“Mmm, something smells good.”
I smiled. “I made pancakes.”
He nuzzled my neck again. “I was talking about you.”
“Well, breakfast is ready and I have class this morning, so you’ll have to behave yourself.”
“Come on, Icy. You know that isn’t going to happen.”
His fingers trailed the spot where his mouth had been only moments before, slipping down my neck and across my shoulder to push the strap of my top down. His naked skin burned through my clothing and ignited something inside of me. Perhaps it was the lingering feeling that I’d died during the night—the need to cling to life and feel that I was still very much a part of the mortal world—but I suddenly wanted him, screw the pancakes. His naked back and shoulders were both smooth and hard beneath my palms, and he pulled off my top, dropping it to the floor, quickly followed by the boy-shorts I’d been wearing to cook.
In a frenzy of stroking hands and wild kisses, Riley rid himself of the pants that had barely been hanging onto his hip bones as it was. That he wanted me was easy to see. With one hand, he shoved my carefully laid cutlery and plates to the other end of the table, and then scooped me up, my legs wrapped around his hips. My naked backside hit the side of the table, and I let go of his neck with one hand and placed it flat on the table to steady us. He reached between my thighs with the hand not holding me, and pushed his fingers inside me, making sure I was ready for him. I knew this wasn’t going to be one of those moments of tenderness and foreplay. This was fast and furious.
Riley positioned himself and then pushed inside me. I groaned in pleasure as he filled me and held tighter to his neck. My hips rocked to meet his. His knees were slightly bent, his back rounded to match his body to mine. The cutlery and plates jingled and clanked as our movements jolted the table, but neither of us cared. My pleasure grew higher, coiling deep in the pit of my stomach. We moved together like one person, and I forgot the horror of my dream and the frightening events of the previous day. I never felt more alive than when Riley was inside me. How I’d gone so many years without him in my life, I’d never know. My fingers gripped his shoulders, reaching upward to grasp the soft hair at the nape of his neck. I didn’t worry if I pulled too hard, knowing he wouldn’t care if I got a little rough. His kisses were hard, bruising my lips, his hand tight on my breast as he pounded inside me. Eventually, he broke the kiss to focus on his impending orgasm and he looked into my eyes, his expression clenched with pleasure.
He came hard inside me as my own conclusion unraveled my body, leaving me limp in his arms.
He pushed the hair from my face and kissed my mouth. “Fuck, Beth.”
I giggled. “Yeah, I know. Intense.”
He glanced back at the pan. “Did we ruin breakfast?”
“Nah, it’ll taste better now we’ve worked up an appetite.”
We parted to grab clothing and use the bathroom, and then I headed back to the kitchen to find Riley had already reheated the pancakes and made fresh coffee. We sat down at the small table, grinning at each other as we ate. I didn’t want this to end, so why did I constantly feel that what we had was temporary?
Chapter
6
“Could you give me a ride to school?” I asked as we finished eating.
He nodded. “Sure. Old Wilson is away at some tractor convention today, so he won’t know what time I started work.”
“It’s not like it’s a nine-to-five job,” I said, taking a final slurp of my coffee.
Riley shrugged. “Nah, not exactly the dream career.”
My stomach sank, and the impending sense of doom filled me. I forced a smile and switched subjects. “I wonder if Dana is speaking to me today or not.”
“Don’t push her, Icy. She’ll probably need some time. She won’t want you to be all up in her face.”
“I don’t get in peoples’ faces,” I exclaimed, my feelings hurt. “But I will have to see her. I have an assignment for the paper about the college representatives election.”
“Just don’t push her,” he warned again. “If she’s ignoring you, leave her be.”
“I will,” I promised him, though in my head I wondered what my reaction would actually be if I found her ignoring me. She might be angry, but if I hadn’t done what I’d done, she could have died. I couldn’t help but want to back my side of the story—the argumentative side of me never lay down without a fight. But maybe Riley was right. I didn’t want to ostracize myself any more than I already had. Plus, my dream still hung over me. I planned on touching as many people as possible today and seeing if I got anything from any of them—any flashes of violence in their futures. I didn’t know if I could stop events from unraveling—if there even was something to stop—but I simply wasn’t someone who hung out on the sidelines waiting for people to get hurt.
He must have noticed my thoughtful expression. “What are you thinking?”
I shook my head. “Oh, nothing. I had a weird dream last night. I was just thinking about it.” I didn’t want to tell him about the feeling I’d been choked to death. The incident with the other carnies was still so close in both our memories. I didn’t want him to worry if it was nothing. If I learned anything more today, I’d tell him then.
I finished getting ready and added my text books and laptop to the courier bag I wore strapped across my back. From outside, I heard the roar of Riley’s motorbike start up.
He was already waiting for me.
Quickly, I checked my refection in the bathroom mirror, smoothing down my hair. I wondered why I bothered, considering that after a ride on the bike I’d end up literally looking like I’d been dragged through a hedge.
I headed outside to where Riley already straddled the bike. He handed me the helmet and I rolled my eyes. It would take more than a fall off the bike to kill me, but he wouldn’t let me ride with him unless I wore it. I settled myself on the seat behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I resisted the impulse to rest my head against his back.
He released the throttle and got the bike moving. This was one of my favorite places to be, the powerful bike beneath me, Riley’s expert hand skillfully guiding the machine. Being on the bike didn’t frighten me in the slightest. Not only did I trust Riley implicitly, I knew falling might graze me up a little, but I would heal quickly enough.
Within fifteen minutes, we pulled up into the college parking lot. The arrival of Riley’s bike caused less interest than it used to, but we were still awarded with some curious glances from people we didn’t know.
I hopped off, handed Riley his helmet back, and leaned in to kiss him.
“Have a good day,” he told me. “And remember to play it cool around Dana. She’ll come around.”
I gave him a grateful smile and lifted my hand in a wave. He pulled the bike back out of the lot and headed back the way we’d come.
I sighed. I missed him already.
My first class was also my favorite—English Lit. I headed into the lecture hall, looked around for Laurel, and spotted her sitting near the back. I walked over and slid into the seat beside her.
“Hey,” she said, looking at me from over her glasses. “Good night with lover-boy?” My cheeks flushed and her eyebrows lifted. “That good, huh?”
I didn’t answer her. “Have you seen Dana yet today?” I asked, instead. “I wondered how she was doing.”
“Nah, not yet. She’s running the piece on the elections, though, so she wants us to be involved.”
“Wanted,” I corrected her. “I don’t know how she’ll feel about me after yesterday.”
“Oh, she’s a professional,” Laurel said. “Even if she hates your guts, she’ll still give you the assignment.”
“Great,” I muttered.
I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of the other girls. Kayla sat near the front, chatting to a guy whose name I couldn’t remember—Gus, or Guy—but Melissa wasn’t anywhere to be seen. My every sense stayed alert for any sign of the violence that ha
d haunted my dreams, but everything carried on as normal.
“Don’t worry about Dana,” Laurel said to me beneath her breath as our lecturer started the lesson. “She’s pissed at all of us, not just you.”
I started back in surprise. “Why would she be pissed with you guys?”
“Because we didn’t do enough to stop you interfering with the ascendance. I told her that we tried, but you were too strong, but she said there were three of us and only one of you and we should have been able to do more.”
“But I’m … what I am, and you’re … what you are.” I didn’t want to say the words out loud in case another student sitting nearby overheard.
She shrugged. “Dana thinks we should be stronger. She hates any sign of weakness, and since you’ve come to town we’ve been shown up more than she would like.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault. You can’t help what you are.”
Our professor raised her voice, directing our attention to the front of the room, and ending our conversation. I allowed what Laurel had said to sink in. Should I be offended? I thought Laurel was just trying to make me feel better, but my old feelings of self-loathing raised their head. I’d only recently started to accept who and what I was, and even my desire for blood had waned since Bulldog’s death. In fact, I hadn’t had any of the vampire cravings that I’d moved to Sage Springs so desperate to put behind me. Perhaps that was because of the volume of blood I’d so recently ingested, but I swore I’d never drink human blood again. No matter what happened, I wouldn’t reduce myself to that. I’d enjoyed being able to go through these last few weeks without battling the constant cravings. I still experienced my flashes of insight into people’s pasts, presents, and futures, but I wasn’t staring at the pulse in their throats while imagining what it would feel like to sink my teeth into their skin. Plus, it had meant I’d not needed to cut to take the craving away and stop myself hurting anyone. The self-harm was something I could happily live without, and I’d even been able to wear a couple of sleeveless tops to display my newly unscarred skin.
Lost in thought, I missed most of what my professor said, and when the bell rang to mark the end of class, I jumped in my seat.
“You okay?” asked Laurel as she gathered her stuff.
I fixed a smile on my face. “Yeah, fine. Guess I’d better go see Dana and face the music.”
I made my way to Dana’s office in the school library, from where she ran the Sage Gazette. Sitting behind her desk, she appeared even more fiercely beautiful than normal, her skin paler, her red hair more vibrant. Her green eyes had a sharpness, an edge I’d not noticed before. She glanced up at me and her jaw tightened, her lips pressing together without even a hint of a smile. She’d clearly not forgiven me yet. I tried to remember Riley’s advice to give her time and not press her.
“Dr. Spencer is in charge of the elections this year,” she said, barely glancing at me. “You need to go and interview him for the paper about what we students should be looking for in a good candidate.”
I nodded. “Sure.” Was she giving the other girls this cold treatment, I wondered? Despite Riley’s warning, I put some feelers out. “Is Melissa going to take some pictures?” I asked, hoping to catch up with the other girl and see if she’d forgiven me or if she was holding a grudge like Dana.
Something about Dana’s face grew harder and my heart skipped. Did she think we were all in on some kind of conspiracy to hold her back? That we’d planned what had happened? I wanted to tell her we might have saved her life and she should stop being such an ungrateful bitch, but I forced myself to bite my tongue.
“I’ve not seen Melissa today,” she said, brushing me off. “I wouldn’t know what she’s doing.”
My anger ratcheted up a notch and I clenched my fists, not wanting to see red. I had to get out of there before I said something I shouldn’t. “Okay. I’ll get the piece back to you by the end of the week.”
“Actually, Beth,” she said, looking up at me properly for the first time. “I need it by Wednesday. The elections are on Friday, so there wouldn’t be any point in me getting the article out after that now, would there?”
I resisted the urge to salute her and snap, ‘Yes, ma’am,’ but I held my tongue. Riley would be proud of me. I was tempted to reach out and touch her, and see if I got a glimpse into her that would give me something more to go on, to help her feel better about what had happened, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate me reaching out and grabbing her hand. Now the coven knew what I was, everyone was far more aware of the times I made contact with them. For the first week or so after they’d found out, every time I came near them they asked me if I’d seen something about them—all hoping for hints of tall, dark strangers, and dreams of romance in their futures. But I wasn’t some fake fortune teller in a hooded cape, with a crystal ball at my side. Each time, I told them I’d seen nothing and they’d eventually gotten bored and stopped asking. I couldn’t control who I got glimpses from or when they happened. Some people seemed to be immune to my foresight, while in others it seemed to come and go. I hadn’t yet figured out the difference in the people I could see into and those I couldn’t.
Math was my next lecture, so I arrived early, hoping to catch Dr. Spencer before the class started. He stood behind the lectern, flicking through some slides and turning pages of some paperwork, preparing, I guessed, for the lesson he was about to deliver. He was a good-looking man in his early thirties, clean cut and softly spoken, but with enough conviction in his tone to make people listen when he did. I had no reason to think badly about Dr. Spencer except for the glimpse I’d gotten of him and Dana fighting the day I’d first met her. Nothing had happened to make me think they had any kind of relationship going on, but my glimpses were rarely wrong—especially when they came directly from a person as it had with Dana. I didn’t think the argument I’d seen them having was a purely teacher-student one either. There had been too much anger—too much passion—for it to have been platonic.
“Hey, Dr. Spencer. Do you have a few minutes for the school paper? I’d like to interview you about the elections, if that’s possible.”
He looked at me, and awarded me with a wide smile and kind, brown eyes. “Elizabeth.” No one here ever used my full name and it startled me. “Of course, I’m happy to answer any questions. Could we do it after class, though? I’ve still got a few things I need to go through.”
“Oh, sure. No problem.”
I sat through class. There was still no sign of Melissa, so I figured she wouldn’t be available to take any photographs for the piece either. I guessed it didn’t matter. They could just use his photograph from the staff board.
When the lecture finished, I waited around for all the other students to filter out, and then made my way down to the front of the lecture hall, where Dr. Spencer gathered his things and switched off the equipment. He glanced at me as I approached, then smiled, revealing straight, white teeth and a dimple in his left cheek.
“I don’t know about you,” he said, “but after that I could do with a caffeine fix. How about I buy you a coffee at the coffee shop?”
I smiled back. “That would be great, thanks.”
The coffee shop was located on the outskirts of campus. The place was popular with students, and a wall of voices hit us as we pushed through the front door. Small groups sat around discussing projects, while individuals sat with their heads buried in books, or more often, their laptops.
“I’ll get the drinks,” my professor offered. “You find us a table.”
I looked around, thinking that might be easier said than done, but a couple of students sitting at a table near the window started to gather their belongings, so I hovered around until they’d moved and snagged us the seats.
Within a few minutes, Dr. Spencer arrived, balancing a couple of milky coffees on a tray. I almost smiled at his choice. I’d imagined him more as an espresso drinker.
“So,” he said, add
ing a couple of packets of sugar to his drink and stirring. “What sort of things do you need to go over?”
“Just the usual stuff. The process of electing the new college representatives, how the votes will be counted, what the roles of the newly elected student governors will be.” I remembered what Dana had said. “Oh, and your thoughts on what qualities make for a good candidate.”
I reached into my bag and pulled out my notepad and pen
He nodded and took a sip of his coffee. “Well much of the process has already been completed now that we’ve narrowed down the candidates.”
“Yes, of course. It just gives me a bit of background for the story.”
“No problem.”
He went on to explain the elections so far, while I jotted down notes. I tried to concentrate on what he was saying, but my mind wandered. I couldn’t shift the mental image of him and Dana fighting. It was easy for Riley to tell me to stay out of other people’s business, but he wasn’t the one getting insight into everyone else’s heads.
I wanted to find an excuse to touch him, see if I could pick up on anything else, but I didn’t want to appear creepy. We were surrounded by students chatting or working on laptops, and the last thing I needed was people gossiping.
Finally, we were done.
I got to my feet, my heart pounding. This was my opportunity. I held out my hand to him. “Thanks for answering all my questions.”
Dr. Spencer stood and smiled at me, locking me with those brown eyes, and took hold of my hand.
Immediately, I got a flash. Not of Dana this time, but of him running. His breath was coming hard, panting, and the adrenaline he felt spiked through me as though it were my own. I couldn’t make out where he was; his vision was obscured for some reason. But I knew this wasn’t a gentle jog he was out for—he was running as though someone was chasing him. Or as if he was the one doing the chasing.
Twisted Magic (The Dhampyre Chronicles Book 2) Page 5