Drowning Studies (Artemis University Book 2)

by Erin R Flynn

  He pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing up his glasses as he did. He rubbed his eyes and let the glasses drop into place. “Of course you did.”

  “I think you were thanking her?” Izzy grumbled.

  “I was. Thank you, Tamsin. They were trying to break me with all I have so I would have to rely on them for help or whatever and be one of their minions and they were close. This semester has been crazy and I don’t mean because I tutor you. You’re actually the easiest I’ve ever tutored.”

  “Wow, a compliment,” Izzy giggled.

  I agreed but didn’t say it. “How so? I need tons of help.”

  “No you don’t,” he said firmly. “And you’re not lazy. I was doing tons of homework for spoiled brats last year but you were deemed as needing so much help and a priority as being unknown that I didn’t get more than one person to tutor. And you’re lower maintenance. Craftsman isn’t the only one who thinks of you as his golden ticket.”

  I felt my face flush. I knew he wasn’t saying it to be a compliment and it was sort of offensive to be thought as a golden ticket, but coming from him and with the sincerity in his voice, I took it that way. “Glad I’m not killing you.”

  “No, and thanks for letting me nap. I needed it.” He smiled at the kids. “Apparently I’m not the only one who falls asleep on you.”

  “Oh, ouch,” Izzy groaned.

  I shrugged. “I’m fine with being soothing, peaceful, and calm. I’m used to way different and people running fast so it’s a good change maybe.”

  Darby and I started working on geometry and Izzy ended up taking a nap with the kids. Just as we were finishing up, Irma and a few other of the hobgoblins came over to get their kids.

  “Bye, Tamsin,” Elasha yawned, leaning in and kissing my cheek. She started a trend and all the kids made sure to get me.

  “See you at dinner?” Irma checked.

  “Depends on the menu,” Izzy muttered, looking like she was having trouble shaking off sleep as well.

  “There’s normally a pasta bar and easy baked food. Today is a ramen bar and baked chicken with all the easy fixings.”

  “Yeah, I’m in,” I chuckled.

  Izzy groaned and rubbed her stomach. “We’ll see how I do with the food baby we made. Irma, you’re a miracle on making sandwiches amazing. I ate too much.”

  “Now and again is good for you,” Irma promised.

  We cleaned up and headed out. I swung by the room to drop off and repack my bag for what was next. Izzy and Darby asked me about that, noting I’d been going strong since early morning. Well, I took a break for meals but yeah, too much to do.

  “I need to attempt my first runes,” I grumbled, nervous not just because I was behind others in my class, but it would be just my luck that I tanked when it was Craftsman’s class. I was about to leave when I opened the door to find Hudson looming there. I gave a yelp but then laughed, rubbing my chest. “Did you need me?”

  “You’re ignoring me,” he practically growled.

  “Huh?” I blinked at him and then remembered I’d turned my phone on silent in the cafeteria that morning and hadn’t flipped it back. I pulled it out and saw I had lots of messages. I sighed and nodded. “I’ll look later. I need to practice runes. I’ve been working all day, not ignoring you or anyone, I promise.”

  “You okay?” he worried.

  “Just a lot on the plate.” I waved at the others and headed out, not shocked when Hudson fell in step with me.

  He wasn’t looming or upsetting though, almost calming, like walking with a shield I knew no one would want to mess with. I pulled out a snack bar and offered him one, giving it over when he nodded. We were done by the time we reached the labs building.

  “Okay, see you later.”

  He moved his hand to my arm but dropped it, giving me an intense look when I met his gaze. “You’re magical and runes will want to listen to you. Trust yourself.”

  “Thanks. I’ll text you later.”

  “Good.” He stood there as if waiting for me to get inside after a date or something. He was such a weirdo but honestly, I liked that as he was always serious about everything. It was nice.

  I went inside, found the right place, and signed my name to the log that I was taking the practice room. Walking down the hall, I opened the right door to find what looked like a padded room from a mental hospital in movies.

  Of course it did. At least the floor was comfortable as nothing else was in the room. Right, didn’t want to risk putting in chairs when students were playing with fire or magic.

  There was a bin covered in the same material that I stashed my bag in after I took out the cheat sheets and conduit. I moved to the middle of the room and put it over my head before randomly picking the first rune.

  Air. Okay, I could handle a little wind when I’d been playing with a power clap.

  I took some slow breaths as I sank to sit cross-legged, almost like I was doing yoga. Then I focused on the symbol in my hand and traced it, pushing power into it like I did the reservoirs. But just a little. Easy, no crazy.

  Immediately a slight breeze filled the room and I let out a giggle I would never admit to. The magic of it was playful, messing with my ponytail and clothes. I was pretty proud when it died right down.

  Runes had levels and some lasted until you stopped them, but others lasted only as long as you put power in them. Some were forever but we weren’t going to learn about those.

  I had a feeling those were the adult ones.

  I thought of the rune again and what had happened, what air was to try and memorize it… And the breeze started again.

  My eyes went wide. Oh shit. I pulled back my power and it died down.

  This time I tried to do it, simply thinking of the rune and air with magic ready to go. Instantly wind was at my call.

  Oh boy. That was something else to keep quiet. I didn’t need to write or trace runes to use them. I could just think them.

  Fuck. That would be hard to hide. Was that a fairy thing? Maybe. It made sense if witches and the others came from fairies so they’d be able to skip steps. I wasn’t sure but it fit logically at least.

  I went through the list of runes we were supposed to be working on and all of them went as well. All of them clicked right into place after I traced them once.

  All twelve of them.

  Holy fuck me.

  I gathered my stuff and signed out that I was done with the room before racing back to our room. Izzy was bursting with excitement at my mood, giving me a confused look.

  “I got it. Let’s work on memorizing them,” I suggested. “I say we commandeer his whiteboards.”

  “Sure, but we might owe him more markers.”

  “Fine by me. We need music.”

  “Why are you excited?” she giggled as I grabbed my iHome for my phone.

  “Something clicked and was easy. How much easy have I had, Izzy?”

  “None, got it.”

  Yup, none.

  I grabbed more snacks and a couple of water bottles. We’d gotten a set of six so we always had them. Right by the exit of the dorm was a cool water and ice machine like in the door of a fridge, but it was nice to cut back on plastic bottles for sure. It even had a hot water option too and our bottles were insulated for that.

  We’d bought a bunch of water enhancers and flavors and we were good to go for a while. And I meant a while with all we’d gotten. Hey, drinking more water was always good. We’d have to get tea when it got colder.

  His door was unlocked and his bag on his desk like he’d just stepped out. We got set up and started with air, writing it over and over again so we knew it just like we knew the alphabet. He came in as we were wiggling around to an Ed Sheeran song as we wrote out the rune for fire.

  “Sure, come on in and make yourself at home, ladies,” he drawled, not hiding his amusement well.

  “I’ll buy you more markers.”

  “Good, because those are on their last legs,” he grumbled.r />
  I nodded over to my iHome. “My phone’s unlocked. Order what you want on Amazon.”

  “So I take it practice went well?”

  “It might have,” I teased.

  “Show me.”

  “Nope,” I chuckled, popping the P loudly. “You can see the presentation with everyone else, Dr. Craftsman. No sneak peeks.”

  “I’ll show you but I’ve been doing it for years so that’s not really exciting.”

  “We should start doing herbal teas in our bottles and adding juice when we’re at the cafeteria. Or you can do caffeine. Doesn’t that sound so refreshing for the hot days we’re still having?”

  “I love being your friend,” Izzy cooed. “Even if your idea of fun is writing runes on whiteboards a million times.”

  “Only if it’s with you. I want these drilled in my head because I want to learn all of them.” I winked over at Craftsman. “Gotta catch ’em all, right?”

  “Yeah, runes and Pokémon,” Izzy giggled. “Which are your favorite?”

  I shrugged. “I never really got into it but I liked the little guys. I always cheer for an underdog and people just ignore them as being useless if they’re not big or flashy. That’s not how power always works and dismissing people is stupid. I took down lots of guys much bigger than me because I’m fast and flexible.”

  “How flexible?” Izzy asked. “I see you stretch and yeah, you are, but you make it sound like really flexible.”

  “I am.” I was in lounge capris so they were flexible. I waited until she glanced at me and kicked up my leg, easily doing the splits standing. “You’re little. The more flexible you are, the easier you’ll win fights. I’m like a snake when guys try to grab me because I wiggle out of what they don’t expect.”

  “I am under your tutelage, Yoda,” she giggled, bowing to me before looking back to the board.

  I went to lower my leg but caught the look Craftsman was giving me as he adjusted how he stood. Oh, someone was thinking in the gutter.

  I smirked at him as I ran my hand down my leg as I dropped it, blowing him a quick kiss before turning back to my runes.

  Yeah, I was a brat for sure. It was fun sometimes.

  Fine, it was always fun to push Craftsman’s buttons, but mostly because he encouraged it.

  7

  I had just finished my after-dinner study session with Darby and realized I still hadn’t checked my messages. Damn, it had been a whirlwind of a day and I was ready to crash. I pulled out my phone and unlocked it as I stepped out of the library and about fell over when I pulled up his.

  Hudson: I am sorry. I shouldn’t have grabbed you.

  Hudson: I’m also sorry I made you feel like I talk to you because I can talk in your head. That’s not true. Not at all. Can we talk?

  Hudson: Um, I am sorry. I’m not just saying it so we still have sex. I do want to continue to have sex—duh—but I don’t want to hurt you.

  Hudson: Please don’t be mad at me. I can let you in too, my princess. I’m not good at it but I try. I like WE shared that intimacy of talking like that, not just any girl.

  Hudson: I mean, I do talk. Well, not much and not to strangers, but I do talk to my friends. I’d still want you even if I couldn’t talk in your head. I’d talk as much as you wanted. It’s just hard for me.

  Hudson: Tamsin, you’re making me worry you were calling quits with me. Please respond. I’ll apologize to your face and stop talking in your head. I swear it. Just talk to me, please?

  There were several more as time progressed until he found me at my room. Oh wow, he was totally hooked on our fun if he was freaking out like that. I hadn’t meant to do it at all but it was sort of nice he thought I was worth freaking over. There was only one more since we’d talked.

  Hudson: Meet me in the dragon territory, my princess. Let me show you who I am as you’ve showed me so much of you.

  He wanted to show me his dragon form? Shit, I was so in even if I was pissed at him. It had taken everything I had not to immediately demand Mel show me.

  Tamsin: I just got done with Darby and read your messages. I’ll meet you in the dragon territory if you want.

  His response was almost instant.

  Hudson: I’ll head there now. Thanks.

  Damn, he might be a demanding bossy dragon but it seemed he wasn’t with me. Or he was willing not to be if I was upset or needed something else. That was pretty hot.

  I made my way to the dragon dorm and walked out towards the forest that way so I knew I was in their territory. He must have come from the dorm because he was in front of me deeper into the property at a large break in the trees.

  “Runes go well?” he asked as I set my bag down on a fallen tree.

  I nodded. “Really well actually, which is a nice relief I’m not completely behind and messed up.”

  “You’re neither,” he muttered, holding his hand out to me, his eyes asking permission to let him touch me.

  I nodded and before I even took his hand I was in his arms. He kissed me deeply and I switched on my telepathy… But he wasn’t saying anything. I pulled away from the kiss and cupped his cheek.

  “It’s going to take me a while to try my telepathy in crowds or groups, especially with how tired I am, but I liked we were doing that together too. I’d rather work on talking in your head too when we’re alone instead of tackling groups.”

  “Me too. My aunt said you needed to learn how to focus it. I admitted you could push power into a reservoir and she said you were more than ready. You just need to push thoughts at me like that.”

  I nodded I heard him and kissed him. “I want to see your dragon, Hudson. I want to see all of you and then take my stress away. I want crazy sex in the woods after you show me your other side.”

  “Fuck, that is so godsdamn hot, Tamsin. I need you. Can you feel the energy?”

  I shook my head. “I think I’m too tired. I used a ton of magic today.” Just as I said that I felt his energy dancing over my skin. Had I been blocking it or just too wiped? Who knew? “Get naked for me and show me, my dragon.”

  He growled, sounding like he was happy I called him that. It sounded a bit much when we were just hooking up but whatever.

  One more kiss and he pulled away, taking off his clothes and smirking when I licked my lips. He set them all on the same fallen tree my stuff was on before walking further into the open field in the middle of the forest.

  He turned to face me and the air started to shimmer around him. My eyes went huge as his skin turned scaly and changed colors.

  Then he fucking grew and grew until a huge ass fucking dragon was in front of me. He was technically a dragon with wings—as he had four legs plus the wings—and not a wyvern as they were bipeds that had wings for arms.

  I looked it up. If I was screwing a dragon, I wanted to know what I was in for.

  He was breathtaking. His scales were the dark color of his hair with flecks of the blue of his eyes and the purple they changed to. He huffed as I only stared and I got the idea this was an interactive show and tell.

  I stepped forward, reminding myself it was Hudson and not a random creature that was bigger than a semitruck that was going to eat me.

  “You better only eat me like eat me out in human form,” I muttered as I got closer. “No taking chomps of me like this.” I could really see him in the dragon’s eyes as the look he gave me could only be categorized as ready to groan I’d really said that.

  Yeah, well, he was a huge scary ass fucking dragon. I’d be surprised if that was all my mouth said.

  “Wow, pretty,” I whispered as I got even closer and saw his coloring in the moonlight. He gave another huff and I bit back a chuckle. “Sorry, sorry, manly. You’re the manliest and baddest dragon ever. Totally badass, for sure.” I leaned in and kissed his snout. “Nothing wrong with being pretty and badass. I pull it off, right?”

  His forked tongue snuck out of his mouth and he used the edge of it to lick my cheek. Good thing he didn’t use his who
le tongue as it was the size of my face and that would have been gross.

  “You must eat a ton,” I chuckled as I moved my hands along his head. He gave a slight shake of his head.

  “Rocks. Eat rocks. Weapons.”

  Good to know but honestly, I didn’t know if what he said was so short and blunt because he was in dragon form… Or it was just Hudson.

  “There’s so much I want to ask you,” I admitted. “Would you laugh at me if I just grilled you or wanted to see you in the light?” I smiled when he shook his head. I kissed his snout again. “Thanks for showing me. It’s—I’ve always loved dragons, really I did. It was fairies, unicorns, and dragons that always were my favorites.” I stepped away from him and started taking off my clothes. “Seems only fair.”

  He changed back and stormed over to me. “I’ll shift anytime you want if you get naked too.”

  “Deal,” I replied, trying to keep the giggle out of my voice.

  “I want to taste you.”

  I shook my head. “I showered this morning and I’ve been all over, Hudson. It’s been such a long day and—”

  “I don’t care,” he growled against my mouth. “I want to taste you every way you come, Tamsin. I want you sweaty. I want you dirty. I want you fresh from the bath. I want you after a swim. I want you after you lay in the sun and I want you after I fuck you too.”

  “That’s maybe the most you’ve said to me at one time. Of course it’s naughty,” I teased him as I unclasped my bra.

  His hands caught my breasts as he leaned in and kissed my neck. “Only with you, it seems. You don’t demand it of me or whine I don’t tell you every thought I have. I can’t stand that. Let me be me.”

  “I know. Me too. I always feel that.”

  “I know. I would never change you.”

  And that was one of my biggest fears. I’d seen too many women be owned by men or change who they were because of the man in their life and it drove me… I didn’t want that.

  Ever. If I changed I wanted it to be because I matured or bettered myself, not changed for a man or “love,” as that wasn’t love then to me.

  He swooped me up in his arms when I was naked and laid me on the soft grass. Then he tasted me and I tried not to be self-conscious but it was so good the worry floated away.