywhere I could reach. I couldn’t get enough of him, not after we’d finally thrown ourselves at each other. If this was my only chance, I was going to take everything I could from Hunter.
When my lips brushed over Hunter’s nipple, I nearly came from the sounds he made. Hunter moaned like a fucking god, I imagined. The sound came deep from his chest, and I could feel it through my kiss before it rattled out of his lips. I swore in that moment I’d hear that sound for the rest of my life.
His hands moved from my hips down to cup my ass. That was all the warning I had before he lifted me up against him. I had to remember to send Serena a thank you card later. The dress’s slit was so high that I could wrap my legs around Hunter’s waist without tearing it.
His cock was so hard against my pussy I couldn’t help grinding against it, desperation and a year’s worth of tension making foreplay utterly unrequired. He kissed me again, that sexy moan spilling from his lips onto mine, and I swear I saw literal stars as I shuddered as an orgasm washed through me.
“Fuck, Amelia,” he panted against my lips as he took the two steps to his desk, bumping into it. I swept my hand blindly behind me, scattering his notebooks to the floor, uncaring. He set me on the mostly clear desktop, his hands moving to my waist. He looked down at me, his lips swollen from our kisses, his pupils blown wide. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”
I grabbed his belt, tugging it open with one hand as I cast the spell to vanish my own soaked panties. “Don’t you dare stop now, Hunter Webb.”
We were frantic after that, as he finally tore his shirt off and I fumbled with his belt and pants until I had his cock in hand. A whispered spell, and with a groan from both of us, he was sinking into me, holding my legs tight around his waist as I braced myself against his desk and attached bookshelf.
Thrust after thrust, Hunter pounded into me, the shelf biting into me, my clit and pussy swollen from need. A textbook fell off the shelf, hitting the ground with a loud clap, but Hunter never slowed. I’d have screamed if he had. I was so close and all he was doing was fucking me like his life depending on it, like our very existence depended on it.
Every thrust of his cock was filled with the fear and desire and uncertainty he felt. Every thrust, I dug my heels into him tighter, holding him to me in a promise, as if I could make us join together, forever.
“Say my name,” Hunter demanded, his voice wrecked. “Say it like you did for them.”
My eyes went wide in realization, but I was far from embarrassed. I dropped my head back to rest against the shelf, meeting his wild eyes. “Hunter,” I whispered, as if in awe.
His eyes fell closed, his breath shuddering from his chest, his cock stroking inside of me.
“Hunter,” I moaned louder, and his hips snapped ha
rder into me. I grabbed the shelf behind me, arching into him. “Just like that, Hunter.”
Over and over, he fucked into me as I sobbed out his name, until I felt his hand seek out my clit, his thumb pressing over it hard, and I came hard with a silent cry. Hunter buried his face in my neck, and I clung to him, his hips stuttering and grinding into me as he shouted against my shoulder.
Minutes passed, and still Hunter stayed hunched over me, his entire body shuddering with his heavy breathing. I ran one hand over his back, reveling over the sweat—knowing I had been the cause of it. The other hand traveled up into his hair, scraping my nails gently against his scalp, hoping it was soothing.
Finally he started to pull away and I let my legs drop, wincing as my hips ached, and he slid out of me. Another whispered spell and he was cleaned up and pulling up his pants from his ankles, unable to look at me.
That simply would not do.
“Hunter.” I grunted out his name, uncaring that I was still on his desk, dress twisted and my legs spread, revealing my well-fucked pussy to him still.
He started to look up at me, but his eyes were drawn to the sight. I couldn’t help the smirk as I spoke. “My eyes are up here.”
His dark eyes snapped up to mine, wide with shock, and I laughed before he could stammer out an apology.
I groaned as I leaned forward, finally closing my legs. I poked him in his sexy chest and very obviously checked his full body out. “Next time, we’re going to be naked.”
“Next time?” he asked, bewildered. I had to smother a smile. Apparently post-orgasm Hunter was adorably stupid.
“Yup,” I said getting to my feet. I wrapped my arms around his neck, his hands coming to rest on my hips as if by instinct. I kissed his lips gently. “There will definitely be a next time, Hunter. Now, do you have any clothes I can borrow? I told everyone I was going to check on you and then change before heading to the library.”
That seemed to get through his foggy brain. “Lucas and Isa—”
“Are totally fine with what just happened,” I interrupted him. “So long as you’re okay?”
Hunter chewed on his lower lip before leaning down and kissing me. This kiss was totally different than our first one. This time it was slow and intimate as he tried to tell me what he couldn’t with words. Hunter was so easy to love.
“I’ll be okay,” he promised after.
“If you’re not, you have to promise to let me know,” I said, seriously.
He nodded and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Let’s get changed. I think I have an old hoodie that you won’t swim in.”
“Perfect,” I said as I let him step away from me. “Will you join us? In the library? We could use your help.”
Hunter paused with his back to me as he opened the drawer. After a moment he pulled out two pieces of clothing and handing them to me. “Yeah. I will.”
We changed quickly, my dress kicked under his bed as I made a mental note to get it back later. When we got to the library, Mara waved us back into the stacks where Lucas and Isaac were pouring through books that Nathan was delegating to them.
Hunter faltered in his steps as the three of them looked up at us, twin smirks on Lucas and Isaac’s faces. I rolled my eyes as I pressed a kiss to the top of their heads before flopping into one of the empty seats across from them, and Hunter slowly took the one next to me. I noticed that both of our seats already had books stacked in front of them. I looked up to Nathan, an eyebrow cocked in question.
The young man looked nonplussed at Hunter and I arriving together, me clearly in the man’s clothing.
Nathan tapped the book on top of my stack. “Let’s get to work.”
Amelia
This was not the winter break that I envisioned. I wasn’t sure what exactly I had hoped for—maybe a day off campus with the boys? Or a visit to one of their families, which I was starting to come around to the idea of—but it wasn’t this.
For a week, we took our meals in the library, much to Mara’s chagrin, and spent every waking hour with books from the restricted section and from the small collection that Hayes had acquired for Nathan’s lessons in summoning. There were few references to things coming out of or going back to the Abyss. Almost as if no other magicians had been stupid enough to try it and write down the results.
Those that had tried generally didn’t survive to write books about it.
“On the one hand,” Isaac said as he closed yet another rather abruptly ended journal from another old magician who’d taken an interest in the subject, “I’d say you managed to do something unbelievably rare and dangerous. Six journals, and they all seem to end on the same note. Some version of, ‘By gods I think I’ve got it, I’ll be attempting the ritual tomorrow.’ I suspect there’s a reason all these diaries are stained…”
We’d managed to gather a collection of about ten diaries, each with varying degrees of usefulness. Most of their utility, however, seemed to be as cautionary tales.
I groaned as I finished skimming one of the ‘textbooks’ for the summoning lessons. “Nothing here, either, except a general admonition that one should never, ever, under any circumstances, go anywhere near the Abyss.”
“That’s good advice,” Nathan murmured. He rubbed his forehead and crumpled up another sheet of paper where he’d been devising a proper circle for the task of sending something back to the Abyss. “Never mind that just figuring it out could drive a person to madness. It’s good common sense not to go opening up passages to the un-place where everything that hates creation dwells, waiting for someone to take a peek.”
Lucas passed a book to Hunter. “How’s your Tagalog?”
Hunter took the book and paged through it briefly. I bit my lip to stop the grin that threatened as I watched his hands move across the pages. It had been a bit of an exaggeration that every waking moment had been with books. There had definitely been stolen moments where Hunter’s hands traveled over my skin as gently as if I were a sacred tome. “Passable,” he muttered before looking up at Nathan and I on the other side of the table. “What’s the process you’re trying to figure out?”
Nathan snorted and shook his head as he pulled a fresh sheet of paper into place in front of him. “It’s pointless to try and explain,” he said. “Trying to educate you in the principles would take too long.”
I glowered at Nathan and shot Hunter an apologetic wince on his behalf. Hunter didn’t seem to care though, appearing used to Nathan’s attitude. “The problem,” I told him, “is that we need to establish a kind of baseline for the entity itself. So… if I were to summon or banish, say, a ghost—I’d need to first get it into the circle. That’s summoning, and I need something to connect directly to the entity for that to happen. Or to somehow lure it into a circle, but it’s acted intelligently so far, so, that doesn’t seem like an option. To send it back, I need a complex array. First, get it to the circle, which means identifying it. Then, to open a passage back to the Abyss to push it through. Does that make sense?”
“Plenty,” Hunter said, narrowing his eyes at Nathan. “Maybe Amelia’s the better teacher.”
“Well done, Amelia,” Nathan muttered as he began sketching out a new diagram on the paper. “Now have Hunter actually diagram that process. It would be immensely helpful.”
Jerk. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders as Hunter gave me a forlorn look of irritation. “I guess it is… a little more complicated than it sounds.”
“That’s the problem with laymen explanations,” Nathan said as he made some mistake and snatched the paper off the table to ball it up and throw it in the corner with the others. There was quite a pile by now. Mara was going to kill us. While Nathan continued, I banished the discarded diagrams. “They’re illustrative but impractical. I don’t need any of you to understand how to do what we need to do—just to find useful references that can help us identify the entity.”
Lucas frowned. “Amelia was able to banish it in the dining hall, wasn’t she? Doesn’t that mean
you’ve got some idea?”
“Not exactly,” I said, deflating. “That’s one of only a handful of Abyssal banishings I know. It might be what I need to push it through a portal, but… other than that, it won’t do the job alone, and it’s not specific enough. It’s a good defense, but it’s not exactly fast, and it certainly doesn’t put an end to anything.”
Hunter ran his fingers through his hair. “So, a week in and we know exactly… what?”
I closed the book in front of me and pushed it away, defeated. “Nothing. Not much more than we started with anyway.”
“That’s hardly true,” Nathan said as he waved to where the pile of crumpled papers had been, shrugging as he saw they’d vanished. “I’m relatively certain I now know two hundred and thirteen wrong ways to summon an Abyssal entity into a circle from somewhere in this world. Only an infinite number to go, and I’m sure to stumble upon it.”
Nathan could be a comedian if he ever wanted to give up magic, I thought with vicious sarcasm.
Isaac cracked open the next book in his pile. “Well, if you’d show us what you’re doing, maybe some outsider perspective would help.”
“Highly doubtful,” Nathan whispered. He started to sketch another circle with his compass and then paused, set it down, and rubbed his temples.
All eyes went to him, waiting.
He looked up at us, looking around the table before he rolled his eyes. “I’m fine. It’s just a standard issue migraine. Perhaps because of all the chatter. Maybe you could remove yourselves to another section of the library for the moment? And let me know if you have anything useful, rather than gabbing away and distracting me from this incredible delicate and nearly impossible task?”
A Spell for Shadows: Rosewilde Academy of Magical Arts Page 20