Winter Term

by J. J. Krzemien

  Liam’s apartment was warm and inviting. The living room held a leather couch and chair with a cherry wood coffee table. Everything was rich earth-tones, plush, and immaculate. I couldn’t help noticing how it was the complete opposite of Jaxon’s white and glass living space.

  My gaze traveled to the dining room and my breath caught. The wooden table was set for two with romantic candlelight.

  “May I take this?” Liam asked, peeling off my coat. “You look very nice.”

  “Thank you,” I said, turning my attention back to him. He wore black slacks with an olive green shirt that brought out the color of his eyes. “So do you.”

  The tips of his ears reddened. Were we going to spend the entire date blushing at each other?

  Liam led me to the table and pulled out a chair for me to sit. He was the perfect gentleman.

  Disappearing into the kitchen for a moment, he returned with two steaming plates and set them on the table before taking his seat opposite of me. The savory smell made my mouth water.

  Liam lifted his wine glass. “Cheers. I hope you like the food.” We clinked glasses and took a sip. The wine was a good. Fruity.

  “This looks wonderful.” My plate held sautéed greens, roasted potatoes, and a puff pastry filled with steaming meat and vegetables. I took a bite and my eyes rolled back in my head. If I kept eating with these guys, I was going to gain a million pounds. “This is amazing. What is that earthy taste?”

  He smiled. “Truffle mushrooms. I’m glad you like it, it is a unique taste.”

  I took another sip of wine, trying not to inhale the delicious meal. Liam took a few bites, glancing up at me as he chewed. The candle light accentuated the planes of his face. He was so handsome, yet unassuming about it. I loved just looking at him.

  A shy smile tugged at his full lips. “What are you..?”

  I grinned. “I like watching you.”

  “Watching me eat?”

  “Watching you do anything.” That damned blush was back again, on both of us.

  He laughed nervously. “I like looking at you too.”

  My insides were doing all kinds of little flips. Giddiness. I was feeling giddy, and light, and so very alive. My dragon seemed content at the moment, too.

  It was a weird feeling, and I was still getting used to the idea of having an almost separate entity living within me. Yet, we were one.

  “So, how long have you been teaching here?” I asked.

  Liam slowly swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Well…” he cleared his throat. “This is my third year.”

  He didn’t look old enough to have gone to college and been teaching for three years. What Isabella had said about supernaturals and the aging process, popped into my head. Suddenly, the warm feeling in my chest turned to a sharp anxiety.

  Liam frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just realized something. I’m trying to wrap my brain around it.”

  “Oh? And what’s that?”

  “How old are you?” I blurted.

  “Ah.” Liam wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin. “You know how supernaturals start to slow in their aging after they reach twenty-one, right?”

  I nodded, swallowing another bite.

  “Well, I went to the two years here, then six years at Portland State University to get my Masters degree. Now I’m teaching. So, I’m…closing in on thirty.” Liam cringed slightly.

  I gaped at him. “Thirty?” I asked when my voice returned. “Oh my God. Jaxon and Angel are the same age as you, right?”

  Liam nodded. “We went to University together.”

  “Wow. Okay.” I took a larger swallow of wine. “Why aren’t you guys married already?”

  He chuckled, shaking his head. “We live a lot longer than humans, so we usually wait a lot longer to settle down. Not always, but most of the time.”

  “Oh.” It was all I could think of to say. My head reeled. These guys were ten years older than me, but looked like they were in their early twenties. Suddenly, their decorated apartments and pulled-together lives made sense. They weren’t young bachelors. They were mature men.

  I ate the rest of my meal, taking in this new information.

  “How do supernaturals live among humans if they age so much slower?” I asked.

  Liam took a swallow of wine. “Not all of us choose to do it. But we have tricks, like a bit of grey at the temples when the time’s right. Or some cosmetics for aging skin. At some point we all have to retreat to a colony, usually the one we grew up in.”

  “A colony?”

  “Yeah, it’s usually a warded town. Like Estacada is a colony. It’s warded against humans settling down there for too long. There are lots of colonies all over the United States,” Liam said. “The most famous being Salem, Massachusetts, of course.”

  I laughed. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. A lot of hot tourist towns are colonies. It’s a great way to keep them hidden in plain view.”

  “People—humans—want to believe in witches and all this so much, why not come out to them?” I asked.

  Liam shook his head. “You know the history of what happened in Salem. Why do you think?”

  “Those were real witches? Like supernaturals?”

  Liam nodded. “A long time ago, in a new world. But human nature never changes.”

  I frowned, chewing my last bite. That was a sad thought. Supernaturals were stuck in hiding because of how awful humans could be to them.

  “Can I take your plate?” Liam asked, reaching across the table when I was finished.

  “Sure.”

  He bypassed the plate, resting his hand on mine. “I’m sorry to shock you about the age thing. If you want to leave, I’ll understand.”

  “What? No.” I shook myself. “I’m sorry. Of course you’re a lot older than me, it only makes sense. I can’t believe it took me this long to realize it, but it’s fine.”

  “I should have said something sooner. Any one of us should have, and I’m sorry that we didn’t.” Liam’s eyes gazed back with absolute sincerity.

  I turned my hand over, giving his a squeeze. “Give me some time to adjust. But I’m fine.”

  Liam gave me that shy smile that I was beginning to adore. He took our plates into the kitchen.

  He was older, mature, handsome… For the first time, I wondered what he saw in me. Sure, being in the foster system had pushed me to grow up fast, but I still didn’t have all that much life experience. Yet, Liam never treated me as anything other than an equal.

  “What are you doubting?” he asked, standing in the kitchen doorway with the bottle of wine in one hand.

  I turned in my chair to face him. “Everything. I’m almost nineteen. How can I possibly be interesting to you?”

  Liam came over and kneeled in front of me. “You are very interesting to me. You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met—especially among supernaturals. You amaze me all the time. You’re strong. You’ve been through so much, yet you don’t let it defeat you. You saved my life, knowing the consequences of killing those Tromara. I admire you.”

  He set the bottle on the table, taking my hands in his. “I know a lot of the time you’re afraid, but you don’t let it hold you down. When I was a student at this Academy, I was a complete mess. I don’t think I would have survived the Culling Year if it weren’t for Angel and Jaxon.”

  I studied his face, he was telling the truth about how he thought of me. I didn’t see a lot of strength in myself, but maybe I would eventually. So far I’d survived on dumb luck and these three amazing men.

  “But now you’re here teaching.” I said. “Why? How do you handle it?”

  Liam’s green eyes filled with sadness. “Not easily.” He swallowed hard. “Just like the students, teachers don’t have much of a choice. We’re nominated and selected by the Council, we really don’t have any say in it. Then we have to teach for a minimum of five years. Some teachers stay longer, some for life, it all depends. Two more years and I’m done.
I’m out of here.”

  The more I learned about the supernatural world, the more horrified I became. The Tromara ruled like gods over the other supernaturals, the Council wasn’t much better it seemed, and everyone else upheld these backward rules and traditions giving their children up for sacrifice every year. When would it end? When would people say they’ve had enough?

  “Sorry,” Liam said, “I didn’t mean for tonight to get so serious. Let’s sit on the couch. Bring your wine.” He stood, pulling me up with him. His finger slid under my chin, lifting my face. “May I?” He glanced at my lips.

  “Yes.” My pulse sped.

  His mouth gently caressed mine in the softest of kisses. I parted my lips, feeling the tip of his tongue lick them. His breath was warm, he tasted like the wine.

  “Come,” he said, drawing back. He lit several candles on the coffee table, then we settled on the couch, facing each other.

  “I have a question.” I whirled the wine around in my glass. “What changed your mind? Before, you said that you couldn’t kiss me. You didn’t want to get too close to me.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, tousling the red curls. “I did, didn’t I? It was just that my family was pushing me at you, and I didn’t like it.”

  I lifted a brow.

  “My father has always wanted the Council position that the Stewart’s have. It actually goes back further than him, his father wanted the same thing. Supposedly, the Stewarts stole the position from us a long time ago. Anyway, he thinks that if I can get with the Council Queen’s heir, then that will raise my family’s standing. It’s all a bunch of politics, and I don’t want to deal with it.”

  “I see. So does your dad know that we’re dating?” I asked.

  “No.” Liam’s jaw worked. “And I’m not going to tell him. For now. I don’t want him thinking he has an in with you. Bastard would use compulsion on you given a chance, if he thought it would benefit him.”

  I startled at the disgust in his tone. “You don’t like your father very much, do you?”

  “He’s a bastard. You’d think, being a fae, that he’d have more compassion for others, but he doesn’t. That actually seems to be a problem among my kind.”

  The memory of that fae who tried to rape me at the beach party last summer surfaced. “Yeah, seems to be. Although, I don’t think compulsion works on me,” I said mostly to myself.

  “What? Has someone tried to compel you?” Liam’s brow furrowed with concern.

  “Once. But he said it didn’t work very well.”

  Liam studied my forehead. “That’s very unlikely, you know. Compulsion works on humans and supernaturals alike. Except for individuals who are particularly powerful or have trained to shield themselves.”

  That was news to me. “Maybe I’m really powerful and I just don’t know it,” I half teased.

  “You are powerful, but I don’t think you’re that powerful. The kind of powerful I’m talking about comes only with great age among our kind. Old power.”

  “Oh. Then I don’t know why it didn’t work. It happened before I even knew that I wasn’t human.” I sighed, not really wanting to think about that night. But, I was curious to get to the bottom of this. I locked eyes with Liam. “Would you…try it? Compel me?”

  His eyes grew wide. “No! Never. I don’t do that, ever.”

  “I’d like to know if it works on me or not. And you’re the only one I trust enough to ask.” I set my wineglass on the table, resolve flooded my stomach. “Please? Just this once.”

  Liam looked reluctant. “I really don’t want to.”

  “I know, but it would help me to know if I’m somehow immune to it. Please? Just try it a little bit?”

  He sighed. “Only for you. Only because you specifically asked.”

  “Thank you. Now, what do I do?” My palms grew damp. I was doing this, I was trusting Liam.

  “Just make eye contact.”

  I did as he said.

  His voice took on a commanding, yet mesmerizing quality as he said, “You’re feeling tired. You want to lie down and sleep.”

  A floaty sensation entered my mind, then just as quickly flitted away. I blinked at him, wide awake.

  Liam tried again, more forcefully. “Lie down. Now.”

  This time my mind seemed to be prepared, the command bounced off some invisible shield in my brain. “I felt it,” I said. “But the compulsion couldn’t get through.”

  Liam eyed me. “That’s pretty much impossible. You’re right though, I can feel your mind resisting mine. Fascinating.” His tone turned from wonder to worried. “Let’s not tell anyone about this ability of yours. Okay?”

  “Okay. Why?”

  “Just a gut feeling. Keep it to yourself for now.”

  I wished I could see what was going on in his brain. I scooted closer. “Thank you for doing that, even though you didn’t want to,” I breathed.

  He reached out, stroking my cheek with his long fingers. I leaned in, planting a kiss on his lips.

  “Anything for you.” His hand slid around to the back of my neck, pulling me in for a long, deep kiss. The shy, blushing fae was gone. In his place was the ravenous, lusty, and demanding man that I loved kissing.

  His tongue plunged into my mouth caressing mine. My dragon awakened, needy. I moaned, gripping his shoulders and pressing my breasts against Liam’s hard chest. He wrapped his free hand around my waist, pulling me closer. His hand slid down to caress my butt and squeezed.

  In a single movement, he had me on my back, with him between my legs. I squeaked in surprise. Without breaking the kiss, he lowered his weight down on me.

  My skirt had ridden up to my waist. I felt the long, hot length of him through his trousers and my panties. He nipped at my lips, then trailed down my neck, licking and sucking. I gasped at each of his stopping points, my hands in his hair, encouraging him.

  I’d wanted him like this for so long.

  I rocked my hips against his erection. He groaned against my neck, grinding his pelvis into me. If we kept this up, we were both going to climax with our clothes on. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. I grabbed his butt, urging him on.

  He drew back, a long moan escaping his lips. “I want you so much.”

  “I want you, too.”

  “But not tonight.” He gazed down at me with hooded eyes.

  I released him, propping up on my elbows. “What? Why not?”

  He sat up all the way. “I know we have feelings for each other…beyond simple lust. I want to be careful. Some beast-shifters mate for life.” He met my gaze. “I want you to be absolutely sure, before we… You’re still so young.”

  “So, what, shifters can’t enjoy casual sex?” Not that sex with Liam would be casual, but I had to ask.

  “Only if there’s no emotion involved. I think we’re in too deep for that.” He searched my eyes.

  I swallowed. I wasn’t in love with him—at least not yet. But he did fill my heart with loving feelings. If I let myself, it would be a slippery slope right into being madly in love. But I couldn’t, I was holding back, and I knew why. What if I failed? What if I didn’t get out of the Culling and the Tromara King took me away?

  At the same time, I didn’t want to end my life never knowing love. How much should I open my heart when the future was so uncertain?

  Liam stared down at the floor. “You’re not sure. I can feel the struggle going on in you right now.”

  “It’s not about what you think. It’s not about you.” I sat up, reaching for his hand.

  “It’s not?” He glanced up, hopeful.

  “Of course not. I really like you, Liam. I have no doubts about that.”

  “Then what are you struggling with?” He brought my hand to his lips for a kiss.

  I hesitated, unsure of the right words.

  He gently bit my wrist. Frowning, he glanced up. “Is it about Jaxon?”

  “No. I wasn’t thinking about him at all.” Though, now I was thinking about him. “He
never said anything about beast-shifters and mating for life, or whatever.”

  Liam released my hand. “Why am I not surprised. Don’t get me wrong, I love Jaxon, but sometimes he can be a real opportunistic prick.”

  Panic welled in my gut. Had I been wrong about Jaxon? “Did he—? Am I just—?”

  “No, no! He has strong feelings for you, believe me. You mean a lot to him.” Liam pursed his lips. “Anyway, I don’t want to jump into this with you. We have some time, so let’s take it slow.”

  Disappointment ripped through me. I drew in a deep breath. Liam was making all kinds of sense, I was just being lusty and impatient. “We can do slow,” I said. “But, it’s going to be hard.”

  “For you and me both.” Liam smiled. “How about a movie and some snuggling?”

  I nodded. Never mind the Tromara, this beautiful, sweet man was going to slowly torture me to death with snuggles.

  Early Sunday night, I got my phone and listened to the voicemail from Isabella: “Hello, Caprice dear, I had a chat with Demarcus Freeman after our Council meeting. I’m sorry to say that he doesn’t know what his son is up to. He was confused and upset when I told him how Montrell has been treating you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a talking-to this weekend. If I hear anything, I’ll be sure to call you. I’ll also talk to the dean.”

  Isabella paused, her voice took on a worried tone. “Do me a favor and check up on Jaxon when he gets back. There was an accident, an explosion, but everyone is okay. Thankfully. But, just make sure he’s doing okay. Love you, bye-bye.”

  I stared at the phone in horror. Explosion? While I’d been on a date with Liam, Jaxon had an accident?

  Rushing down from the turret in the Dean’s Hall, I made it to Jaxon’s apartment in record time. It was still early, but I didn’t care. Every fiber in my body, and in my dragon, needed to see Jaxon. Needed to see that he was okay.

  I pounded on the door. When he didn’t answer, I banged harder.

  Jaxon yanked the door open. He wore only boxers, and was rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What—?”

  I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You’re okay!” A sob escaped me. Tears streamed down my face onto his bare chest.