The Campus Jock: A College Bad Boy Romance

by Serena Silver

  She could not make him do her bidding nor could she defend herself against what he was doing to her. Had it been some kind of magic she would have defended herself against it with hers. But this was a pure human sensation, the true feelings from the depths of his being.

  Gabe kissed her with a passion so deep and intense she had no other alternative but to surrender to the sensations that were coursing through her. Never in her life had she felt so vulnerable. She hung there on the cusp, between sanity and madness as he pleasured her. Through the rapture of the kiss, she was also conscious of how his fingers roved over her bare skin, how he held her closer, taking her entire weight, cradling her as the kiss deepened.

  Through the haze of her stupor, she felt him gently part her thighs and insert his manhood ever so slowly into her core. No man had made love to her with such ardor. They had all wanted to possess, and since she had controlled them, they had always done what she had wanted them to do. But with Eli, she had no power.

  A dull ache was beginning to clutch her belly and her thighs. But he refused to give more. He kept building the tension till it was impossible for her to draw breath.

  “Eli please…” she begged.

  He needed no more encouragement. It was becoming difficult by the second for him to keep his control. So, he drove himself into her, thrust upon powerful thrust until they both exploded with release.

  Chapter Twelve

  It was dark when Eli slowly opened his eyes. The room was dark, and he could not see the patch of light behind the curtains. A light rug had been draped over him, and he felt an urge to bury himself under it once again.

  But then he remembered where he was and what he had done, and he pulled himself up from the bed with a groan. He stretched his hand to the switch he remembered from before had been next to the bed. As he flipped the button soft yellow light filled the room.

  He looked for his clothes and found them neatly folded and stacked on a table near the bed. On top of the pile sat a syringe and the two vials of his medicine and his sedative along with a strip of his capsules.

  He pulled on his clothes one by one as the grim reality of his existence seeped back in. The few hours he had spent in bed with Rowena had been nothing but an illusion, this was his reality, he thought as he closed his fist around the syringe. He sat on the bed, his back to the room’s door and as he tore the packet.

  “Eli…? May I come in…?” he stiffened at the knock then relaxed and nodded.

  He needed no magic to know it was her, as her smell filled the room. He felt her fingers dig into the hair at the nape of his neck, slowly going upwards, gently grazing his scalp.

  “Did you rest well?” she asked, and there was something in her voice that had not been there before. It was not pity, like he had been afraid of, it was determination.

  He just nodded his head without looking up at her. She sat next to him. Not too near to cram him but near enough that he felt her presence.

  “Go away; I need to take my meds.”

  “Would you, if it was me?” she asked simply, briefly scratching the nape of his neck then dropping her hand back beside her.

  “How did these get here?” He asked as he struck the vial twice gently then popped its top.

  “At your place, earlier today, I put a few in my purse, just in case you needed them. I did it when you had gone up to shower.”

  He carefully placed the small piece of glass into the empty syringe packet then drew out the champagne-colored liquid into the syringe. He repeated the procedure with the other vial with a deft precision that comes from rote practice.

  “You have a nail paint remover?” he asked turning to her, and she got up and moved quietly to her closet. She came back with a bottle of remover and a roll of cotton. Eli tore off a swab, poured some spirit on it, stretched his left hand out, rubbed the liquid in. He injected the needle into his skin and quickly emptied the syringe.

  He put the cotton and the used syringe back into the empty syringe packet and pushed into the pocket of his jeans. The medicine was taking effect, and so was the sedative. He could feel the waves of nausea, the familiar ache in his limbs and the dizziness.

  He quietly walked to the side of the bed where he had slept earlier and lied down. Rowena silently sat down next to him and secured the rug around him.

  “I am sorry Ro. I should not have gotten you into this. I should have stayed away.” he said holding her hand lightly as his fingertips started to become numb as an after effect of his medicine.

  “You tried your best. But I am not sorry about what happened between us today. For that matter, I do not regret a single thing that happened between us since the time we met. Except for perhaps the way I broke into your house or that one look of accusation you gave me when you knew I had discovered your secret.”

  He smiled weakly as his vision blurred and she started to float.

  “What’s a pretty girl like you doing here in the woods alone on a Sunday evening anyway? Don’t you have a boyfriend to meet? A date to go on?” he said so softly she could barely hear him.

  She smiled indulgently as she stroked the hair above his ear, something she had ached to do since that day she met him on the hillside for the first time.

  “He is handsome and dashing, and I really like him. I am going to spend the evening sitting right here next to him.”

  She swam dangerously in front of his eyes, and he tried desperately to hold on to consciousness. He had to say what he had in mind before she slipped out of his grasp completely.

  “I will allow you to sit here next to me on one condition. Promise me, Ro, you will not try to heal me while I am out and in no state to stop you. It’s not fair. Promise me.” He said. She shook her head gently. He tried desperately to get what he was saying across to her, but he was already slipping into the darkness he so much loathed.

  Rowena smiled till she was sure he no more saw her then she let the tears come.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It was nearly dinner time, and she was expecting Eli to be up any moment. That morning he had slept around four hours after his meds. She was laying the table for dinner when the doorbell rang. It was strange. No one visited her that late. At least not without calling first.

  So, she peeped out of the window next to the door. But before she even saw she knew it was him. She opened the door and gave him her customary peck on the cheek.

  “Gabe, come on in.”

  He smiled and followed her in. He had walked only halfway through her living room when he sensed the other presence. His smile faltered.

  “He is here.” He said as they both entered the dining room where she had been laying the table. Rowena nodded as he stole a look towards the staircase.

  “Will you have some wine?” Rowena asked beginning to pour without waiting for his answer.

  “He is very ill,” Gabe said as he sensed that same evil presence of the sickness that Rowena had felt coursing through Eli’s body.

  Gabe had always been a stronger more perceptive wizard compared to Rowena. She took her gift in her stride and used it as casually as she could. Gabe worked on honing his constantly. The difference between the two was the same as that of a seasoned athlete and a casual player.

  “Why are you here Gabe?” Rowena asked, knowing Eli would not appreciate her discussing his condition with Gabe, whereas what she wanted to do was throw herself at Gabe and Bawl like a child. After all, he was the one who had always pulled her out of every scrape she had ever gotten herself into.

  He did not answer her question out right. Instead, he said.

  “You don’t look well Ro. You have been trying to draw out his pain. You shouldn’t be doing it. At this stage of his illness, it can be dangerous for you.”

  She made as if she had not even heard that last part and simply extended the glass of wine to him. He took it with an impatient gesture and laid it back on the table.

  “Damn it, Ro. Why do you have to be so stubborn? I care about you as much
as you do about me. We have always looked out for each other. And if it displeases me that you are risking your life for a stranger, well I think I have a right.”

  “He is not a stranger.” She said, and her voice shook dangerously.

  Gabe looked at her suddenly in a new light and knew what not even Rowena had put into words yet.

  “You are in love with him.” He said stunned then he stepped up to her and gathered her into his arms while she sobbed uncontrollably. When she pulled back, he took out a small bottle of purplish liquid from his pocket.

  “I made this for you. Brad said he met you on Sunday and that you looked very stressed. This will help you. Promise me you will take this. Here.” He said and emptied the bottle into the glass of wine she had poured for him. Drink this.

  She took the glass from him nodding.

  “You came all the way just for that?” Ro asked with disbelieve. A sheepish grin spread over his handsome boyish face.

  “I agree this was just an excuse. I mean you could have made it yourself. But I wanted a pretext to see you. Brad sat with me all evening, that’s why I got late. Otherwise, I would have come and checked in on you much earlier.”

  He said smiling at her and she smiled back, tried to hide her relief that he had not come in earlier, thanking Brad for engaging him for all that time. But against a wizard as powerful as Gabe. Rowena was no match

  “Lord…I don’t even want to know. Just shut it.” He said suddenly closing his eyes, shaking his head appalled and turning away to go. Rowena followed, laughing inwardly at Gabe’s predicament at having seen through her aura while she was thinking of the time she had spent in bed with Eli.

  As she usually did, she walked him to his car. It was dark outside, and she had a light shawl wrapped around her shoulders. They discussed some of the pharmacy’s affairs then the conversation turned towards the killing.

  Gabe got behind the wheel of his station wagon that he kept only for the visits to the wood then put a firm hand on Rowena’s shoulder.

  “I am here for you Ro. I want you to know that. And don’t worry too much about Brad. He must go through me before he ever touches you.”

  “Gabe, what would I ever do without you.” He simply smiled at her as he reversed the car and zoomed out. Rowena waved at him one last time, and as she turned back to her cottage, she was suddenly taken aback.

  Mrs. Norris was standing leaning on the gate between the two cottages, staring directly at her. Rowena was expecting accusations, so she braced herself. Instead, Mrs. Norris said in a helpless whisper.

  “Dom is not yet home.”

  “Where did he go?” Rowena asked feeling bad for her though she was sure any kind of association with the Norrises was bad for her.

  “He went away after lunch. He hasn’t come back yet. I am scared. After what happened to Millicent you know.” she said again in that weak tone.

  “Don’t worry he will be back.” she wanted to add, call me if you need anything, but she didn’t, and turned to go in.

  As she entered the dining room, she was once again surprised. Eli was standing at the dining table, in the process of downing the glass of wine she had originally poured for Gabe which he had in turn laced with the relaxant and left there for her.

  “You drank my wine.” She said putting her arms around his midsection and hugging him from behind.

  “I don’t like his hands on you.” He said tersely pulling himself out of her embrace.

  “Eli, it’s just Gabe. He is like a big brother. He came to check on me, just to make sure I am ok.”

  “That’s another thing. I am granting your other request, Ro. I am going to find the bastard who is doing this. So, he does not need to concern himself with your safety. I will do it. But you don’t need to tell him that. I intend on telling him myself.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next day it rained heavily. Eli’s limbs ached as he got out of his car in front of the pharmacy. On certain cold days, he could hardly move around. It would be worse right after he had woken from his sedative naps or when he was approaching his next dose. So, he had timed his visit to Gabriel’s Pharmacy with care. He wanted to be alert for this.

  He gave himself a minute before he entered and put his shield up securing his aura from any external manipulation like Han had taught him. He then pushed back his pain into the innermost corner of his mind ignoring it completely as his experience as a cop had trained him. Then he pushed the pharmacy door and walked in blithely amidst the sound of the chimes.

  He had seen Wess step out for something just before he had turned his car into the pharmacy premises, so he knew he was not there. But there was another customer at the counter talking to Gabe as he packed up her purchases.

  Eli walked straight in through a row of shelves arranged with herbal products, without sparing a glance towards the owner or his other customer. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and stood at the end of the row of shelves looking at the pretty packets of floral potpourri, he knew Rowena made in the workshop at her house.

  Eli was tall. He could reach easily up to the highest rack on the shelf without any effort. He planned his move in time with the tingle of the chimes. The customer had left. The next moment he could see Gabe turning into the aisle between the shelves on the other side of him. Eli put his hand up to the pretty flower-patterned bottle of herbal oil and gave it a light push, gasping as the bottle slid off the shelf.

  As soon as Gabe had turned into the aisle, he had tried to penetrate Eli’s aura. He was strong, Eli realized, much stronger than Rowena. And it took all of Eli’s strength to press him back.

  The minute Gabe saw the bottle falling his focus wavered, and he put out his hand and caught the bottle replacing it back on the stand. Eli pushed his hands back into the pockets of his jeans as Gabe turned to him.

  Once again, he tried to crawl into Eli’s aura.

  “Do you want to see some of those? I have samples down near the counter.”

  “No thanks,” Eli said starting to walk down the aisle towards the door. He had found what he had come to find. There was no point in staying any longer. He was under no illusion. He was no match for a wizard of Gabe’s caliber even in his right form. Given the state of his health, and the rate at which Gabe was assailing him on that invisible level, it would take him another minute at the most two for his defense to break.

  “May I help you with something?” Gabe asked now trying openly to crash Eli’s shield.

  “Yes, keep your hands-off Rowena,” Eli said over his shoulders

  Gabe was getting desperate. He had been able to reach this man’s aura the other day when he was sleeping. So, he knew it could be done. Besides he could see plainly that the man did not have any magic. It was annoying that he could not even touch the man’s aura now. Eli dredged up all his strength to keep his protection intact just for the few seconds he needed to get out of the place.

  “Wait,” Gabe said as Eli had nearly reached the door.

  Eli stopped and turned, taking the full blast of Gabe’s assault. His defense broke as Gabe tore through his aura. He staggered under the impact and tried to hold out to the doorframe but missed, his hands flailing and grabbing at the door chimes at the last moment. He crashed to the floor taking the chimes with him making an earsplitting noise.

  Wess walked through the door at that moment and seeing Eli sprawled over the floor instinctively bent down to help him up. Gabe shut down his probing and came to his aid too.

  Together the two men propped him up against the shop’s door. Eli sat there panting, gulping in air, his head hung between his shoulders, his hands holding onto the floor on both sides of him to give him leverage.

  That was when Rowena walked in.

  “Eli” she cried and went on all fours next to him. Eli tried to ward her off, trying to tell her with his palm out that he was ok but he could not. He drew in air on a long wheeze and his windpipe made a strange noise like a broken whistle.

 
; “Eli, what happened? How did you get yourself into all this?” she said trying desperately to help him.

  “He…attack,” he said showing a loose finger at Gabe. Rowena turned to him with all her wrath let loose, and Gabe turned his eyes to the ground.

  “Is he telling the truth Gabe?” she asked and Eli had to smile despite all his agony. Only Miss. Priscilla, his first-grade English teacher, could have made a face that ferocious.

  “I can’t believe you, Gabe. Even after you knew…” she said looking at him now with hurt and accusation.

  “He kept resisting me,” Gabe said sulkily. “I had no way of knowing what his intention was. The minute his guard shattered I knew he was here to threaten me, to ask me to keep my hands off you. He should not have bothered with the long trip. He could have just called. You are a very nice girl and all but for god’s sake does he not understand that our mothers were sisters of the craft?” Gabe said disgustingly.

  That was when Rowena turned her eyes on Eli, and he cringed visibly. He turned his full charm on her and gave her his best naughty boy in trouble look.

  He had let go of his shield in time. That way he had could keep back some energy to protect his innermost thoughts from Gabe. All in all, it had been a close call, and he was fortunate that after coming across the jealousy inside him Gabe had not tried to dig deeper for a reason for his visit. For now, his secret was safe.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Rowena had just returned from the town, having delivered her consignments. The broken chimes on the pharmacy door had reminded her of how they had been put there by her mother. They had been laced with a charm to keep the evil spirits out.

  She remembered her mother saying once to her that they were made up of a special kind of wolfbane that was very rare to find. But then her mother had not been a very credible witch. She had died while performing dark magic that had gone wrong.